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Maintain momentum into February and beyond!

So I’m guessing about now you’re feeling the great New Year bouyancy. In this first month of the year we can seemingly all get by on enthusiasm and adrenaline alone. We’re feeling revitalised, refocused and have more energy. But, I’m sorry to say, it just isn’t going to last.

Right now it’s easy and you might be tempted to coast along for the next few weeks. I suggest you don’t. Instead, read my tips that follow on how to maintain momentum and set yourself up for success. Taking the easy road now will not keep you humming along in a month’s time.

I want to keep you moving forward after the energy wears off, after life“happens” and you get derailed. Here’s my 5 tips to keep the momentum way past the month of January:

Understand the structure of your winning actions
Right now you’re doing things efficiently and it’s all working. Why is it working?What are you doing that is producing your winning actions? If you seem to be on top of things, how have you achieved that?Ask yourself: what am I doing to make this work? 
Example
Ensuring that you have only 3 priorities on your list every day. Not answering emails and phone calls for a few hours a day.Even if you put down your current success to the time of year – “it’s quiet at the moment, so it’s easier”… Maybe it is quieter but what are you doing differently?Are you spending less time in meetings? What are you not doing or not being distracted by? You must find out what the structure is that is underpinning your current success. The structure will likely small key behaviours and involve boundaries. This is the foundation of your success! Understand it and aim not to compromise it moving forward into the following months.

Track it
Once you understand your winning structure that is producing your current results, you want to start tracking these small key behaviours now. If you can
keep these small key behaviours going at least most of the time, you will be able to keep up your momentum. So set up a spreadsheet (click here to download my tracking table) or use an app to track your key behaviours. 

Simply record each key behaviour and record the number of times you need to do it in a week.Then update the spreadsheet/app every day or every other day with a tick, an emoji, whatever indicates to you that you have done that action.Don’t leave it for more than 2 days because you won’t remember what you have done. Keeping this record for a week will give you a simple indication of what you have and haven’t done with your key behaviours. At the end of the week, tally your number of each key action. 

With this whole process, your aim is twofold:

  1. Aim to meet your target number of actions
  2. Have a clear visual indicator of any changes in your behaviours.

Tracking sounds simple but is incredibly powerful! Just bringing this information into conscious awareness every week will act as a reminder of the key things you need to do and indicate clearly when you’re off track. And yes, we will all get off track many times throughout the goal achievement process, so this is important!

Don’t allow derailment to mean anything
I absolutely swear by the tracking tip we just discussed for the very reason that you will get off track in pursuit of your goals. Everyone does. It’s pretty simple really. Life happens, unexpected urgent tasks arise, things are delayed, unexpected changes in your office etc. You know what I mean. It’s not inevitable that these things mean the death of your goals, it just means you need to be prepared.

As a Coach I am often coaching clients through derailments and most of the conversations revolve around what they think about getting off track. I spend time reassuring them that it’s normal. Even well experienced successful people will reach the same conclusion when they get off track. They conclude(like you and I do) that something is wrong. We all conclude that our ability or the circumstances around our goal are wrong. We use the“getting off track” week(s) as evidence that“it’s just not working”. 

When you’re at this point, firstly, have compassion for yourself. You’re clearly feeling disheartened. Then gently remind yourself that this is in fact not evidence of anything except for the natural progression of goal achievement!

Let me reiterate: Getting off track means nothing about you, your ability or the potential success of your goal.

Getting off track is a natural part of the journey. Don’t make it mean anything other than that. Keeping this in mind, you will be able to avoid the negative thoughts that can creep in and inevitably impact your momentum.

Plug into the WHY of your goals
One of the reasons that we feel so motivated at the start of the goal setting process is that we are very clear about WHY we want to achieve our goals. We have a vision of what that will mean for us personally. We imagine the accompanying emotions and feelings of success. After we start on the goal achievement journey however, this can often be lost.

The day-to-day disciplines required, the focus and energy that you need for success can erode rather quickly. Understanding why you want to achieve your goals and actually recording these reasons to review later, will help you to keep moving forward. We all want to achieve our goals so that we can experience certain feelings, whether they be of accomplishment itself or the outcome of the goal, such as feeling better/significant/lighter/less stressed. So now is the time to record your WHY for each goal and read over them every fortnight. This will help ensure that you keep your momentum in the months ahead.

Make sure you implement these 5 tips over the next week to get you set up for rolling momentum!

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You need to review 2019 and here’s how…

Before we turn our eyes and expectations to a new year, there’s a place we need to go first. It’s highly underrated but really essential in creating the life and business that you want for yourself.

It’s time to revisit 2019 and review it.

Why?

Because it helps you see what went well and what didn’t.
It reminds you of significant events and the learnings that you have taken away with you. Review is essential in getting an overall picture of what went down in 2019 as this is how you got to where you are right now. And are you happy with where you are right now? Was this where you expected to be?

Reviewing your year in terms of personal and professional events and achievements provides significant insight and wisdom that you need to utilise as you move towards the next year.

There is no better time than now, to review the year before embarking on your path next year. To simplify the process and get you started, I’ve provided review questions for you to consider.

It’s important to take the time to complete this exercise thoroughly, that way you will get the most out of it. So don’t try and squeeze this in before a gym visit and your commute. Set aside a good hour or two of uninterrupted alone time. By the way, alone time also means turning your phone to silent or off completely. Take your time to reflect on each question and record your answers in a notebook or digital resource of your choice.

What were my top 3 accomplishments of 2019?

 Did I achieve the goals I set in my business / professional life this year? Yes/No 

Which goals were/ were not achieved? Why do you think this is the case?
 
What is working well in my business / professional life?

What is not working as well as I’d like in my business / professional life? Why do you think this is the case?

What were my top 3 experiences of 2019? 

What were the 3 most important things that I learnt this year?
 
If I could go back and change things, I would… 

If I could sum up 2019 in 3 words, it would be… 

What I need to do more of next year…Habits or actions I need to DO MORE OF next year:

What I need to do less of next year…Habits or actions I need to DO LESS OF next year:

I think you’ll find that after doing this exercise you will have a better sense of what kind of year you’ve had and what changes you may want to make moving forward. You will know very quickly if you’re on or off track or if your priorities have changed. Take an hour or two this week to complete the review and we’ll continue next week with looking towards the New Year and how we can use the information that you’ve uncovered in this review.

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How to deal with change

Change in our lives can be something we consciously choose or something that is in some way thrust upon us. You’ve likely experienced both types of change and discovered that whichever way it comes, change always poses challenges. Yes, even the things we choose to invite into our lives that require change can be uncomfortable (at first) and difficult to adjust to.


In fact, it’s a natural human response to just resist change. Our brains are wired to keep us alive and to be efficient; two things that the process of change works completely against.


We all struggle with change because initially we cannot be on autopilot as we used to. Doing different things, even just driving to a different workplace, requires more cognitive effort. Having to be more alert and less often on autopilot is tiring and you’ll feel it. Change almost always signifies an end as much as it does a new beginning and dealing with that sense of loss can also be confronting. In terms of the bigger picture, change also interferes with our sense of self. Experiencing large changes, especially close together, can send you into a mini identity crisis. You don’t feel like yourself but you don’t feel comfortable in the new you, so to speak.


As challenging as change is for all of us, it’s also inevitable and very much a normal part of life(although it may not feel normal). So you’ll likely agree that it’s worth building your change adaptation skills. From my personal experience of much change within my own life and through watching clients navigate the change process, I’ve established a change management strategy that you can implement with any change situation.


Here’s 6 approaches to better manage change. Ideally, you would implement all of them, but just start with one at a time to focus on for maybe a week or two.


Accept it’s a challenging time and it’s ok to feel a mix of emotions
We established that change is challenging for all of us. So taking that a step further, you need to accept there’s nothing wrong with you. Everyone is challenged by change. So when you inevitably experience thoughts along the lines of “I’m not managing this very well, there’s something I’m not good at” etc. you can remind yourself of this truth. There is in fact nothing wrong with you. This is an adjustment phase and you are navigating it.A variety of emotions can come up during the change phase, but if you expect them to show up, you’re less concerned when they do. You may experience feelings of doubt, feeling just not like yourself and most likely you will experience stress.


Simplify
If you are experiencing or creating major changes in your life and/or business, then you need to simplify things. This is one of the best techniques to apply, with immediate results. Look at everything that you have on your to-do list, goals and responsibilities and decide which things you can delay(push your deadline back), delegate or delete altogether. You can’t do it all while navigating the change process, as this will only exacerbate the stress and overwhelm. Simplify by reducing responsibilities.


Allow more time
Most of us would prefer that we have a certain established amount of time and at the end of that time, the change process is complete. All nice and neat and predictable. Mostly we just want it to take as little as time as possible. I warn against giving into these thoughts as they completely oppose the process of change. You need to allow more time for this process that you would otherwise anticipate or expect for any challenge. Creating or accepting change takes time. And there is no way to speed this process up. Be patient with yourself and get the support you need to keep you moving forward.

Expect to fall off track
Change is not a straight line from one way of being to another. If you graphed it it’d probably be a zigzag. You cope and adjust to the new habit or situation quite well for a while, but then you “regress” back to the old way of doing or being. This is a normal part of the process. But often this is when we all feel like we’ve failed. This is just the beginning. You need to look at change as a series of getting on track and falling off… or if you prefer this analogy, getting back on your horse, time and time again. Noone decides to change and does it in one decision! We all make the decision to change over and over again as we consciously create a new path or habit for ourselves. Expect that you’ll go back and forth for some time between maintaining the change and then not. 

Keep or create core rituals
The change process by its nature throws into dissarray many aspects of our lives. It often can feel like we have lost our point of reference, our home base. I suggest that you make a list of 3 core rituals that you will continue to do or start doing, that make you feel more anchored. Regular activities that are familiar and enjoyable can create a sense of comfort and control, even if all around you feels very different. Keep it simple. Your rituals could be meditation, journalling, exercise, lighting a candle, seeing a movie each week, chatting with a good friend. Whatever works for you. It needs to be enjoyable and some activity you’d like to keep doing at least once a week if not more, to create a ritual.

Create support systems
Moving through change will require more time and energy from you. It can be unsettling, frustrating and tiring. On the flip side, when you do see progress, it will give you a boost of energy and hope. So you can see how it might be a bit of a rollercoaster ride at times. It’s important to therefore have your own back. Work with yourself and not against yourself by becoming aware of any negative thoughts about your situation. Remind yourself that this is a process and will take time. Having your own back means supporting yourself as much as you would support a good friend in their time of need. Give yourself the things you need to rejuvenate your energy and write our any negative thoughts that come up.

I suggest also seeking out support from others as you move through the change process. Talk with a good friend about it, engage with your faith/higher power, read personal development blogs or consider hiring a coach. 

I hope you will consider implementing these tips when you find yourself on your next change journey. Being able to confidently navigate change in our lives is a practical and essential skill in being able to create new things for ourselves and our business. So the benefits will show up now and in the future.

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Creating peace of mind on the road to success

Do you crave a sense of peace, a sense of calm? 

I know that for many years all I wanted was peace of mind. I just wanted to be able to experience enjoyment in what I was doing and be at peace with where I was. But I couldn’t reconcile that with my drive to reach my goals, the drive to become more. Surely, I thought to myself, if I rested too long in this space of peace, I would simply become complacent. Then I would not have peace of mind or achieve my goals at all! 

But, what I was doing wasn’t really working that well. I was super focused on my goals, a bit too attached shall we say. I always felt that I couldn’t get comfortable or relax too much. I was constantly pushing myself and yes, there were some results, but nothing extraordinary. And, I just didn’t feel like I was able to just do me.

Can you relate?

It was as if there were two opposing forces at work. At least, that’s what it felt like to me. I would power on with my disciplined actions and goals, but this other part of me just really wanted a rest. It just wanted time to be, to relax, to allow things as they are.

I think this is a challenge that many of us face, particularly those of us inclined to take our own work out into the world and create a business. We experience that need to do more, create more but become aware at some point(perhaps acutely) of the need to not drive so hard.

It’s taken me many years and much study from various thought leaders, to get to a place of real understanding of this common situation that many of us find ourselves in. And contrary to my first initial thoughts, it is not actually two opposing forces at work!We do not need to choose peace or achievement. 

We just need to choose how we travel towards our goals and truly accept that how we travel is the only fulfillment we will get.

Much of the pushing to achieve goals can come from the expected result delivering unto us a sense of achievement. We expect that we will feel satisfied and allow ourselves then to relax, to believe that we are truly enough and therefore are allowed to enjoy the moment.

But, guess what happens when you achieve your goals?

You get excited for a bit and then you jump onto the next thing. Does that seem like long term fulfillment or peace of mind to you? No, because it’s not. The small fleeting moment you experience does not bring the peace of mind that you crave. So, the achievement of our goals does not ultimately bring long term peace of mind.

How we travel as we move towards fulfilling our goals is the only space where peace of mind can be created. 

You can’t arrive at the peace of mind after years of pushing.You must create the peace of mind as you take one step at a time on your big journey.

How can you enjoy the step you are on right now?
How can you enjoy what you’re working on today?
What could make this process more enjoyable?

These are the questions to start with in order to shift your thinking towards peace of mind. It’s not about resting, avoiding your goals, deleting your goals or anything your mind conjures up as being the opposite to your path of success. It is the path of success. It is being present with the step you are walking right now, learning to fully embody it and enjoy it. 

After all, you either will get to the achievement of your goal or you won’t. Most of your time is taken up in the journey to get there and the result will not actually make you feel much better for very long. So even from a logical perspective, cultivating the enjoyment of the journey makes sense.

Why not start today?

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5 ways to beat procrastination

So, do you procrastinate?
I must say, my own answer to this is a mixed one…You see there are plenty of things I have disciplined myself to do and there are a few things I realise I have been putting off. Like, clearing out the storage cupboard!

Of course depending on how important something is, we all delay or prioritise our tasks. But if you find that procrastination is getting in the way of your important work, then read on. These 5 tips are gold! I promise they will help!

There are many reasons why we procrastinate. Most of them are a variation on“I don’t feel like it”. When you’re meant to be spending the morning writing your report, you instead work on other, easier to action tasks. You delay writing the report. 

Your mind chatter goes something like this…
I don’t feel like it.
I have more urgent things to address.
It’s a big task, I don’t know where to start.
It’s going to take up too much time.
I don’t have time now.I can do it tomorrow.
Yes, tomorrow I have time.

Instant relief, you don’t have to do it today. You’ve convinced yourself that it’s not possible. You buy into your reasoning and allow yourself to relax now that that’s over, you can get on with other things.

But, the next day… the same thing happens again. 

Why?
The answer lies in the reasons we give for not doing the thing we should be doing. The excuses and stories we tell ourselves provide an insight into how we can overcome procrastination.

Let’s start with one of the reasons mentioned above:I have more urgent things to address.This implies that the task you are delaying is not important or that you can’t really see, at least at this moment, why you should be doing it over something else. Herein lies the first tip to beating procrastination:
1. Make sure you know your why
If you’re not clear on why you need/want to do the task you are putting off, then it’s easy to push it down the list of things to do. Understanding the reason why the task is important and the bigger picture around it, will help you to value the task more and be less likely to delay it. 
Example: Task: To go for a run
The WHY behind it: to feel good/ to be energised throughout the day/ to lose weight/ to get better so I can run the marathon etc.

Next, our reason to procrastinate was: It’s a big task
2. Reduce the commitment in your mind
Our minds will resist anything that it sees as a big task or challenge. It basically gets overwhelmed and we instinctively just want to walk away. Everyone has this built into their brains, so don’t worry, it’s not just you! 
So how do we avoid going into overwhelm?

Commit to just a bit, to get you started. The idea is you tell yourself you will just do 10 minutes and that’s enough to drop your defences. You relax a little and you get started. The trick is, once you start, you keep going to the end. I’ve used this innumerable times to get me to the gym and on the treadmill. I tell myself I only have to do 15 minutes today (and not think about 45 minutes at all). But once I’m at 15 minutes, I just do another 10 minutes and so on, until the original goal is achieved.
Example: Task: To write the report
Reduce the commitment: I will just do 1 page of the report/ I will just write for half an hour.

The next reason we have is: I don’t know where to start
3. Know exactly where to start
Good, this is easy. So what do we do? We plan in advance so you know exactly where to start! The first step needs to be made as clear and easy as possible.
Example: Task: Create a FB ad
Create the place to start: Write the process to create the ad in small actionable steps

The next reason: It’s going to take up too much time.In reality, maybe it will, maybe it won’t. The key here is:
4. Don’t do the whole thing
Not to be confused with tip #2, in this case you will not aim to finish the task.You will break the task into small pieces and you will do just one piece. The smaller the better. Break your task into 20 small pieces if you like! All you have to do is complete 1 of the small pieces.
Example:Task: Paint the house
Break it down, the small pieces could be: calculate how much paint you need, decide on the colour, buy the paint and materials, schedule days in your diary to paint 1 room at a time, prep the room etc.

The next reason is the most common reason. Somehow many of us buy into it as a valid reason:I don’t feel like it.
5. Accept that you will not feel like doing it
We use this reason to not do a task because we believe on some level that “feeling like doing” something is the way it’s supposed to be. We all assume that not feeling like doing something is a sign of some sort. We use it to justify that it’s not the right time, I don’t have the right mindset, I’m not ready… Here’s the deal: You are not going to feel like doing it most of the time! If you can accept that not feeling like doing it doesn’t mean anything at all (just a human resistance to doing anything different), then you can power through it! 

This is how success is created, how productivity is created, how champions are born.You do it, regardless of how you feel.
All successful people understand this principle. It’s what separates them from the pack. They are willing to do things when they don’t feel like it. Think about it. 

What would your life look like if you started to do all the things you don’t feel like doing?

Yes, I know, it’d be a lot different!
The choice is yours:)