The start of the year is when we promise ourselves yet again we’re going to
accomplish certain things this year (often with a feeling of déjà vu).
Here are three ‘quintessential questions’ which might help ensure those
resolutions turn into realities and make sticking to them enjoyable!
· Bring on your ‘when’ hen
I’m writing this on the eve of our annual management brain-storming day – when we plot our projects for the year ahead. We’ve learned long ago that just making a long list of the ‘whats’ can lead to an unwieldy and overwhelming start which slows or even halts progress later on.
Now we create our list and bring on our ‘little hen’ to ask ‘when, when, when’ and plot our projects across the year so we have a 12-month overview. We don’t put all our eggs in one month!
There’s considerable evidence that it takes about 30 days of ‘daily doing’ to create a habit (look up www.jamesclear.com if you’re curious) so why not choose just one resolution per month, and only focus on that? If you can clock up a whole month, there’s a good chance you’ll carry on with it because it’s become routine
How now, brown cow?
I’m writing this on the eve of our annual management brain-storming day – when we plot our projects for the year ahead. We’ve learned long ago that just making a long list of the ‘whats’ can lead to an unwieldy and overwhelming start which slows or even halts progress later on.
Now we create our list and bring on our ‘little hen’ to ask ‘when, when, when’ and plot our projects across the year so we have a 12-month overview. We don’t put all our eggs in one month!
There’s considerable evidence that it takes about 30 days of ‘daily doing’ to create a habit (look up www.jamesclear.com if you’re curious) so why not choose just one resolution per month, and only focus on that? If you can clock up a whole month, there’s a good chance you’ll carry on with it because it’s become routine
How now, brown cow?
Being busy – and January often brings with it an urgency to ‘get on with things’ – often takes us away from the joy doing what we’re doing. We forget that how we’re doing it is as important as the job itself (in fact it exponentially increases the success of what we’re doing). One of my favourite quotes of last year was, ‘The messenger matters as much as the message.’ Being busy – and January often brings with it an urgency to ‘get on with things’ – often takes us away from the joy doing what we’re doing. We forget that how we’re doing it is as important as the job itself (in fact it exponentially increases the success of what we’re doing). One of my favourite quotes of last year was, ‘The messenger matters as much as the message.’ by M. Sanjayan1. That depends on how you’re BEING.
Although it might sound a bit daft, asking ‘How now, brown cow?’ can stop us feeling we’re on a relentless treadmill of achieving and feel the immediate high of being how we’d like to be right now.
Although it might sound a bit daft, asking ‘How now, brown cow?’ can stop us feeling we’re on a relentless treadmill of achieving and feel the immediate high of being how we’d like to be right now.
· Be a frog not a clever clog!Life doesn’t have to be complicated. Many of us (myself included) miss simple solutions either because we’re too close to a situation or because we’re hostage to the myth that progress only comes with difficulty and Hard Work.
Asking ‘what’s the easiest way to do this?’ can often bring results which leap-frog us forward in ways we were unaware of. Accepting we don’t necessarily know leaves space for solutions we may not have thought of to emerge.
Here at Beatons, we love the value which comes from asking ourselves and stakeholders ‘quintessential questions’. We hope these three make your year a fulfilling one.
1M Sanjayan is a global
conservation scientist specializing in how nature preserves and enhances human
life and is CEO for Conservation International.