Big Rocks Little Rocks and Holding My Ground

As a coach I’m humbled and honoured to hold the space of grace for business owners, managers, leaders, Mums and Dads and a few teenagers who seek support and guidance for many reasons.  One of the themes I’m witness to over the last two months is distraction and there seems to be a lot of it around. 

Distraction is about playing with the little rocks – the stuff that’s easy to do and we can tick off our list easily.  Click here to see the video of Stephen Covey and his video of habit number three, ‘Put First Things First’ (dealing with the big rocks).  When I follow my own mantra of easy is hard and hard is easy, it’s easy to get lots of things ‘ticked’ off the list and at the end of the day feel like I’ve not achieved much.  Sometimes doing the hard stuff is easier, although it’s hard to get into sometimes and it’s always rewarding and uplifting. 

Like my coaching clients, I too have engaged the services of a coach – in fact I have three at the moment, all for different reasons.  My homework at the moment is worse than in my 6^th form year!!  Anyway, my inspiring new biz coach gave me two pieces of gold this week, to leverage my success.  What’s really annoying is that I know these things and I’ve allowed myself to become distracted, playing with the little rocks.  Here’s what she said:

1. Keep your mornings clear until 11am.  Work on a project or a big rock and avoid talking to anyone until 11am.  Yeah – I know it might not be possible in your role, and, we can always find a way if we really want to.  I thought the same thing and I managed to achieve it yesterday.  By planning my week in advance I’ve created an opportunity to find a way to set aside some quiet time to advance one of my big rocks.
2. Stay off social media.  I thought I was good at limiting my time on this, but, when I reflected on the last few weeks, I’ve found myself sucked into my phone after dinner and lost countless hours which I could have invested in reading, watching the sunset or getting some extra sleep.  I’m taking little steps to eliminate this time-sucking habit.

Yesterday when I started work, I tackled a massive rock – website content – AAARGH!  It’s not an easy task shifting websites, and yet, after a solid morning cutting pasting, editing and revitalising, I ticked it off my list.  And bonus, in the process of doing the mahi, I found I’d completed two other tasks at the same time.  Genius and a massive fist pump to me!   

So, what’s this theme of distraction?  Well, it’s exactly what I’ve been saying.  Thinking that tackling the little tasks in case I’m interrupted, or getting the little pebbles out of the way in the morning to clear my afternoon aren’t helpful.  They’re the same themes I’ve been hearing from my clients – not getting things done the way they want; getting caught up in conversations, problems and tensions of others instead of focusing on their own big rocks.  When I allow the tide of change in my external world to wash me away from my routines and habits, I’m like the small pebbles rolling down the beach, out of the light and into the depths of the ocean where I can’t see the sun so well. 

My beautiful brain loves routine and habit.  Getting up early, journalling, exercise, giving thanks.  When I focus on the tide of change, I can easily become a pebble and move with the waves all over the place, heading for deeper water where it’s easy to lose sight of the light.  When I sit in my foundation and sink into Mother Earth, like the big rock I am, solid and immovable, yet flexible when I choose to be (which is more the exception rather than the norm), the tide can wash over me all it wants and I’m still in my routine and in the light.  Yeah, whatever … so what does this all mean?  Plan your routines that support your excellence, plan your day well and stick with the plan.  I’ve found I enjoy productivity and progress when I sit in my foundation without getting washed away by the little pebbles.  And we all need as much light as we can get at the moment, right? 

Big rocks first and bask in the joy of getting shit done.   Find your rock!