| The
Movie Camera Technique
First, Go Wide
 Today
I'd like to share one of my Breaking
Through Overwhelm techniques that you can use on any given
day as well as for long-range planning. Applying the metaphor
of a movie camera, it goes like this: When multiple or conflicting
priorities make it hard to know where to start, first,
go for the wide shot. In movie lingo it's also known
as the long shot: "a camera shot taken at a relatively
great distance from the subject and permitting a broad view
of the scene".¹
The way to get the wide shot in your own life is to ask:
What will matter 1 week from now? 1 month? 1 year?
Bring it in for the Close-up
Compared to the long shot, the close-up is "taken at
a very short distance from the subject, to permit a close
and detailed view of an object or action."²
With the vantage point of what's out on the horizon - upcoming
events, deadlines, desired goals, and target timeframes -
you'll find it easier to determine the priorities of the day.
Once you've put things in perspective you can then
narrow the focus, get down to the task at hand, and
relax knowing you've chosen well. That's what it's all about.
Choosing well is a much more worthwhile skill to
practice vs. struggling with the paradigm of getting it
all done.
Nowhere Else You Need to Be
After you've "gone wide" for perspective and are
working on "close-up" priorities, here's a tip I
learned from a yoga instructor who noticed she had a class
of distracted students. She had us begin with this thought:
For the next hour, I have nowhere else I need to be.
Try that one - remind yourself you have nowhere else to be
- when working at your desk, giving someone your attention,
or any other time you want to bring yourself to the present
moment.
This Week's Call To Action:
- Practice the movie camera technique. Take
action on what's important today in light of what's out
there tomorrow and where you want to go ultimately.
Here's a quote about perspective being everything, albeit
with a different twist from this article!
"Life is a tragedy when seen
in a close-up,
but a comedy in a long shot."
--Charlie Chaplin
Here's to you,
Notes:
¹dictionary.reference.com/browse/long+shot?s=t
²dictionary.reference.com/browse/closeup?s=t |
