This Monday started off with a bang. I had my week scheduled, tasks organized, and I was ready and motivated to tackle the stack. AND THEN… I was locked out of my smart phone. Something happened where it reverted to an old password policy that I set years ago and several phones ago. I spent much of the day either pretending I wasn’t locked out of my phone, looking for a solution so I didn’t have to factory reset the phone, and then ultimately I reset it and reconfigured my apps, settings, and logins. So much for my tidy plan for getting sh!t done this week.
I think it is a fitting time to talk about mental flexibility. Planning is a tremendous tool for getting organized and making progress. I love planning and I like to say I’m planning my plan or pre-planning or scheduling time for planning. Sometimes, I get so caught up in planning that I have trouble getting into action but that’s a topic for another day. Inevitably, there will be times when things don’t go as expected.
Mental flexibility is about not getting caught up in our reaction to unanticipated change. When things don’t go as planned, it could mean significant setback. The setback itself is distracting enough. However, for lots of us, it can be a challenge to go with the flow, roll with the punches, and get right back on the horse.
In this video, I share a practice to help you regroup and have more resilience when the unexpected happens. An unexpected setback is enough to manage without getting derailed by reactions like “this is completely unfair,” “why does this always seem to happen to me,” “how will I ever get anywhere,” and even “I give up.”