This article by Tony Schwartz for The Energy Project warns of the harm that too much speed and not enough pause can have. He makes the point that 'The more complex and demanding the work we do, the wider, deeper and longer the perspective we require to do it well...By wider, I mean taking into account the practical effect an action is likely to have on the full range of people affected by it. By deeper, I mean considering the emotional impact the action is likely to have. And by longer, I mean thinking not just about its immediate consequences, but also its implications over time'.
Other key points include:
The to do lists are something I use a lot. It's amazing how once I write it down, my mind feels freer. For me, mindfulness practices, including meditation, the purposeful pause and the grounding breath, are other ways I am learning to build in opportunities to reflect. What do you do? Take a moment to think about it.
Other key points include:
- We too often view the opposite of “doing” as “not doing,” and then demonize inaction. In fact, good judgment grows out of reflection, and reflection requires the sort of quiet time that gets crowded out by the next demand.
- There are occasions when our first intuitive judgment is the best one – or at least moves the ball forward – but even then it makes sense to revisit decisions as new facts arise. To reflect literally means to throw light back.
- Regular reflection also provides the space in which to decide what not to do. Time to reflect is what makes it possible to prioritize. Instead, we keep adding new tasks, defaulting to whatever feels most urgent in the moment, while unfinished business piles up (think Steve Covey's time management matrix)
- One of the most important vehicles I use to ensure that I both reflect and prioritize is an old-fashioned handwritten to-do list, with a twist. I use it to download everything that’s on my mind – not just calls to make and emails to send, but also ideas I want to explore, conflicts I haven’t resolved, and longer-term projects I intend to pursue.
The to do lists are something I use a lot. It's amazing how once I write it down, my mind feels freer. For me, mindfulness practices, including meditation, the purposeful pause and the grounding breath, are other ways I am learning to build in opportunities to reflect. What do you do? Take a moment to think about it.