Earlier in the week, a robin repeatedly flew at my office window. Bang. I’d turn around to look and he would be stunned on the ground but otherwise okay. Several minutes later, “bang”! Finally, after a few hours of this, the robin grew wise and realized he was not getting into my office. He flew away and, I hope is doing well wherever he landed.

Many days I feel like that robin. Watching and listening to the robin, I realized that sometimes I do exactly what Albert Einstein warned against: “Insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results.”

Upon this epiphany I picked up the phone and spoke with my business coach. We discussed several items, and helped get me back on track. I knew what I needed to do; I simply needed to talk it out loud. So if you don’t have a coach, find a friend or colleague and talk it through.

Rather than banging my head into a wall like a robin, I’ve recommitted to do the following:

1. Follow 18 Minutes, a great time management tool.
2. Bring healthy snacks to work. Eating junk food does nothing for my concentration so if I have an apple or carrots handy, I’m better able to fuel myself. Plus, the “crunch” just sounds good.
3. Set aside specific time to work on emails. I’m not alone in finding an inbox that remains perpetually filled. Many emails I can glance at and quickly delete. Others require more thoughtful responses. Identifying time each day to answer emails or forward them prevents them from going into a black hole.
4. Schedule time for friends, family and fitness. By adding it to my calendar, I have something to look forward to and I create appropriate work/life balance.

Once I stopped hitting my head into my virtual wall, I quickly discovered how much more energized and engaged I became. The robin was a good reminder. I just hope he didn’t end up with a headache while trying to get me to pay attention!