Discardia_ More Life, Less Stuff - Dinah Sanders [22]
She's going to work on her debt by reducing her spending and not using her credit card. That's easily measurable—and she can note in that calendar appointment the current numbers to save herself time when comparing later.
One of her uncircled ideas was to “get a raise,” which isn't fully under her control, but she realizes that she can influence it. She decides to check the date of her next review, look back at what her boss wanted to see in the way of improvement at the last one, and then find ways to demonstrate her progress in those areas. On her work calendar, she books half an hour in each of the next four weeks to focus on that. She can measure herself against those review goals.
Her last focus area is to start eliminating junk that doesn't need to move to the new apartment. She sets up a charity box and empties the trash and recycling. Then, every time she notices something that isn't in her vision of her new place, she can immediately move it into one of those outbound bins. Measurement here is simply how much she gets rid of and how her mood improves as the current place becomes less cluttered.
Applying agile self development to Discardia
Good so far? Now how can we apply agile self development to a Discardian holiday? Let's start with imagining an excellent last day of this Discardia cycle. That's another way of saying, “I’m defining a sprint of now until [whenever the current Discardia holiday ends], and I'm brainstorming the touchstone for a successful, valuable sprint.”
Imagine what your state of mind would be on that day. Envision a valuable outcome, and then examine possible choices—with that touchstone in mind, allowing you to eliminate things that won't provide the outcome you're seeking. After that, if necessary, do some rough ranking to reduce your options to a nonoverwhelming number on which you could work during this sprint. Then, pick a few goals—three is usually a good number—from the ones about which you’re most excited.
Why set more than one goal within a sprint? Agility! Our rebellious monkey brains don't like to be told what to do all the time—monkeys don't like leashes—so support your ability to shift into your current and most effective gear. In essence, regularly ask, “What is best for me to do now with my available resources, context, and energy?” (If that sounds like David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” (GTD) approach, well, there’s the “use the tools and tricks from anywhere that work best for you” principle in action again!) Even if you’re stalled on one front, you can shift gears and make progress on another.
By not making an enormous plan that attempts to account for every possibility in the world, which will of course be blindsided by unexpected events, and instead working in more focused, shorter sprints, you can be relaxed and ready to respond to whatever emerges that matches your vision for yourself.
One attendee at our session at SXSW said, “I’ve stopped trying to smash doors through brick walls, and instead I now look for the open doors before me.”
Be nice to your future self—in the sense of taking information you have at hand now and putting it where you'll need it later, and setting measurable, achievable points of progress in the direction you want to move. Compassion, kindness, self-awareness, and reflection are blessings you can give yourself with this approach.
Marketing and social media director Sabrina Caluori summed it up well: “So freaking simple. Envision the outcome you want. But leave options. Be agile. Allow yourself to adjust in the moment.”
Symptom #9: Worrying about Your Bottom
Solution #9: Start at the Top Again
We can give ourselves nights and weekends if we stop confusing tasking with working.
—T.R. Warren, business consultant
The 80/20 rule
In your work life or when buckling down to personal projects, it’s