Do you find yourself with a ‘magpie brain’ where you are taken off track easily because you have so many ideas? Do you continually struggle with the notion of work-life balance and find that boundaries begin to blur and time runs away with you? Or do you find it difficult to get or stay motivated?
Mindset is a huge topic and is branded around a lot. The bliss bunnies and happy-clappy gang talk about gratitude and always looking at the positive and while I buy into both I think there is more to it than that. I help client’s every day with different aspects of mindset and often dip into the deeper psychological issues of really understanding their behavioural triggers to help create more effective habits. That said, I also believe that we have to start where we are and that there are merits in looking at some of the really simple things that can help us get back on track.
I had the pleasure of meeting Claire Winter earlier this year. Claire is a journalist, content creator, and trainer who teaches businesses how to write compelling copy. I was invited to her Facebook Group – Cracking Content, which is a group to give you handy content creation tips. Claire asked me to give a short interview to help her tribe think about how they can get their mindset in the right place to achieve what it is what they want to accomplish in business and life.
Here are the three questions with some key takeaways.
After debating whether or not balance does exist Claire asked me the big question – How do we get ourselves in the right headspace?
Some of it is common sense. I think it’s about knowing yourself and get into a positive relationship with yourself. First of all, know your outcome – for the day, week, month or even your big vision. It’s important to know where you are going to foster the right mindset. Like with most things there isn’t a one size fits all.
I cringe at the memories of corporate life when decisions were made to paint a mural of a jungle with monkeys hanging out, call the meeting room The Treehouse and then expecting people to become the worlds best innovators suddenly! Really? That said, I know that my environment can massively impact my mindset. This is where knowing yourself is important.
Most of the time I thrive when I am working in a light, clutter-free area whereas my husband can negotiate the most complex spreadsheet surrounded by domestic chaos. I enjoy clothes and like to dress to impress (myself and no one else) and so even when I work from home, wearing clothes that I feel good in can shift my mindset. I have also worked with coaches that carry out lots of their work very successfully in their dressing gown all day, so find what works for you. Experiment and notice when you are in your most resourceful state.
If knowing where you are going is so important, what are the ingredients to effective goal setting?
Consciously creating your day, week, month is so important. With the heavy demands of juggling modern day life it’s too easy to fall into the week and hit the ground running, and while we often deliver by the skin of our teeth, it doesn’t bode well for our best selves or our stress levels.
I was brainwashed into SMART, objective setting back in the days of corporate life and it never really did ignite my passion. I find that setting goals that are succinct, affirmative, compelling and self-maintained create the best results for my clients and me.
Succinct goals are to the point, helping you to recall them quickly and keep them front of mind. If we capture them in the affirmative (what we do want and not what we don’t), then this helps our brain visualise the results more efficiently. They have to draw you in, so creating goals that are compelling is vital otherwise it’s not going to feel remotely motivational leading to inaction. Finally, make sure that the goal is focused on what you can do or be and not reliant on someone else.
If you want to supercharge your goals, then think about intention setting. This is about getting out of your head and feeling into the purest form of your goal. Does it feel right to you or is it someone else’s goal? Feel into the purpose and get out of your head. We are emotional beings, and we all need to connect the head and the heart. Read more about intentions here https://jocowlin.com/4-steps-supercharge-goals/
Have a ‘Declaration Day’ and get your goals written down where you can see them. Use a whiteboard on your desk, create a screensaver of stick them in your journal. I think there is real power in placing them in your eye line as your work so you can keep your eye on the prize.
Claire is a self-confessed magpie “I have loads of ideas and get distracted. How do you stay with the big idea and not get distracted by all the other lovely shiny things?”
“When you find out, let me know!” was my response. The worst question she could have asked me because I too am very drawn to the next thing because I am a creative at heart and love what I do so its very easy for me to find myself doing three things at once. It’s not unusual for example for me to have 4 or 5 books on the go!
If you know your goal, then this becomes your guiding compass and the question to ask yourself as you find yourself excitedly starting yet another task is “Is this going to take me nearer or further away from my goal?”
Take advantage of the fantastic tech that is at our fingertips these days. Systems like Evernote, Basecamp, and Voxer can help you capture more items for your ‘to do’ list or ideas out of your head and into a more usable format. You don’t want to lose moments of creative inspiration, but if you don’t channel them appropriately, then you can quickly get into a space of overwhelm and feeling stuck.
Be accountable – find a buddy, declare it into a mastermind group or even get a best friend to hold you to account.
So here’s my back to basics guide to resetting your mindset:
- Know yourself – experiment and find what works for YOU and know that it will change from day to day so be flexible
- Take note from Stephen Covey (7 Habits) and start with the end in mind! Setting goals or being clear on your outcome is critical to calibrating the appropriate mindset
- Use your goals as your metaphorical SatNav – with every choice point decide to choose what will take your nearer to your goal and not further away if you want to stay focused
- Be accountable. Ideally to yourself but if you need
If you need extra accountability and want to discover more about working with me then get in touch.
