There’s busy and then there’s busy. We all have days or periods of time when we get away from purposeful action and instead feel pulled by emergencies or other people’s agendas. We get caught in that whirlwind of activity, but not necessarily activity we’ve chosen.

Perhaps we’ve lost sight of that “white space” in our schedules. In fact, not only have we lost sight of it, we’ve completely lost it. There is none. We’re scheduled from morning until night. We’re on the go with no time to think or regroup. We can function like this for a while, but soon overwhelm, exhaustion, and confusion sets in.

It’s time. It’s time to pause. It’s time to stop and take a few deep, long breaths. Before doing that next thing…stop. Before making that next decision…stop. Just breathe. Nice and slowly. Breathe. Regroup.

Next will become clearer. Next will become more purposeful.

Have you experienced the power of breathing? Has it helped you reset where you are? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation.

When we prepare for the next step whether it’s small or big, it’s more likely that we’ll move forward successfully. Getting ready looks different for each of us. I was curious about my colleagues’ experiences, so I reached out to this wonderful group – Valentina Sgro, Cameron Gott, Anne Blumer, Seana Turner, Janet Barclay, and Sue West. I asked them, “How do you prepare for next?” Their responses are diverse and inspiring. My deepest gratitude goes to each of them for sharing their wisdom with us.

How do you prepare for next? . . .

Daydream

“Daydreaming is my key element when 'preparing for next.' Some might use the word ‘visioning,’ but that doesn’t quite capture it for me. I don’t like surprises; I like a lot of lead time. That allows me to do a lot of daydreaming, playing out in my mind the different ways the ‘next’ thing can look or be. Sure those thoughts lead to some solid information-gathering to form a plan of action, but it’s the creation of alternate scenarios in my mind that guide me to the path I want to take. Maybe that’s why I’ve become a novelist.”

Valentina Sgro – Author of Patience Oaktree organizing novels and short stories 

Practice

“I’m relatively new to the game of ‘prepare for next’ since most of my years I was a card carrying member of the ‘back into next’ club. As a decent responder I’d react and respond my way into what was next - school, relationships, professions.  I’d let my positive and negative emotions dictate my next move. I would often over extend myself. Now I practice a more proactive stance and embrace preparation as an absolute for what is next.”

Cameron Gott, PCC – Mentor Coach, ADHD Coaching for Small Business Owners & Entrepreneurs

Celebrate

“As I ponder on the question, ‘How do you prepare for next?’ my mind immediately jumps to, how will I prepare for the next chapter in my life? In one year my son and daughter will both graduate from college. We recently have lost one family pet and now our golden retriever has days, maybe weeks to live. I find the next chapter is preparing myself for a very, very empty nest. To prepare, I¹m going to celebrate with my children their achievements and their next chapter. And, I will make a book of memories of our family pets to commemorate them. In short to prepare for next, I celebrate and commemorate.”

Anne Blumer, CPO® – Professional Organizer, Author & Blogger

Imagine

“The tricky thing about ‘next’ is that it’s shrouded in uncertainty. This can be intimidating, because it feels a bit out of control. For me, preparing for what’s next includes spending time considering various scenarios, and how I would like to respond. We never know what is behind the next door, but we can put some structure around how we will open the door, the way we will take our first steps, who we might walk with, and what will bring along. It’s also helpful to minimize daily, ambient chaos to free up the energy we need to tackle something new.”

Seana Turner – Professional Organizer, Blogger & Life Coach

Generate

“I can become overwhelmed by new projects or big changes in my life or my business, but making a list of every task that has to be completed helps me to stay in control. Instead of waiting until I have a huge chunk of available time to focus on the project, I can delegate some tasks and chip away at others as my schedule allows and get to the next step without having to neglect other personal and professional commitments.”

Janet Barclay, MVA – Web Designer, Virtual Assistant & Blogger 

Visualize and Verbalize

“If I cannot visualize myself in a new situation or mindset, that’s my clue that I have more to prepare. It could be that I have not internalized the new situation and its impact or the presentation’s content, the project’s steps, or the client’s particulars. Project management and coaching also teach us that we cannot control every reaction, detail, or situation. Bigger risks I process aloud with a trusted individual. Lesser risks, I use self-talk, a voice recorder, or mind mapping. All are ways to get everything out of my head, see the full picture and create space to think, prepare and question.”

Susan Fay West, COC®, CPO-CD® – Certified Organizing Coach, ADHD Coach & Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization

What great tips my colleagues shared about preparing for next. Several ideas center on having ponder-time. Other ideas include celebrating, making lists, and talking out loud. For me, next often begins with thinking, writing, or conversing. Which ideas resonate with you? How do you prepare for next? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!

Sometimes next isn’t obvious. Other times we know what next is, but procrastinate. We’re too tired. It’s late. We don’t feel like it. We’d rather be doing something else with our time. While I don’t find myself in this situation frequently, I have experienced knowing the next step then have activation challenges actually taking it. Have you experienced this?

As a matter of fact, I found myself in this situation just before I wrote this post. While my plan had been to write when I returned from organizing at my client’s home, other business and personal issues were handled instead. The late afternoon quickly morphed into evening and I still hadn’t written anything. This wasn’t good since I prefer to write earlier in the day when my brain is most alert.

I had several options and chose to continue as planned, which is why you’re reading this post. To make “next” more doable, I set the mood. I made a hot cup of tea, put on my comfy clothes, and plopped myself in front of a blank page.

I let go of my original plan. I let go of the fact that I wasn’t writing at my best time. Instead I just focused on next: the next word, the next sentence, and the next paragraph. And well, you see what happened. By creating the mood for next, next got done.

How do you do next? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation.

As I jotted down some notes for today’s post, I realized that literally my next step was just that. Let me explain. The story begins with my trusty electronic “to do” list. I regularly use the 2Do app to help me plan, organize, and manage my action items from tiny “dos” like “Do laundry” or “Buy groceries,” to larger projects such as “Organize 2014 ICD Board Orientation,” or “Plan summer vacation.”

The beauty of 2Do is that I can schedule my action items on certain dates and add customized features like repeating tasks at specific intervals, grouping by type or setting a priority. Once a task is completed, I tap the box to check off the item, a tiny image of a pencil appears, and crosses a line through the words, as in “done!” It’s so satisfying.

This is all background to get to my point. Are you still with me?

One of the things I struggle with is getting enough exercise. I keep telling myself that if I just walked more, a little each day, it would be beneficial for both my mind and body. There’s research to support the health benefit of regular interaction with nature, even if it’s for just five minutes a day. I tried coming up with ideas and incentives to get me up and out, but nothing has worked so far.

“Big changes happen with little steps.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

The other day I had an “ah-ha.” As I was organizing and reviewing my “to dos,” I knew that in addition to what was already on the list, I also wanted to take a walk. I needed to feel that spring air. So I wouldn’t conveniently forget, I added, “take a walk” to my list. Guess what happened? I took a walk. 

Was my solution that simple? Apparently, it was. Big changes happen with little steps. The idea of “more exercise” was too daunting for me. However, adding a simple, daily repeat on my “to do” list, wasn’t. This made it doable and measureable.

This one small change will encourage other positive changes. In The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg writes about keystone habits that if altered can have a positive far-reaching influence on other behaviors. I think in taking a daily walk I’ve identified one of my keystone habits.

What’s next for you? What small step can you take to move you towards your larger goal? What will motivate you to stay committed? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation.

Guess what’s next on my list for today?