WHEN LIFE GETS IN THE WAY
Last week I was scheduled to write a blog post on Tuesday. I didn't. This was the first time in over 10 years that I missed a deadline and you know what happened? Nothing. Nobody noticed.
WHY DID I MISS THE DEADLINE?
Truth be told, no topic came to mind and rather than sit in front of my laptop trying to come up with something, I went swimming.
I am an avid swimmer, and we are now in the short season in the Northeastern US where outdoor swimming pools are open.
There are few things I enjoy as much as swimming laps in an outdoor pool on a beautiful sunny day. So, instead of doing my work and meeting my deadline, I went swimming.
WHY AM I SHARING THIS STORY?
Having a plan is a great way to get important (and not-so-important) tasks completed. But there are also times when enjoying life or dealing with hardship needs to take priority.
Life can get in the way of your plan...and that's okay.
YOU ARE YOUR HARSHEST CRITIC
You are probably harder on yourself than anyone else. Until last week, the idea of skipping one of my self-imposed deadlines never crossed my mind. But I also felt that forcing myself to write a sub-standard post to meet an artificial deadline didn't make sense. So I compromised and delayed my blog for a week until I had something to say.
BOTTOM LINE
Having a plan in place can help you be more productive. But it is also important to have your priorities in order. Rigid schedules can result in missed opportunities (like swimming outside).
And, when life throws you a curveball and you have to handle adversity, be kind to yourself. Your brain is likely to have difficulty functioning at its peak when you are short on sleep, feeling under the weather, or dealing with emotional hardship. Manage your expectations accordingly.
Enjoy the start of summer!
WANT MORE PRODUCTIVITY TIPS?
Check out Super-Productive: 120 Strategies to Do More and Stress Less.
Available on Amazon.
To learn more, visit ControlChaos.org
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