Leadership of Self

This is an interesting one. Some time ago I posted about my own (ongoing) struggles, and the inspiration I had found in checklists, particularly those focussed around positive behaviours, good habits etc. I had print-outs, draft posts, notes in my book, to-do list prompts, you name it. But it has taken me until this week to actually get the damn values book put together, and in use. I ummed and ahhed about the contents - what values will I track? Eventually I just bit the bullet and put a list of 25 items together - 10 goals, 5 values, and 10 habits, for me to track. If nothing else, it has prompted me to check my blood sugar today, for the first time in an age. So I call that progress.

Much like Bhavna's post that inspired me to begin with, I put my initial checklist together in an A4 spiral notebook. My list ended up significantly different to hers, with hers having much more emphasis on work and health, and not including weekends. For me, making good use of my weekends is just as important, and my self-control and self-love journey requires a lot more emphasis than just work. Here is my first week below:

So far, so good. I think I need to flesh out what deep work means a bit more, as I do with my Top 3. I probably need to define them both, and actually measure against that definition. I think the concept of making deep work phone/email/distraction-free, is utterly crucial, and I know it would be beneficial to me. Thinking back to when I have needed to just get something done, I have put those distractions aside, and made tremendous progress - and that is only perhaps for an hour or two. It truly is something worth pursuing. 

As for family and others close to me, it is useful to keep track of time spent. It doesn't need to be quantified, it just needs to mean that I gave each of them some time, showed interest in their lives, and demonstrated that I am there for them. As with much of the rest of this, we'll see how this goes over time, and refine it if needs be.

With habits, that's fairly self-explanatory too. I put music in because I know the impact it has on my mental health. I also put water in for health reasons, although I am pretty sure I drink enough. I may change that to water plants at some point, as I am finding that I am enjoying having my plants, and caring for them. It's just that I get distracted, and sometimes don't water them often enough. I want to make that a positive habit I adopt.

Probably the hardest section to fill in is values. I love the idea of them, and am fully committed to making adhering to these values core to my being. I understand courage, kindness and patience. I think I understand respect well enough to know when I am being respectful, or otherwise. Gratitude is not so easy though. I think it is vital that I recognise how good I have it in life, and also teach that to my children, so it needs to be on the list. Actually living the value though? Hmm, that may take practice. Another value I could include is something along the lines of self-love. No, not that kind, I mean not hating oneself, or admonishing oneself, as I tend to do sometimes. Anyway, for Week #1, I am happy enough, and will continue with this for now. I'll certainly give it a good month, and then review again from there.

The last thing I wanted to mention was that I finally got back to Fuzion this week, which is where I began this post, whilst waiting for a breakfast meeting with one of my reports. I really need to get back into the habit of doing this weekly. Having that space, and that dedicated time for doing some writing, editing, even work, is priceless. I should make another post of exploring Echuca / Moama options when it comes to early morning coffee, breakfast and blogging. I love Fuzion, but the seats are a bit hard, and there are few charging outlets. Not necessarily deal-breakers, but it would be more ideal to have those options. I have tried Essen a few times, and similarly, it is not an ideal workspace. Time to do some research methinks. I will update on both this, and my values / goals / habits journey again soon.