Ever wonder why you seem to have a tougher time focusing when you have several things going on at once? The scientific/psychological reason is connected with what is known as the Zeigarnik Effect. Merriam Webster’s definition of the term is: The psychological tendency to remember an uncompleted task rather than a completed one.

As I write this blog, I am looking at a row of American Arborvitae Lisa and I planted three years ago. The evergreens have a beautiful pyramid shape and as of today, only three of the 49 we planted have died. I should be happy with my “harvest results”… but I’m not. They aren’t tall enough! And it’s my fault. I violated Harvest Law #2: You harvest the same thing that you plant.

What type of ‘fertilizer’ do you think I need to use to get them moving?”

It was the somewhat sarcastic question from a participant after I finished a recent keynote presentation. They were alluding to my comments about successful leaders having the attitude of a gardener. 🌿

Instagram is the social media platform I use for fun. It's a chance to connect with people on a more personal level. I do post some thoughts related to my work, but it's not the primary reason I spend time there. I enjoy seeing what's going on in the lives of others and celebrating those moments by liking or commenting on their posts or stories.

I love being asked questions that make me think deeply about myself. So I was thrilled when in a recent podcast interview the host said, “What are three choices you make each day that have contributed to your success?” The hard part was limiting it to three. I thought about exercise, my morning quiet time, my daily walk with my wife, and even my choice to do intermittent fasting.

Are you comparing your successes to other peoples and then feeling pressure because you haven't achieved what someone else has achieved?

Well, you're not alone.

In a CNBC article a couple of years ago, it stated that over 61% of Americans had “getting out of debt” as their number one goal. Number 2 was to “max out their retirement accounts,” followed by “negotiating a raise,” and “starting to invest.”

I smiled as I reflected on those goals because the same thing could be said about how people use their time. They want to reduce their sense of overload (debt), plan for the long term (retirement), use their time in more valuable ways (raise), and get a better return on how they use their time (invest).

Quitting. I’ve always been fascinated by the emotion that rises up within me when I hear or say that word. I know part of it comes from my childhood when I quit my first thing… middle school football. I’ll never forget the discomfort I felt when my coach saw me at school after I had not shown up at practice for a couple of days and he asked, “Did you quit football?” I felt like the most worthless person as he nodded his head slowly and frowned at me.

^{If I were to ask you about your best technique to wisely manage your time, you would probably share a routine you follow at work or home. You might start listing tactics like “Do the hardest task early in the day,” or “Only check emails three times a day.” I’d be willing to wager you wouldn’t say, “I manage my emotions well.”}

I’ve been intrigued by the term “quiet quitting” since I first saw it earlier this year, but had never really done a “deep dive” into its origins, causes, or potential solutions. I must admit that I had actually discounted the validity of the idea because it got its initial boost into the mainstream from a Tik Tok post. A Tik Tok post…Really?

To be clear, being busy isn’t a bad thing. Busy, according to Merriam Webster, is defined as engaged in action. We certainly want leaders who have the desire to take action to cast vision, grow their team, and help their organization achieve its goals.

Which scenario sounds more like you?

The Always On. You come home from work (or leave your remote work area), looking forward to some time away, but you continue to check messages throughout the evening. You start the next day feeling like you never really left work at all.

Have you ever sought advice about a leadership challenge from a friend, only to feel like their answer was lacking? Do you sometimes find that talking about being burned out doesn’t seem of interest to your colleagues at work? Are you frustrated at work because the person you report to isn’t modeling effective leadership principles?

In May, the Loflin family (minus one) headed to Hawaii. The occasion was to celebrate the upcoming high school graduation of our younger daughter Sydney. My wife Lisa and I made the decision many years ago that when our girls were nearing their graduation date we wanted to take them on a senior trip. We have three goals for the journey:

May is mental health awareness month. If you had told me that seven years ago, I would have looked at you and said, “Okay,” and carried on with the normal course of conversation. Even though I have long spoke about the importance of having healthy levels of physical, mental, and emotional energy to make the best choices with your time, I had never given much thought to the “mental health” part of that equation.

Let’s imagine for a moment that you are a gardener. Do any of the actions below seem like a good idea?

One of the tasks most gardeners dread is pulling weeds. In addition to being tiring and time-consuming, removing weeds from around garden plants can disrupt the roots of the plants you want to grow. And here’s the reality… if you are highly intentional in how you cultivate your garden, weeds won’t often become an issue.

I chuckled as I read the words in Kevin Kruse's insightful book, 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management: "Throw away your task list." In my time management and Juggling Elephants training programs I am continually surprised at the number of people who still use such a list to guide their choice of action throughout the day.

Confession. While I pride myself on being a good manager of my financial resources (and have a spouse who is fantastic in this area), I must admit there are times I look at a credit card bill and go, “How did this happen?” The amount due is significantly higher than I had anticipated. At first I try to rationalize that it’s been an unusual month or we’ve had unexpected expenses…

Notice the new phrase I am using instead of “work life balance?” The phrase “work life success” seems so much more positive. I was inspired when reading the definition of life balance shared by Christy Wright in her insightful read, Take Back Your Time. She writes, “Balance is something you create and feel and become in your life. It is being confident in who you are, the choices you’re making, and the life you’re creating.”