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Just published: Martha Treat #216
Switching Gears Freedom
While riding my bike I am totally free to switch gears at any moment. It is my choice.
The same is true with my action tracking system that records my projects and actions and, along with my Weekly Review, gives me total freedom and flexibility in choosing where I place my attention. That freedom allows for a great deal of spontaneity.
Some people see an action tracking system as too disciplined and/or rigid. I did at first too. Many years later I am deeply grateful for the freedom it gives me to switch gears at a moment’s notice as I can see everything I am not doing as well as anything needing my attention now.
A trusted tracking system allows for an instant response to a new request with a timeline of today. All you need to do is look at your calendar commitments for the day and your action lists with any items due today. In less than 15 seconds you will be able to reply yes or no to the new request. There is no thinking involved. It is simply the action of looking. To me that is quite a blessing.
If our commitments are not written in a tracked and reviewed system, the mind has no choice but to try and remember what we need to do. It has no way to remember unless it looks at stacks of paper or in email or texts to try to see what commitments have been made. The problem is the commitments cannot be seen at a glance. With commitments clearly written on the calendar or on action lists, it can be instantly clear if you can do the new request. (How to deal with whether you want to or not is a subject for another Treat.)
A tracking system gives the mind the freedom to relax, not to mention the calm it can bring to our nervous systems as well. I see action lists as the freedom to choose and switch gears. Without any pending immediate actions, I can look at my action list and decide, based on my energy at the moment, which action to choose. Perhaps I don’t have the energy for doing any of it. Nothing has a fixed timeline, so I can switch gears entirely and choose to do something completely spontaneous.
The action of switching gears is a conscious choice just as choosing a gear while peddling a bike. We all want to enjoy the freedom of choosing.
Martha Invitations.
1. What is still in your head and not written in your system? Write it down.
2. Give yourself freedom to choose what feels aligned to complete in the moment.
3. Gift yourself with consistent Weekly Reviews for your own freedom and clarity.
Martha
virina@msia.org
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Read Previous Treats:
2020
Treat #215 Seeing What We are Looking At
Treat #214 Clarity of Focus
Treat #213 Appreciating/Acknowledging Begins Within
Treat #212 How can I Assist - The True Next Action
Treat #211 Use It or Lose It
Treat #210 Finishings Along the Way
Treat #214 Clarity of Focus
Treat #213 Appreciating/Acknowledging Begins Within
Treat #212 How can I Assist - The True Next Action
Treat #211 Use It or Lose It
Treat #210 Finishings Along the Way
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2019
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2018
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Treat #209 A New Beginning
Treat #208 All Designed For Us Treat #207 Reverence and Joy for Doing Treat #206 Choosing vs Auto Pilot Treat #205 Defaulting to the One-Track Focus Treat #204 Elegant and On Purpose Treat #203 The Fullness in Minimal Treat #202 The Real Culprit of Focus Drain Treat #201 Resting in Action Treat #200 Loving the Empty Spaces Treat #199 Putting Together All The Pieces Treat #198 Are you at the Top of your To Do List? |
Treat #197 The Tiny Finishings
Treat #196 Emergency,Crisis,Fire Treat #195 Mastership Treat #194 It Works Every Time Treat #193 Let the Stuffing Be Gone Treat #192 Whole Focus Treat #191 The One Thing Not to Complete Treat #190 Just Keep It Flowing Treat #189 In Between Time Treat #188 What is Stealing Your Energy? Treat #187 To Skim or Not to Skim Treat #186 I Love January |
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2017
Treat #185 Both Hands Please
Treat #184 I'll Remember Treat #183 Creating New Doing Paths Treat #182 A Habit Worth Quitting Treat #181 Eclipse of Action Treat #180 Forgive Me for Multitasking Treat #179 What are You Looking At? Treat #178 Are you Squishing Snails? Treat #177 Relaxing the Grip Treat #176 All the Time in the World Treat #175 When is Enough . . . Enough Treat #174 Engaging Yourself to Completion |
2016
Treat #173 A Kink in the Works
Treat #172 What's Stopping You? Treat #171 All of Ours to Do Treat #170 Attitude Adjustment Treat #169 IN Consciousness Treat #168 Completing Past our Reactions Treat #167 Keep Your Dog Leash Treat #166 The Essential Piece Treat #165 Day is Done Treat #164 Do-Nothing Time Treat #163 Curbside Calm Treat #162 Pile-Up |
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2015:
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2014:
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Treat #161 Gentle Doing
Treat #160 Freedom in the Discipline Treat #159 Finding New Routes Treat #158 Keeping the Awe Alive Treat #157 "Finishiative" Treat #156 The Exquisite Sound of the Moment Treat #155 Up-to-the-minute Treat #154 Uninviting Interruptions Treat #153 What's bugging you Treat #152 Competing Attention Treat #151 Our Inner Awareness Treat #150 Spontaneously Fresh and Alive |
Treat #149 Without the Push
Treat #148 100% With... Treat #147 Are You Signaling? Treat #146 What is Pulling on Your Attention? Treat #145 Gathering Ourselves Out of Overwhelm Treat #144 Wonderings – Another Kind of Incomplete Treat #143 Asking – A New Form of Delegating Treat #142 Split Attention Payback Treat #141 Getting All the Way In To Doing Treat #140 Willingness to Look Treat #139 Follow Yourself Around Treat #138 A New Kind of Flow |