Stop-Change-Start
I am finding myself having to jump from thing to thing more frequently than ever this week. And not easy jumps like replying to some emails to making some phone calls. More like going from being immersed in deep spiritual reflection and writing, to diving into the fine points of a technical business software configuration to responding to a very sensitive situation outside of work.
Maybe you’re having to jump from “heady” business work to caring for a family member to handling an emergency home repair. Or maybe you’re just overwhelmed with the sheer volume things to do and it keeps piling on.
How do you handle moving from task to task, project to project – especially when they require radically different skill sets, ways of thinking, and/or energy?
At one point yesterday, I found myself saying out loud (to myself) “Stop. Change. Start.”
Are you familiar with this simple but effective technique? (Just in case you are familiar with a management model or behavior change model of similar name, that’s not this.)
This is a simple way to handle times during your day when you have to make an immediate and sharp change or pivot in what you are doing and who you are being.
This is a simple way to handle times during your day when you have to make an immediate and sharp change or pivot in what you are doing and who you are being.
It basically goes like this:
STOP. Stop moving, stop talking, stop typing or moving papers around. Stop. Full stop.
CHANGE. Move your body in some way. Sit back in your chair, take a deep belly breath or two (or three). Walk downstairs or down the hall. Step outside if possible, even for a few minutes. Jump up and down, swing your arms around. Move, and then re-enter your space (if you walked down the hall or outside). Sit down, take a breath and say out loud “Now, I am _____” whatever you are doing next – writing this email, deciding which plumber to hire and scheduling them, writing this report … you get the idea.
START. Immediately start on that next thing.
This may sound goofy, but all too often we rush into the next thing with our minds (and sometimes our bodies) still stuck in the last thing. By literally stopping, changing our physical and mental posture, and then declaring with our voice that we are starting something new; we can regain a bit of strength, focus and effectiveness.
Try it out and then leave a note in the comments to let me know how it goes. (In between all the things you do. ;))