Month: March 2024 Page 1 of 2

“You may delay, but time will not.” Benjamin Franklin.

I was talking to a friend recently about them procrastinating over a goal they wanted to achieve. I was telling them that procrastination is one of the most common reasons that some people don’t fulfil their potential or accomplish their personal ambitions.

Quite often, people have clarity on what they would like to achieve, they know the decision they need to make, they accept and understand the conversation that needs to be had or the path that they need to follow. They know in their hearts what action steps they need to take. Despite this clarity, many people still avoid taking action, they distract themselves and procrastinate.

Many people find it difficult to make decisions that will result in significant change to their and other people’s lives. By delaying making choices they may miss valuable opportunities to change things for the better. Delayed decision making and taking responsibility for changing things, may also result in a loss of control of some issues and circumstances. It can mean people go on accepting unsatisfactory situations. This causes unnecessary anxiety and worry for themselves and those closest to them.

Some of the reasons for procrastination that I have come across include a fear of taking the wrong decision and suffering failure; dwelling on past bad experiences and mistakes and being uncertain about the future and the outcome of actions; feeling overwhelmed and believing that a task is too big and complex.

Understanding why people procrastinate is simple; figuring out how to overcome it isn’t always easy. Conquering procrastination is near the top of many people’s list of priorities for self-development. Minimising the effect of procrastination helps people to lead a productive, efficient and happy life.

Here are some suggestions to overcome procrastination:

• Get into the habit of taking action on your toughest task first each day, this helps to build momentum.
• If necessary, tackle large or complex tasks in small pieces and break them down into manageable chunks.
• Give up a need for perfectionism and aim for excellence instead.
• Make a definite commitment to overcome indecision and increase your willingness to make quicker decisions over the next year. There’s no need to invest more time and energy on making a decision than is necessary.
• When faced with a decision, get clear on the outcome you would like to achieve. Decide what would constitute an ideal outcome and your time frames.
• Get a clear definition of purpose for following a particular course. Write it down and articulate your motivations for wanting to effect the change or achieve the goal.
• Gather all the necessary facts, consider your options, and consider the best/worst case scenarios. List the pros and cons of the possible courses of action, evaluate the opportunities and risks.
• Fully commit yourself to a goal, set a deadline and start taking action. Tell others of your intended finish date, it will act as an added motivator to get the task completed, as you won’t want to lose face.

 
As I mentioned earlier, sometimes we feel overwhelmed by a task and it prevents us from taking action. An example may be cleaning out your loft or garage space. You have boxes and stuff everywhere and just the thought of the task seems daunting and stops you taking action. A way to overcome this is to set aside 20 minutes a day to sort through one or two boxes. This makes the task more manageable and builds momentum.

Get into the habit of setting and honouring deadlines. It’s easy to feel alone with your challenges, but when it comes to overcoming procrastination there are probably many people in your network that can help you. Maybe you have a friend or relative that has a problem with procrastination. Perhaps you can encourage and hold each other to account.

This week, why not pause for a few moments. Reflect and consider if there is something you have been putting off that needs to be dealt with. If there is, decide what first step you can take to move things forward.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” Winston Churchill.

In last week’s blog, I talked about the importance of self-care. As part of a self-care regime we exercise, take vitamins and health supplements to maintain good physical health.  Additionally, I believe that we need to take conscious steps to develop and sustain a positive mindset and attitude. This can include taking vitamins for the mind to inspire, nurture and nourish it to keep it in a tip top state.

On occasions life will throw us some curve balls. We may be given obstacles and adversity to overcome. When this happens, we are more likely to meet and conquer these challenges if we have a positive mindset.

Whilst we can’t control outside events, the good news is that we have total control over our response to such events. This will determine the outcome of the situation.

With this in mind, it’s vital that we accept and take total responsibility for the attitude we choose to adopt in life and present to the world.

A practical way we can do this is to regularly take some vitamins for the mind.

Here are a few suggestions for the various mind vitamins that are available to you:

1. Live in the present, defer worrying.
2. Develop an attitude of gratitude. Appreciate all that you have in life.
3. Make good health a priority. Exercise regularly, eat and sleep well.
4. Maintain your boundaries. Say no when you need to without feeling guilty.
5. Protect your energy. Avoid spreading yourself too thin and stop being a people pleaser.

 
We all have a limit to the amount of time and energy available to us.  Whilst it’s a great feeling to help and please others, we must ensure that we honour our own needs. Saying yes, when we actually want to say no does nothing for our self-esteem and can have a negative impact on our mood. Guard against over committing your time and spreading yourself too thin.

This week why not take a few moments out to reflect and consider what mind vitamins you need to take in order to develop and sustain a positive mindset.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk

“When you take care of yourself, you’re a better person for others. When you feel good about yourself, you treat others better.” Solange Knowles.

Many of us were brought up to believe that focusing on our needs was somehow selfish. A desire to please people can also mean that we prioritise other people’s demands and needs before our own. Therefore, it can lead to feelings of guilt when we put ourselves first. Many people also confess to feeling weak if they show some vulnerability and admit that they need some help.

I tell people that we can all learn about the importance of self-care from the Mother Theresa quote “If you want to keep a lamp burning you have to keep putting oil in it.” Self-care is not a fluffy; it’s about taking responsibility for our physical, psychological, emotional and social needs.

When I discuss the importance of self-care with clients, I refer to the metaphor that I learned from boarding a plane. Have you noticed that when they make the safety announcement the crew always give a specific instruction?

The plane’s crew tell you that in the event of an emergency (when the oxygen mask appears) to apply your mask first. They say that you must do this before you attempt to help others with their mask. The reason for this is that if you don’t have oxygen/energy you won’t be in a position to help others!

It’s imperative, to avoid burn out that we balance the amount of time that we care for others with the time we allocate to meet our own needs. Being well rested and looking after our health means that we will have the requisite energy to help those around us and keep delivering first class results. Sometimes we simply have to put ourselves first so that we can be the best we can be and have the energy to help others.

If you’re regularly tired because you have irregular sleep patterns, skip meals or fail to get exercise, then start making self-care a priority.

Many people put others needs in front of their own, as they feel it self-indulgent to themself first. In order to maintain good health, it’s vital that you put some time aside and adopt some habits to take care of yourself. 

The phrase self-care has gained in popularity over recent years and reminds us of the importance of taking care of our needs, so we can be the best we can be. It prompts us to take care of our physical needs (getting enough sleep, right diet, regular exercise etc.); emotional needs (asking for help when needed); mental needs (stimulating job, interests, personal development etc.); spiritual needs (time for prayer, meditation etc.).

Having good self-care also helps us to maintain good health and this should be a good incentive to look after ourselves. In life having good health is the real wealth.

Here are a few self-care tips: –

• Keep hydrated. Drink plenty of water – the recommended daily intake is 1.5-2 litres a day.
• Good regular sleep. Aim for good quality sleep of 8 hours a night.
• Strengthen boundaries. Decide what your limits are, communicate these to others. Get clarity on what you will and won’t tolerate. Get comfortable saying no to demands on your time.
• Eat 5 pieces of fruit or vegetables. Do this every day.
• It is recommended that you undertake 30 minutes of physical exercise every day. This doesn’t have to be a visit to a gym, walking is good for you.
• Put some time aside to watch some funny movies or comedy shows and have a good laugh. Humour helps you feel good, more relaxed and energised.
• Avoid negative people and environments that drag you down. Ensure that you spend time with people who radiate energy and help you increase your energy levels and not deplete them!
• Give up being a people pleaser. Be kind to yourself and ensure that your self-talk is encouraging and positive.
• Unplug from technology on at least one day a week. Give your brain a rest and be in the moment.

 
This week, why not pause for a few moments to reflect and consider if you need to take any action to put your needs first more often. Also think about what personal steps you need to take to create more energy and balance in your life.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk