One of the tips I gave in an earlier post was about contrariness. I suggested taking a statement you make to yourself and telling yourself the opposite instead. It’s a way to give yourself a “whack on the side of the head” as Roger von Oech would say.
What do you tell yourself about your daily schedule? That it’s out of control? Try saying, “my schedule is under control” as you look at it. Making a statement like that could give you a brainstorm about how you can actually get all those things done. Or you might have advice for a person with a schedule like this, for example, move that meeting back half an hour to make more time for calls earlier when people are answering the phone. Something you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.
Here’s another statement: “I hate these meetings.” What happens when you say “I love these meetings?” Can you suddenly think of some worthwhile reasons to go that didn’t seem so important when you were stuck in thinking that you hate them?
You can extend this to actual statements you make talking to others, such as “I never get anything done after lunch.” I’m not suggesting you just say the opposite with fervor and hope that it comes true. But listen to the statement and visualize what would have to happen to make it true.
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