Tag: overwhelm

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AD/HD Get Organized More time in my day prioritize procrastination Uncategorized

Design Your Days, Step One: Get Clear in just 9 minutes.

Do you ever feel like you have one foot on either side of a crevice? Do you dance, do you jump, do you fall through? If you’ve ever felt conflicted, listen and/or read on, to get clear in 9 minutes. From Sue West and myself, the “Design Your Days Duo!”

listen here: JUNE 20.2013

Or read here:

Sue: “I really want to focus on my growing business that is my passion. But I need to pay my bills. I feel stuck.”

Carol: “I sell equipment that earns me a good living, but my true business dream is not much more than that- it’s just a pipe dream at the moment. What should I do?”
Carol: Do any of these sound familiar to you? If so, you have found the right place. 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.

Carol: Last time we spoke about Clarity as it relates to becoming better organized and shared some A-HA moments when our workshop participants began Designing Their Days. When we get clear, we open ourselves up to the possibilities that are often hidden just below the surface.

Sue: Today we are going to address 2 questions- because those questions, or questions like those, could pertain to you. If you are a creative entrepreneur, or, if you think you want to be a creative entrepreneur, you might have those questions locked up inside.

Carol: When we work with someone in the Design Your Days framework, we ask, What Gets in Your Way? This is the first step in seeking clarity. If you think about the questions above, they are really pointing to WHAT might be getting in each person’s way.

Sue: Let’s start with the first question. Growth, new passions but then ah, yes, reality strikes.

Try a couple of important ways to direct your thinking: (1) a reality check on the financial gap (2) Where’s the passion, really? (3) Focus – defining that more clearly and (4) Stuck – and how you’ll know that you’re beginning to get Unstuck.

Here are questions to answer which will help you figure out how to create enough time for your business, and also get your bills paid:

  1. Get clear on what amount of income you need to pay for things you NEED, not want. This gets you two important pieces of information: What’s the financial gap between your business income and your bills. But also it asks you to put some “skin in the game,” by identifying if there are things you think you need in your business or in your life, but really, they are “wants,” not “needs.” Liz Pullam Weston writes about this practice. This is the reality picture. And keep track – especially if you’re not now – even of cash or debit out of pocket. Most people spend more than they think.
  2. Get specific and clear on your passion: What are you passionate about, in particular – what facets or activities? Are there other creative ways to deliver on the passion or use similar skills, but in a part time paying job? Think chapters or phases of time. Can you do something else part time, for pay, which helps with the bills. It’s the combination of part time and growing business that might help your situation.
  3. Get clear on what you mean by “I want to focus.” How is it that you are “focusing” now on your business? What does focus look like to you – the number of days or time of day? Look at the time and the activities. Are they payoff activities? Again, this is where tracking can come in; keep it simple, but effective. What can you do differently, do less of, or do later on, if the activity is not, today, making you income? Saying “no, not now” is not the same as saying “no, forever.”
    1. Talk with others or with a coach and figure out whether you are maximizing the time you DO have on your growing business.
    2. When you think you are stuck, how “a little less stuck” would feel – how would you KNOW that things ARE improving. Do you have a plan of ANY sort, so that you know when you HAVE made progress, when you ARE headed in the “upwards” direction, so that “stuck” begins to feel “less stuck.”

Carol: Thanks Sue…great ideas. Now, on to the second question. This person sells equipment, and that person makes a good living from selling it. But- boredom can prevail when your job does not excite you. When the passion dips, productivity often dips too. Procrastination enters- and sales can plummet. How can a creative entrepreneur follow his or her dreams while earning a living? Do we all need to be “starving artists?”

No. The trick is to keep your passion alive, while continuing to earn your living. This does not mean “throwing the baby out with the bathwater.” Have you ever heard the saying, “yes, you can have it all, but not all at once?” Tracking progress can really help, and here are some ideas as to how that could happen.

  1. Bookend your weeks. At the beginning of your week, map it out. What one thing can you do to move your creative project forward? Can you block out a couple of hours on Wednesday night to do x, y or z? At the end of your week, evaluate. How did it go? Did you do it? If not, why not? Could you have changed anything? Learn, and move on.
  2. Bookend your months. After 4 or so weeks of bookending, what has been done? How far did you THINK you’d get, versus how far you actually got? Learn, assess, move on.
  3. Bookend each quarter. After 3 months of doing steps one and two, you should have a little data. You may be much further ahead, or much further behind, than you thought you might be. But goals that are measured are far more likely to be achieved. Think, pause, and measure for success.

Carol:

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 visit our new Facebook page called Design Your Days. 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 become more AWARE, and kick off the transformational process of Designing Your Days.

We are also the co-creators of the Design Your Days framework, which we teach in workshops, so if your group of business owners is ready for us to speak at your group, please contact one of us!

Please LIKE us on Facebook as Design Your Days and/or contact us individually through websites:

Sue’s is www.OrganizeForAFreshStart.com

Carol’s is www.efficientproductivity.com/

Categories
Get Organized More time in my day prioritize Uncategorized

Too much to do? 3 Habits to set you Free.

Do you ever have one of those days when you have made plans at 9 am, only to find that at 5pm very few of those original plans have been accomplished?

Do you ever feel that planning is actually a waste of time? Yet, somewhere buried in the back of your mind, you know this is not true. You read somewhere to “plan the work and work the plan”. But how is this done? Let’s look at clarity as a state of mind to achieve so that those productivity strategies start to stick.

Clarity leads to productivity. But this is not just productivity for the sake of “getting more done”.  Rather, I am referring to productivity that’s effective- that you are doing “the right” thing at any given time (not just “busy”).

Do you long for the feeling of being back in control? Do you crave feeling less harried? Try these habits for 21 days then email me back and let me know how you did.

  1. Find new and creative ways to say NO.  For example, when someone asks you to commit to something, get in the HABIT of saying, I need to check, and get back to you. Then, stop and think. If I COMMIT to that, what will it mean? Might I have to bail out at the last minute? How might I then be viewed- as reliable or something less? We all know those people who smile and nod, but somehow, they just don’t follow through. Decide to be that person who does what he or she says and says what he or she does
  2. Get outside- every day. Even if it is just for 15 minutes.  At this time of year, getting outside is easier for most people. Since the sun is rising by 5 am and not setting until about 9 pm, and it’s getting progressively warmer, the habit of “Outside” becomes easier. But we still have to establish the habit. What do you stand to gain from “going outside?”  Just breathing the fresh air is clarifying. If we walk, jog, bicycle, hike, or do any other physical activity, the clarity only increases. Decide on a time of day to get out. Then try. When you fail, just try again, and again, and again. Reflect on what you learned with each “failure”.
  3. Delete One Thing. When you feeling overwhelmed, spill out all your to-do’s on a list. After this, remove 80% of those to-do’s. Why 80%? Because, according to the Pareto Principle (the 80/20 principle), 20% of your work helps you achieve 80% of your results. However, those who are seriously overloaded may think this rule does NOT apply to them. So, as a step in the right direction, delete just one item. Quickly scan your list, and find one thing that is not absolutely critical. Delete it. If you can keep going, please do. You will find that deleting the items that do not “sing” to you will become easier with practice.

In summary, practice makes permanent. Or, at least it makes a line in the sand that you will tend to follow again and again. Routines, as boring as they may seem, will set our minds free to be our creative selves. When we treat ourselves right by saying No, or Not Now to the events, people, and tasks that don’t serve us, we open ourselves up to fully focusing on the tasks which do serve us. When we get outdoors, our psyche is awakened and different pieces of our brain are enlivened. When we delete that one thing from the list, we come closer to actually completing the list, which leads to satisfaction and motivation. That motivation leads to a sense of control.

After 21 days, you may start to feel less harried. You will likely be running in fewer directions. A sense of calm and peace, that you perhaps forgot was there at one time, will begin to return. In turn, your goals will start to become realized. This will not happen overnight, but I promise, it will happen.

Let me know what habit you try on for 21 days. I’d love to hear from you.

Categories
EpS Events Get Organized More time in my day prioritize productivity in the workplace Time strategies

Clear As Mud?

Think you might be just a little unclear at times? Feel like there’s just too much going on? Listen to this podcast for a bit of help in 5 to 8 minutes Clarity May 30 2013

Or read on:

Sue West and I 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.

Carol: Last time we spoke about Clarity as it relates to becoming better organized and Designing Your Days. When we get clear, we open ourselves up to the possibilities that are often hidden just below the surface.

Sue: And we feel that this topic deserves round two- going a little deeper. We’d like to share some A-HA moments we’ve been hearing from the clients who have begun the Design Your Days’ time management framework with us.

Carol: When we work with someone in the Design Your Days framework, we ask, What Gets in Your Way? This is the first step in seeking clarity. Listen to the some answers we have been hearing and ask yourself, “Does this relate to me?”

Sue:    My husband! My employees! My children!

Carol:             Interruptions!

Sue:    Money. Not enough. Worried about it.

Carol: Clients.

Sue:    Me.

Carol:             I get in my own way.

Sue:    My unproductive ways of thinking about what I have to do. Or not believing I can do it up to standards. Always tired… easily distracted.

Carol: Listeners, what did you hear? How does this relate to YOU? Sue and I have four examples around Getting Clear as a strategy to determine WHAT GETS IN YOUR WAY that might relate to you. So then, what gets in YOUR way?  First things first: Create an inventory. What are the top three things you can identify that Get in Your Way of Designing Your Days? Are three not enough? Keep going. Allow yourself up to 10 bullet items.

Sue: Now, take those top three and answer these questions about each one of them.

  1. Which are IN my control? Which are about ME and my ways – strengths and all.
  2. Which are OUT of my control? This is a difficult question, because it often means you’ll need to let go of controlling something or someone you cannot control.
  3. Which event did I THINK was out of my control, but afterwards, when I thought more about it, and gained some perspective I realized: I could have reacted, behaved or done something differently, producing a different outcome?

Carol and I will each provide two examples of what we have heard for issues and what you might do if this is YOUR challenge.

Carol: Let’s get specific. At work, I hear much about interruptions getting in the way. What do those interruptions look like? Clients, co-workers, subordinates. So many of us have ascertained that the way to get more work done is to avoid entering the office. If this sounds like you, get specific about the interruption. For example, if it’s a phone interruption, and you are not the one answering the phone, communicate to the phone answerer what you will be interrupted for, and what you will not be interrupted for. Although YOU may not have the luxury of having someone else answer your office phone, you can still make smart decisions about answering it. Give yourself blocks of time. Is the only way to complete the proposal really at home? Consciously creating a block of uninterrupted time will allow the same result to happen – a completed proposal. And, if you are a manager, you are not only setting personal boundaries, but are leading by example.

Sue: A second issue that’s pretty common is this: “I’m so tired at night,” whether it’s after a day of managing household and children or working somewhere else, or working for yourself. “I’m so tired at night, that I don’t do the things I need or WANT to do. I relax or watch TV or get on Facebook.”  Here are some ideas:

One goal could be to even out your energy. So if you have intense days, what could make them less intense, preserving some energy for your “real life,” when you get home. Look at things like:

Who takes more than their fair share of your energy – and what can you do about this?

What tasks take up too much energy? Can you drop any? Hire for them or delegate? Break up so they get done in a week instead of a day for example.

A common energy drain is not having enough decompression time between work and home life. This is very common with people who work out of their home, because there’s no commute! So could you take a walk, call a friend, journal for 15 minutes, or take yoga on the way home – whatever can recharge your batteries.

Also look at how you start your day: Are you taking care of you? Giving yourself energy or starting off with something that needs high energy? And then you crash later …

An easy way to handle this is to observe yourself for a few days and write down or track on your phone what happens.

Carol: Our third “What gets in your way” at work? “Not enough time to do all my work”

When I hear this, I find that these professionals have a tendency to OVERBOOK THEMSELVES. If you are an airline selling seats, this strategy works well. However, if you are a manager or consultant, not so much.  Our clients are important to us. They are the reason we are in business and we are here to serve them. But what happens when we overschedule? What happens when our calendar is maxed out…then the unexpected happens? A weather event, a long meeting, a critical message coming in that was not pre-mediated but IS IMPORTANT to be dealt with immediately)? Our world starts crashing in on us, and we feel out of control. We may think that we are not cut out to be organized, or that we do not have enough
control over our days to design them. But how much did we allow, by Overbooking? By NOT ALLOWING “white space” between appointments? A solution to consider: the 30 minute rule. Allow 30 minutes between appointments for traffic, note taking, phone calls/messages, and to prepare for your next client. That time may need to be adjusted for YOU, but try on this strategy for 30 days, and see what happens.

Sue:

Our last one we hear often is “I get so easily distracted.” There are so many reasons for this we can’t deal with all of them today. What we CAN do is have you ask yourself:

When ARE you focused, even if it’s for 10 or 15 minutes? What is that like? How do you get there? Maybe you get all your materials ready first – phone numbers, papers, files – whatever you need. Maybe you light a candle, play TED talks or listen to quiet music? Maybe it’s somewhere in your house that’s not right at your desk, if you work out of the home. Shutting your door for 15 minutes. Setting a timer.

Many strategies but the key is: what has worked for you before, even if it felt like a small thing. Can you take that and build up a longer set of time you’ll focus? Then TAKE that break, recharge, and go back to your list for the next thing.

Carol:

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 visit our new Facebook page called Design Your Days. 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 become more AWARE, and kick off the transformational process of Designing Your Days.

We are also the co-creators of the Design Your Days framework, which we teach in workshops, so if your group of business owners is ready for us to speak at your group, please contact one of us!

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/

Categories
AD/HD Get Organized More time in my day prioritize productivity in the workplace Time strategies

4 Ways to Gain Clarity on What you Want from Your Time

4 Ways to Gain Clarity on What You Want from Your Time

May 23, 2013

From the Design Your Days team, Sue West & Carol Williams: We’ve returned from Vermont, where we had the true pleasure of giving our Design Your Days workshop to WBON- Women’s Business Owner’s Network: A Vermont statewide network for education, support, and networking to women business owners.

It was fantastic and invigorating! With that, we’d love to address the CLARITY portion of our Design Your Days framework today.

Let’s start off  with some comments we often hear …

I am constantly flying around from one thing to another.

I’ll start something, but get sidetracked into a whole different project.

I have three jobs, how do I keep everything straight? I take work from one job to another, and I’m never quite done with anything.

I need to be more organized, more efficient, so I that I can fit more in.

Do any of these sound familiar?

Continue reading our tips, or listen to our podcast by clicking here>> Design Your Days – with Clarity (May 2013)

As you know by now, we work with our clients to organize themselves around their own priorities- at work, at home, and at life.

Clarity is key.

Clarity is a word that reappears constantly in our work. Once you become clear about what you WANT from your time, it becomes far easier to let go of what you DON’T WANT.

So how do you gain clarity? AWARENESS is the first step.

Become the expert on YOU.

Our first tip is …

1.  Pay attention to your stress level.

The key here is to get clear on the signals which tell you that you’re BEGINNING to feel stressed. Not that you’re smack in the middle of a meltdown or approaching one. The goal is to figure out earlier when you are headed down the path of stress. Some signals might be: barking at your kids or employees? Not sleeping well? Grabbing a bag of chips or alcohol  or a cigarette to calm down?

What are your OWN signals that you’re starting down the stress path?

And then also think about how you’d like it to be instead.  You might find a quiet place and breathe deeply, letting go of the stress, and thinking about what caused it. Pausing for a moment in the car after a long day often helps, before entering your home. Visualizing or feeling what you want the evening to look and feel like can help.

2. Talk and write, or write and talk.

When my days are full, I (Carol) MUST write down all my thoughts so they stop flying through my head. I use one of the following 2 methods. I write it all down on a blank sheet of paper with no lines. It feels more freeing to write on paper without lines. Or, when I am coming close to overwhelm, I write all thoughts, all projects, step by step (this step by step breakdown is key- task by task) on index cards so I can re-prioritize and re-shuffle as required. I have a pretty box I can then put my index cards into. Some of us prefer to process out loud (talk) to another person. We find clarity that way, and our priorities hit us. I like this method too, but I prefer writing, at least at first. If I choose to verbally process, it also helps if I am moving. Going for a walk with a friend helps with clarity on several levels.

So, what works for YOU to process what’s happening?

3. Try the “What just happened here?” approach. Think about a train going down the tracks. You know how it comes to a fork or a Y? There is actually a person who directs traffic, by flipping a switch; the train will then continue on or go off on that ‘side track.’ But it is on purpose.

YOU are the traffic coordinator of your time: So, find a way to keep track of what happens the minute before you get sidetracked. Become that switch flipper and make a CHOICE about which track to take.

It is in that moment of making your choice, that you will get CLEAR on what you want most: to keep on going or purposefully take that sidetrack.

4. “I’m never quite done with anything.”  Here, you’ll want to become more aware of what “done” really means.

Is a project or task done well enough for now? Did you take on something far bigger than you had time for? If that’s the case, start doing more chunking down of steps. A single step in a project is “done,” even if the project is not done. Is it that you never have the materials for the project you want to work on, where you want to work on it? Or is your awareness that it takes you too long to activate and move to start a task?

See how awareness is important? You need to know where the issue really lies.

5. And in our last example, the person says he/she wants to “fit more in.”

More of what? And is that really what you want, or do you have some decisions to make? About saying “no,” or dropping an activity – or at least sidelining it for awhile until you “free up more time to tackle it.” And THAT is why clarity about what you WANT from your time is so important.

*******

As a reminder, you are listening and reading our podcast series. We’d love your feedback.

If you have a question you’d like answered, please visit our new Facebook page called Design Your Days. 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 become more AWARE, and kick off the transformational process of Designing Your Days.

We are also the co-creators of the Design Your Days framework, which we teach workshops, so if your group of business owners is ready for us to speak at your group, please contact one of us!

Our next DESIGN YOUR DAYS WORKSHOP IS Tuesday, June 4th. We’d love to see you in person in Concord, NH: More info here: http://efficientproductivity.com/blog5/from-overwhelm-to-overjoyed-design-your-days-is-here-for-you/

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/

If you found our advice valuable, please consider sharing our podcast or blog with colleagues and friends.   Thanks so much and GOODBYE until next time!

Categories
Get Organized More time in my day prioritize procrastination productivity in the workplace

6 Tips to get the Most Done in the Least Amount of Time

We all hear about doing “more with less” or “more with the same.” We continue to reinvent ourselves to keep up, grow, or succeed. We are told to grow, change, or die.

How do we get the most done, in the least amount of time, completing the tasks that will make the most significant difference?

$ix Tips for $uccess in 2013

  1. KNOW your passion and purpose. The most successful businesspeople are those whose vision is closely aligned with reality. What are our BIG goals? Are you VERY CLEAR about them? Here are two examples situations and what you might do about each:
    1. Do you want to increase company revenue by 30% this year? Do you have a plan to do that? How will you measure your success? Now is the time to put those metrics into place. If you cannot do this internally, seek help from SCORE or hire a private business coach or consultant – immediately.
    2. Have you been in your job for a number of years, say 10 to 15 or 20? Has more and more work been piled up on you? Do you now work 12 hours daily when you formerly completed the required tasks in 8 hours? Do you feel fortunate to “just have a job?” Are you feeling burned out? Do you- really- want a new job or a more balanced life, but you dismiss these items? Now is the time to pay attention to these feelings and take action. You have more control than you think. Shift your mindset from that of “victim” to one of “what choices do I have” and you will start to see immediate improvement. Then follow the tips that follow for even more success!
    3. 2. Plan the work, and work the plan.
      1. “Bookend” your days, weeks, months, quarters, and years. What holds the books on a shelf, straight and true? Bookends! By bookending, I am referring to checking in with yourself at the beginning and ending of each day. Allow at least 15 minutes at the beginning and then at the end of the day for this. What are my priorities today? What has come in? Do the new items that come in align with my priorities? If not, what is in my control, or out of my control? At the end of the day, review your day and think though your priorities for the following day. This simple exercise will relieve stress and increase your sense of control- and you will slowly begin to do what matters most to you. Repeat this for the beginning and end of your week, your month, your quarter, and your year. It’s addicting, and it works.
      2. 3. Map it.
        1. For many, a strict schedule is a recipe for disaster. If every minute of every day is perfectly planned, no margin for flexibility is allowed. Simply put, work life is not static. Many businesspeople resist scheduling, citing this as the reason. They are right. The answer? Time mapping. To create a time map, take out your “thick crayon”. Think in terms of “blocks of time” or “rhythm of a typical day” versus minute by minute scheduling. Think in terms of color. Color if that works better for you. If you are a creative or visual type- liking to “lay out” your work, try color.
        2. First, ask yourself “what time of day do I have the most energy?” For many people, this is the morning. Let’s assume this is the case for you. For one morning, block out, in color, time for your most important (but not “urgent”) task. This is likely a task that will take you toward your “big goal” (see tip one). Treat this colored block like you would any important client. It is, in fact, as important as your most important client.
        3. Try coloring in only one block for the first 3 weeks. Then try two blocks for the second 3 weeks. After that, you can begin thinking in “rhythm”. When someone asks you about meeting, and you know the mornings are your creative time, you can ask them if they have any afternoons available. You will begin to feel more “in control”, get more of your important tasks done, and have more energy at the end of every day.
        4. 4. Truly accept that there are really only 24 hours in every day: consciously decide how to use them. Once you accept that time itself is fixed, that is, you cannot “manage time” but can only manage yourself around your time, you realize that the choice is yours.  Are you happy with your 60 hour work week? Or, would you like to see 40 hours again? Try these suggestions:

i. Eliminate: work only on the projects that will have the largest, most powerful impact on your work. Work on those items that align most closely with your “big goals.”

ii. Delegate: Be sure that when delegating, you select the right person, be clear, confirm understanding of the task, and identify a check in date and time.

iii. Abbreviate: Did you know that multitasking actually decreases your productivity by about 20%? When you slowly bring back focus, to work on one task at a time, your productivity will skyrocket. Reducing multitasking by only 20% can yield 6 weeks of time per year.

  1. Embrace technology, but don’t ignore the basics. I love my gadgets. Really. But, gadgets alone do not help you with your productivity at work. Why? We can get so caught up in “the system” that we lose track of time, priorities, etc., and we fall right back into overwhelm. That said, some of my favorite technological gadgets follow:
    1. The i-devices: All of them. I love iphone, ipad, ipod touch, icloud, siri. They “just work” (at least most times)! Although many “to do” programs and apps are out there, and more appear daily, “reminders” on the i-devices works perfectly. Siri, the voice recognition software, will take commands to “remind you” to call a person at 2 pm, remember your item when you leave work (yes, it knows where you are when you allow this option), etc. It can act as a personal assistant of sorts.
    2. Google Calendar: The cloud-based calendar, share-able with the world and integrates with others’ google calendars.
    3. Dropbox: Cloud-based storage, particularly useful when working remotely and/or with committees. Options to make folders shared, private, public.
Categories
AD/HD EpS Events Get Organized More time in my day prioritize procrastination productivity in the workplace Time strategies

Pay attention to Procrastination

Self-Care: 4 Strategies to Push through Perfectionism & Procrastination

April 23, 2013

Sue: Does this sound like you?

  • I am always late.
  • I never seem to be able to get to my most important goal. I am too busy.
  • I try, but I keep hitting roadblocks. Maybe I am not “cut out” for this.

Carol: Hi, this is Carol Williams, Productivity Specialist at EpS, Efficient Productivity Systems.

Sue: And this is Sue West, Life Transitions Coach and AD/HD specialist. We have joined together for this series of audio interviews to give you short, “use today” pieces of advice, in 5 to 8 minutes.

Today’s is called “What’s Your Plan B?” but first …

Carol: We’d like to share some exciting news, in case you did not catch the last podcast.

Sue and I are rolling out a new workshop called DESIGN YOUR DAYS. Just 90 minutes with us will set you in the direction for your work and personal life that works for YOU. Our first Design Your Days workshop will be at the Hampton Hotel in Colchester, VT near Burlington, on May 2 and is part of the WBON (women business owner’s network) which is a statewide, Vermont business organization. We’d love for you to attend so watch our blogs or social media sites for information!Click here for their site.

*****************

To listen click here >>>  Self Care April 2013.

To read our advice, just continue on in this blog entry.

*****************

Sue: Onto our podcast tips. Our last two podcasts focused on Self Care. This can be the root of many productivity issues. When we don’t sleep well at night, when we allow our exercise routine to take a back seat for an extended period of time, when we allow others to set our priorities- we neglect ourselves. Keeping this point at the top of mind will subconsciously allow you to begin turning it around. The next question to ask yourself is- what’s getting in your way of making a little progress?

Carol: We tend to ask our listeners a lot of questions, don’t we? Well in that spirit I have three more:

  1. Do you have to “have enough time” to write the entire book, and know exactly what you want to say before you begin?
  2. Do you have to have all the right cleaning tools before you begin organizing that spare room?
  3. Do you feel so overwhelmed by cleaning your home that you think, why bother? It will just get messed up again and I don’t even know where to start.

Sue: Thanks, Carol. That sounds little like perfectionist behavior to me.

To our listeners: Has anyone ever called you a perfectionist?

Perhaps you don’t wash your car because you don’t have the right wax and you really want to wax it at the same time, and by the way the sun will be setting soon anyway, maybe I should just catch up on some reading instead?

Perfectionism often leads to procrastination.

It’s time to shift our thinking. Try, what’s my plan B? If I don’t have the right wax, so what? Can I wax using what I have? Can I wax just half of the car? Won’t that be better than nothing? Or when can I go to the local car place and get them to do it for me!

Carol: OK onto some tips! Let’s think about re-framing your attitudes- to help you succeed:

Think of one tiny step you could accomplish toward your big goal. For example, if you know you have trouble sleeping, and you think you need to go to the doctor, and can’t find time to call, can’t find time to go to an appointment, don’t have the right insurance, what could you do instead? Could you find 15 minutes per night to meditate right before bed, try that for 3 weeks and if no improvement then take another step? The key here is thinking about what you CAN do vs. all the reasons you CAN’T do something. Those little steps could be called Plan B.

I want to send my kids to camp XYZ but I don’t know how I will get them there or how I will afford it. What can be plan B? Could you begin to look into the other options? Could you write a Facebook post asking other parents to do a “round robin” home based camp with other kids their age in your area? Time to think creatively. Let go of “it has to be this way” and watch new answers start coming your way.

Sue: My first suggestion is an anti procrastination exercise which comes to us from a client who had great success with this. This is useful for people who say “I can talk myself out of anything,” or “I can’t get started – the perfectionism or procrastination gets me too often.”

The six questions were developed by David Burns, and are in his book, The Feeling Good Handbook. Essentially, the questions have you weigh the advantages and disadvantages by writing them down so you can see what you’re thinking– and it’s amazing how well this works.

My second suggestion will be of interest to those who need lots of variety in their days. I’m going to suggest you embrace the variety.  Work it into whatever self-care you’re trying to bring into your life.

For example, you want to start doing some sort of exercise, yet you just imagine how boring it’s going to be, so you stop before you start.

How about this instead: Mondays, you walk on your own. Wednesdays you walk with a neighbor. Saturday morning, you walk while you talk to your daughter, who is at college. The other days you don’t walk; you ride your bike somewhere around town.

The variety is in both which exercise you take on and how or with whom you actually take it on. The important piece is here is to reach out, ask people and get time and people set up so they help you get out each day.

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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 atproductivelifetransitions@gmail.com

Or contact us through our blogs and websites:

Sue’s is www.OrganizeForAFreshStart.com

Carol’s is http://www.efficientproductivity.com/

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