Do you let certain tasks fester?

Why do you wait?

Are they maybe very small?

Or maybe they are not important?

Will they grow to become critical?

It helps to look at a task and think about how it might develop if left untouched.

Some tasks go away on their own, while others become monsters.

You need to do something you have never done before.

What goes on in your head?

Are you worried?

Do you ruminate?

Or do you just crack on with it?

When doing something for the first time, there is no need to have any expectations.

Try your best, because you will make mistakes. Learn from them and repeat.

You are invited to a party.

Someone you have a dispute with will be there.

Do you go?

Can the two of you keep the dispute out?

Is it fair to the host, to bring the dispute there?

Maybe you can, but the other person can't.

Sometimes it is better to take one for the team and stay home.

You receive a sad message during an appointment.

What do you do?

Swallow down the grief and carry on?

Do you ask for a break?

Do you communicate your grief and reschedule?

If you swallow down the grief, your capacity to concentrate decreases.

Does a decrease in capacity serve you or your counterpart?

If you cannot reschedule, you surely can take a short break.

Are any of your regular tasks time killers?

Why do they take you so long to do?

Are you using the right tools?

Do you have the right skills?

Do you hate doing these tasks?

Should you be doing them? Maybe delegate?

There is nearly always a way to make a task easier. Take a moment to think about it and pick the right solution.

You have an idea...

What do you do next?

Do you go out to find proof for it to work?

Or do you try to look at why it might not work?

You should look at both to validate an idea.

Our default is to prove that our ideas work and thus we fall for the confirmation bias.

If you cannot find those faults, find a partner that does. An optimist and a pessimist make a great team.

Are you open to other perspectives?

Do you listen to other people's ideas and inputs?

Often we walk through life with blinders on.

We see our path straight on and ignore anything on the side.

This can be good, to chase a goal with focus.

This can be bad if you chase the wrong thing. Or if you follow inefficient strategies or tactics.

It is a good idea to reevaluate our path regularly.

Do you manifest the things you are searching for?

If not, do you know precisely what you want?

Manifestation is not some magic trick, that will bring you what you wish for.

It helps you internalise what you are looking for. So well, that you can spot it in a second when it is here.

Manifestation will help you to grasp the right opportunity when it presents itself.

How do you deal with someone's surprising behaviour?

Do you get angry, frustrated, shocked or sad?

Do you end up building a monster in your head?

Do you ever just ask them politely, what is going on?

Do you try to understand their position and possible reason?

We are very bad at accurately interpreting surprising behaviour. It helps to take a step back and try to understand before we decide on any actions.

Do you detest some people for certain traits?

Does the outrage towards them serve you?

Are you sure, that you do not engage in the same traits?

No one is perfect and we often get the most enraged from things we do ourselves but are ashamed of.

For example, lying, we all lie from time to time. Show me the person who is 100% honest and I will watch their pants on fire.

How do you deal with paradoxes?

Situations of opposing forces.

Do you choose one?

Do you go for a compromise?

Or do you try to find a win-win solution?

A paradox can offer the right amount of tension for creating an innovation, even a disruption.

You can use them as an opportunity whenever you encounter them.

Do you try to gauge people's reactions?

How do you go about it?

How often do you miss guess the reason behind reactions?

It helps to start watching yourself and why you react in certain ways.

It also helps to note down reactions and try not to make conscious assumptions.

Gauging reactions correctly is a game-changer.

How do you speak to people in a dispute?

Do you let emotions have their way?

Are you frank?

Is your manner of speech harsh?

Or do you formulate indirectly?

People like to be spoken to directly in a polite way.

Being polite does not mean being friendly.

Don't let other people's positions and agendas infuriate you. Don't personalise the dispute, stay objective and work towards your goal.

Are you actively on the outlook for risk?

How do you judge unlikely events?

A potential risk can quickly turn into a crisis.

There are so many improbable risks, one will happen soon.

The next crisis is just around the corner.

Screen for crises and take improbable risks seriously. The prepared weathers the storm.

What is the one thing you know you need to stop?

But you just don't want to.

You know stopping it, will make a massive difference in other areas.

Still, you just cannot get yourself to do so.

Why? Why is it so important to you?

Often, to start something new, something life-changing we need to drop something old.

Do you ponder possible fantasies?

I should have done it this way...

This would have been better...

Why did I not do this?

We tend to wish we had done differently. Many of these wishes are only fantasies.

Put yourself into your past self.

Did you have the knowledge?

What mindset were you in?

What circumstances were you in?

Now ask yourself if your should and would are feasible thoughts.

How do you go about solving a dispute?

Your position and the other party's fundamentally differ.

What now?

Maybe you can get some sort of compromise in between?

Or do you work out everyone's interests?

Often a position does not reflect someone's interest. Get to the bottom of their interest and you might be surprised. There is a win-win solution in there.

Do you apply worst-case thinking?

Or do you focus on possibilities and opportunities?

Or do you combine both?

For some of us, spotting what could go wrong is easier. While for others it is easier to imagine opportunities.

To successfully navigate a project it is paramount to do both.

If you struggle with one, find someone who loves it.

#familybusiness #projectplanning #dailythoughts

How would you like to present your offers?

Do you tend to overpromise to get work?

Do you accurately promise what you can do?

Or do you underpromise?

If you have a hard time gauging your future performance accurately, underpromise. This way you can overdeliver and make a happy client.

Overpromising is a short-lasting strategy. Some day your reputation will have suffered extensively.

How long do you stick to a for you unbearable situation?

Do you often struggle with a decision?

When does indecision plague you?

We can stick with something for too long for different reasons.

Loyalty,

Because we care,

Because we feel responsible,

Because we fear the consequences,

etc.

Just imagine what else you could do with your time when you are stuck. In your heart, you know what you need to do.