Blog
Why your attention is like a bag of chips!
Setting an intention can be incredibly powerful. Whether big like a goal for your business, or small like the intention I set when I sat down to write this email, having an intention is jolly useful when it comes to getting things done.
Our intentions help us to stay focused on what's important, to stay in our own lane and to stay motivated when things feel tough.
So why is it that even when we have clear goals for our business, even when we can see where we're heading and feel excited about getting there, we still often find ourselves frittering our days away?
The Menace of the Never-Ending To-Do List
How's your to-do list looking these days? Never-ending? Growing more quickly by the hour?
Tiring, isn't it?
In fact, I think that's rather an understatement.
Our to-do lists can cause colossal amounts of worry and frustration.
Still procrastinating? Cut yourself some slack (and then get curious).
According to our old friend Google, procrastination is defined as, "the action of delaying or postponing something." According to Tim Urban a more accurate definition is, "the action of ruining your own life for no apparent reason".
A little over-dramatic?
Tip Of The Month: Write A Ta-Da List
How do you feel when you get to the end of the day? If you often feel frazzled, frustrated or guilty for not doing more, read on!
This month's tip is to write a daily Ta-da List. Allow me to explain why….
Could a lack of clarity be holding you back?
During the last month or so I've been in full-on reflective mode, looking for the nuggets of wisdom hidden beneath the discomfort (if you missed last week's post about my recent bout of anxiety, you can catch up here). Something that came up time and time again was the importance of clarity.
When overwhelm and anxiety strike!
One month ago I tried a little experiment. I wanted to see what would happen if I spent one week with no TV, no radio, no podcasts, no internet, no phone and no reading after 5.30pm.
My hope was that I'd have loads of great ideas, be inspired to write, draw and make music, get outside, exercise, play games and bask in a slower, richer end to each day.
I was completely and utterly unprepared for what actually happened.
Feeling stuck? A little disruption could save the day!
What do you do when you're feeling stuck in your business? When, like me, you know what you need to be doing but for whatever reason it's just not happening? Or when you don't know what to focus on next and can't seem to move things forward?
May I suggest a new approach to tackling stuckness?
Time to start thinking differently?
A couple of days ago a quote caught my eye:
"Slow living is this weird duality of being prepared, organised, having systems in place, knowing what's coming and managing expectations, and being flexible and fluid and understanding that life happens."
Replace “slow living” with “productivity”, and Brooke has expressed my philosophy way better than I ever could.
The importance of taking it one day at a time
Many moons ago, when working in a very busy, pressured job, I used to sit down on a Monday and plan out what I intended to get done every day that week.
I honestly believed that seeing precisely when things would get done gave me control over both my time and my to-do list.
There were just two problems with that…
Tip of the month: step away from your inbox!
Today's tip of the months is a quick one!
Turn off your emails.
If you're anything like me, as soon as you see a notification telling you there's a new email in your inbox, curiosity kicks in.
Get Stuff Done Gold: Does work-life balance really exist?
Is work-life balance a real, achievable thing that we should all be aspiring too?
Or is it, in fact, a myth.
I’m a huge advocate for creating space for fun, relaxation and connection, but I can’t help but feel that the idea of work-life balance just isn’t helpful.
Five ways to harness the productivity-enhancing power of accountability
Eight months ago I had an idea. I thought it would be great to create an online quiz that helps people figure out their biggest block to productivity. Eight months ago.
So why did it take until last month to actually make that happen?
One word: Accountability.
Tip Of The Month: Desktop Zen!
What do you see when you switch on your computer at the start of the day?
If you’re greeted by a desktop that’s full of random files and shortcuts to folders and apps, how does that make you feel?
Three questions to help you be more productive
A few weeks ago I wrote about self-awareness, the magic ingredient for success. I strongly believe that the better you know yourself, the easier you’ll find it to get stuff done.
There are so many productivity ‘solutions’ out there, it’s very easy to become overwhelmed or confused. To try too many new things at once and then give up because it’s not working quickly enough.
Get Stuff Done Gold: Consistency is queen!
If you’ve been in a room with me in the last twelve months (whether that be virtually or in real life), chances are I’ve talked at you about Gretchen Rubin! I adore Gretchen’s books about happiness and habits, and her ‘Happier’ podcast makes cleaning the bathroom so much more fun!
Today I want to share a short piece from Gretchen…
The magic ingredient for success
Six months before I quit my job I was suffering from stress and anxiety. I was managing a team of five in Higher Education and felt the pressure daily. It came from outside of me (frequent, perplexing changes to government policy, staffing issues etc) and from within me (perfectionism, feeling responsible for absolutely everything etc). It’s really no wonder I became ill!
Tip Of The Month: The 15 Minute Blitz
Today I want to show you how much it’s possible to accomplish in just 15 minutes.
When you set your mind to something and remove distractions, 15 minutes of focused attention on the task at hand can be really powerful.
Why you need to get real...and why that's a good thing!
This week I'm tackling the extremely unsexy topic of getting real. I hope to explain that whilst the idea of 'getting real' may seem limiting, it's actually remarkably freeing! Sound unlikely? Read on and let's see if I can convince you!
When you get to the end of the day beating yourself up because you didn’t get everything done?
Perhaps you just need to get real.
Is it time for a Busy Boycott?
A few weeks ago I was asked what I want to bring to the world through my business.
The answer came to me in a heartbeat. Here’s what I said:
I want to see an end to busyness as a badge of honour.
I used to be the person who always answered, “how are you?” with “busy”. I’ve also spent years surrounded by colleagues who were terrified of anyone finding out if they weren’t busy.
What is this obsession with being busy?
Do you know how you're spending your time?
How often does it get to 6pm and you think, “where did today go?”, or you had an hour between clients and you’re not quite sure what happened to it?
Whether your relationship with time is one of lack (there’s never enough time to do all the things) or of abundance (there’s all the time in the world…yet still things don’t get done), it can be really useful to face it down. To see, nose-to-nose, exactly where you’re spending your time.