There’s an old Irish joke that a tourist stopped a farmer in the west of Ireland and asked for directions to Dublin. And the farmer answered – well, I wouldn’t start from here. It even made it’s way into The Quiet Man.
Often mis-understood as silliness, it’s full of wisdom.
At times, there is a need to stop, reflect on where we are, and start afresh with a new perspective. Otherwise, we simple continue as we are on our hamster wheels. We lessen our chances of achieving our end goals because we bring our old ways with us.
Most of us are probably taking stock now. Doing a 2021 Kickstart annual reviews and planning. This year, I’m adapting mine because of a lesson I learned from my daily rituals.
I start each day with a morning ritual that includes deciding on a top priority of the day and acknowledging what else needs to get done. I then move onto the priority first. It has helped me to be focused and present on what is essential. Additionally, I get the other things done too. I call it my daily stand up, borrowing the term from Agile.
This year, I added a stand down at the end of the day. A term I coined for myself.
I found my stand up too often included reflecting on the day before. Important to identify any impacts of what did or didn’t happen. However, too often I carried on with something I should have stopped. Or I didn’t reset my outlook or mood. (Good if it was good, but bad if it wasn’t.)
Now I do that reflection at the end of the day. I consider what worked and what didn’t. What was in my control and what wasn’t. What I will change tomorrow. I complete the day.
I start the next day, well, not always from here. But from a perspective that is a fresh start. Fully committed to the new day.
This year I am doing the same with my annual review. I am splitting it into two activities. A retrospective of 2020 and draw a line under it. Rest. Then on a different day, I will do my 2021 Kickstart. I will set my 2021 Q1 OKRS and plan what I need to achieve them.
In a way its compartmentalization. Maybe more mindset than anything else. But given the year that 2020 was, let’s complete the year first. Then move on to the promise of 2021!
Wishing you all the best for a prosperous 2021. See you next year!
