The Weekly Dose - The good enough zone

“It Is Not Your Job To Be Everything To Everyone” – Courtney Carver

Hello,

So, how’s your week been? This week we were meant to be running our 3 day Escape walking retreat but for a number of reasons had to reschedule to September. So while it felt disappointing it just took one look out of the window to know that it was a gift we weren’t out there on the fells. It has been very wet, very wild and very cold!

Roll on spring, I’m looking forward to the clocks going forwards this weekend.

This week I have been focused on ‘shipping’. I think it’s Seth Godin’s term for getting things done. Shipping and slipping through my to do list. Four proposals went out this week, two change programmes, one ‘returners’ programme and one internal communication strategy review. After a slow start to the year, it’s great to feel things are picking up momentum.

I also finalised the schedule for an exciting online summit, Rethink Work Showcase on 26 and 27 April. This is all about showing off Recommended members thoughts, ideas and expertise. There are some brilliant programmes, talks, workshops being developed. If you are looking for speakers, trainers, coaches to come and support your programme drop me a message, let me know what you are looking for and I’ll send you some ideas.

So with quite a bit going on (because I’ve also finally sent off book proposal 2, recorded 4 more podcast episodes, survived a house with no heating or hot water for 6 days, and remembered the Parents Evening) it’s been important to be in the ‘good enough’ zone. That’s the them this week inspired by Amazing If.

It was a good reminder of the Pareto Principle. The 80/20 rule. Basically, if you do something 80% well then that’s good enough, because it could take a lot more extra energy and time to get that last 20% done, for not that much reward.

Have a look at the Good Enough grid today and see what you (re)think.

That’s all for now. I’m off outside now to check the sheep. I help my family on their farm at this time of year. Lambing season is quite a bit of relentless stress and pressure, they don’t really show on Countryfile, but to all the farmers out there in the wind, rain and snow from 5am until midnight. Salutes.

Enjoy your rethink

eleanor

Five things this week…

1.Rethink space

Good enough. A post on Amazing If Instagram caught my eye this week. I really liked the thought pokes about our work and at the point we ‘ship it’. I started doing a few scribbles around the breakeven point of not caring and disappearing up our own ass. The scribble needs more work but maybe next week it will be the ‘over thinking fallacy’ or something like that - WIP. Amazing If have much nicer words…

“When we try to make everything we do at work great, the standard we set for ourselves can result in pressure and stress. We can also miss moments when pace and progress are more important than perfection.⁠ Understand the relationship between you and your work by assessing how much you care and how much you need to control the way work gets done. ⁠ When we are more selective in assessing what work is ok to be good enough we create the energy to increase our impact in other areas.”⁠
⁠
I also resisted temptation to create my on version that perhaps, maybe, sometimes is the actual real thoughts we are thinking.

Open - I’ve done as much as I can be arsed with today, now I have a train to catch, here you go

Detached - I really couldn’t give a shit anymore, you tell me

Attached - If you don’t like this, I will take it as a direct reflection of everything I am and live for, but I might still think f**k you I’m right

Territorial - Only I have the special super powers and splendid wisdom to create such magnificence, your only job is to admire my spectacular-ness

So, the question to ponder today is from Amazing If - How much time do you spend in the open zone of 'good enough'? (And what are you really thinking as you ‘ship’ your work?)

Find out more here at amazingif.com

2. Listen to

Another Door stories podcast. This week is Cate Sevilla sharing her many doors closing, the highs and lows in-between and owning the next door to open, and whatever lies behind it. “Sometimes it feels like many mini doors” Cate shares that there isn’t always just one perfect next step.

LISTEN HERE

3.Recommended

Cate Sevilla’s book will most certainly save your sanity! It’s like the Work Book Manual.

4.What a tool!

Comms Rebel App - I’ve been playing with Anita Patel’s Comms Rebel app. She is creating something exciting here. If you are a communications professional it’s well worth signing up. (Free to join)

5.Something random and will ponder

I haven’t been to the new Design Museum yet! Which feels strange as I used to go to the old one quite a bit. So I’ll be (trying) to get tickets for this, Ai Weiwei. This is nothing quite like an art and design exhibition to get you rethinking!

Where have you been recently that’s got you rethinking?

What’s going on in the community?

This week’s Recommended members…

Lucy Griffin Stiff runs a programme called What Lies Beneath - The power of unleashing personal courage Six courageous steps to uncover mindset traps and unleash courageous thinking. A great experience for teams, or female leadership programmes supporting the exploration of personal courage. A programme that will help you get your brave pants on and stop holding you back!

Anna Donaghey talks about alcohol addiction and self belief. Honest and insightful, she confronts the elephant in the room by talking about the role of alcohol in modern life.

Ruth Kudzi is a keynote speaker specialising in ‘The Neuroscience of behavioural change and enhancing wellbeing’ - with so many nuggets in this talk this will change everything you think you knew about your brain!

In the Recommended membership

Find out more about becoming a member here

31 March - How to use LinkedIn with Laura Fox

6 April - Nail your online talk with Helen Packham

8 May - Next 5 week programme starts - you have so many ideas you don’t know what to focus on, you have a small simmering idea but not sure of the next step, you have an idea but you want to be clear on the offer - 5 weeks and you’ll nail it! Book before 6th April and get 2 free 121 coaching sessions. Drop me a message for more information.

“I joined Recommended because I wanted to grow the side of my business that helps companies to develop, support and retain women. It's brilliant to be part of a directory alongside other experts in their field but the additional support Eleanor and her team provide is brilliant. Eleanor suggested and helped me scope out a new product which has already brought in 5 times the cost of joining Recommended and has opened doors to longer term relationships with high profile companies. Eleanor always overdelivers so the value for money is exceptional whether you are an established business looking to raise your profile in the media or in the early stages of nailing your offer” Carla Miller, Women's leadership coach, trainer and author

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