Overcoming Fear and Distraction With Reset Moments -

Are you struggling with overwhelm, distraction, or self-doubt? Be ready to maximize your results and overcome obstacles. In today’s episode, Adam chats with Penny Zenker, focusologist, speaker, business strategy coach, and author. Penny talks about how she harnessed the psychology of productivity to conquer distraction, perfectionism, and self-sabotage, beautifully encapsulated in her bestselling book The Productivity Zone and viral TEDx talk on “the energy of thought.” Don’t miss out on her powerful concept of “reset moments” to rise above fear and achieve extraordinary results.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

What are reset moments?
Three steps to implement reset moments
The power of inquiry and perspective
Penny’s early experiences building her first business in Europe after college
Managing overwhelm and taking reset moments to gain perspective
Channeling your inner Ted Lasso
Her experience as a business coach for Tony Robbins
Implementing reset moments in leadership

Episode Highlights:

[05:44] What are Reset Moments?

Reset moments refer to intentional periods of pausing, reflection, and redirection. Essentially, these are checkpoints where someone takes time to gain a renewed outlook in order to redirect productively when feeling overwhelmed, distracted or off course. Implementing regular reset moments through practices like check-ins and timeouts prevents reaching a “tipping point” and allows constant learning and adaptation.

[08:46] Three Steps to Implement Reset Moments

Step back – This involves creating awareness of your emotions, thoughts, and assumptions through questioning techniques like “Is that true?”. It allows you to detach from the situation.
Get perspective – Asking quality questions to gain a broader view, like “What else could this mean?”. Looking beyond initial biases to see the full picture.
Realign – Choosing the reframed meaning or option that is most constructive and productive for your goals and interactions, not just the quickest fix. This step helps you redirect in a positive way.

[11:56] The Power of Inquiry and Perspective in Byron Katie’s Work

In Byron Katie’s transformative work, she encourages us to question our thoughts and beliefs by asking, “Is that true?” And then, she urges us to ask it multiple times, delving deeper into our inner dialogue. This process leads us to step two, which involves gaining perspective. By repeating the question and probing further, we can step back and see things as they truly are, without exaggeration or distortion. Katie emphasizes the importance of asking, “Is that really true?” multiple times, providing us with a valuable tool for critical thinking.

[22:08] Implementing Reset Moments in Leadership

Penny advises leaders to implement reset moments for personal growth and team development. This can be achieved by integrating regular check-ins and timeouts into workflows, scheduling consistent one-on-one meetings, role modeling the process of gaining perspective, teaching tools like questioning assumptions, and using reset moments to evaluate strategies and make improvements based on feedback. These practices contribute to the cultivation of greater emotional intelligence in leaders and teams.

Resources Mentioned:

www.pennyzenker360.com

The Productivity Zone

TEDx talk: The energy of thought

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Transcript
[05:44] What are Reset Moments?
Reset moments refer to intentional periods of pausing, reflection, and redirection. Essentially, these are checkpoints where someone takes time to gain a renewed outlook in order to redirect productively when feeling overwhelmed, distracted or off course. Implementing regular reset moments through practices like check-ins and timeouts prevents reaching a “tipping point” and allows constant learning and adaptation.
[08:46] Three Steps to Implement Reset Moments
1. Step back – This involves creating awareness of your emotions, thoughts, and assumptions through questioning techniques like “Is that true?”. It allows you to detach from the situation.
2. Get perspective – Asking quality questions to gain a broader view, like “What else could this mean?”. Looking beyond initial biases to see the full picture.
3. Realign – Choosing the reframed meaning or option that is most constructive and productive for your goals and interactions, not just the quickest fix. This step helps you redirect in a positive way.
[11:56] The Power of Inquiry and Perspective in Byron Katie’s Work
In Byron Katie’s transformative work, she encourages us to question our thoughts and beliefs by asking, “Is that true?” And then, she urges us to ask it multiple times, delving deeper into our inner dialogue. This process leads us to step two, which involves gaining perspective. By repeating the question and probing further, we can step back and see things as they truly are, without exaggeration or distortion. Katie emphasizes the importance of asking, “Is that really true?” multiple times, providing us with a valuable tool for critical thinking.
[22:08] Implementing Reset Moments in Leadership
Penny advises leaders to implement reset moments for personal growth and team development. This can be achieved by integrating regular check-ins and timeouts into workflows, scheduling consistent one-on-one meetings, role modeling the process of gaining perspective, teaching tools like questioning assumptions, and using reset moments to evaluate strategies and make improvements based on feedback. These practices contribute to the cultivation of greater emotional intelligence in leaders and teams.