The Devil’s Vortex
Or, how to take back control of your time.
Let’s be honest: the newsletter has been late and sometimes missing. Imperfection is reality, and we are going to miss the target sometimes. The more we can accept that reality, instead of living in a state of denial, punishing ourselves with shame and guilt (feeding imposter syndrome), the sooner we learn what we need to do to adjust and get better the next day.
I have been busy preparing for new jobs and projects for the last few weeks while balancing existing responsibilities and priorities. If I look back at what didn’t work, I realize I often lost focus or relied too much on inspiration to strike to motivate me to create.
“When we set a schedule for ourselves to create, we prioritize consistency that often results in greater impact and progress than waiting for fleeting moments of inspiration.”
So where does Devil’s Vortex come in?
I was introduced to this concept a few weeks back by a colleague, trusted expert, and mentor. I found it so compelling and memorable that I have been sharing it with others every chance I get.
What is it?
The Devil’s Vortex is the concept that you can get very busy doing a lot of work, checking items on a list, but not actually making progress on the most important work that moves you forward on meaningful goals for yourself, your team, or your company.
These lists and items are distractions. They pull away your attention and, ultimately, your time with the illusion of being productive.
The Devil’s Vortex may sound like: Where did the day go? Once I finished all my meetings and cleared my inbox, the day ended, and I’m unsure what I accomplished.”
Everyone experiences this occasionally, so how can you combat it when it shows us for you?
Habitual Excellence: Establish a morning and evening routine that works for you. Use the mornings to identify a short list of the most important work to accomplish for the day. Set intentions on how you want the day to go, including how you will lead and invest in others. Use your evening routine to reflect on what you accomplished and wished you had accomplished; close the day by committing to what you will achieve tomorrow. It’s a powerful cycle that reinforces intentions, awareness, and reflection.
Introducing habits reinforcing intentionality, awareness, and reflection does not require much time. These practices can be done in at least 5 minutes with one word or sentence. Also, consider blocking a few minutes at the start and end of your work day to ensure it happens while creating space for family and social commitments.
Write it down: Keeping lists in our heads is very distracting, and often, this clutter can reach a tipping point where we feel overwhelmed and freeze or decide to work away with meaningless lists of tasks. When you feel this coming on, instead, write it down. Once you get it out of your head and onto paper, you can better distinguish what is essential, decide when to focus on it, and what needs to be delegated to someone else.
Delegation: This is one of the most challenging growth areas for leaders. As we continue to excel and elevate in our careers, we will be required to scale, and delegation will be a critical necessity, not just an option. Additionally, mastering delegation is an opportunity to step into your role as a leader in developing and growing the leaders on your team. Delegating to them and helping them learn the necessary skills is a true win-win.
We succeed as teams and are truly leaders when we create leaders within our teams. By teaching and delegating, we are investing in the future versus trying to juggle everything ourselves, limiting our own growth and the growth of our team.
Make Your Calendar Your Friend: Goal setting, prioritization, and strategic, visionary thinking don’t happen by accident and will likely never magically appear on your calendar. Instead, use your calendar to manage your time. Block regular time for your habits, take breaks so you don’t burn out, and regularly evaluate your goals. In addition to the daily times for habits, I also block out mostly time for shorter-term goal setting and quarterly time for longer-term goal setting. For longer-term goal setting, consider changing your scenery to allow for different perspectives and big-picture thinking.
Take control of your time and make your calendar work for you, not against you.
So, falling into the “take your own advice” category, I am using these tips to refocus on where I want to go and the habits, teams, and time it will take to get there.
Where do you need to shift? Where are you being hard on yourself instead of allowing the lesson to find you and to learn from it? Tomorrow is a chance for a new start. Make it happen for you.
Awareness is the key. The first step is paying more attention to the purposeful, important work we want to accomplish. Don’t allow yourself to get swept away and shift into autopilot.
“Know where you want to go and do not allow distraction to rob you of your time, focus, or dreams. ”
Interesting events and articles this week:
The Morning Brew is hosting a free virtual event all about the evolving CTV (connected television) space. Check it out live or register to get a replay link. Navigating Today’s CTV Landscape on October 11th, 2023 from 12:00 - 12:45 pm ET.
AI Leadership Summit is happening October 11, 2023. Find out what all the buzz is about from though leaders and industry experts.
TEDWomen 2023 is this week but if you aren’t attending in person you can still watch live remotely. TED events are always inspiring and though provoking and we highly recommend them.
You’ve likely heard the saying “this too shall pass.” It mean everything ends, good or bad. Starbucks may be feeling this as pumpkin flavored items on their menu are not performing as well, even as they celebrate PSL’s 20th anniversary. Advice, enjoy what’s going well but prepare for the end, and if things aren’t going well, prepare for your luck to turn.
Did you know? We now have merch on our website!
“You are the artist of your life” Journal
Journaling is a powerful leadership tool to unlock ideas, release stress and anxiety, and reflect on your past while looking to the future. This journal is a tool to remind you that you are the artist of your life.
➡️ Available now!
Be a day maker. Do one small act of kindness to invest in someone else.
DO/ LEAD/
“Real-world leadership is very different from all that the media would have us believe. Forget the dashing hero, true leadership is typically understated. It’s the myriad small things that make the big things possible. And, we can all do it.”
The DO series group always creates compelling, thought provoking content. They offer workshops, events, as well as a series of books. This month we are featuring their book on Leadership
P.S. Reply to this newsletter and let me know what you are reading 📚
The Leadership Mastery Network team is excited to attend TEDWomen 2023. This week is sure to be thought-provoking, inspiration, and filled with growth. We look forward to sharing our learnings with our community in a LIVE RECAP EVENT! Stay tuned for more information.
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