February Map Check Newsletter
In this month’s Map Check, we are going to talk about one way to create a better self. We will dive into a couple books thatI’ve read about mindfulness. I’m not sure what you’ve heard about the practice, but I’ve found it very helpful to clear the mind after a flurry of activity or when I need to reflect on a specific part of my life.
The first excuse we will often throw out there is that we don’t have time to add another practice or task into our life. We’ve all left days at work or with our own business where we didn’t get done what we wanted to. The book Free to Focus by Michael Hyatt is a great book to help with the structure of your life.
One of the main themes talked about in the book is front and back-office tasks. Front office tasks are the ones you might enjoy because they are fun and engaging. Back office tasks are the ones that are mundane and require thought. More than anything, these tasks are necessary to make things happen but they just lack excitement. For example, front office tasks for me are recording the podcasts with the guests. I love recording them and each one is exciting and new where I walk away feeling like I just received some much needed one on one mentorship. Back office tasks are the show notes, edits, and recording intros or sponsorship clips.
You might be on the opposing view of this, maybe you prefer the back-office tasks. Whichever one is less desirable to you, create buckets of time blocks where you knock them out. Eliminate distractions and hold yourself accountable to completing the tasks. I would add that maybe even a reward is a good way to hold yourself accountable. (After I complete this task, I’m going to give myself 30 minutes to read or look at something that excites me.)
There will never be more hours in the day. So we need to ensure that we use them wisely. Do we have buffers in our time so when things are extremely stressful and busy,we can slow things down in our mind so that we make calculated decisions and not emotional one?
When a computer runs slow or freezes, we all know that the tried-and-true technique is to shut it off and turn it back on. We can do the same with our minds. In the book Peak Mind: Find your Focus, Own Your Attention, Invest 12 Minutes a Day by Amisha P. Jha, it discusses the fact that we are missing the majority of our lives because we lack attention and focus. In a quest to find out how we improve our attention, Dr. Jha found that mindfulness meditation was the most effective.
The 12 minutes a day exercise can be broken into segments or done as a whole practice. The goal is to lift the mental fog most of us operate under which will increase our ability to focus. I found this book helpful to understand the science behind attention and the research her team completed and it’s hard to argue with the results.
Finally on this topic, some dear’s friends of mine and former Guests on AIP,Jon Macaskill and Will Schnieder did some amazing work during their podcast season break. They released a series of episodes that you can use to become more mindful. There are apps and other tools that are helpful, but I’ve found that Jon and Will have a practical and meaningful approach. Here is a link to the latest episode in their 6 practices: Reset, Refresh Express Meditation, Men Talking Mindfulness Podcast
All of us could use more time and in those times we all wish we could also be more effective. It’s not that we don’t try, it’s just that we struggle to maintain our attention. These two books and Men Talking Mindfulness are great tools to start the investment in ourselves so that we can be deliberate with our time and minds!
I hope this adds value to your life.
Mike
Most popular Blog posts this month by the AIP Team, if you haven’t read them yet we strongly encourage you to!
Daren talks about the power of association and why we must choose our tribe wisely!
Rey discusses some valuable lessons he learned from his latest ultramarathon about mindset, planning and those who you race with!
Lessons From an Ultramarathon by Rey
Mrs. AIP believes anything is possible if we just focus our mind and take the time to set ourselves up for success!
Everything is Possible by Mrs. AIP
Brandon Temple has a guest blog post about how we can all learn something from any generation or person!
Working with Zoomers, Reflections from the Old Guy in the Room
Mike talks about the other side of being a leader and ensuring you’re not impeding on their own self development process.
Bringing out the Best in Others By Mike
Mike had the opportunity to sit with CSM (R ) Timothy Sloan to discuss leadership in the digital age. Worth a listen when you have time.
Maximizing the Digital World to Enhance the Leadership Environment with CSM(R) Timothy Sloan
