Month: April 2024

Seize the Season

BardeesLeave a comment

I bring good news.

The most productive weeks of the year are upon us. Starting now, you have 8 of them to do your best work.

Why 8 weeks?

Because this is how seasons work.

Let me explain.

We started the year with a season of setting and planning goals. Some of us started working on them, while others have not yet moved the needle on any of their goals. Then we had the season of Ramadan, which just ended, and it changed the daily routines and productivity for most of us. And now we are all almost definitely back to our rhythms and have the advantage of warmer weather and longer days. And the end of the 8 weeks marks the holiday of Eid Al-Adha and the start of the kids’ summer break. So, the opportunity to start something or finish something is golden now.

How will you use this window of time?

What will you choose to work on that you will be proud of in 8 weeks?

Please spend some time planning your goals for the 8 weeks and then make a copy of them to see them at your office and home. Make sure you read them every day. Otherwise, life’s busy work will take you somewhere you probably don’t intend to be, and you will forget that you wanted to do these things.

Staying in touch with your goals every day substantially increases the chance of achieving them.

Let’s go!

-This post was first shared in my weekly newsletter The Sunday Spark. Subscribe here.

Seize the Season

The Subtle Signals: How to Know When You’re Off Track

Bardees, Leave a comment

How do you know you are off track? 

What are the signs that you are not at your best, out of shape, or not doing well?

This is a list of what my goals group shared when I asked this question, and I added some of my own: 

  • Clutter at home or office.
  • Food rotting in the fridge.
  • Ordering Junk Food/Takeout.
  • Laundry accumulates and, if done, remains on the couch for days.
  • Skipping positive practices like gratitude journaling.
  • Forgetfulness.
  • Pains in your body.
  • Getting sick again.
  • Not going out in the sun.
  • Not walking or moving body.
  • Feeling sleepy most of the time and dragging oneself to places.
  • Skipping skin routines.
  • Skipping showers.
  • Oversleeping more than usual.
  • Not answering other people’s messages for days.
  • Not initiating contact with other people.
  • Forgetting what it means to feel inspired by an idea.
  • No curiosity or excitement.
  • No music in your life.
  • Easily irritable.
  • Snapping at others.
  • Road rage.

What are your signs that you are off track? 

Define your list, and when you notice one of the signs, let it trigger you to ask yourself, “What do you need?” over and over, and then wait for the answer.

After that, take action.

I love to ask myself this question on paper and write whatever comes to mind.

Sometimes, the answer is to ask for help. 

The Subtle Signals: How to Know When You’re Off Track