This weekend I agreed to perform some family duties as part of my personal chores. It meant I was unable to do an early morning workout and created the ideal context for me to skip the indoor rowing session I’d been looking forward to.
The good news is, as soon as I was able, I found a window to complete a 56 minute indoor rowing session. I experimented with a new technique based on interval training and proud to say I completed 7k! A massive thank you to my colleague who recommended the slow, steady, high wattage and high calorie burn approach.
My commitment was inspired by Ryan Holiday, author of the Obstacle is the Way and The Ego is the Enemy. You can watch his Daily Stoic video’s for free on the standard streaming platforms. I’m fascinated by Ryan’s discovery of Marcus Aurelius’ 2000+ year old journal and how it can be used for living in the modern era.
Ryan’s suggestions reminded me that we can apply similar principles to our weekly work tasks. Especially those that may be causing some anxiety and/or frustration when they appear on the to-do list.
Here are 3 that I took away:
The Obstacle Is the Way - “The impediment to action becomes the action, what stands in the way becomes the way.” Put another way, those important but not urgent tasks on the to-do list that keep evading us are the very ones we should get started on right away. Eat that frog! 🐸
Say yes to yourself, say no to others - For some of us, it can be easy to say yes first and figure it out later. That’s ok, but this can also result in priority tasks and essential matters being relegated for less important ones. If we find this happening, say No ✋🏾 more and be clear to yourself and others on the reasons why. ⛔️
Be tolerant of others and be strict with yourself - This appears to be a contradiction of the point above. It is not, both are true. Wouldn’t it be great if everything always went according to how WE want and expect it? 👀 Fortunately, life is full of surprises and unexpected outcomes so it helps when we are flexible and open to others. We just have to make sure we are clear on what we Must Do to stay on track towards personal responsibilities, goals and aspirations. 📌
What principles do you use to stay focussed in a world of competing demands on your time?
Have a great week all!
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Performance - Improvement - Grit - Comfort - Compete - www.thecurio.online