Hi Ladies
So many ladies I have spoken to this week have been having a wobble – me included.
I just couldn’t get into the swing of things.
I though I’d get that “Back to School” feeling on Monday, when my 3 boys went back to school. New pencil case, new shoes, all fired up and ready to go.
But the opposite was true.
I didn’t seem to get going. Know what I mean?
I’ve been there before. We all have.
I have been working on a exciting project this week and I promised myself that THIS week was going to be THE WEEK! But even thinking about doing it was making me anixous.
I needed more focus.
I’ve been working with ladies over the summer. The girls have been pretty consistent over the holidays, doing the best that they could do, but on Monday there was a definite surge of enthusiasm. The familiar need to “get back on it” “tighten up” “refocus” “cut the crap” etc etc was definitely there.
But here’s the thing, you need to slow down and….wait for it…do less. Well, you actually end up doing more in the long run because alternating periods of mental recharge with periods of intense “Get Stuff Done” creates greater outcomes. You achieve more in less time.
Scared to try it? Scared to give up the busy?
I feel you, Because I feel it too. Years ago I use to be so proud of being the “busiest person I knew”. I measured my self worth by it! That made it so hard to try a new way – how would I feel worthy without it? But in the name of actually getting stuff done and feeling effective, you have to give up the need to cram your schedule.
Now you can tell by this blog that I haven’t nailed it, just yet. I still mess up, like this week! It’s a practise, and I need to keep reminding myself of that when I start to spiral into static overwhelm!
Some examples of easy ways to take mental downtime without overhauling your entire life:
* When driving to work, turn off the radio and allow your mind to wander – this is a form of meditation.
* Take a few extra minutes in the shower each morning to close your eyes and focus on your breathing.
* Go for a walk at lunchtime – even 10 minutes of distraction-free time offers a mental reset.
* When you go to work on a project, use “block time” (a strategy coined by Brendon Burchard), where you allot 45-60 minutes with zero distractions to get it done – close down emails (no pings), log out of social media, turn off your phone and get busy. I know it can be hard to ignore the lure of the Internet, but you’ll be floored at how much you get done when you aren’t getting interrupted.
* Read a fiction book. One of my fav things is getting in bed a little earlier and giving myself over to my imagination.
* Take a nap. When was the last time you allowed yourself to be this lazy?? Ha! Of course, it’s not lazy, and you’ll definitely won’t feel lazy when you wake up after a 20 minute capnap and kill it in your next endeavour.
* Instead of watching TV at night, sit quietly with a cup of tea. This is strange at first because….where’s the distraction??? But over time, you’ll feel more comfortable and even look forward to it.
There are a bunch of other ways. I’m sure you can think of plenty yourself. But I wanted to share some simply things you might be able to fit into your current lifestyle right now. In this case, a little truly does go a long way.
Why not try? You have nothing to lose. The old, hectic way will always be there for you! 🙂
Have a great week…… “I’m off to rip up my To Do List”
– Louise
Fitness & Nutrition Coach
FNL TRANSFORMATION
