Breaking my habits, one by one, Week 4    

Week 1,  check it out here

Week 2   And part 2 is here      

Week 3- check it out here
 

So, what does Week 4 bring?  

A review.  

My coach, Dane Bauerle from The Dynamic Leader talked about us reviewing the first 3 weeks.  Okay...I thought.  I got this down.  A Breeze.  And the actual assignment was to go through Lessons 1, 2 and 3 and re-read the book and listen to the CD and pick out 1 concept from each lesson and be prepared to discuss in class 1.  how I used it  and 2. did it work?  

I actually needed a refresher.  I was so busy still trying to get this goofy new "organizer/scheduler/to-do/priority" book down pat.  I was still struggling with it.  Leaving it in the car, leaving it ON the car, in the trunk, I wasn't comfortable tucking it under my arm at a meeting, etc.   But I was determined (well, I had to be, I tucked away my old one out of reach...on purpose!)  So, I was still struggling with my own "book" demons.  Why?  Because for years I have had the SAME kind of book, done the same thing, organized the same way (or unorganized if you ask my staff!). 

How stupid is that a little book could cause me so much drama?  It was so simple, simple to the point that if it had been any more basic then I think my dog could have pointed it out to me (she's very smart).  I WAS STUCK IN MY "OWN" LITTLE ROUTINE.   And I was struggling to break it.  To break that habit that I had grown to love so much.  

It's hard.  I'm not making light of it, but looking at yourself in the mirror and KNOWING what you need to do to change, but alas not taking that unbeaten path.  That's hard to muster up the right attitude and change it.  

But, as Dane says, "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten"....and he's right.    

Lesson 1- What I got from it was Prior Planning Promotes Professional Performance (I dare you to say that 5 times in a row, really fast)...oh, sorry, I'm getting carried away here. I used this in week 1 by realizing that I was not preparing myself for success.  I set some goals that week and FAILED to prepare myself with all of the tools that I was going to need.  So, I backtracked and acknowledged that I needed to step back for a little bit, get organized before I could just jump in.  IT ACTUALLY WORKED!  

Lesson 2-This lesson was also stretching it.  Attitude.  As Rex C. House mentions in his book Improving Performance and Results, What happens to you isn't nearly important as your REACTION to what happens to you.  This is especially true when we are dealing with volatile housing markets, mortgage loans, inspections, lay-offs and all of the DRAMA that goes on in between.  It's gonna happen, but we control how we handle it.  

Lesson 3-THE BIGGEST LESSON OF ALL (for me).  Identifying and staying in HPA's or HIGH PAYOFF ACTIVITIES.  Now, I know what I need to do at the office, but I also realize that I can get distracted and off track.  Between (yes the dreaded book) and my ability to be daily organizing my HPA's I now can actually TRACK that I have been more productive this past week, stayed on track, learned what was wasting my time and continuing to focus on what my big picture is.  There is nothing more than you can ask for in business then that.  

This next week's assignment is Together Everyone Achieves More.....let's see what THAT stirs up!