Transcript of Coronavirus Tip of the Week: Learn how to do a simple Mental Reset
Hi everyone, Bobbie LaPorte here again with this week’s Coronavirus Curveball tip of the week. In this extended Shelter in Place period, our days continue to be full of many commitments: seemingly endless Zoom calls, check-ins with our teams, family obligations and (hopefully) taking care of ourselves.
I think it would be fair to say that we all start our days with good intentions: to accomplish what’s on our to-do list; to show empathy to our team and patience with our families. But as the pressure and stress of the day in this challenging goes on….our best intentions can fade away, giving into the urgency or crisis of the moment. Before we know it, we are at the end of our day, wondering where the time went and what happened to all the important things we committed to at the start of the day.
It happens to all of us…much of the time, but particularly now, with all that is going on in our world.
So, here’s my tip:
Halfway through your day, do a quick mental reset. Take a minute – that’s all you really need – and ask yourself the following:
– Am I being the kind of person (leader, parent, colleague, friend) that I want to be?
– Am I focusing on the most important things I committed to at the start of the day?
– Most importantly: what can I do in the second half of the day to honor my intentions and meet my goals for today?
This short, but powerful practice helps you get back on track, while also acknowledging where you have been successful the first part of your day.
And along with this tip, I would also ask you to not be so hard on yourself in this reset. Believe me, this is advice is challenging for me, too – because like many of you, I feel that I can never do enough. But remember: we are all carrying “something extra” these days…whether it is worry, fear, disappointment, anger. There is that “thing” that is sitting right here on our shoulders – whatever you want to call it – that little, extra burden that can weigh us down and distract us from what we want to accomplish each day.
So, give yourself a break. I promise I will try to do that, too.
That’s my message for this week. I’ll see you again next Monday. In the meantime, remember that leadership makes the greatest difference when the world around us is uncertain. Take care of yourself!