The Power of 3
You might have already noticed my love of the number 3. As the middle child of triplet girls, I have always had a thing about the number three. When shopping, I tend to buy things in groups of three (3 bananas, 3 tomatoes, 3 tubs of yoghurt). I like numbers that are multiples of 3 (weird I know) and I like to group things in three. I think three candles look better than two for example.
Over the years as a coach, I have learnt the power of three really works in terms of having a good amount of stretch while being achievable. As a result, I have built the power of three into a philosophy that I share with my clients and also practice in my in my day-to-day life. I call it the 3P’s: Pause, Prioritise, Plan.
This philosophy is about gaining a sense of control as well as of achievement, acknowledging what you have done, and enjoying the moment when it is time to do something else (or indeed nothing at all!). When you stop, reflect on your priorities and take a moment to plan, and then follow through with that plan, you are much more likely to feel good about what you have done.
Imagine you have a day at home, with nothing in particular to do, but a whole lot of things you should be doing. Without the 3P's, these ‘should be doing’ tasks typically weigh on your mind throughout the day. For example, on any given day you might be feeling plain old tired, and end up spending the day bingeing on Netflix. You might justify this to yourself saying you needed to have a day just to yourself, or to recuperate after the working week. But without actually deciding to spend your day relaxing, you can end up feeling lazy, or berating yourself for wasting the day. The 3P's help you to decide what is actually important to achieve on any given day, and then act accordingly. Or as I like to say, live intentionally.
How do they work in practice?
PAUSE: This is about taking a breath, getting present and noticing what is on your mind. A little moment of mindful awareness is all it takes.
PRIORITISE: Now take stock of the things you need to do. All the things whizzing around in your brain. You might like to write them down. Then you identify the three most important things to focus on. This can be harder than you think! The challenge is to only have three.
PLAN: Obvious really, but now is the time to make a quick plan around how you will get those three things done. And most importantly, identify just the next step for each one. Be realistic with what you can actually achieve within the time available,
Now this might sound deceptively simple. And it is. But the reality is that we most often we jump to straight into action. This is cool if you get what you want out of your day. But if not, the 3P's might just help. Here are a couple of examples.
For a day at home, I sit down over a cup of tea on Saturday morning and take stock of all the things I could be doing. Then I whittle them down to the three most important things. Sometimes it's as simple as making a few phone calls, clearing the laundry floor and hanging out with the kids. The impact of actually thinking through what is important for you right now helps you use your time wisely, helps you focus on what’s important and helps create a sense of achievement.
When at work, before I do anything else like check emails, I press pause and ask myself to identify the most important things I need to achieve in the day. Sometimes this is big like designing a lesson plan, and other times it's drafting a challenging email. Only then do I move into planning, considering how much time each will take and when I will get it done. I block it out in my calendar. Obvious I know, but so often, we get caught up in the busyness of the day or the priorities of other people, and end up deflated at home time with the feeling of never actually getting anything done.
Limiting yourself to your three most important tasks requires thoughtfulness. This is the heart of the 3p's: you will need to pause and reflect. Stop before making a decision, think about your priorities and then plan how you will respond.
Topics to come over 2023: It's all about radical simplicity from here on in!
Simplify your mind - more on the power of the pause
Simplify your work - more on prioritisation, engagement and motivation
Simplify your home - a new offering in 2023! How to create spaces that you find to be inspiring and energising