I have been practicing Monday Hour One for about a year and a half. I thought I was doing pretty good with it. I was able to get so much done and feel slightly less overwhelmed by being able to map out my day. But since joining Scholars and diving in to become a Monday Hour One self-proclaimed master, I realized how sloppy I had actually been with my time. I calendared my tasks but didn’t actually honor my time boxes. I allowed people to trample over my beautifully planned day with their own priorities. And I scheduled “overflow” time to extend my workday “just in case” something came up (and believe it or not, something ALWAYS came up to fill that overflow time and extend my workday). Since I thought I was doing okay with Monday Hour One, I would use this as evidence to prove to myself that it was just my job that required me to work so much overtime and there was no way to manage around that.
I have made mind blowing progress in addressing these bad habits and the last few weeks. I have been crushing it. I don’t work beyond my time boxes. I let MY priorities dictate my schedule. I’m practicing daily focus time with no notifications (game changer! I look forward to this slot on my calendar every day). I am graciously allowing the resistance I feel when it’s time to start the next task.
I’m very proud of how I have been able to shift my mindset over the past few weeks. So now my brain is looking extra hard for trouble. I am worried that I have only been able to be successful because it must be a slow time at work. And maybe my new habits have made my days a little more manageable. But, surely, when a big project comes my way, I’m going to go back into my old ways.
C – I calendar my tasks for the week
T – I am only able to manage my time because my workload is low right now
F – Fear
A – Look for projects or tasks that will not fit into my time boxed slots, assume any new email will be the project that blows up my schedule, ruminate on possible scenarios that would cause me overwhelm, don’t look for evidence of success I’m having with new habits, avoid IMs and emails in case there is a new project request
R – I don’t give myself credit for the current results I am creating in my life so don’t trust myself to manage my time no matter what the circumstance
Any feedback is appreciated!