Week 4 definitely went better, performance-wise, than week 3. I used the beginning of the week to get my plan mapped out for the week, and that activity helped tremendously when it came to making sure I was focusing on doing the RIGHT work (mini goals), leading to the achievement of my SUPER GOALS. However . . .
Week 4 became the week that I finally came to grips with the fact that I could no longer hold onto the facade of thinking I can do it all. I have my SUPER GOALS that I’m working toward, right? Right. And, I have multiple mini goals for each SUPER GOAL that I’ve been hoping to knock out each day in order to get my goals got.
But, reality let me know that those routine tasks that must be done weekly and mostly daily don’t just go away to make room for the SUPER GOALS that I want to achieve. No, they remain there as constant reminders that I don’t have as much time as I think I have on paper to work out my “12-Week Year” to-dos.
What about those 52-Week-Year things that never go away? They just keep coming back day after day and week after week. They don’t end in 12 weeks. And, they certainly don’t make room for the new mini goals that I’ve tried to incorporate into my routine.
Oh, and then there are the unforeseen to-dos that weren’t anywhere in The 12-Week-Year plan, so they weren’t factored into the challenge at all. But, they’re there. And, they’ve taken on a life of their own. As a matter of fact, it’s those very to-dos (the unforeseen ones) that can speak louder than any other demands on your time. They tend to be the highest of priorities and may be of the variety that put you into a reactionary mode to even manage them.
So, with all of the “other stuff” I’m having to manage, it’s unrealistic to say that changes to the weekly schedule/tracker aren’t needed. I’ve come to my senses and am no longer fighting what’s before me. People can change, and plans can change too.
And with change in mind, I’ve had to tweak my weekly schedule (from how it looked in week 1) to address the fact that the “other stuff” still remains and has to be managed, whether or not I’m participating in The 12-Week Year Challenge. What that looks like is that some of my daily to-dos have switched to “several times a week” or “once a week” to-dos. And, some of the items that were taking up more time within my day were pared down to smaller amounts of time worked on that day.
Oh, I just remembered that the “other stuff” also involves the non-work-related to-dos that are more fun and no play. So, watching something on YouTube (even if it’s deemed to be a part of my personal or professional development research to help me reach my goals), streaming entertaining shows, looking at social media, reading for enjoyment (even if it’s to learn something), etc. has to be addressed within the daily/weekly schedule. You know what I mean. It’s all the enjoyable, laid-back, “no pressure” stuff that helps balance out all the mini goals and mandatory, work-related things that have to get done.
Well, I have yet to incorporate that type of “other stuff” in a structured way within my daily routine. And because I haven’t given these things a proper placement, I’m doomed to carry them out at unscheduled times that take away from getting to more of the mandatory tasks I need to get done. This mismanagement of time totally contributes to why I’m scrambling at the last minute to get my required work done.
And because I don’t have unlimited amounts of time in which I’m on a productivity high, my quality working hours are limited to early morning through late afternoon/early evening. No use in getting much credible work done at night . . . with the exception of right now as I’m typing this blog post. It’s about 9p and I’m actually a little surprised that I’m cranking out my heartfelt sentiments at this time of the day.
Very surprised. But, I’m going to go with it. I’m making sense to myself, so let me keep going while I have some momentum. Hopefully, I’m making sense to you, as well. If not, let me know, and I’ll redo this blog post during the morning or afternoon time when I’m functioning on all cylinders.
What I’m trying to say is that week 4 allowed me to really reflect on the past weeks and what to-dos needed adjusting on the weekly schedule. It was time to woman up and make the needed changes already. So, that’s what I did.
The weekly schedule/tracker looks different now. But, it’s taking into consideration EVERYTHING I currently have to manage throughout the week. I mean . . . those unforeseeable to-dos can always come up and derail the best-laid plans. But, since I can’t foresee the future, I’m only dealing with what I’ve got going on right now. The future will take care of itself once it gets here.
Overall, I definitely feel like I have a better handle on realistically doing what I can with the “other stuff,” while realistically doing what I can with my new mini goals, leading to my SUPER GOALS.
PROGRESS IS PROGRESS!
NEXT – – Week 5’s report will focus on giving you some important points that I’ve learned from the book, The 12 Week Year, and am actively using while participating in The 12-Week Year Challenge.
