Hot? Tired? Different schedule or commitments this time of year? You are not alone. How do you stay productive in summer? Or DO YOU?
Sue West and I – the Design Your Days duo – have 4 tips for you to REFRAME your SUMMER in our Perspectives Podcast.
You can listen here: Summer in your Business
Or, read on, for the complete script, if you prefer to read our advice.
Sue: The summer heat has me wanting to play. I wish I could just take a whole month off. Or, the whole summer off.
Carol: It costs me more money in summer to keep working since the kids have to be put in summer camp. And it seems like my work slows down, so I too want to just “laze into those hazy days” but it I am feeling a push-pull…I need the income and I need to sustain momentum in my work, for income and business growth.
Sue: Listeners, How does summer change your game? How are you surviving?
Are you enjoying summer? If so, are you feeling guilty – as if there is more you “should” be doing?
Listen on for 4 summer tips to craft the rest of your summer and set yourself up for the fall on YOUR terms.
Carol: Hi, this is Carol Williams, productivity coach at EpS, Efficient Productivity Systems.
Sue: And this is Sue West, Life Transitions Coach and AD/HD specialist.
We have joined together as the Design Your Days Duo for this series of audio interviews to give you short, “use today” pieces of advice, in 5 to 8 minutes. If you like this podcast, please LIKE our Facebook page for tips on your newsfeed several times a week.
Carol: Last time we spoke about Clarity as it relates to Growing Your Business, or Starting up a New Business- as those topics relate to Designing Your Days. We talked about making a living while starting something new- very tricky. This podcast topic can be equally tricky, but is somewhat less concrete- as it addresses those emotions we may feel in summer and the push-pull of “shoulds in our psyches.
Sue: We have 4 tips for you today to reframe your summer days. “Reframe” means looking at things a little differently, allowing yourself to see different ways of approaching situation.
Tip #1: One of my clients is taking Laura Cornell’s mentoring program for yoga teachers. Her website is www.DivineFeminineYoga.com My client told me that Laura believes that summertime IS a time to relax. We all need an “inner reserve to get us through the tough times of growing our businesses.” So she gave her clients permission to relax!
For some business owners, summertime, frankly, does get a bit slower. So this is a great time to:
- Choose your most exciting project you never had time for during the year and get it rolling!
- Sit back and think big picture – where do you want your business go next year?
Because think about it: we are about to roll into back-to-school time, then Halloween, then Thanksgiving in the U.S. and the December holidays. Suddenly it’s January and well …think about last year, did you have your business and your marketing plans ready to simply launch? If not, let’s use this summertime chapter to reflect on the big goals and get the ideas ready to implement.
Carol: Tip #2 is all about focusing on something very small and working your way out. Some might call this “flashlight focus.”
Flashlight focus reduces the overwhelming thought of “doing it all” by only doing what you can see in the center of your flashlight. So, for example, if you really want to spend quality, fun time with your kids this summer, but you cannot get away for a vacation, can you take one day with them and do something you all love? Try it and watch the guilt melt away.
Sue: Our tip #3 is to think about this summer as if it were already over. It’s Labor Day or sometime in September and you’re thinking about your summer. If I were to ask you, “How was your summer? What did you do? “
How will you answer the question and will you be happy with the answers, or will you think “I should have…could have …”
So now dial back time to the present day. Think about how well you’re doing at the things you said you got done when I asked you about your summer. This could be work-related work related. Think about summertime as a stage or chapter and figure out what you want to have done or experienced or created or felt, by the time the next chapter starts.
Carol: Our tip #4 is for when you want to try something new- in your business or in your life. BUT you feel SO OVERWHELMED that you can’t find time to become that expert. Think of Zoro. He did not begin his career as expert swordfighter. Zoro practiced swordfighting in a small circle before he became the skilled infamous masked man he was in the movies. Deliberate practice and focusing on a very small circle of influence could be your answer. For example, you want to become a better listener, to be More Present. If you are talking to a business associate and find yourself drifting somewhere else, try picturing a small frame around that person’s eyes. Now, pretend you must repeat what they are saying to you. When you feel yourself drifting, remind yourself, I am listening carefully to “bob” right now. Try this with only close friends and family first, and then expand.
As a reminder, you are listening to a podcast series. We’d love your feedback. If you have a question you’d like answered, please email us at ProductiveLifeTransitions@gmail.com. If you’d like to add yourself to the successful professionals we help go from good to great, contact one of us to get started with personal coaching. We’ll help you focus in on what makes the difference for YOU, and kick off the transformational process of Designing Your Days.
As the co-creators of the Design Your Days framework, we want to remind you that our next workshop is Friday Oct 18th at the Center for Health Promotion in Concord, so mark your calendar. We are happy to offer this to YOUR group of business owners, so please contact one of us for more information and to get us on your schedule.
Again, you can find us on Facebook as Design Your Days or contact us individually through websites:
Sue’s is www.OrganizeForAFreshStart.com
Carol’s is http://www.efficientproductivity.com/