Again, this is not a sponsored or “authorized” offering, just a fan of The Hero’s Journal and Hero’s Planner. [see Part 1 here]
Mini Quest Part 2: Taking care of NEEDS
Part 1 was all about feeding your spirit, the why and joy of being who you are. I hope you found some way to stop and honor your unique and wonderful self!
This day’s quest is about taking care of things that you might not enjoy, but that weigh on you because they aren’t getting done. Once they are done, you will have more “breathing room” to do things that you want again!
You might want list-making supplies again – old fashioned paper or digital note-taking are both good choices! If you have the brain of a squirrel as I do, I recommend recording what you consider.
Similarly to Day 1, take a moment to rest and think. Walk, sit, and/or “do” in a way that allows you to consider the goal: working on at least one thing that has been waiting for your attention.
Right Now: you are looking for a place and moment of calm where you can consider what is truly important AND achievable with the Time, Tools, Talent, and Treasure you have available Today. [“the five Ts”]
BEGIN
RELAX. Let your mind wander.
- What do you see that you haven’t noticed before? What do you hear? If you are in motion, what sensations do you have as you move through the space over textures, changes in slope, changes in direction? If you are seated, what points of contact do you have with surfaces, are you comfortable and stable or do you need to adjust your position occasionally?
- What is catching your attention? What isn’t catching your attention unless you focus? What is concerning you today? What is bringing you joy?
- Notice how your breath is moving in and out of your body. Do you feel heavy or light? Check in with your distant body parts and gradually move your attention toward your core. What feels tight? Unstable? Painful? What feels comfortable, relaxed, supported?
CONSIDER what you need to do through the end of the month, why you need to do it, and what might be getting in your way. What you need to do and the reason it isn’t already done is a clue to how you can move it off the list!
CONTINUE
LIST at least three tasks that you can do with what is on hand – nothing that requires a trip to a store, or waiting for a delivery, or another person’s participation.
Remember, you are considering NEEDS. Take about 5 minutes. Usually the things you think of first are going to be fairly high on your list! You can add on later if you find more.
ARRANGE the tasks in order of importance, urgency, or interest. Or just circle the ones that have been weighing you down. Remember, today is all about “needs” and these can be time-limited or more/less meaningful, and more/less rewarding, but necessary. What seems to pull at you the most? What would be least horrible to put off if you run out of any of the five Ts?
Line them up in the order you want to do them or the order that is more logical, or circle the ones that seem possible TODAY. It is entirely possible that your “top of list” task will be gathering the materials and supplies you need for some of the other tasks!
CHOOSE a task to do RIGHT NOW or as soon as you have a moment… today (barring unforeseen circumstances). If you have only a short time, pick a small task or break one of them into smaller pieces and do what you can. The purpose of this moment is to DO SOMETHING necessary/important/useful to feed your sense of accomplishment and self-efficacy (teacher talk for “attaboy” moments).
This is a day to roll up your sleeves, and take steps to be in charge of the tasks, and not let the tasks overtake you.
For example, I am still on vacation as I write this, but weighing heavily on my mind is the task of getting boxes of school supplies back into the classroom and starting to set up the furniture so I have a place to put everything. I also very much NEED to go through my professional clothes and decide which ones I will use and which are just not going to suit me. I have been putting this task off for a couple years. And, although I made very good progress over the summer in organizing and cleaning the house, I still want/need to clean out the refrigerator and utility room.
My choice is trending toward the classroom set-up first, and then spending as much time at home as I can until I am required to be back at school…
What will you choose?
There will be another quest tomorrow…
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