How do you reset your expectations for the day if you feel you’re not in the state to plow through your list of priorities?
I woke up feeling sluggish. As I reviewed what I had to get done for the day, I had a sinking feeling that I would not be very productive. Thankfully, a swim practice at 6:30 am gave me the push I needed to start the day. It’s great to have a coach coming so I showed up and was held accountable.
I had lunch with a friend, O, in the Entrepreneurs’ Organization today. I don’t solicit business within EO, but when other members approach us to provide software services, we are happy to, and they make great clients. O shared with me that he went through a challenging time, so it was more difficult working with us, and he appreciated that I handled it patiently and with great empathy.
This compliment was so genuine that I was really moved. I am having a challenging week, and I realized that I can be quite impatient. My clients may not get the best of me this week if I’m not mindful enough. I also felt that O could be a friend with whom I could share what I was struggling more deeply. As someone with more experience than I am in work, life, and relationships, he seemed open about his own failures if they could be helpful to me.
I’m reminded again that we’re still moving through life too fast. We try to be logical and efficient; an unproductive day makes us feel guilty. I want to consider today successful not because of the tasks I have accomplished, which are not many, but because of the conversations I had.
As usual, I had three hour-long |1-on-1s on a Thursday. I always try my best to be helpful in these sessions. My current focus is to level up my listening skills and to give actionable feedback.
As I wrap up today, I gave the day a high score based on meaningful conversations, not top priorities. Next!