By: Tammy Godby, Global Manager, Organizational Development | 11/18/2021 |
Success means different things to everyone and a lot depends on where you are in your life. When I was slightly younger…and my three kids were all under 6 years old, my morning routine was considered successful if we all made it out the door on time in the mornings. Managing chaos was the success metric. As I’ve grown in my career, as an individual, as a parent…my routine has grown with me.
I would love to say I get up each morning and workout, eat a healthy breakfast and begin my day in a clear and energetic way. Sometimes that does happen, but I’m being honest here, that routine is on the rare side for me.
What I’ve learned is that it’s not the steps you take each day for your routine as much as is it your mindset. We live in an ever-changing world and what works for me one day, may not apply the next. However, my mindset is what I control. I need to repeat that because it’s important. I, me, Tammy Godby, control my mindset. I choose how I want to live and present myself in this world. That does not mean I recommend rolling out of bed whenever the mood strikes, not showering, or making yourself presentable to the rest of the population.
It simply means I choose how to approach each day.
- Will I see my schedule and look at it as a challenge I want to accomplish, or will I let it weigh me down and ruminate on how busy I am?
- Will I choose to adapt to priorities changing during the day, or will I become frustrated and try to place blame trying to make myself feel better?
I cannot always control the number of meetings I’m required to attend, the number of projects I’m currently working on, the additional tasks I’m asked to do, mom duties, etc. But…and listen to me here because this is the most important part…I can choose the mindset in which I approach and work through life.
This does not mean I don’t have hacks that work for me. I am very intentional in my actions. 
- I color-code my calendar so I know which hat I need to wear throughout the day.
- One-on-one meetings with my team are in one color – meetings regarding leadership development, purple – employee engagement, green – you get the pattern.
- I always build in focus time during the week so I have time to work on projects without distractions.
- Do I often have to change those times, yes, but blocks for focus time are always scheduled on my calendar.
- I’ve started scheduling meetings times intentionally and try to stop 10 minutes prior to the nearest ½ hour.
- This allows for a break in-between meetings, decreases meeting fatigue, and allows my brain to shift more easily from one responsibility to the next.
- Team meetings are 50 minutes
- Project or catch-up meetings are 20 minutes
- This allows for a break in-between meetings, decreases meeting fatigue, and allows my brain to shift more easily from one responsibility to the next.
The point here is that you have to find what works for you. Then find hacks you can implement in your daily routine that will support you?
I encourage you to start with establishing the mindset that you want to live and model. Meetings and responsibilities will always be there, how we choose to approach them is up to us. I choose happiness, strength, and adaptability. What will you choose?