Strategic Planning for Life

“Focus. Focus. Focus.” That’s what the expert in strategic planning said at a meeting I recently attended. “If you’re going to be good at strategic planning, “ he continued, “you need to determine what things you will do in the next three to five years, as well as what things you will not do.”

That got my attention. I’m a list-driven kind of person. If it’s on the list, it gets done. If it’s not . . . well, then it’s pretty much up for grabs. The problem is the size of my list. Judging by its length, I must be laboring under some sort of super human delusion that I am Wonder Woman. In reality, it is simply not possible to accomplish every item on the list.

How many of us, I wondered go through the motions of our everyday existence without much consideration for whether or not our activities actually fit with what we want personally and professionally over the next three to five years. If strategic planning is important for business – according to the experts, a good strategic plan will yield greater success and a higher profit, then it might be even more important for one’s day-to-day life.

I have a good friend who is especially good at modeling this sort of thing. She has a responsible job by day, but by night she paints. Although she already had some training as an artist, over the last few years I have seen her say no to some things (e.g., social media) in order to make time for painting. She has also taken painting classes, arranged for studio space, and participated in a number of shows. I have been impressed with the results and look forward to owning one of her paintings soon. Her ability to say “no” to some things has allowed her to say “yes” to an artistic ability that rejuvenates her soul and brings joy to others.

I know other families who make a conscious decision to curtail the time and effort associated with gift giving during the holidays. They are not anti-Christmas. They simply want to focus on being together, having fun, and enjoying the company of others more than they do on shopping, spending and wrapping. To do so, they make a conscious decision not to buy presents for each other.

Let’s be honest. We actually make these kinds of decisions all the time—but not consciously. We say we want to be more fit, but then find ourselves stuck in the recliner watching TV. We say we are bored and over-committed to things we no longer enjoy, but fail to say “no” in a way that would allow us time to embrace a new endeavor. Our closets are crammed with clutter, but we can’t bring ourselves to make space for something new. In so many ways we are making choices about our lives, but not with much thought or intention.

Human beings are creatures of habit. We are programmed for routine and ritual. Perhaps that’s why it can be so difficult to make a conscious decision about things we will no longer do. At the same time, if I continue to insist on certain practices and habits it’s becoming very clear to me that the list will only grow longer and I will become more exhausted and dissatisfied. Perhaps it’s time to do a little personal strategic planning that begins with a list of things I will stop doing . . . at least for a while.

Inspired to compose a list,

Dr. Jennifer Baker

P.S. To see more paintings go to www.pennygordonchumbleyartist.com

Unexpected II -- Bright Spots on Cloudy Days

When I wrote about my Main Man's question asking me to look for the unexpected in my everyday life, a number of you followed up with me to ask, "So, what happened? What unexpected things did you see?"

To be truthful, I can't say that anything amazingly unexpected occurred.  If only it were that easy. Things went along as they typically do with a fair amount of frustration and stress. It wasn't that the days were unusual. The difference was more in me. I started looking for the little joys and celebrations, the kind of things that brighten and enhance our days if only we notice and acknowledge them. Here are just a few of the things I've observed in the last few days:

Autumn colors are brightest on the grayest of days. On bright sunny days, the changing colors of our landscape appear dull in the brilliant sunlight, but on dark, cloudy, rainy days even the dullest of leaves is a standout. We've been blessed with a few of those lately to illustrate my point.

Comfortable shoes are a real treat after five hours in pinchy heels. Some occasions require heels for women. I do the best I can, but after a couple of hours my feet have had it. That's when I rediscover the joy of truly comfy shoes. What a gift that is. Millions of people in our world don't own even one pair of shoes.

Positive reports about my children. Of course I'm proud of them. I'm their mother. But when someone else tells me how talented or wonderful or generous they are, my joy overflows. This actually happened for me with regard to each of my children in the last ten days. That was unexpectedly special.

Friends and family who put up with prickly me. Some days are more stressful than others. Sometimes I'm just tired and grumpy. On those days when I'm not the easiest to be around, I'm especially grateful for people who put up with me. Not everyone is so kind. It's a good reminder for me to be as forgiving with others.

Pansies and ornamental cabbage. Some men bring their wives flowers regularly. My Main Man is not one of those people. He thinks cut flowers are a waste of money. This doesn't mean he wants me to do without. This fall he built a new flower bed I can see from our kitchen window--the one over the sink, and filled it with pansies and ornamental cabbage. Every time I look down I can see a reminder of his love for me.

If you're a fan of the Prairie Home Companion,you know Garrison Keillor begins weekly his monologue by saying "Its been a good week in Lake Wobegon," but sometimes in real life it hasn't been a particularly good week. Truth be told, many of us experience considerable tension, frustration and disappointment. Life can be hard. That may be when it's especially important to look around an notice the bright spots shining like autumn colors on a cloudy day . . . the warmth of a friend, the helpfulness of a co-worker, the comfort of a family member, the beauty of the season. Even on the darkest days, there is surely some unexpected beauty or gift for which we can be grateful.

On the lookout for the unexpected,

Dr. Jennifer Baker

The Difference a Group Can Make

 

I never liked group projects in school because I didn’t want to be responsible for or dependent on someone else’s work. I didn’t have much opportunity to play team sports as an adolescent since those weren’t available for girls in high school when I attended. My mother insisted I learn to play the piano—typically a solo instrument. It was much more practical than ballet lessons she said. My father wanted me to learn to do public speaking—again an activity singularly focused on one person’s ability.  It wasn’t that I avoided group activities as a kid. Much of the time, it just wasn’t an option.

 

 

In college, where they did have women’s sports, I settled on swimming. There, I was part of a team, but other than relays, all of our efforts were pretty much independent from each other. In swimming, there’s a lot of keeping your head in the water and focusing on the goal of propelling yourself swiftly and smoothly from one end of the pool to the other. Interaction with teammates is rare until you get out of the water.

Perhaps that why I have always had a fairly independent streak when it comes to behavior change in my own life. I know that support groups, mentors and coaches can be helpful for some, but I generally expect to “go there alone.”  After all, I’ve reasoned, I know what to do. It’s simply a matter of doing it.

Ah, but that’s where the illusion of “knowledge = behavior change” takes over. Just because I know to do something different, doesn’t mean I can actually do it. According to one expert, “Habits eat willpower for breakfast” and in my case, at least, he’s right. Knowing that I need to change a habit and actually doing it are two different things.

If I needed further evidence, all I had to do was check my weight. For approximately a year I weighed myself three or four times a week. I had heard that simply becoming more aware of one’s weight through a regular discipline of stepping on the scales might help to alter my eating patterns. It didn’t, probably because I never shared my weight diary with anyone else. Only I knew that my weight never varied more than three to four pounds. Only when I decided to return to a group setting (Weight Watchers) where I was more accountable for my weight and received the support of others did I manage to shed 15 pounds.

Apparently I’m not alone. In Eat Move Sleep, Tom Rath identifies several studies emphasizing the importance of social support for behavior change. In one, 218 people were assigned to get more exercise and then randomly assigned to one of three different groups. One-third of the group received no reminders at all, one-third received automated calls every three weeks for a year, and one-third spoke to a real live person every three weeks. Guess which group increased their exercise the most? If you guessed the one with personal phone contact, you’d be right. According to Rath, “A simple check-in from another person nearly doubled each participant’s activity over the span of a year” (p. 162). The take home for me … if you really want to change your eating habits, a group might help.

It’s not easy to admit you need the help of another. Pride, embarrassment, fear, misplaced priorities—all these can stand in the way of placing one’s self in the position of seeking support from others. If you truly want to change, you can try to go it alone. Some people are successful with that strategy – a few, but most do much better accessing support from others. If you really want and need to change something about your life, I hope you’ll consider the second option seriously.

 

Unexpected

“I have a question I want you to think about,” my Main Man said as he tossed pillows on the bed.

“What’s that?” I asked, continuing to pull up the quilt and smooth out the wrinkles.

“At the end of the day,” he continued, “I want you to tell me something surprising that happened to you today.”

“Really,” I questioned, “Why’s that?” (This is definitely not the kind of conversation my Main Man and I have in the midst of the morning bed making. What could he be getting at?)

“I don’t know,” he said. “I just thought of it. I thought it might be better than the usual, ‘How was your day?’ I thought you might notice something different.”

Well, he had me there. At the moment I was thinking the most surprising thing about my day was likely to be his request. That was unexpected already. I didn’t want to raise his expectations for something more.

“Alright,” I warned, “I’ll try but your question but it may be it … the most unexpected thing of my day.”

His query actually reminded me of a question I have posed many times in therapy.

“Tell me about a times in the last week when the problem did not occur,” I’d ask, “for example, when you didn’t argue, forget to mow the grass, or get to work late? What was different about those days?”

The typical response?  People usually look at me in confusion. They think I need to know all about the problem. They go to great lengths to explain what occurs when the problem happens (their teenager mouths off to them, their spouse is grumpy, they feel depressed, their seven-year-old brings another note home from the teacher). They usually also can expound at great length about why they think the problem occurs, e.g., he’s just like his Uncle Ralph; her mother struggled with depression; she doesn’t have many friends.  These theories, however justified, usually don’t bring us closer to the resolution of the problem. They’re like an impressionistic painting of the problem more than a photograph. If you want to address the concern, it’s often more helpful to gain a different perspective.

Since we humans are mostly programmed to notice problems or concerns more than a positive occurrence, it will take some intentionality to make this happen – like noticing what is different about the time when the problem is not happening. What is different about those times? If you had a big row with your spouse on Tuesday and Friday nights, what was different about Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday? If the note from the teacher came home on Wednesday, what was different about all the days last week when there was no note? If your teenager was disrespectful on Monday night, what was different about the days when he spoke to you in a different tone of voice?

Frankly, it’s not easy to notice exceptions to a problem. A lot of people struggle. Even when I say, “If you can’t think of an exception, tell me about a time when the quarrel with your mate didn’t last as long or your son was less rebellious than usual, it still seems hard to get a response.

It’s important, though, because if we look for problems, we’ll always see those. If we focus on exceptions to the problem – the good that’s going on when the problem is not happening – we’re more likely to see something different.

I’m still on the outlook for the unexpected today. I’m not sure what it will be, but if I keep looking, I bet I’ll find something.

Unexpectedly yours,

Dr. Jennifer Baker