Lot of thoughts swirl through my head. Where do I start, what do we need to do, how do we get there?
Some key thoughts
- Start small, build key pieces, see the end to end of the goal
- Bias into action, rather than overthinking it
- Better to act your way into thinking than think your way into acting
- The latter is a root cause for procrastination
- Start somewhere, anywhere; get hands-on; get traction; get into flow; navigate
- With consistency and time invested, you will see the light
Hacks, Tips & Ideas
Use Pen & Paper ✍🏽 📖
This slows down your thinking, provides gravity and traction for your thoughts; the thoughts becomes clearer. I’ve hugely benefitted from this in recent years. Now, I use a combination of hardbound dotted journal, along with post-it notes for fleeting thoughts and meeting takeaways. I use the journal for bojo or as a bullet journal as well. The returns on this method and my progress have been much improved from before using this technique.
Meditate 🧘🏽♀️
Slowing the breathing, slows you down enough for quality thoughts to take effect. It creates the mental headspace to see from a third person perspective at yourself. Slowing the heart rate is good for you. Leads to longevity of life. Dogs breathe fast; turtles breathe slow. This thought helps me connect longevity and breathing.
Use the subsconscious 🧠
Remember the times when you sleep on a problem, the next morning the solution magically comes to you. This is because your subconscious gets into action and works on the problem. For nerds, it’s like running a web worker or a thread of the problem. It will eventually run it’s course and be ready with some solutions in the morning. All you have to do is get up the next morning and tap into it, by reflecting on it.
Get the blood flowing with physical activity 💪🏽 🚴🏽♀️ 🏃🏾♀️
Earlier in my career, there were days when I felt groggy and grumpy getting into work. Some days were different and I couldn’t put a finger on the difference. Over the recent many years, it is crystal clear to me the more I sweat, workout and gain the feeling of strength, the better I feel. It helps me bring my best self to work when I feel that way. With consistency over the years, I’ve settled into this daily ritual. The expression of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) helps with learning and memory. This is best derived when you sweat with exercise. Leg days are more consistent since I feel stronger when I do leg strength training. Cycling is also working real well since it is more fun than running and helps with longer cardiovascular activity time.
Early in my career at Dell Inc, I was taught and exposed to working with ambiguity as a normal. It made a big impression on me. Figuring things out is key to a fulfulling time in life and work.
Be bold and sail forth! ⛵️