It’s a Knockout! – Overcoming those slippery obstacles
I often hear clients giving themselves a hard time for neglecting to do something that they’ve been meaning to do for ages.
When I ask them how high it is on their priority list and what time they’d set aside to do it….there’s usually a silence. This hadn’t been a consideration.
Ask yourself, have you ever reached the end of yet another week and thought ‘Oh, I’ve forgotten to do that AGAIN!” – I know I have!
Now ask yourself is it because you forgot, or is there something stopping you from doing it?
We often set ourselves our very own ‘It’s a Knockout’ style challenges without even knowing it! The little Stu Hall voice in our head is telling us we need to climb over that inflatable plastic castle but meanwhile we’re covering it in water and washing up liquid making it harder and harder to get up.
Although we may blame others for putting these challenges in our way, in reality it’s usually ourselves that are the culprits. For example, one of the obstacles or hurdles that I hear clients use is that they just don’t have the time. In these situations, try this:
- Write down in one sentence what it is you want to achieve, using language that assumes it has already been done. Ensure it is the final step of what you want to accomplish. For example, write “My car has passed its MOT”, rather than “I will book my car in for an MOT”
- By the side of this, put the date of when it will be completed ensuring it is achievable and realistic.
- Now make a note of the steps you will take to achieve that goal. Really break it down into bite size chunks.
- Put dates AND times of when you will complete each step, remembering to check your diary to ensure you’re still being REALISTIC about your availability. If by doing this the end-date has to be extended then so be it!
- Now add each task to your diary.
- Last but not least – get on and do it!
Think about the obstacles you’ve overcome in the past, something you’d put off for ages…when it’s finally done there is usually a sense of relief, a weight off your mind and you think “that wasn’t so bad after all!”
One of the key points I learnt from using this method is setting a date and more importantly a time for the tasks. This would go in my diary like any other appointment. This works so much more effectively than just saying “that should take about an hour” and then never committing to which hour that will be!
Try this technique out and let me know how you get on!
You can also contact me via my Facebook group hgcoaching or search for me on Twitter @hgcoaching
Warmest Regards
Holly
Tags: Coaching, prioritising, small business, start ups, time management
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