Photo by Nghia Le on Unsplash

One week ago, in this blog, I posed a question about whether or not I would continue to practice my enhanced ability to do what matters most, after my husband returned home from the hospital. I wrote about the focus created by that emergency situation, and didn’t know if that focus would last as the intensity of the emergency faded in my memory.

That day arrived this past Wednesday, and after nearly three weeks without him here, I again realize just how fortunate I am. Though it is wonderful to have him back home, there are many things that are NOT normal and won’t be normal for a few months. Things like helping him navigate our home with his walker, organizing his medications, driving him to his physical therapy sessions, and taking on many of the activities that he did so brilliantly.

This last item made crystal clear what a magnificent team we are, because we’ve naturally divided up the running of our household without any formal agreement, and things just get done. His temporary inability to participate fully in our home life has made crystal clear how much and how richly he contributes to our partnership. (By the way, if you think doing the laundry, and doing it well is easy, it’s not!)

So how does all of this relate to doing what matters most? I’m learning that my standard way of evaluating importance has shifted to become something dynamic. Before his accident, I could count on certain things being routine. That’s no longer true. My husband’s pain and his attendant needs come and goes as they please, not on some schedule, and without regard to the fact that I have three key prospects that I’m closing this week, or that I have client work that must be completed, or that this blog needs to be written, or that the laundry needs to be done (right!)

Here are five key takeaways that you can apply to your life and business:

1 – Letting go of rigidity in planning: for me, rigidity was the mark of efficiency. Fluidity is my new benchmark.

2 – Linear thinking is not always best: sometimes, leapfrogging from A to Z then back to M is what gets the job done most effectively.

3 – Completing as many items in the moment as possible: if I know I’m not going to subscribe to the e-Newsletter that just requested I sign up, delete it immediately!

4 – Be here now: Do one thing. Do it well. Move on to the next. This became very clear when giving my husband his twice-daily subcutaneous anticoagulant injections.

5 – Have fun: Seriously. Have fun. (See what I did there?!) If we can’t enjoy the journey, we’ll never be able to appreciate the destination.

One of my favorite sayings is “after enlightenment comes the dishes.” You can find me at the sink. Here’s to a great week ahead.