The 30 Day Push Challenge
I've mentioned Chalene Johnson's 30 Day Push Challenge in a previous post but I wanted to go into more detail about some of the small but helpful skills that I've learned and put into practise since completing the challnge a month ago.
The first important eye-opener was the lesson on the 10 key areas of your life. You give each of these areas a score out of 10 and then you pick the 3 areas that you know you need to focus on the most. For me those areas were career/purpose, finance and friends/family.
The next step was to write down 10 "crazy cool" goals which are supposed to seem so out there that they're almost unattainable but totally possible if you work for it.
Then she introduced the concept of the PUSH goal. One goal that is going to make some of your other goals possible, kind of like a domino effect. I have to say, it wasn't easy for me to identify my "push" goal, and the process moves so fast and I felt stuck on that one little (big) aspect. When I looked at my 10 goals, I could see the one that would enable the others, would be improving productivity in my career. I just had to figure out what I needed to do in order to make that happen. I have to say, it took me ages to find a push goal, but I found it and I know my WHY - why it's the right goal for me, for now.
Ok so then there was the "Important Person Promise". Making your push goal public so that you are held accountable to your word. I totally get this concept. We all know how easy it is to tell ourselves in our heads all the things we need to do, and then all we need is one really good excuse not to do it. Accountability is key. You're supposed to share your goals with a person you trust. Someone that will always be honest with you and keep you in check. This website is the best accountability out there because now my intentions are out in the cyber world - scary!
Chalene makes a really big deal of the: Carefully Crafted Diligently Managed To-Do List. I love this. Brain dump all the the things you need to do in the day and then choose the most important 3 things that you NEED to get done. Don't overload, don't overwhelm. It's simple but it is super effective. Making a list at the same time, in the same place every day. 3 Things. It's important to keep referring to the list throughout the day, updating it and checking it, staying productive.
Ok so Y A Y! Now I get to tell you about the awesome world of Awesome Note. The Ultimate To-Do List for your smartphone or Ipad.
Hooray!
I dowloaded it and started using it immediately. It's a bit fiddly to work out, but once you've figured it out, it's great. I've divided mine in to the following categories:
PUSH, Today, This week, This month and the daily checklist. It took me a while to get my head around what my priorities were.
I did finally choose PUSH goal, which was a frikkin miracle. I decided that I want to, in the next 12 months, enter 20 of my students for external music examinations. This is something that I always shy away from doing, but know I have to do if I want to earn a reputation as a fabulous violin teacher. I'm confident that this goal will enable me to reach a number of my other goals, as well as the fact that I will be pushing myself to help my students reach THEIR goals. BONUS! I felt apprehensive about it and actually, I didn't like the way it made me feel but that's the whole point.
By day 9 I could definitely feel this whole process starting to work. I could feel my energy levels picking up, I was overflowing with ideas and I was already finding ways to put them into action.
The app "Awesome Note" took me a little while to figure out, but eventually I figure out how to navigate it. It's colourful and clear and I love the sense of satisfaction when I tick off the little boxes on my to-do list. It also forces me to organise my thoughts so that I actively remember what needs doing. Before, I would just ramble through my day, sometimes make necessary calls if the moment struck me, write e-mails if I felt like it. Now I know what I need to do, and look forward to the feeling of getting it done.
You're supposed to check your list 7 times a day. WELL my friend, when an app is so colourful and fun, I check it like 20 times a day, so no worries there!
Day 10 was all about triggers. Something that reminds you to do or check your to-do list. I haven't figured out my trigger yet, but I'm trying to think of something I see or do every day that will serve as a decent trigger. NO IDEA what this could be. Maybe in my car when I get to work and I have 10 minutes to spare, or maybe the number 23 because it's my favourite number and I always notice anyway. Your trigger can be anything but like anything, it's a habit you have to form - I'm still working on it.
My PUSH goal requires a combination of more focus and more skill. This skills I require can be learned from simple research on the internet and picking the brains of my colleagues. I just need to schedule in the time to make it happen. This element is important, because honestly - you can't just keep doing what you've always been doing and expect change. You have to research, learn, grow etc. #duh
OK, so time ticked on by and eventually we got to the lesson on being your own coach?! WTF? This sounded so out there to me, but I was willing to give it a go. It's all about talking to yourself the way you would talk to a person you were trying to motivate or coach. I would never tell anyone that they're stupid, or ugly (to their face! - jokes!), so by that same token, why do we say those things t0 ourselves? The fact is that I have been in a place where I was just attracting one bad thing after another and I found a way to turn it around - I'm convinced that it happened because I consciously decided to change my attitude. I did this without Chalene Johnson, so I know this stuff can work for everyone. I also have this embarrassing belief that if you want something badly enough, you almost manifest it into reality. Basically all that is, is following through on this particular challenge without being AWARE that you're even doing it - so imagine how powerful you can be if you're doing it consciously.
Josh and I were discussed this PUSH challenge often because initially I wanted him to do it with me. He works as a freelance composer, essentially running his own business and so I felt that he might also be able to gain something from learning a bit about time management and goal setting. He was even more skeptical than me! He compared this to those "Get Rich Quick" seminars they have in America, where people are conned out of thousands of dollars and the only person making millions is the so called "motivational" speaker running the joint. I don't think it's an unusual assumption to make and my honest opinion is that if you really believe that going to one seminar is going to make you a millionaire, then you shouldn't really be a millionaire. People always say that hard work is the key to success, but they aren't really being specific enough and that's where Chalene has got it right in this challenge.
Success is about priorities, time management, organisation, the company you keep, being persistent and consistency.
One of the tasks was to figure out what sort of people you have in your life. Are they people who lift you up? People you look up to? People who challenge you and aren't afraid to tell you when you're traveling off course? Do you respect them? This was a realisation I had early on in life. I was always an average student. Never top of the class or the best at anything academic - my strong point was always music, but somehow, my circle of friends with highest academic achievers at school. I'm talking the 5 top mark earners in the school. Even as a teenager I knew to keep good company, and I have to say that I still do. Not a lot of friends, but quality friends.
Time management: How you spend your time. What minutes go where - are your minutes being used wisely? Could your minutes be better spent on something else? Chalene tells you to keep a record of what you do all day but I didn't do that because I keep an extremely structured day - I have to as a teacher. I already know that my wasted time happens in the evenings when I get home from work. Although, it has to be said that since doing this challenge, I have been overflowing with ideas for my teaching practise and I've found an outlet for my love of writing, cooking and fitness. I can't remember a time in my life that I've ever been so productive!
I'm not going into great detail about every single lesson - if you're interested or this sounds appealing to you, go ahead and do it. It's free and it takes up so little of your time.
