I talk a lot about progression.
I didn’t understand the gravity of it when I was a stay at home mom and home schooling my kids. I didn’t understand the importance of any personal agenda whatsoever, like the majority of moms, my life revolved around everyone else.
Although I look back at those days quite fondly, they taught me a lot about what works and what doesn’t work in life.
Structure is important. Without structure time slips by fast. Before you know it a week has passed and nothing has been accomplished. You can be pulled in 97 directions that don’t lead you to where you want to go. Whether you divide your day into 2 chunks, or 4 or 6, there needs to be some sort of structure to it. It can be somewhat dynamic but without designated sections, the things you don’t naturally lean into get ignored for too long.
A general plan is important. I’m not a Type A personality so planning doesn’t come naturally to me. I don’t love lists, and organizing all of the things… but I also don’t love wasting time. Without an end game or direction to gear up towards there is aimless wandering and auto pilot activities. There is also never a win because you don’t know when you get there. We need wins to build on and gain momentum.
Experience trumps theory. You can read a lot of books, but you won’t even have the right questions to ask or the answers to seek if you don’t have a frame of reference to draw from. If you want to understand what you read, find a way to apply it to life. Until you do that’s it’s just information your brain is likely to ignore.
I don’t think these concepts are new or earth shattering. But I have noticed they are a basic foundation for progression… we are hard wired for progression. It brings happiness and purpose into our lives but sometimes we don’t know how to move forward.
When things aren’t moving as quickly as you would like, take a look these areas, maybe you have lost some clarity. Maybe your days are being eaten up because they lack structure, maybe your plan isn’t clear and you don’t know where you’re heading, or maybe you aren’t applying what you’ve been learning.
Going back to these basics usually helps to uncover the glitches and get you moving again.