“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit.”
— Aristotle
My Myers-Briggs-Type-Inventory personality style assessment is spot on. I am an ENFP. Let me explain for those who are not as enthusiastic about style assessments as I am. These four letters indicate that
My energy is created by doing and is easily visible to all
I cannot communicate easily without putting my thoughts into a story or context (I am verbose)
My decision-making is easily influenced by emotion and intuition
My organizational style is happily loose with a spontaneous opportunity incorporated into most days.
For those deeply versed with the Myers-Briggs (MBTI), this is a very surface description of a tool that deserves a thorough debrief. I refer to MBTI because my styles show up in every interaction.
It was at a breakfast meeting one recent morning with a very valued colleague that she brought to my attention the habit I have of note-taking. I bring a blank sheet of paper, fold it in half, and while the conversation prompted by a lot of questions plays, I plot the content in very predictable ways on my half-sheet of paper, somewhat like a musical score. This habit has been observed and commented upon by many people.
It is a reflection of how I learn, how my mind operates, how I make sense of lots of information, and how I do my work. In any conversation, I can deduce the needs, frame the objectives, and create proposed approaches and solutions — all captured in a scrawl that only I can understand. Yet, in most cases, to the observer and other people involved in the conversation, it feels a little like a magician pulling a rabbit out of the hat.
This is what my breakfast partner brought to my attention. And we laughed.
This habit has helped me to use my strengths and develop the complementary skills that I need in order to be less verbose and a better listener. It helps me to boil thoughts down to the essentials, to engage my thinking experience, as well as my intuition in the review, and to frame it all in an organized fashion. Though my natural style always is with me, I have learned other skills and strategies to supplement and compliment my style so that I can be effective.
This observation triggered a question that we both engaged. “What other habits or rituals have you developed that support your effectiveness, habits that are unique to your approach to your work and life?”
We found that many of the things we did habitually have to do with using time and resources well. Our routines change with changing conditions but many stay in place.
We talked about how we used our calendars and plotted the year, months, days, and deadlines.
We reviewed the ritual of our days. Her’s starts with journaling and meditation. Mine is similar, but involves singing and dancing with the dogs. Then, we both try to accomplish the ‘hardest’ thing on our agenda first so that the day does not get away from us.
In the telling of my morning routine, I discovered that (because of the plethora of half sheets of paper with notes) I spend the first hour reflecting, reviewing, planning, and recasting. It caused me to ask myself and now you, “What is the ratio of your time planning and reflecting to the time spent in action and activity?”
Both my breakfast friend and I use the morning and evening to review and reflect on the day. She shared it so simply, “I reflect on the day behind me and the one before me.” I do this, too, and it makes for good sleeping without the need to pick up loose ends all night in my dreams. I think that this is what they meant when it was said about your thoughts, “Put it to bed.”
The last funny habit that I shared was that people now know that I make most of my phone calls while driving. Since the start of the Pandemic, my car has become an extension of my workspace. It is the place where I have the least interruptions or distractions. Now, when I make a call, as I have put them on my written schedule for my drive time, the person who answers will most likely say, “Where are you going?” as my drive calling has become so predictable. Thus, I love a long road trip!
• Do you have some very predictable habits and rituals that work for you and your style?
• How have they changed with the changing conditions of our working lives?
The world is chaotic and every day I try to use my tools to make some sense of my direction and my impact.
Please feel free to share what contributes to your personal effectiveness.
Leslie
“Forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not.”
— Octavia Butler
Recent Comments