Theme For July: Closing The Loop

To the victor goes the spoils.

It’s a great quote. Makes me think of battle and victory. Battle happens all the time. We fight them every day, some with our to-do list, some with our calendars, and many with ourselves. Each battle is different, with some bigger than others, but all are important when we fight them, at least we think they are.

One problem I notice is the lack of stopping the battle. With most battles, you can either advance or withdraw. Either option gets you closer to a win-lose or draw scenario. Getting to the end of something, even in a loss, means you can get to the next step. I procrastinate and get stuck. Each battle is a chance to grow, and by getting stuck, I simply lose energy. I want to avoid the loss or even the draw by sticking around and not moving.

This is why this month I am focusing on closing the loop. The idea of forcing decisions, and ending up with either a win loss or draw, moves me forward. Hesitation ,ultimately, is nothing more than a vampire, looking to drain me of my energy while convincing me that procrastination is alright.

Some things I want to see this month:

• Entering – How do I enter a project. What is my system when it comes to organizing and getting projects well-defined.
• Maintaining – How do I know something is going well? Are there check-ins? Stake holders? Consequences ?
• Exiting – When is it time to go? At what point do I claim victory, retreat, or tell myself to stick it out?

There is no way for victory without finishing the fight. I want to face this head-on this month, making decisions that will either get me out battle or push me through the muck. By closing the loop, I plan on having a lot more energy going forward.

The three things listed above are not in stone nor the only things I want to work on this month. Like all good plans, this one is subject to change. Each month I plan on researching and reading, hoping to see if anything interesting pops up.I am open to anything throughout the month, so fire off a tweet @thehonorableAT if you have any suggestions. I would especially love to hear about teachers, books, or classes, but any tidbit will do.