From Chao, Slowing Down to Create Order

Lately, I've felt overwhelmed due to changes I've instilled (goals) and changes happening macro-economically. I've been executing based on the Urgent quadrant, and that's not a good place to live long-term.

The other day, I found myself admitting a deep insecurity. I'm not used to not being at the top of the leaderboard in my career in sales. (I assure you, it's hard work, not luck. I know, it's first-world problems or top-performer problems. As my lovely coworker says, it's still a problem.) I believe in metrics, too, because they are goalposts until the result of a deal closes.

For several weeks, some errors occurred, so I needed to figure out where I stood, and the results appeared direr than they were. While I can live with uncertainty, like most people, certainty is comforting. I'm a planner, through and through, mixed in with a dash of spontaneity. Because sometimes, you wake up and realize a road trip is needed to shake the imprisoned feeling of your life.

So I started making order out of chaos, going through notes and decluttering. Today I checked my ranking and realized I'm back near the top of the leaderboard regarding productivity. Great! Because I was hauling...er, um...productively and trying to figure out how to scale back on other essential tasks that I deemed necessary for my future. 

Now I know where I stand. Consolidating notes helped me get clear on what needs to happen. It provided clarity, much-needed clarity. I am also getting one heckuva kick on crossing off the to-dos. It's one of my favorite things...to do. It's counter-intuitive to slow down when the firehose is moving toward your direction, but just like a Matrix action sequence, it allows me to create order out of sheer chaos to survive and thrive.