My I-Spiral
Ever found yourself overwhelmed with so many things to do that even the act of writing them down seems monumental? I did last week. The perfect storm of starting a new engagement, training a replacement, hiring staff, hosting a family wedding brunch, and hosting my family for the week after Christmas put me there. My home office desk became a staging point for several messes rather than my work station. I was spiraling out of control into 2012.
Then my wife Laura, my dad, Brian Tracy, and my Success Magazine CD intervened. They all in various ways reminded me of the key to regaining control of my life: write it down and start. Just write it down and start.
For 50 years my dad, Dick Miller, carried a spiral notebook in his shirt pocket. Whenever he heard something noteworthy, needed to remember something for the future, or had something important to share with his staff, he wrote it down. Each notebook started with names and addresses of family and friends. Dad joined Mom in heaven several years ago and I keep his last few notebooks on my desk. They serve as my guide for my growing stack on notebooks. The holidays threw me off track and out of control.
Brian Tracy has taught for years THINK ON PAPER, THINK ON PAPER. Darren Hardy, publisher of Success Magazine, talks about the value of writing down daily goals and tracking your results. And Laura reminded me to just get out my spiral notebook, start a list, and get on with it. She even suggested jokingly that I start “spiraling into control.”
So when you find yourself spiraling out of control, remember a simple flip-thought and spiral into control:
1) Get a spiral three ring notebook. Pocket size work great. IPads for your technos.
2) Every day write down the 3 most important goals you have and order them.
3) Do the first one FIRST and don’t stop until you complete the first one. Cross it off!!!
4) Go to the second goal and repeat.
5) At the end of each day, write on the back of that page one thing you are grateful for that day.
Repeat Daily for 21 days and say hello to Spiraling into Control.