Monday, August 1, 2011

Day 5 (8/1): 1 mile / 11 minutes

After a much needed day of rest yesterday, my one mile run today felt like a breeze.  It’s amazing how much shorter that mile feels after running longer distances.  It was great start to my day… even if it was a 4:45 am.

My thoughts during my run were all over the place.  On a Monday morning I have a to-do list a mile long (wow - it literally took a mile to sort through all of my thoughts today… and I wasn’t even going for the play on words).  Anyway, with an upcoming vacation, my desire to register for a 5k beforehand so that I am committed to doing it, all of the work I had waiting for me at the office and all of the things I need to get accomplished this week, my thoughts bounced from one thing to another with hardly a moment to actually process any of it.  I found it rather frustrating… I’m a list person, and making a list while running would have been an interesting task to attempt.  I knew I’d never remember everything I needed to take care of.  I was short of breath and not feeling my best.  I knew I needed to set all of that aside for a little while and just focus on my run.  When I was finally able to do that, I felt more energetic and upbeat.  It was as if focusing on just one thing instead of a bunch made me feel like I was actually accomplishing something.  What a novel concept. 

I decided that’s how I would attack my week.  One task at a time.  Sure, I can still sit down and make a list, but what I need is complete focus on what I’m working on, both at the office and at home.  I’m proud to say that, once I got to work, I focused only on that and I couldn’t be happier with the amount of work I actually got done.  Sure, my list of things to do is still quite lengthy, but I’ll get to it when I get to it.  I also found my day a lot more enjoyable.  It’s amazing how much more you can take in when you’re thinking about only one thing.  When you’re talking to a co-worker, don’t think about other things you still have to do – focus on the conversation and you’ll get a lot more out of it.  The same is so very true for things at home and in your personal life.  Never think about work during your time off… your time away from the office is for your own well-being.  Enjoy every moment of it.  You’ll be back at the office before you know it… you can think about all of that work when you get there.

As my busy day draws to a close I know I only have one thing to focus on right now… a trip to the spa for a pedicure.  And I promise myself to think of nothing else while I’m there :)

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