Disclaimer: I use The Hero’s Planner and The Hero’s Journal but am not sponsored! (insert cheesy social media grin here). These helpful time-and-life management tools are available at https://theherosjournal.co/
Right. A miniquest. As I sit down to compose this first day, I am struggling to focus… and so none of the tasks I still want to work on are getting done. I want this to be a manageable sidequest, an inspiring sidequest, a sidequest that is both fun and useful.
Wally!
Focus.
This time of year, as a teacher, I lose all focus. I look around at all the things I had hoped to do, and I start to struggle with motivation and focus. Even in the best of times and, as I write, this hasn’t been one of those “best of” summers!
Well, I’ll do as teachers always do: pivot, punt, and pray (ie, change my plans, go for broke, and hope for the best!).
Day One: Seeing my inner child – Satisfying wants
Spend some time today to grapple with uncertainty even if it’s uncomfortable, unburden negative thoughts, and unleash your inner hero to conquer the quicksand monsters of What-If Land.
TOOLS you may want to have handy: paper and writing implement, recording device if writing is hard, digital tool (if you must, but I find those to be distracting); a companion to be near if comforting but not distracting; and either the ability to move inside or outside (for example walking, rolling, driving) or by sitting comfortably in a place of reflection. You also want to be sure you are giving yourself reasonable time for this – five minutes might be too short, fifty is probably too long.
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 want to do through the end of the month, why you want to do it, and what might be getting in your way. What you want is a clue to who you are!
CONTINUE
LIST 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. Let today’s work be your own, and unenc
ARRANGE the tasks in order of importance, urgency, or interest. Or circle the ones that make your heart happy to think about. Remember, today is all about “wants” but even those can be time-limited or more/less meaningful. What seems to pull at you the most? What would be easiest to let go if you run out of any of the five Ts?
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 fun/meaningful/interesting… to feed your own sense of self.
(for example, to work in my garden, I require another person to be in voice range as cellphones don’t work well at my place and my body sometimes needs help to move or get picked up – gardening is not something I can do today; but sitting and planning the new arrangements of planting for autumn is possible today). In my case, I am literally still on vacation and can choose to focus on just myself for a few more days. So many choices!!! (focus)
Come back tomorrow for another sidequest!