Still Stuck? Not making any progress on that To Do haunting
you from the top of your list?
Our minds are very clever at running through the same ideas
over and over, like a needle stuck in a groove on a vinyl
record spinning over and over, around and around.
That's great for turning new information into knowledge or
skills. Our mind will keep busy, running images and ideas
in the background while our conscious attention is on other
matters. It's helpfully building our expertise. But it sure
gets in the way of coming up with new approaches to
situations that are stalled. In fact, the end result of
that 'helpful' mental activity is that...
We often give the available options no attention at all.
And we don't take advantage of the High Payoff information
available in the minds of other people around us.
And then no shift in understanding is made. No new decision
is made. No targeted plan of action is designed or
implemented.
But relief is at hand! I often say "God bless the guy who
invented the Post-It Note!" Those wonderful little sticky
pieces of paper have liberated our busy minds. Whether you
use sticky paper or scraps you tear up for yourself, you'll
want them on hand for the next version of our technique to
REFRAME - Change Your Frame of Reference
There are several versions of this technique. Two that I've
shared include
Version 1 - Add a new person with a different background to
the conversation.
Version 2 - Add a new 'setting' to the conversation.
Remember as you use those versions of Reframing - The less
similar the circumstances, the less similar the experience
of the new person you add to the conversation, the quicker
you'll see the assumptions you've been making that have
been preventing you from seeing the alternatives you could
pursue.
And here is a third approach. I've used it in boardrooms,
conference rooms, offices, park benches and on airplanes:
Version 3 - The Shuffle
Whether you're trying to solve a business issue for a
client, or the matter is internal to your own business
productivity, treat the information like pieces in a
Rubik's cube. Shuffling all the information into new
positions and changing their pairings lets you see them in
a new way. It can quickly reveal the assumptions that have
been stalling your progress.
Write all the issues and ideas on separate pieces of paper,
and pair them up randomly. You can use Post-It Notes, torn
paper, the back of business cards! On a separate piece of
paper capture each of the 'new' ideas that comes to mind.
If you're doing this as a team, using sticky notes up on
the wall lets everyone's mind join in, jotting, shuffling
and sharing the new ideas and realizations.
You'll fill pages of alternative ideas that you can let
yourself or your team continue to probe and play with, so
be sure to set a time horizon for The Shuffle and for when
you'll sit down again to sort through and prioritize those
new ideas.
You know you've got something your mind's been chewing on.
So grab this Reframe technique and apply it today and let's
get you moving again so you can boost your productivity
this week.
----------------------------------------------------
Management expert, consultant, and coach Linda Feinholz is
"Your High Payoff Catalyst" If you're ready to focus on
your High Payoff activities, boost your professional and
personal results and have more fun, get her FREE audio
mini-course "7 Quick & Simple Steps to Increase Your Focus,
Ease Your Effort & Accelerate Your Results" and the free
weekly newsletter The Spark! Visit
http://www.YourHighPayoffCatalyst.com
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