How to make sure you don't feel behind at the start of the year

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Today’s talking point:

Do you feel like you should have all your plans ready to take action on January 1? It's overwhelming at this time of year - so most of us either end up hiding away and avoiding everything completely, or we try and go full force but end up feeling overwhelmed and burnt out before the year has properly begun. So today as we kickstart a brand new year on the podcast, I want to revisit the topic of prioritising what matters and managing your time in a way that produces results AND protects your peace.

The start of a new year is a strange time. I always end up feeling this simultaneous urge to plan and review what’s been working and dig into the deep data, while also yearning to this deep breath, pause, to ease back into the year.

And here’s the thing: I truly believe there’s a space and time for both.

We’re living in a season of duality. When I checked in with my Busy To Boss Academy students on our first call of the year and asked them what the general vibe is for 2022 and across the board, the resounding phrase was ‘excited, but’.

Excited but nervous. Excited but stressed. Excited but not thinking practically. Mixed. Cautiously optimistic. They said they felt like there was SO much noise around being productive when all they wanted to do was hide. Does that sound familiar?

So many gurus preach that January should be your most productive month of the year and you should have all your plans laid out and ready to take action by January 1st.

And I think most of us either end up hiding away and avoiding everything completely, or we try and go full force but end up feeling overwhelmed and burnt out before the year has properly begun.

It’s this feeling of wanting to go full force and ease back in all at the same time and that can feel super overwhelming.

It’s a delicate dance and one that I’m still working on mastering, and I believe I’ll be working on mastering it for the rest of my life. But if 2021 has taught me anything, it’s that I can be stretched outside of my comfort zone and still show up and do the work while prioritising myself and my family, and while moving the most important things forward. The catch? I have to have a solid game plan set up for myself.

When I head into a workday or week frazzled without clear direction and I don’t have any clue what the priorities are or what should be tackled first, that’s always when my concentration suffers, my productivity plummets, and my workload seems larger and more obstructive than it actually is.

It’s like that feeling of looking at the to-do list and letting it claim victory over you before you’ve even attempted to cross a single thing off. Does anyone else feel this?

Let me share the 5 things that help me build efficient days that let me maximize my work time AND feel confident to close my laptop when the workday is done. These are my tried-and-true time management practices that I always return to when I feel frantic or frazzled, which can especially happen at the start of a new year when you’re made to feel so behind.

Take what you need, leave what you don’t, and know that you have the power and choice to make every day wonderful in your own way, in a way that only you can. So let’s dive in.

1: mindful planning

This year I’ve started a brand new email series called The Mini Pep Talk. One of the pep talks last week was around this idea of NOT setting resolutions because, let’s be honest, how helpful are they really? How often do we make a half-hearted plan, only to abandon it days (or weeks) into January?

There’s so much pressure to turn the start of a new year into the start of, well, a new you. It can feel overwhelming. But do we really need to set fitness goals, overhaul our diets, ban chocolate and alcohol, go vegan, and sign up for a marathon to make our upcoming year the #LivingMyBestLife everyone else seems to be doing on social media?

Going full-tilt into a big change like this can be too much for some of us - and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Instead of feeling guilty or pushed into making big lifestyle changes for the new year, a healthy alternative can be to ask yourself what you really need, want, or would benefit from.

Making small, sustainable changes can be more motivating and can act as a catalyst for bigger changes we want to see in ourselves and our environment.

For me and my clients and students, we take the approach of setting intentions and outlining our key areas of focus for the year ahead and letting those turn into our goals.

Setting goals is such an important step to get you from where you are now, to where you want to be. From the moment you start to think about what you really want to achieve, you’re already taking those first few important steps towards achieving.

With this as well, creating realistic deadlines and achievable milestones towards bigger changes can also be a huge help. Take this opportunity to start making real, impactful changes that are focused on your specific needs, goals and desires.

Here are some journal prompts that can help you with this:

What is the single biggest thing you want to accomplish in 2022?
Who exactly do you need to be in order to get there? Remember this quote by Jim Rohn: success is something you attract by the person you become. So who do you need to become?
What is the single most important thing you can do this year to get there?
What is the single biggest roadblock you will face while reaching this goal? Better to identify this now rather than later.
What is an investment you will make that will scare and stretch you? Is it buying a new tool? Investing in a coach? Hiring? What is best for you and your goals?
Which 3 words best describe your business in 2022? Keep these front and centre.

And a bonus to wrap up this first step is to identify your vision and mission statement for 2022. Your vision is your aspirations, goals and direction. Your mission statement is how your business adds value and the impact you have on your community.

2: Commit Selectively

Over-commitment can be a huge hurdle towards achieving our goals and resolutions. It’s hard to say no and risk being the bad guy, but when we put too much pressure on ourselves to be and do everything that leaves little to no space for us to grow and develop in the ways that matter most to us. When we take on too much we are, in essence, setting ourselves up for failure.

If you struggle to say no, there are some tips that can help you. Things like recognising the value of no and knowing that NO is a full sentence which is probably the biggest tip I have.

With this as well comes setting boundaries. For example, my phone lives in a drawer in my office for a good portion of the day and we have a strict no-devices policy whenever we’re spending time with Jacob - unless it’s to take cute pictures and videos of him.

When my device is strategically placed somewhere else, it makes it less tempting to pick it up mindlessly and scroll is one of the most underrated and valuable productivity hacks… ever. And it’s free and doable for ANYONE.

And if you’re someone who has email on their phone (seriously delete it) or has an email tab open all hours of the day, it’s time to set expectations and boundaries around that inbox. Most emails and inquiries AREN’T urgent, let’s be real here. The majority of them can wait an hour or two or five until you have the capacity to take them on… until then, having your email tab open on your internet browser is just like playing whack-a-mole for your brain.

Start your day on your terms, set your boundaries and only commit to things that truly align with you and that light you up.

3: start today

You don’t need to wait until a specific time of year to start making the changes you want to see in your life. Sure, the idea of having a new start in the new year is a nice one, but who says you have to wait to get started? Procrastination can be a huge stumbling block. While a little procrastination isn’t always a bad thing, taking control and overcoming procrastination can be tough.

Most people procrastinate either because it’s easier to stay where they are, or they are afraid of change. Without intervention and positive actions, you could end up staying where you are.

There’s a quote by Tony Robbins that says “If you do what you have always done, you get what you have always gotten”. So before we move on, I want to share 3 really actionable exercises to help you start moving forward with this.

Action one

Getting used to change is the key and learning to embrace it. If you start changing small daily routines and get used to this, you will find it easier to make even bigger changes. So first I want you to write a small list of some little changes you can make to your weekly and daily routine. Here are some examples:

Get up a little earlier and create more time.
Move furniture around in a room.
Try shopping somewhere different and cooking something new.
Try a new activity or hobby

Activity two

Choose a small task that you have been putting off for a long time. I want you to:

Set a time for when you will do the task.
Plan out everything you will need to do in order to achieve it.
Be realistic about how much time you need to allow – always overestimate rather than underestimate.
s anyone going to help you and if so ask them and schedule the time for them? Remember the 3 questions we’ve gone through before on this podcast when it comes to auditing your to-do list, for any task you can ask yourself – does this need to be done? Does this need to be done right now? Does this need to be done by me? If it’s still a task that needs to be done by you then make sure you have the resources to complete it.

With this activity as well you will create a domino effect so every time you achieve a task and it has taken effort, you will feel a sense of achievement and purpose and this feeling is what will help you to keep up the momentum.

Once you have achieved your first task, you must pick your next task and follow the same routine. If you do this properly you can’t fail, but you must stick to a plan. It is the ‘Can do’ attitude that you are trying to establish, and with this, you will slowly beat procrastination.

Activity three

Visualise success. This is a game-changer and this will actually help you be successful with action two as a motivator to start the process. Think of something you really want to achieve but you can’t seem to move forward for whatever reason.

Then I have 3 prompts for you:

Imagine you are there and you have what you want, enjoy this image
How does it feel to be there? Immerse yourself in these feelings
What can you see or hear as you achieve it?

Now hold onto these feelings and use them to make the start on your chosen task. The first step is always the hardest, once you start the process, momentum will keep you going.

If you think your dreams and goals are very ambitious and difficult to achieve, then you may need much more confidence and thorough planning to achieve them which is something you could look at for this year.

That’s exactly what the Busy to Boss Academy programme is all about, breaking down your goals and helping you achieve them. But don’t underestimate the power of making the first move to beat procrastination, however small it is.

4: watch for burnout

A lot of you might be thinking ‘Holly I get burnout when I finish work for Christmas, not in January’. But do you know the differences between stress and burnout?

They often have similar symptoms. While stress tends to be more short-term and manageable, burnout can lead to some serious problems for your health, mood, motivation, home and work life. Addressing your work/life balance (or work-life blend) as I like to call it can be one way to help head off the signs.

Starting the new year off with a focus on what may be holding you back can help you to start putting your wellbeing first. Make self-care a priority. After all, self-care means giving the world the best of you instead of what is left of you.

With this step as well I wanted to touch on setting up a space that is conducive to work. A study in the European Journal of Social Psychology stated that sitting up straight and sticking your chest out can increase your productivity and creativity and I sure as heck know that sitting in that manner helps me have enough breath to record podcast episodes.

So many of us started working from home in 2020 and still are to this day. That means it’s important that we don’t just treat this as temporary but that we create a space that is conducive to productive working. That doesn’t mean you need a formal office to get work done.

Here’s what you DO need for a successful work setup: a flat surface for your computer that’s not your lap or a pillow, and yes, your kitchen counter or dining room table will do JUST fine. A comfortable chair that allows you to sit upright comfortably with your feet planted on the ground.

And, a handful of helpful items at your disposal, like your lip balm, water bottle, headphones, planner, and a pen or pencil. I promise, if you set up every day in a setting like this rather than plopping your computer next to your body pillow in bed, you’ll find you have way more energy and gumption to get stuff done, AND your body and brain will feel so much better doing it.

5: Take care of you

Take care of your mind and body. If worry and anxiety about the new year are starting to take their toll, take this chance to step back and focus on putting yourself first. Health and wellbeing can take a backseat when we are feeling overwhelmed, stressed, anxious or nervous; making small changes to help you address these feelings can help you to develop ongoing positive coping mechanisms that will support you throughout the new year and beyond.

There are so many different things you can try to help with this. You can do yoga for anxiety (and yoga in general) can help to lower your stress levels, create a sense of calm, and boost your mood.

You can try tapping, aromatherapy, even hypnotherapy and nutritional therapy. But one of the best things you can do is mindset work and mindfulness exercises. This is my favourite way to help with my anxiety and it’s such an important part of being a business owner.

It’s exactly why we have monthly mindset coaching sessions in the Busy To Boss Academy so your head is in the right place as you’re working towards this big picture vision you have for yourself. Our co-coach Joanne is also a trained yoga instructor and her mindset sessions in the academy are always incredible.

Recap

Your easy to follow, 5 step plan if you feel overwhelmed…

Goodbye resolutions, hello mindful planning,
Commit selectively
Ditch procrastination, start today
Keep an eye our for burnout
Take care of you

Before I let you go I wanted to end with 3 simple reminders to help you go into a new year to help ground you and calm you.

Reminder one

There is no rush and there is no race. The top of the year naturally brings about this anxious feeling of rebirth, restart and refresh. Given the “new year, new me" culture, we almost feel as if we literally need to be reborn come January first. But the distance between the 31st December and the 1st of January is the same distance between today and tomorrow. Meaning that you literally have every day at your disposal to turn a new leaf, to follow your passions or to just believe in yourself.

Reminder two

Move at your own pace. Listen to your inner voice, and tune out that mad dash to be your most productive self! Yes, by all means, please be happy for your fellow bosses, but don’t allow for their pace to deter you from yours. It's very possible to be inspired by your own lane. Trust yourself and move at the pace that you know works for both you and your work style.

Reminder three

It is better to move strategically than quickly. In many and most industries, being great is only half the battle, because the test comes from being great consistently. When you're simply worried about pace, this allows for you to make mistakes, to not use strategy, and in a lot of cases, to burn out. Don’t worry though, because you can always take a step back and reassess the steps that it takes, and the order in which you take them.

Whether you’re easing yourself back into this year or you want to start 2022 with a fresh approach to bossing it and checking off your to-do list, I hope you feel a little more capable of working in your flow zone and focusing on what should be your priorities.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to time management, and something that works one week may very well be counterproductive for you the next week. That’s why I’m a huge fan of leaning into your intuition, listening to what your mind and body needs, looking at the logical needle movers, and prioritising from there.

There’s no such thing as perfect productivity 24/7, and you WILL have off days or distractions come in to swoop you away, but as long as you have some helpful methods to fall back on, you’ll be able to get into a rhythm that not only keeps you moving forward, but that FEELS good too. And that’s just as important when it comes to the work we do! Because productivity is only profitable when it’s focused on the right things.