What is a Transitional Moment?
Transitional moments are the short periods of time between activities.
Such as driving home from work, going from one meeting to another, managing the household to picking up the kids from school. You’re changing focus from different parts of your life or work that require different mindsets. It does not have to be as drastic as work to home.
It can even be from an in house marketing meeting to a client meeting. The point is you need to manage this transition and shift your mindset.
Benefits of Managing Your Transitions
If you’ve ever gone through a day, a week or even a month feeling scattered brained and just going from one thing to the next you probably felt fried and wanted to lock yourself in a room for a month.
Well, I can’t say managing your transitions will decrease how many activities you have going on or magically make them perfect but this can help you get your bearings better and feel a little calmer as you move from one thing to the next. You need that pause to collect yourself, thoughts and focus.
When you manage the transitions you will focus on the current activity instead of wherever you came from. This mindfulness will yield better results at work and continue to affirm your connections to family and friends. You’re all in. You are present.
Tips for Managing Transitional Moments
Follow the Below Steps:
- Identifying the transition
- Disengage and Wrap up the ending activity
- Preparing for the next activity
- Create a little ritual to switch your mindset
- Focus and be present
Just stop. Stop what you’re doing (unless you’re driving) and take that moment to think about where you’re going next.
If you’re going to a meeting, take a few deep breaths and think about the most important thing you need to convey or learn in that meeting. Remind yourself that in that meeting you can’t control or deal with whatever is happening outside the meeting or wherever you came from. The focus is on where you are going.
If you’re about to get out of the car and walk in the house, take a few deep breaths and leave work thoughts in the car. You’re home and focus should be on your partner, kids, friends or even your pet. Think about how you would want to be greeted. Even if you have to make a call or write something down or even do a little work at home, when you first step through the door greet everyone and then communicate what you need to accomplish personally and professionally for the evening.
You’re managing your expectations, your relationships and their expectations.
After I finish working with a client for the day I hop in the car, check my phone for any emergency messages and then spray some essential oils on. The aroma is calming and signals that the client session is complete and its time to switch gears.
Either I head home or I’m headed to a meeting and I make that mental shift. I’m managing the transition so that I’m not trying to focus on the next activity and still thinking about the client I was just working with.
Final Thoughts
Find a small, easy ritual that works for you.
Maybe a sticky note in your car or at your desk will work wonders for you. Or even better save a photo or phrase as your phone background so it’s always with you as you move from different activities throughout the day. You can say a quick mantra for specific transitions such as work to home or vise versa.
Make them specific to you. You may even pick a song for heading to work and one for going home. Some people have playlists for prior to big client meetings. Make it fun and most importantly, make it yours.
How do you manage Transitional moments now and will you try any of the ideas I discussed?
Let me know in the comments!
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