Schedule Your Life Repair Day

Ever sit at your desk, jump into email, only to just get overwhelmed by all the stuff?  Every unread message, every unpaid bill, every piece of paper is like a little voice calling out to be heard and responded to.  When the clutter in our lives gets overwhelming, it’s almost automatic that we fall into Stage Two-the zone of “my life sucks.”  The purpose of this tip is to get you out of this mess, quickly, and back on track to Stage Three and beyond.

Some of the most popular advice we give came from a childhood friend of Dave Logan’s (and now good friend of our company), Robert McNally.  More than 25 years ago, Robert told Dave that life is like a car, and unless you repair it from time to time, it just breaks.  His advice led to our admonition that every once in a while you need to schedule a solid time for a life repair day.  (Years after starting to give this advice, we came across David Allen’s suggestion of making something like the life repair day a weekly event.  We’re big fans of David’s Getting Things Done system, especially for people stuck at Stage Two.)

By the end of a “life repair day,” the following needs to be true:

  • Every email is answered (yes, every one-in that other email address, too).
  • Every bill is paid or put in place where you’ll pay it later.
  • Every piece of paper, envelope, and post-it is in a file or thrown away.
  • Your system of physical files is up-to-date.
  • Every text on your iPhone or BlackBerry is answered.
  • Your physical desktop is clear, and your computer desktop is free of those stray files.
  • Your in-box (literal and virtual) is empty.
  • Everything is backed up.

Most people who’ve just had a life repair day say that the feeling is-and were not exaggerating here-bliss.  Others say they feel naturally creative and productive, as though someone just appointed them CEO of their life.  Most people say they feel great when they’re done.  It’s not unusual to visit Stage Three for at least a few moments, the zone of “I’m great!”

Needle Moving Challenge

Before your next big strategy session or meeting to chart the future of your business, ask everyone involved to conduct a life repair day prior to getting together.

You’ll find that people are more even-tempered, innovative, and ambitious-perfectly set up to reconnect with their values and engage the challenge as Tribal Leaders.

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