Intentional Sand

Overview

The gritty texture of sand irritates your focus. Add in its ability to get everywhere — under your nails, tucked between your toes, or sandwiched between your skin and the elastic line in your bathing suit — and now you’ve turned your full attention to getting rid of it.

Sand is the day-to-day items that pop up and demand to be addressed, distracting you from your rocks (important goals) and pebbles (stepping stones to get to your important goals).

Issue(s)

Daily to-do’s (errands, a long day at work, discovering you’re down to your last pair of clean underwear) distract your brain and pull the focus on them, rather than on the priority of your relationship.

If the day-to-day controls your time and attention day after day then you’ll miss your chance to achieve your monthly goals with your partner.

If you miss this intentional stepping stone, then you won’t cultivate any growth in your relationship and you’ll return to and stay at step 1: envisioning where you want to be instead of living that reality.

Analysis:

Time can control you or you can control your time.

Successful CEO’s structure their time and interactions to sift out nagging tasks and keep their sight on the big picture.

Here are key takeaways you can apply in your relationship:

• avoid the lure of electronic communication: when you’re with your partner, reduce the amount of time you check email or scroll. Choose a specific time for those acts that are after you connect with your partner.

• advance your priorities on your agenda: when you write out your to-do list (whether that’s general tasks or a specific list like groceries) add a “to-do” that involves your partner.

• limit your routine responsibilities: are there any “have-to-do’s” that took on that title merely out of habit? Can you remove that task and free up your time? If not, can you outsource or delegate that task?

• stay connected with your team: whether your team is a party of 2 or 2+, regular face-to-face interactions bring open conversations that increase trust, build engagement, and keep everyone connected.

• carve out alone time: you need time to reflect and rest. Before you say ain’t nobody got time for that, think about all the time you’re giving and creating for others. You’re doing a lot of awesome things for everyone else, now take some time for yourself.

Solution:

The sand isn’t going away, but you can limit the amount that gets under your skin.

1. Identify what day-to-day items do and don’t need your attention.

2. Always create your grain of sand by listing a daily to-do on your agenda that involves your partner.

Action:

Get your weekend going by writing your your to-do list, but instead of your first bullet being what you “have” to do, 👉️ use that first line for what you “want” to do with your partner.

Conclusion:

If you allow the sand to overpower you, your jar will become completely filled with things that aren’t important. There won’t be room for any pebbles and rocks.

🌱 Intentionally fill your jar: rocks first, pebbles second, and sand last. See how full your jar is now.

Let’s grow together,

Michelle @ Partnership Pulse

P.S. Sending a warm welcome to those who joined Partnership Pulse last week!