habits

June 2, 2021 by solopreneurcoach

What I’m discussing with my clients right now

Have you ever wondered what goes on within a Coaching session?

Well, this week, I am peeling back the curtain and sharing with you the most common topics that my clients and I are currently talking about!

It’s interesting because across an array of businesses and professional situations, there is an alignment of talking topics. To be clear, I am of course not going to share any specific information about individual situations (client confidentiality is highly respected!), but rather, the common focal points and areas that we’re working on at the moment.

Many people are actually working on the same thing, but just in a different context!

And this means that there’s a good chance that you will relate to these challenges too!

So here are the consistent talking points within my coaching sessions at the moment:

Workload
Balancing large workloads and the ebb and flow of business projects is a regular topic we talk about. Some months are just flat out busy! When you’re building and growing a business, you want to create more work and inevitably the work can come all at once! These busy periods can be particularly challenging on a number of levels: staffing, impact on personal lives and health. It’s important to have a“game plan” for these busy periods! And that’s what I help my clients create and maintain.

Can you use the three D’s? Delete, delegate, delay. You need to be flexible and to do things differently for the busy period in order to manage the new workload. You may even need to take a step back and adjust your own expectations about what is realistically achievable.

Staffing & relationships
Relationships are key to any business operation, regardless of industry. Having the right staff, enough staff and managing staff is a talking point for many of my coaching sessions. We also touch on creating ways to maintain the important relationships within the business and professional networks of my clients. This can be traditional networking, informal catch-ups or reaching out to others through mutual connections or on LinkedIn. Having the right relationships working well is important.

Habits
One of my roles as a coach is to help my clients create and maintain(or break) habits. This is common to all of my coaching sessions. Whatever the business or professional situation, it usually requires growth. My clients need to change as the business grows or change in order to make the business grow! This means acquiring new habits!
As a coach I provide the support that my clients need throughout the habit acquiring process. And as it’s a bumpy ride most of the time, this is of great value. There is much information about acquiring habits in short amounts of time but little information about what is required to stay the course. It’s not about willpower! It’s about having a system and understanding that the process involves getting of track for some of the time.

Marketing
Most of the professionals and business owners I work with operate within a small to medium-size enterprise. This means that marketing is in-house. So many conversations lead to marketing and lead generation. While not everyone is enthusiastic about marketing, all clients realise the importance and inevitability of it. We often discuss implementing marketing plans and how to maintain these as part of a business system. While some clients prefer to outsource the marketing tasks, the strategy and outcomes are always designed by each client themselves for their own unique situation.

Self care and boundaries
I have kept this topic on the agenda for all of my clients, particularly after the challenges we’ve all experienced within the last year. Change and disruption has impacted business and ways of working in a big way! This has meant more stress and the changing of-or complete erasing- of boundaries. It’s important at these points of disruption to our routines that we become mindful of where our boundaries are between work and leisure, professional and personal, being busy and relaxing to restore energy. I consistently ask my clients about their workload and their self care activities. Regardless of how busy you are, you must have self care practices that you do on a regular basis. This helps to restore your energy and, most importantly, prevent burnout.

Are these topics your current challenges too?
If so, do consider registering for my FREE Coaching Introduction Session. It’s an opportunity for you to discuss your current situation & challenges and ask all your questions about Coaching.

Would love to chat with you. Register here.

November 18, 2020 by solopreneurcoach

7 simple ways to create certainty

As challenging as these times may be, most of us still have ultimate control over our lives.The problem is that right now, it doesn’t feel like it.

You may feel tired and completely thrown off course by the events of this year.

Maybe you’re even confused about your purpose, your business, your life.
Or perhaps you’re just sick of feeling stuck and unable to plan for the future.

That’s okay. These feelings are a normal human reaction to all of the upheaval we’ve experienced. You are definitely not alone in these feelings!

However, if you’re sick of feeling so uncertain, then keep reading because I’d like to share with you 7 simple ways that will help you feel more certain.

Because the truth is, you can create certainty for yourself on a daily basis.

You may not be able to change what’s going on out there in the world but you can most certainly rule your own world!

You can use these strategies to easily increase the feeling of certainty in your life.

Many of them are small things that you can start right now, today. The great things is that you don’t have to do all 7, but of course, the more you can incorporate into your routine, the better.

Strategy 1: Have a plan
When we don’t have a plan, we drift with the wind and more significantly we don’t feel in control of our destiny. You can make a plan in uncertain times. Yes, you can. You may need to review it in a few month’s time to see if it’s still relevant, but you still should make the plan now.

Strategy 2: Make decisions
Again, one quick way to start to feel more in control of your world is to make decisions. Allowing yourself to stay in indecision because you’re “not sure what will happen” or “don’t have enough information” does not serve you. It will create more uncertainty. Even if you don’t want to decide something now, you can still decide to get further information and review it in a month with a view to making the decision then. Do you get where I’m going here? It prevents you from going back and forth over the “will I or won’t I” that makes us all feel so powerless. You can instead decide to forget about it for a month, get more info and then decide. Or, decide now.

Strategy 3: Take action- small things count
The idea is to think small here. Can you clean out one drawer in your home or office? Can you do one task on your to-do list? Taking small actions in a positive direction make a big difference. In particular de-cluttering will give you a sense of control over your environment. Just remember to do small bits at a time to avoid overwhelm.

Strategy 4: Strengths and gratitude
Gratitude helps you to look for what you already have and to acknowledge it. This helps you to see that you do actually have what you need. Focusing on this at least once a day and seeking out your personal strengths will assist in keeping the uncertainty at bay.

Strategy 5: Daily practices to anchor you
What habits or rituals have an anchoring effect for you? These are the practices that rejuvinate you or keep you focused and feeling in control or confident and secure. Is it keeping up an exercise routine? Chanting, prayers, meditation? Patting your cat? Whatever restores you and gives you a sense of being in-control and secure can become an anchor for you on a daily basis.

Strategy 6: Boundaries – fear mongering and media
Use your boundaries. Don’t allow in too much uncertainty from other people(family included) and the news/social media. Stay informed but don’t let them tell you how uncertain or worried you must feel. Limit your daily intake of news to avoid feelings of overwhelm and anxiety driven by what is mostly bad news.

Strategy 7: Re-frame the situationYes it’s been a challenging year and even at times quite a confronting one. Things seem to be shifting and life is not what it was 6 months ago. Sure, but try asking yourself these questions to re-frame this current situation:
What are some good things that have come out of this?
If there was an opportunity right now for me, what might it be?
What have I learnt about my real values in the last few months?

These strategies work and they will make a difference right away, so do start as soon as you can. It’s best to try implementing one or two for a week and maintain consistency with those first. Then you can add more as you like.

If you liked this post, sign up for my fortnightly Coaching Email.

January 14, 2019 by solopreneurcoach

How to stay on track in 2019

So how are you feeling about your goals for 2019?

Probably pretty damn good, I would expect. Like most of us you’ve likely had a nice break and are now full of energy and enthusiasm for what lies ahead. At this stage, your goals seem exciting and very doable. Sure, they will require discipline and your focused attention, but you’re feeling confident.

This is the first stage of goal setting. You are confident and energised. You are 100% committed to your goals. This first stage is what I call the fun part of goal setting. It’s the easy part. While your resources are at an all-time high, it’s kind of easy to be 100% committed to your goals. However, it’s in the next stage of goal setting that the challenge really sets in.

The second stage of goal setting is where it gets harder and where everyone falls off the wagon! I mean everyone! And only some get back on. Think about New Years Resolutions. How many people do you know that make resolutions? How many follow through and get the results they want? Yes, that’s right, not so many!

In this second phase of goal setting the journey gets rough and the resources you had in phase 1 are limited. The enthusiasm and energy you had before at the beginning will not get you through the second phase of achieving your goals.

It’s not a failing on your part. It’s all about the system-or lack of- that sets you up to fail. We are all humans and we all struggle with similar things when it comes to achieving goals or resolutions. We seem to think if we decide to do something different, that’s enough.

To get through phase 2 of goal achievement and making it to the promised land (realising your goal) you’re going to need some tools! If everyone falls off and only some get back on track, then what are those“some people” doing differently than the rest?

They have a system to get them back on track ASAP! You see it’s not a short sprint, but more of a journey of consistency. To stay consistent, you need a system that keeps you… consistent. The best and easiest way to do this is to implement a tracking system.
Your goals require you to do certain things regularly, to modify your behaviours. You need to define the behaviours you need to change or implement. Then, put them into a tracking system. Then you check it daily and review and re-set it each week.

I’ve created you a personal Tracking Tool to get you started, so click here to download!

It’s simple but profoundly effective. It only takes a few minutes a day but will deliver huge amounts of value as you move further through the year. A personal tracking table will help you to:
👍 see what your actual results are
👍 monitor what is/isn’t working
👍 indicate to you immediately when you have fallen off track
👍 and help you get back on track quickly

This is a simple and easy solution that will deliver you big results. I use it myself to help keep my core behaviours on-track. It’s easily one of the best tools I’ve ever implemented and I know it will help you to achieve what you want for 2019!
Click here to download the personal tracking tool.

May 28, 2018 by solopreneurcoach

Change can be hard: Here’s how to manage it

If change is a natural part of our lives then why is it sometimes so hard?

Anyone who has set and attempted to achieve goals knows all about this. Anyone who ha tried to break a habit, create a new habit, adjust to living in a new city or without someone you love… you know the challenges of change.

Change is everywhere really. You just have to look at technology itself and how that alone has changed our lives even just within the last decade. There are so many new experiences, conveniences and new ways to connect. Change out there in the world, with cool new gadgets, is kind of fun and exciting. But change within our own lives and within ourselves? It’s often not so fun and exciting for us.

I mean just think about the last time you moved house or changed jobs. Do you have fond memories of that experience? Or did it feel chaotic at best? The nature of change is confronting and when it’s on our own doorstep messing with our routine, our work or our relationship, it can be a tough challenge.

So why is it so challenging for us?

Well, there are a few key reasons why we often struggle with change:
Change alters our world
Change interrupts how we normally go about things and how we cope with things in the world. We’re kind of knocked off our usual track and it’s, well, bumpy.
Change affects our notion of who we are
Change challenges our beliefs and our closely held values. Our very concept of who we are is therefore called into question.
Change can trigger anxiety
By its very nature change will cause anxiety in most of us but specifically it is the effect of change on our relationships and ties with others that causes us to feel anxious.
Change signifies an end
Change is a shift- from the old to the new. It is both a beginning and an end. Depending on the nature of change this can cause a sense of loss.

So essentially change is a “disruption” of sorts. The well-known, comfortable space becomes unknown and foreign. As I’ve explained previously, our human brains naturally resist change because anything unknown is seen as a threat to our survival. The altering of our world, a shift in our identity scares the heck out of our brains and it therefore sends us some stress (thanks for that brain). The point is, being human means change is going to be challenging with our own brains resisting it.

Here’s how to deal with it:
Accept that it will be challenging. Know that because change is hard, that does NOT mean there’s something wrong with you. Everyone is challenged by change!
Accept that adjusting to change may take a while. I know we all want to just flip a switch and be completely committed to our new habits or adjusted in our new work role. But realistically it takes time. Give yourself time.
Accept that you will fall off the wagon. 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 quite well for a while, then you “regress” back to the old way. Again, this is a normal part of the process. Noone decides to change and does it in one stride! You’ll go back and forth for some time, but if you keep hanging on and moving forward, it will happen!
Have your own back. If change is so challenging then it’s almost like you need a friend to help you on the way. Well, you do. It’s you who needs to be your best friend in this process. (Although having a coach or friend encouraging you helps). This does not involve berating yourself when you misstep or letting yourself do whatever your mood dictates. It’s about recognizing what you have achieved and patting yourself on the back. And when you get off track, you just say to yourself “that’s alright, I’ll do better tomorrow” and keep moving forward. Bottom line: Don’t be so hard on yourself.

May 2, 2018 by solopreneurcoach

Improve your results with tracking

My favourite personal development tool is very powerful tool. It is also simple and easy-to-use. This tool can keep me on track more consistently than anything else that I have ever tried. I have created new habits and maintained them because of this wonderful tool. I think you too will love this tool when you start to use it.

What am talking about? I’m talking about tracking. My favourite personal development tool is tracking. It literally change my life and can do the same for you. If you want to create consistency, maintain changes and feel a sense of accomplishment, then you need to use tracking. Here’s how to get started:

1. Make a list of the tasks and behaviours that are pivotal to your success both personally and professionally.

Examples: exercise, posting your blog, making sales calls, eating salad, getting a new client etc.

2. Now decide on your Top 3 tasks and behaviours from that list. These are the absolute most important things that need to be done consistently for you to be at your best.

3. Using the Tracking Table I’ve supplied here, enter your top 3 in the “behaviours & actions” column. For each task or behaviour, decide on your goal for the week. ie. how many times do you want to complete this task or behaviour? Record the number in the goal column. If you want to set a specific day for each of your top 3, enter a “o” for each of those days to allocate the day you plan to that item. This is optional, you don’t have to set a day if you don’t want to.

Example:

BEHAVIOUR/ ACTION	M	T	W	TH	F	S	SU	TOTAL	GOAL	NET
mindset management	/	/	/		/	/	/	6	7	-1
exercise	/		/		/		/	4	4	0
sales calls	/	/	/	/	/			5	7	-2
write blog post	/	/	/					3	3	0

4. Track your progress: View the table each day and place a tick or a cross in column for that day based on whether you completed that item or not.

5. At the end of the week, review your week’s worth of tracking and tally your ticks in “actual” column for each task or behaviour. Then subtract the goal number from your actual number and enter it into the “net” column.
Example: If you goal was to make 4 sales calls in the week and you actually did 2, then subtract the goal number from the actual: 2(actual)-4(goal)=-2. Your net is -2

6. Look at your results for the week. How did you go? Are you in the negative or positive numbers? What should you focus on next week?

Like I said, tracking has changed my life. It’s truly a powerful tool. Try it out, even just for a week and see what happens.

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