Having a Daily Vision Statement Will Help (Even During a Pandemic!)

The Corona Virus Pandemic is numbing and difficult to grasp. But it’s here to stay - for a while at least. Pre-pandemic, I was almost always motivated and rearing to go. I savored thinking big and strategizing about personal productivity, work life balance, and even discovering one’s life purpose.

When the quarantine began, I found myself stunned and well…incapacitated to continue living my own purpose of helping others become more joyful productive, and fulfilled in all areas of life! It was as if I panicked and was in shock.

Well, I’m back to help. Being sequestered at home for weeks (or months) to come will be a monumental test for us all. One thing that helped me find myself was writing my daily vision - the same one I’ve been doing for years. Usually, I get pumped up and ready for the day when writing my daily vision but Friday through Monday, I was going through the motions. But I began really reading into each line of my vision statement. I started to feel guilty and down on myself. I wasn’t acting like a VISIONARY or world-class problem solver. I saw instanced of other people stepping up but not me.

Here’s my daily vision statement I write each morning and before bed:

I’m a professional speaker
I’m a VISIONARY and world-class problem solver
I practice transcendental meditation
I’m lean and strong
I’m the best Dad I can be
I enjoy abundance in all 20 roles
I travel the USA speaking
I earn x/month, give 10% of it to those in need, and have a network of X
I BELIEVE more every day!

Here are some tips that have helped me stay sane and even experience deeper levels of fulfillment than usual during these first 6 days of the pandemic.

#1 - Daily Schedule

My family spent a lot of time curating a daily schedule. We structured it so challenging segments like online school work, chores, and music lessons transitioned into more relaxing segments. There’s beauty in carefully-designed structure. I believe the kids appreciate the continuity, too.

#2 - Get to Know Yourself Again

All of this additional time is a wonderful opportunity to learn new skills. I’m meditating, learning knot-tying, learning cribbage with the kids, and watching an original Twilight Zone each night. I have stacks of books to read and movies to watch, as well. I see the process of getting to know yourself as a constant pursuit. Yet, I see a lot of people who - with an enormous amount of time on their hands - seem to have little insight as to what their interests are beyond getting through their typical work day. Always be on the prowl to cultivate interest, hobbies, and passions.

#3 - Take Inventory of All the Hats You Wear

I talk a lot about identifying and managing all the hats we wear. The pandemic initially blew all those roles to smithereens! You only focus on survival. Your world is completely turned upside down! That’s where we are now. I had to concentrate and bring my 20 roles back into view. Here are my current roles:

My daily vision statement that jolted me back to life but my network of daily routines got me back in the saddle to make a difference for others. What are some things that can keep you on track with living your life’s purpose? Or what could get you back on track? How have you bounced back from hardship?

Are You a Lazy Bum? Strategies for Becoming More Productive Throughout the Day

At the outset, I should say we all need to relax at times and there’s nothing wrong with it. But let’s get real - in many instances when we’re not feeling productive, it’s because we don’t have enough small energy-boosting activities during the course of a typical day. 

Find the activities that invigorate you and stack them into routines. I enjoy my morning routine and my late night routine as well. Identify those tiny things that give you a lift and maximize them! Sometimes you have to manufacture them. In the morning, I like doing my 20 minutes of meditation followed by 20 minutes on the treadmill. I’m currently on season 5 of Game of Thrones and I watch a little bit at a time on the treadmill - I love it and look forward to it (ie/ I hate exercise usually). I start the coffee maker and read my Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, and USA Today. I like a particular brand of oatmeal. I write my top 10 goals while listening to the same playlist. I enjoy cranking up the Ozzy’s Boneyard Sirius Satellite Channel in my bathroom during my shower but I usually change the station to 80’s on 8 while I shave - because I can’t rock out and shave. It throws me off my happy rhythm. 

At nighttime, I have a coffee at about 6pm and that keeps me cranking until about midnight. I turn my electric blankie on so it’s just right for sliding into bed. I look forward to reading late at night. Of course, unexpected things come up and you must adapt.  But most of the time, you can expect what’s coming up next in a typical day. 

If you’re feeling pooped, do a few simple tasks to give you momentum. I like to have a lot of ideas going at one - that’s not to say I’m multi-tasking. I often flit from one thing to the other and I keep the juices flowing until I find myself getting big stuff done and then I try to just sail along with it. Pink Floyd’s double dvd set “Pulses” is my current favorite for getting stuff done. I put the live concert video on and get busy - works every time! 

If you’re feeling lazy all the time, you need to revisit your role list and mission statements. My book, “Master Your Roles: The Time Management Skill You Need to Lead a Joyful & Productive Life” will guide you!

Crazy Ideas are Just as Valuable as Innovative Ideas

Start the habit of honoring all ideas - you never know where they may lead. I found an idea that I scribbled in an old notebook: people wearing medical boots never seem embarrassed enough. It’s ridiculous, I know! However, I’m glad I gathered it. Create a system for dealing with new ideas. Get them safely captured - and then you can determine later if they’re worth anything. While we’re at it - I think movie theaters should have a huge mattress with pillows and blankets strewn about. Oh, and we should have a split screen so couples could choose: Arnold Schwarzenegger blowing stuff up or romantic comedy.

Try to have a system where you don’t replicate your work. I believe in having lots of different notebooks. In fact, I color code them and keep them in the car. I used to have a large notebook called a scratch pad and I’d joy down anything that came to mind in that book. But then I’d have to copy it over again in the right notebook. Trim all inefficiencies by asking if any steps in your system seem ponderous to you.

Here’s an example: I realized I was in a negative state coming out of the grocery store. Each time I exited the store, there was a half a dozen empty carriages nearly blocking the exit. Folks grab their bags and leave their carriages where they stand. This made me mad. I wanted to write a ranting blog post - then it hit me. Society is becoming more personalized - the carriage fiasco is just more evidence. Also, every time I enter the store, there is at least one car parked in the entrance. Most of the time, they’re not to drop off an older adult or someone with challenges. It’s just someone who doesn’t want to walk all the way to the parking spaces. They’re usually in their 20s or 30s! When I asked how I could make this annoying trend more productive, I realized that customers want products that are completely customized. Many folks believe they are VIP’s - all the time. I brainstormed how I could serve my customers in a much more personalized way - and it changed how I designed my book, blog posts, and advertisements. I transformed my original idea into something useful and it benefitted my customers and business.

5 Time Management Tips We Can Learn from "Jaws"

I attended a screening of Jaws with a theater full of other crazy aficionados of the 1975 classic. Throughout the movie, I realized there are plenty of take-aways to help us with our time management skills. Get out your popcorn, dim the lights, and board the Orca to set sail to Amity Island to learn a few nifty tips for personal productivity.

#1 - Prepare Constantly - When the town of Amity realizes it has a big problem, Quint (top shark fisherman on the island), makes a memorable sales presentation. He explains why he is most suited to the task in a very convincing way and makes a hefty offer of $10,000 plus a case of apricot brandy to catch the unwelcome visitor. His demeanor is calm and confident. If you write your battle plan the night before or have a routine each morning before work, you will find opportunities falling into your lap over time. When you prepare, you see life differently. For example, after reading all of Grant Cardone’s books on selling, I look at customer service in a new light and notice lost selling and service opportunities each day. 

#2 - Maintain Focus Through the Noise - Amity Island’s mayor chooses not to hire Quint and instead allows low skill locals to compete for the $3,000 bounty offered by a victim’s mother. Insanity ensues as dozens of hapless amateurs head out to sea. There’s a scene where Quint is sailing by the bedlam with a great big grin and tips his hat. It’s obvious he knows the lesser fishermen won’t catch the Great White. He is aware of the depth of the challenge and knows they can’t meet it. The daily, weekly, and monthly routines you develop, as a result of, refining your goals, will give you that extra proficiency.

#3 - You Can’t Stay Underwater with Three Barrels - In the final act of the movie, Quint, Mr. Hooper, and Chief Brody are in a battle with the killer shark far out to sea. Each time the shark gets near the boat, the fishermen attach another yellow barrel to it - making it increasingly difficult for the fish to remain underwater. How many barrels are you bringing with you at all times? 

One strategy to release a few of those extra barrels is to become more aware of switching life roles. You can’t do multiple tasks simultaneously nor can you be in-the-moment for more than one role. Here’s a handy exercise: jot down every moment of transition between roles in a typical day or week. For example, when I dropped my kids off at daycare, I’d transition from my Dad role to my entrepreneurial role with a touch of my mp3 player (changing from The Wiggles children’s album to an audio book on work life balance by Greg McKeown titled Essentialism. Naturally, this transition doesn’t mean I’m not a Dad anymore until I see the kids after work, but it serves as a clear moment of change in roles. 

#4 - Capture the Essence - John Williams is the master of film scoring. In a behind-the-scenes feature, he described his initial viewing of Jaws as a swashbuckling pirate movie! And some of his action music in the final act express it. Water is splashing, boats are getting yanked about, and it’s very playful. By composing mini-mission statements for your roles, you will capture the essence of each role so you can connect with it each day. 

#5 - Cultivate Quiet Intensity - For most Jaws maniacs, Quint’s speech about his experience being on the Navy’s U.S.S. Indianapolis ship that sunk and many of its sailors were claimed by the circling sharks is the most memorable speech of the film. He delivers his gripping story in a very subdued manner but the intensity of the story is quite jarring and unnerving. What are the moments of your day when you make powerful insights? Can you multiply them? Try journal writing or intention writing to amplify these moments of quiet intensity.  

#5 - You’re Gonna Need a Better Time Management System - The most memorable line of the film is actually ad libbed by Roy Scheider who says in a half-daze after seeing the beast for the first time up close, “You’re gonna need bigger boat.” Same thing goes for your time management system. You need a system that can capture your best ideas, hold you accountable, clarify your goals, cultivate your innate creativity, manage large scale projects, and provide you with a method that can be shared with teammates. What’s the biggest time management challenge that’s taking a bite out of your quality time? 

What's Your Inner World Like and How Does it Determine Your Happiness?

Meditation is the perfect way to connect with your inner world. I know that sounds like hippie stuff but our connection to our inner world dictates our happiness and overall well-being throughout the day. During my morning meditation today, I realized the calm state I was searching for through my aural mantra was like I unplugged my brain and inserted a completely different one. It was as if I had ten brains on a shelf and I plugged in the one all the way on the left. Think of a bunch of operating systems: 1.0, 2.0, all the way up to 10.0. The brain I needed was not even really the 1.0 version. I needed the .0001 version - that’s the calm mind. As I was meditating, I made it so I couldn’t even generate thoughts. I was in feeling mostly. I was pursuing the pre-thought mind and in that’s where you get the most rest for your mind.

Imagine stripping all the upgrades and apps to your brain. Your mind is your computer and you need to have the skill to hop back to the brand new computer - factory version. It’s turned on - it’s powered up completely. It has full power and a surge of currency is running through it - yet no power is able to be used for thinking. That’s where you want to get in meditation. It’s like trying on a bunch of different sunglasses or virtual reality goggles. Try it! Sit comfortably - preferably with your dog snoring nearby - and ask Siri to set a 20-minute timer. Focus on an aural mantra that has no meaning to you - perhaps “ahhh” - and allow yourself to experience your pre-1.0 operating system mind. You’re fully powered up but it’s running no programs. In fact, it doesn’t even have the ability to do so! Oh, and breathe! Tell me how it went!

Achieve More by Doing Less

Consciously trying to try less hard has been a theme for me lately. I’ve been consistently meditating for 20 minutes a day but I’m working to expand it to twice per day. Once I focus on my aural mantra, I become very calm and focused on - well, nothing. And this is good. But then the thoughts creep in to my mind. I know to gently acknowledge the thoughts as they arise and then return to the mantra to re-focus. I find myself trying to increase the stretches of time that I am very calm. I’ve had similar experiences in the past. I spent most of my high school and college years trying to become a better drummer - more specifically - a snare drummer in a drum corps. I was taught to strive for a full quality of sound (ie/ create a great sound yet remain relaxed). The less I worked, the fuller the sound I created. The same happened for driving a golf ball further. When I tightened up my muscles, I hit the ball a shorter distance. When I worked on my technique to allowed the ball or drum to vibrate naturally, I got the best results. The first step is to become aware that you’re not as relaxed as you could be. The tricky part is surrendering control. I often think if I muscle it out, I’ll get the best result - but it never works. At once you expend the maximum energy while remaining as effortless as possible. When have you achieved more with less effort?

Business Journal or Blog?

I need to have start writing more like a journal in some of my blog posts. I’ve been wanting to write a journal related to my vision for my business, Master Your Roles.  However, I shied away from it because I felt I should write a typical blog. I agree that typical keyword-rich blog posts are important to build credibility and provide helpful information. But I found there was something missing. There are thoughts I want to share that don’t fit in a 7 Steps to better Time Management format. And let’s face it - that gets boring. I’ve always felt a compulsion to move in a different direction from the masses. 

My business journal will be very stream-of-consciousness. I will probably flit from subject to subject. I will share my process of building my business. And I believe that it will be helpful to you and perhaps even inspirational. If not, it’ll still be very important to me. Master Your Roles is the fourth business I’ve started. The others were: Robo-Percussion Music (methods and music for young drummers), Drumming Together (drum circles and wellness using music), and Scott Snow Music Therapy Services (providing music therapy to kids and adults with disabilities). Of all my businesses, Master Your Roles is the one I’m most passionate about - perhaps passionate is too weak a word - it’s my purpose! I’m sure of it. I think about it all the time. However, it’s also the business that has been the most difficult to earn paying clients. I’m having a tough time deciding on a target market - a tip all business coaches say is crucial. I agree! I recall a comment Mark Cuban made to a guest on Shark Tank. He told a prospective entrepreneur that he was “too close to his business.” And I think that speaks to me and my journey. 

With Robo-Percussion Music, I ran a table at music education conferences and got orders immediately. I even had a premiere of one of my compositions at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Conference in Chicago, the biggest gathering of music educators in the country. Next, I shifted to facilitating drum circles and started getting calls the day after placing an ad in a parenting magazine. I quickly reached the point where I didn’t want to answer the phone! I didn’t want the gigs. For the next 13 years, I worked in private practice as a music therapist. I’ve kept some clients for over a decade! And now I found my true calling. It’s amazing. I dream about workshops. I get random solutions to parts of my book to make it better. I literally have a four-foot high stack of notebooks filled with ideas. The challenge of my lifetime is to turn my purpose into a thriving business. And now you’re all caught up. So, welcome to my business journal. It will be more personal than the blog - which I will continue writing. I hope you resonate with my business journal and, as always, I welcome your comments and participation.   

You've Got a Golden Ticket: How Journaling Can Increase Your Creativity

Journaling is one of the greatest habits you can have. It ignites your creativity and gives you time to reflect on your life. Journaling has many benefits. For example, it can:

·      inspire you to become more mindful

·      increase your emotional intelligence

·      clarify your thinking

·      encourage you to develop an attitude of positive expectation

·      improve your writing skills

·      help you slow down so you can reflect on your life

·      document your life experiences for future reflection

·      enhance decision-making

·      connect you with your inner world

·      boost problem-solving skills

With a journal, you capture life’s special moments: good and bad. Life’s special moments aren’t just big events - tiny things can be just as meaningful. Research shows that great leaders take the time to reflect.  The Harvard Business Review published an article relating the vital role of journaling and reflection to effective leadership. The first step is to simply pay attention to what you’re thinking about throughout the day. Become more aware of moments that standout in a typical day. As soon as something meaningful happens, jot it down so you can recall it later that night. These are your creative snippets and they don’t have to be grammatically correct – scribble just enough words to capture the essence of what you want to journal about.

“Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket” is an example of a memorable creative snippet I wrote about in my journal when I first started my business. I saw a Wonka bar at the store and it reminded of how much I loved the movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory as a kid. It’s always been a symbol of unlimited creativity for me. Willy Wonka was unique and he appeared to have no competition. So, I bought the chocolate bar and hung the golden ticket wrapper on my office wall. It gave me the positive vibe I needed to get going with my new business venture. I looked at that golden ticket and felt like I couldn’t fail! And that’s what I wrote about in my journal.

Here are some more examples of creative snippets:

·      Overheard 6-year old say “Grandpa…you’re my favorite

   old man”

·      Had the worst meal of my life

·      Finally saw the 1960’s Batman episode featuring the Joker and Batman surfing

·      Inspiring phone call with Susan, my business mentor

 As you make daily journaling a habit, you’ll find yourself seeking out new experiences simply for the sake of having something unique to write about! Order that octopus soup. Remove all the cushions in the living room and make a massive fort with your nephews. Open the sunroof and turn up your favorite song on the way home from work. Give someone a fifty-dollar bill as a tip for no reason other than how it will make you feel – and then write about your experience!Your journal is the perfect place to celebrate your baby steps of progress. If you’re launching a business, write about buying a package of index cards that you’ll use to cover your office wall with intentions for your business. Your journal is the perfect place to celebrate the tiniest of baby steps of progress you are making in your life. If you are launching a new business, write about buying a business card holder for the desk that you don’t even have yet!

Keeping a daily journal is an effective way to spark your creativity and help you think like an innovator and visionary.

Personal Productivity Primer: Choose a Bad-Ass Motto for the Week

I picked up this Yoda board at the dollar store. It’s one of the most helpful tools in my personal productivity arsenal. My current motto is “It’s Not That ____ Hard.” Pick a phrase that triggers you into a strong state. Here are some past examples:

• No More Boo-Boo Face

• Razzle Dazzle Em’

• Deep Diving All the Time

• 10x inspiration flash once per hour

• Diaz Brothers!

• Build Upon Bright Spots

• I BELIEVE

• Start Streakin’ (get a streak going for goals and habits)

• Tally the Joy

• Wahh! (comic Artie Lange’s expression)

• Follow the System

• Dough Boy to Gracie

What’s your current motto that inspires you?

If you want to have effective personal productivity, you must be able to change your emotional state and level of motivation throughout the day. Use this time management skill to achieve more and get more things done each day.

Work Life Balance Tip: Transition Between Roles Decisively

Some think the All the Hats We Wear system (HATS) is too broad. They say, “All my roles - that’s everything. It’s too vague!“ Although HATS takes into account all areas of your busy life, it focuses you to a single point. The HATS system helps you begin from the moment of decision between all roles. Imagine a pie diagram with 16 sections. Place a dot in the center. That’s where you reset naturally with this time management system. You can spend time in any of your roles. You can be fully immersed in any role yet switch to another at the drop of a hat. Our ability to effectively transition between roles creates our level of fulfillment. Download the helpful Time Tracker self-assessment tool to see which roles you’re spending the most time in.

HATS is a powerful system for managing your busy life because it makes it easy to transition effectively between roles. It’s a beautiful approach to work life balance!

Our ability to effectively transition between roles creates our level of fulfillment.