honing Adaptability

In a Moment | Issue 33

The other day while talking with my mom, she shared that she was behind on a project deadline. She has been working hard these last few weeks readying for the end of the year, a busy time for many of us. As we talked about the stress that so often accompanies missing a deadline or changing a plan, I began to think more about the plans that we as humans create.

Having spent 15 years in the creative agency world, my life has been punctuated by project deadlines. I have sharpened my ability to plan — whether it be developing a new process or forecasting a timeline in my head. My days filled with developing schedules, contingency plans, back ups and back ups to the back ups.

And yet with all this experience, the only thing I'm certain about is nothing goes according to plan.

There are unforeseen variables -- either a client isn't timely in their feedback, a coworker gets pulled onto another project, or perhaps there is a global pandemic that radically shapes how we work. Whatever the cause, I've learned that schedules and plans are not finite, are not etched in stone (or ink), but rather they need to be able to adjust, augment or adapt to a new set of circumstances when they arise.

As I reflected more on my skills as a project planner extraordinaire, it dawned on me — it's not about honing the scheduling skills, mastering the gantt chart, learning all the excel shortcuts or tapping into the latest project management software.

It’s about building the tools that foster adaptability within ourselves.

The plan will change, it's inevitable.

The question instead is how will you respond to that change?

How can you be flexible and move with ease when faced with a shift?

What are the practices the help you develop patience? kindness? resilience?

For me, the practice of mindfulness aids in developing these skills.

Jon Kabat Zinn defines mindfulness as "paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally,"

A mindfulness practice doesn't have to be a seated, silent meditation, although it can show up in that way.

A mindfulness practice can be going for a walk without headphones and noticing the color of the sky, the sounds that arise around you, the smell of the air.

A mindfulness practice can be dancing in your living room to your favorite song and really feeling what it's like to move in your body in that moment.

A mindfulness practice can be the simple activities we engage in everyday such as brushing your teeth, drinking water, eating a meal or making your bed.

The trick is paying attention to the activity as you engage in it. Notice the textures, tones, hues of the moment. Notice how in each moment there are shifts, changes, fluctuations. Notice how you respond to what evolves in each passing moment.

As so perhaps, you reflect on what might be a moment or two in your day in which you can pay attention purposefully, kindly, compassionately and see what arises.