BE QUIET!

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I’m writing this while on vacation with my family at a lake house.??It’s fun and relaxing.??Life moves a little slower at the lake:??there is more quiet time and a less structured or scheduled approach to the day.??It clearly produces more peace and focus.??I had the obvious thought as I started thinking about sharing with you – how do we get more of that in our everyday lives??

We all need a bit more focus and peace, wouldn’t you agree???We need to learn to be quiet!??

Here are four methods that work:??

Start your day quietly.??This can be accomplished in different ways.??You might get up earlier than others.??It’s a wonderfully serene and lucid time of the day.??Or try a designated space or activity.??For example, your back porch, a walk through the neighborhood or the woods, or just time spent in your favorite chair with noise cancelling headphones.??Mix it up and figure out what works for you.??

Schedule some things less frequently.??This is about loosening the pressure on your schedule and helping you find a small bit of extra time where you might decompress and indulge a small bit of quiet while at work.??For example, here is a secret about meetings:??most can be scheduled slightly less frequently!??With your newfound time, try walking the grounds or at least close your door for a few minutes and enjoy the quiet.

Reshape your work environment.??Many workplaces are designed to maximize collaboration, but this often maximizes distraction too.??So, think about where you physically work, with whom you interact, and how you manage access to you.??You should be accessible when needed, but you also deserve a bit of uninterrupted time to focus and enjoy the quiet.??It would be smart to work part time in a conference room or another abnormal location, signal to others when it is okay and not okay to contact you, and yes – try noise cancelling headphones!

Schedule unplugged time.??I’ve saved the best for last.??We’ve been tricked into thinking we need to be online, connected, and plugged in all the time!??That’s not healthy.??A minimum of thirty to sixty minutes each day should be unplugged – no devices beeping or chirping at all.??When you give yourself permission to untether your devices, your brain is able to lock in and really focus.??Don’t worry, it will only scare you the first time.??Then it becomes a sacred time you love.

It's healthy, peaceful, and productive – be quiet!

TODD’S TIPS

This one is for you overachievers… Allow yourself to be imperfect!??I know it’s hard, but it’s a required strategy for long-term success.??Listen, if your goals are challenging, you won’t reach them all.??So what???Perfection is not the goal.??There are better standards against which you should judge yourself.??

These include:

Effort.??Did you give it your all???You cannot allow yourself to feel down for more than a brief moment when you know you truly did all you could do.

Willingness to take smart risks.??Did you push yourself into new spaces???That could mean new knowledge and skills, new methods, or new collaborators.??If your effort included stretching in these ways, you did a great job.??

Planning.??Was the plan optimized or could it have been better???Think about the team and how you interact with others, how well you planned for needed resources, whether or not you correctly thought through risks and contingencies, etc.??No plan is perfect, but if yours was pretty solid – don’t be too hard on yourself.??

So, think about your effort, your willingness to push and take smart risks, and your planning.??Learn something useful about them and apply it to your next effort.??Forget perfection – this is how you make real progress.??

WHAT’S UP WITH DR. D?

Speaking:??You never really know the impact you’re having on others.??An example of this popped up in my life a few days ago.??A professional who follows my work contacted me to say thank you.??She was a fan of a few of my courses, and one speech in particular that she found online.??It’s a TEDx talk focused on creativity, innovation, and change (https://bit.ly/3zw8szA ).??She needed a boost to keep chasing a particular change and the speech spoke to her.??She shared it with her entire company and her network!??Do your best to create good work and to be helpful.??It’s hard to always know the impact you’re having but believe that it’s there.??And when someone makes it clear to you – tell them thank you!

Courses:??My course Giving Your Elevator Pitch on LinkedIn Learning has passed 1,000,000 learners!??I’m blown away by the continued success of their platform and grateful to be one of their authors.??Also… I’ve decided on the next four courses I will create, and one will be Vigilant Leadership – more coming soon.

Monsters:??I’m gathering endorsements for Dancing With Monsters and just landed this one from a senior executive at a global technology firm, “Our unseen and unacknowledged fears arguably have a more profound impact on our leadership effectiveness than any other element.?This book is an incredibly fun yet deeply insightful journey into understanding these dynamics, along with a very pragmatic point of view on how to move forward from where you are.?Todd’s ability to cut through the surface and get to the root of leadership derailers comes through in his writing here as well as he does in his live seminars.”??Wow – feeling very lucky!

Until next time – stay safe, go learn something, maybe help someone, or at least do something interesting!

All my links in one place:??https://linktr.ee/drdewett .?

All previous newsletters here:??https://bit.ly/3zbXVqa .