Post six of The Two-Week Work Detox Series, and by now some of the angst and overwhelm you’d been feeling about work is starting to recede as you whip your work and life into shape.
The Detox In Brief
Here’s the journey we’ve been on that’s helping you get a grip on things:
- First, Set Yourself Goals gave you an exercise to help you get clear about what you really, really want from life.
- The Critical Few Activities That Need Your Focus challenged you to consider the key things you ought to be concentrating on if you’re serious about getting off the hamster wheel.
- How Is Time Spending You? got you confronting the realities of how you’re actually spending your energies right now. And,
- Time Shifting For Success had you figuring the difference between what you say you want and what you’re currently doing. And zeroing in on what really needs to change.
So, you’ve got lots of things that you’ve begun to put into action. But how do you keep up and build on your own momentum?
What Gets Focus Gets Results
The organising power of the brain is immense. Give something enough thought and attention and you’ll bring it to life. Consider this: all of the best works, be they artistic or entrepreneurial, began as ideas in someone’s head. It just so happens that their creators dared to put the energy and focus into manifesting them.
Those goals and plans you’ve just spent the last two weeks hatching now need similar commitment and belief from you. They need to be nurtured. They need you to have an active system of planning, doing and reviewing that turns them into hardcore reality.
Today’s challenge is for you to decide how to do just that.
What works for me is to hand write my goals in a beautiful notebook and review them regularly. 5 minutes a day is all it takes. I’ve got a routine of taking myself to my local coffee shop, treating myself to a good strong coffee, and checking in on myself. Every day, I figure out one or two key things that, if I do them, are going to help me progress my life plans.
Morning coffee might not be your cup of tea, if you’ll excuse the pun. But find your own routine. Your own positive habit that’s going to make an ongoing difference. And don’t just take my word for it that this kind of process works. Check out fellow blogger Karen Ruby’s view on it too.
Whatever works.
The point is to bring what you want to the forefront of your mind even if briefly every day. And if you can build in a longer weekly or monthly review so much the better. If that feels like a chore, find ways to put fun into the equation. Go somewhere quirky to think and write. Use funky pens or your favourite note-making tools. Put your favourite music on and rock it.
Make the decision to do it, and watch day by day as your life and work change.
So, that’s the end of the series, folks. Thanks for being here with me. I look forward to hearing how things are changing for you!
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Twitter: CoachScotland
Hi Christine
This has been a great series of posts. I have thoroughly enjoyed them.
I am quite a visual person and although I like to write my goals down I have also made a small vision board which hangs above my desk. It has pictures and magazine cuttings on it which represent my goals.
I can focus on it every day and decide what my next steps are going to be.
.-= Marion Anderson´s last blog ..What is Reality =-.
That’s an awesome way to do it, Marion, especially if you’re more visual.
Glad you’ve enjoyed the posts
Twitter: HeavenandEl
I love this Christine. I remember reading Karen’s post about writing in the goals book daily but (and shhhh, don’t tell her!) I didn’t do anything about it yet. With this series of posts, you’ve given a great framework and blown any and all excuses out of the water. Oooh, just thought of one, I don’t have a beautiful notebook yet. Time to go shopping.
.-= Eleanor Edwards´s last blog ..I want that! What do you want =-.
Ah! The beautiful notebook is a critical part of it for me. It’s something a little up market that sends a little message in the direction of whoever or whatever you choose to believe in that you’re valuing yourself and taking your mission seriously!
I’ve got you ear-marked for a nudge in September, girl!
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