The Movie Camera Technique

First, Go Wide

Today I’d like to share one of my techniques for managing overwhelm. You can use this 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

Notes:
¹dictionary.com/browse/long-shot
²dictionary.com/browse/closeup