I’ve been in a funk the last little bit. Definitely a couple of days, though now I’m wondering if it’s been a bit longer. Probably related to the burnout I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. The problem I’ve been having is a kind of “what’s the point” on things. Not a true depression, just discouragement on all of my projects I’m working on.
The result is that I haven’t really been working on things that much. I have been doing some things, using sheer willpower to motivate myself to work on some project. Of course, that isn’t sustainable because “sheer willpower” is not never-ending. Especially when the baby isn’t sleeping well at night.
So I was thinking this morning. The problem I’m having is not the ability to do things. I am perfectly capable of doing things. It’s the getting started that is hard. Why?
My wife has a similar problem. She’ll sit on the couch wanting to do something but unable to actually do it. If I understand correctly (which I may not) this is Executive Disfunction and has to do with the brain’s ability to make decisions. That can be hampered even more when the person in question is depressed or tired.
That seems to apply to the problem I’m having. The simultaneous listlessness I’ve been feeling suggests that I want to do something. But the things I have to do are discouraging. It seems to me that because I don’t see the path to “winning” in a strategic sense, I can’t get myself to approach the tactics of daily work.
The solution so far, and the one I hear talked about a lot, has been “motivation.” You just need to get yourself to want to do it. But what if that’s not the right choice?
In The E-Myth, Michael Gerber talks about the different types of mindsets needed for a successful business - the Technician, the Manager, and the Executive. In our Air Force officer training we talked about technical, tactical, and strategic thinking. They’re the same thing. These also seem to like up with Simon Sineck’s Why, How, and What.
Setting the strategic vision for your life or your family is high-level thinking. You have to think long term at your goals, how to achieve those, and outside influences. It can be hard, especially as those outside influences become more turbulent and seemingly unpredictable. But one thing to remember is that they become unpredictable on a tactical level. If you understand how the world works, or at least have a reasonable guess, it is predictable. Humans excel at that kind of abstraction.
But day-to-day work does not use the strategic brain, it works in a tactical or technical level. So when the economy is fluctuating in a crazy way, it’s easy for that tactical brain to panic and get discouraged. It’s hard to switch back to strategic thinking, especially when in panic mode. So now I’m passing days just going to work, coming home, and trying to “motivate” myself.
So bringing that together, here’s what I think my problem is: I don’t have a well-defined strategic vision. There is no clear commander’s intent. My idea for Quill is “work on it.” My plans for real estate is “buy this house.” So every day I have to decide what to work on and why, which means using high-effort strategic thinking on a daily basis. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
So my proposed solution: create a strategic vision. Define why I want to do something and the broad goals I am trying to achieve. This should not be done often, probably during my quarterly family retreats when my time is dedicated to thinking big picture and assessing how things are going. More frequently, probably during my weekly planning with my wife, I should decide how I’m going to achieve those goals. What are my priorities for the week? What days am I working on what projects? What work needs to be done for each to accomplish what I’ve prioritized. Then during each day all I have to do is trust the strategic vision, look at the calendar, pick up the to-do list, and get working.
Will this fix everything? I don’t know. But I keep telling my wife how important routine and not having to make decisions all the time are, so maybe I should try implementing it even more and see if it really works when taken a little farther.
Go out and get it done. Think big and conquer the world.