In the morning I fill out
the brown book, it’s called The Sunrise Manifesto. The Manifesto book has
Morning Pages where you write and dump out all the thoughts cluttering your
brain so they don’t block your creative flow. They are recommended in the
famous creativity book The Artist's Way. The Manifesto also has a great
gratitude and to-do page as well as goal-setting and monthly review pages.
I’ve been using the sunrise manifesto for years and recommend it to all
my coaching clients.
I cut out and add the Sunrise Pages to A5 Lux planner (far right) and set tasks
in that planner. Also in that planner, I have set up dividers and sections for
the different books, speeches I am working on, and a songwriting section. If I
have a big project with a client they may get a section in the paper planner.
I have my goals and tasks and copies of my sections and more on my computer
calendar. I just enjoy writing and it helps me be creative and follow through.
I use Microsoft calendar and it lets you color code. That calendar is typically
open on the far left screen in my office. I have three screens.
I’ve used Color Coding on my monthly calendar for decades. Now my detailed
monthly calendars are on my computer with color coding. Color coding is the
bomb. So for example appointments are a certain color of blue, and I have other
colors for Zoom programs, In town programs, and out-of-town programs. Anything
to do with music is purple! My volunteer work is another color. And fun with
friends and family is yellow. That way I can look at my calendar and see if I
don’t have enough of a particular color and plan accordingly. I always want
more hot pink programs and more fun yellow.
I print out my detailed monthly computer calendar in A5 size and tape it into
the A5 so it’ll be with me in my purse. It sounds cumbersome, but I enjoy that
cutting, taping, and coloring.
At the end of the month, I transfer all the pages except for the monthly
calendar from the sunrise manifesto and A5 pages to the big binder on
the far left so my carry-around planner stays small.
At that time, even though I have everything on my computer I like to review the
month. Flip through the pages and touch them. It gives me a tangible sense of
accomplishment. I see what I was grateful for and sometimes I write to thank
you notes if I was grateful for a person. Though a gratitude journal makes it
easy to say you’re to the person immediately.
And then I start resetting goals for the next month.
I used to write a blog that had a monthly post of every book I read and my
synopsis and review, but now I just keep track of the books I’ve read on my
computer calendar. This year I started to keep track of the movies I watch
since I’m working on that movie book. The movie book is a long project. I have
it calendared out with tasks over the next two years by Doubling works because of a scientific phenomenon
called Isopraxism, a pull towards the same energy to save energy. Isopraxism is
why birds fly in formation, deer run together, fish swim in schools, why we do
the wave at football games, slow in traffic if the car in front of us slows
down, and why get can easily get pulled into someone’s bad mood. Research shows that the strongest energy, the strongest
leader has the strongest pulling effect, and that negative energy (anger) has
the strongest pulling effect. The people we are with can motivate us to change
or shift our body language. Body doubling can help us get work done.
Body doubling creates a multi-tiered
effect to get you moving and motivated. First, there is someone else moving so
you are pulled to “Match” that movement. Your limbic system (not your logical
thinking neocortex) feels the pull to move because they are moving. If you like
a trust them that pull is stronger. You don’t have to Mirror them and do the same
exact thing they are doing; you just must move. So for example when my
assistant is in the office and may Mirror her and sit at my desk next to her
and also typing, but I may also just match and be up doing other things in the
office or be working in another room. Her presence and energy of being
productive pull me to be productive. Specifically, we are pulled by all our senses,
The visual body language cues of the other person, the sound of them breathing
and talking, and even their scent, ie
they are sweating so we are pulled to work and sweat.
I have many fellow entrepreneurs and
author friends that do their best writing in a coffee shop because there is
movement around them. People’s energy and movement, create matching energy and productivity
in them. I had an office in a shared office space in a cool hip Ponce City Market
before covid, where I spent most of my time in the coffee bar or sitting in one
of the lounges working because I loved being around all those fellow high-energy
entrepreneurs.
In addition, there is a psychological
pull towards being productive, where you see them working, and you feel good if
you do too and feel guilty if you don’t move as well. My ex-fiancé, insisted I buy
a two-story house because he hated that he could see me sitting at my desk
working in my office when he was sitting on the couch watching TV. He wanted me
to work on a separate floor so he didn’t feel my pulling effect and didn’t feel
guilty for not working nights and weekends as I did. He worked full-time, he
shouldn’t have felt any guilt but the pull was strong.
