When you think about self-care what springs to mind? Is it leisurely lunches, special treats and spa days? Perhaps it feels a little self-indulgent or something which will take up too much time? Whilst it is good to plan occasional indulgent treats, self-care is much more than this. It is about creating space in our daily life to do that which we need to provide energy and to sustain us. Continue reading 7 Reasons why self-care is essential for busy professionals
We all experience days which are far too busy and perhaps where we have tried to pack too much in. There are also days when we have simply wasted a lot of time or let ourselves get distracted.
We all want to lead a fulfilling life. However, this can be hard when you have a demanding job, family responsibilities and are trying to keep on top of daily life. Perhaps there are times when you simply don't have space to consider how life could be more meaningful.
For busy people, a typical day has a packed agenda with little personal time for yourself. There will often be missed lunch breaks, working long hours and not spending enough time with family and friends. It is no wonder that the outcome is often feeling stressed and missing out on doing the things which you find fulfilling.
For busy professionals taking time for reflection can often be a low priority. It's easy to get caught up in the busyness of your day and neglect to pause for thought. In fact, when you have lots to do, the very act of stopping may not seem possible, and certainly not the best use of your time! However, taking time to reflect really does matter.
The well known phrase 'if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail', attributed to Benjamin Franklin, shows great insight. What's great about this is that we know that by making a good, well-thought-out plan, we are more likely to succeed. We all want to be the best that we can be and planning is key.
For many of us saying no can be difficult and we have all experienced saying yes when we really wanted to say no!
For example, your diary is already full, but you have been asked to squeeze in another meeting and you don't know how to say no. You are working on an important task which has to get done that day, but a colleague has asked for your help and you genuinely want to be helpful. Or you have been asked to take on an activity which you would rather not do, but feel flattered to be asked.
Personal values are those things which are most important to you. They include what you believe, what motivates you and those things which makes you happy. Your values will influence your behaviour and guide you in your decisions. While we will hold many beliefs and be motivated by a range of values, there will be a small number which are core and more significant for us. When our lives are aligned to what we believe, we are more likely to live a happy and fulfilled life.
There are times when there is just too much going on. When you're busy with competing demands on your time, it's hard to be as effective as you could be. This leaves you feeling overwhelmed, struggling to get stuff done, and frustrated about the lack of time for yourself.
Do you ever find yourself doing anything except the task you are supposed to be doing? Suddenly you are highly motivated to have a major clear out, offer to run errands for your colleagues or feel inspired to file all of your books alphabetically, by genre! If so, then it is fair to say that you will be experiencing classic procrastination.
Procrastination is when we put off or delay doing something which we should be doing. The outcome is that we waste time doing other stuff, are easily distracted and fail to get the important things done.
How do you generally feel at the start of your day?
Do you usually feel focused with total clarity about what you are going to achieve that day?
OR
Do you jump straight into dealing with tasks, appointments and emails with a feeling of panic because you have too much to do?
I suspect that for many it is the latter!
I have had some really positive feedback this week from people who have completed the 'Review your year workbook'. It is great to hear that this resource has helped with the process of review, and with setting goals for 2017.
So, you have spent time reviewing last year and have come up with some amazing goals for 2017. You are full of good intentions and you really do want to reach your goals.
But what happens next?
Do you ever feel stuck? Do you find it hard to focus on what you really need to do? Perhaps you feel like you are on a treadmill going through the day's activities without real clarity and purpose?
This has been my experience recently. I struggled to complete a task which I usually enjoy doing and I didn't know why. Instead I got distracted doing other tasks and felt frustrated that I hadn't achieved what I had set out to do.
After some soul searching and reflection, I discovered what was going on for me and how to move forward. The solution was quite clear!
As we approach the end of the year many of us will be looking forward to the New Year with all of the opportunities this brings. It can be tempting to look ahead, perhaps set some New Years resolutions, and move forward without taking time to acknowledge the year which has been.
We rarely take time to stop and make sense of what has been going on for us when we are constantly busy with our personal and professional lives. It is easy to forget what has been achieved, all that has been learnt and challenges which have been overcome, when we do not take time out to reflect.
For most of us life is busy with constant juggling of our work, life and family commitments. There are times when there is just too much going on. Perhaps work is particularly busy, family activities build up or there are unforeseen events which need our attention.
It is during these times, when there is too much going and we do not feel in control, that we begin to feel overwhelmed, and this causes stress.
When we lay awake at night thinking about what needs to be done, or can't focus on what needs our attention, we are not functioning at our best.
The good news is that there are things which you can do to help you take control of overwhelm and get back on track.