Do you have the nagging suspicion that there is something you should be doing, and could be doing proactively, but you’re not quite sure what it is, or you’re hesitating to do it?
Getting laser focused during a crisis can be extremely difficult – you know you have to do something but not always sure what.
Here’s a simple 3 part exercise I got from one of my mentors, a business psychologist coach – it will guide you to a definitive answer to that question above, no matter what kind of business you are in – whether it be property or not, it will help you create a plan out of chaos and increase your probability of success.
This post is not a light bit of reading, its a practical exercise that will put your brain to work; but if you are serious about making progress in amongst the uncertainty and chaos as the best version of you, then it’s a small time investment that will pay off.
3 PART EXERCISE FOR CRISIS RESPONSE
This is something you can do as a journaling exercise, paper and pen, or on the computer to go through and answer the questions. I did this myself at the end of March and it only took about half an hour, but the clarity will pay dividends. I just reviewed my answers to the questions again just now and it’s satisfying to see how it’s helped me maintain focus.
The underlying principle is that you need to focus on the ‘one inch at a time’ principle, which can be difficult for the perfectionists amongst us (myself included) but it’s the approach we need to take. It’s all about moving forward in small ways and understanding that day by day the ‘one inch at a time philosophy will really help you out. In other words you don’t have to solve the entire problem or get after the big opportunity all in one day, what you’ve got to do is move forward 1 inch and that’s what this approach enables you to do.
STEP #1: THE POWER OF NEGATIVE THINKING
[This is counterintuitive but stick with it and follow the steps]
You’re going to allow the negative thought into your mind to help you prepare, use those negative thoughts as a tool.
-Write a detailed description of your worst case scenario ie the version of your future in which you make all the shortsighted, self sabotage, destructive decisions that are available and tempting you right now
-This is the future in which you are the worst version of yourself and give into your worst tendencies.
– ACTION – Describe the worst future that might arise from your worst decisions and actions.
NOTE – you have to focus this on where you have control – ie the absolute worst case scenario where you let yourself down
Where you are at with your property business is a crossroads – there are some things you can do to take positive action, there are things you can do that will self sabotage ie bury your head in the sand, spending a lot of time watching TV, distracting yourself when you know you should be getting stuff done etc
- Focus on results from your action (or lack of) rather than external/luck driven outcomes
- Explore the cumulative outcomes of small day-to-day self sabotages
- Think holistically about how self sabotage can affect your career, family, health, relationships, spirituality etc
- Write it in the present tense, as if it’s a journal entry
- Use sensory language ie what you might see, hear, feel
- Be vulnerable -explore the consequences of your worst potential habits
- Think poetically – the idea is to have a bit of fun painting a dramatic picture
As an example to help kick you off, here are a few snippets from my own journaling notes having done this exercise:
Worst version of me
It is April 2020 and I’ve let it all slip…
- I drop my morning routine > my physical fitness and health deteriorates- I feel increasingly ‘off’ and I don’t get the jump start to the day
- I don’t plan the day the night before > I get to the desk with no direction and end up flip flopping between decision making and action taking focus which burns time and energy
- I get distracted during work sessions with news, gossip, emails and busy work and end the day feeling nothing meaningful is accomplished
STEP #2: AIMING UP
Now it’s time to go the other way and articulate your personal definition of success.
Imagine if your capacity for execution and follow through on all of your best intentions and ideas magically went to 110%. You did it all, and some.
What would life look like? What kind of person would you become? Think of the version of you that you’ve always known you have the potential to be.
Journal out the future version you would create for yourself if you were totally in charge and free of any inner second guessing and self sabotage.
- Same pointers from part 1 apply
- Be realistic, but be bold – think about what you’ve always wanted to accomplish with property and how there could be a big opportunity in your space soon
- Focus on your actions and the results that follow ie instead of winning the lottery articulate your winning of a step change property deal
- Articulate the transformation that would be required to bring about this future – not just what you’ve accomplished but who would have to become to accomplish it
STEP #3: MAPPING OUT THE INCHES
This is where you list out the individual actions that could take you away from the worst case and closer to the best case. The idea with this final step is to identify the big steps (the big decisions, big projects) and then ultimately drill down into very detailed micro steps ie the “inches”. Focus on the action steps that are your responsibility and within your power to execute on.
The ultimate goal is to drill down to actions you can take today, and everyday, which move you 1 inch closer to your personal description of your best future vision.
Answer the following questions:
- What small daily actions will have a powerful cumulative effect?
- What obstacles will I need to be vigilant of? (ie the pull of netflix)
- What small set of actions would make each day feel like a huge win, when completed?
- When experiencing adversity, or just having an ‘off day, what one small action can generate that ONE INCH of momentum in the right direction?
With every day comes a choice – the actions that you take can move you a little bit closer to that best version of yourself and your best future. OR, the actions that you take, or choose not to take, can have you backslide inch at a time in the wrong direction.
To come out of this crisis in the best way you can, adopt this mindset of moving one inch in the right direction every single day.