Pendulum Fallout

Often the very thing we are trying so desperately to avoid  – is the very thing that we need.

Certainly in my case I am discovering this.  In leaving my corporate job over 4 years ago now, I said goodbye to structure, routines, procedures, deadlines and performance reviews and of course a steady wage.

What this gave me was much needed flexibility, time and space to firstly work out who I was, and who I was meant to be – and just how to start following that path.  To be honest I felt as though structure and routines were killing me from the inside out.  But with a little time and retrospect –

it was not the general concept of routines that was doing the damage, rather just the purpose for following those routines.  

To do a job for someone else that I no longer resonated with.  

Needless to say I made some huge leaps forward in my own personal mental and spiritual health during my anti-routine phase.  But recently I’ve come to see how this has manifested itself in my life now as what may appear as laziness, or lack of focus, or lack of drive – but as I know deep down to be fear, confusion and self -worth issues.  I am constantly working on those things in the background.

But what I’ve decided to do to support me on this journey is to get my SELF- DISCIPLINE muscle moving again. After all living a remarkable life won’t happen while your sitting on your butt watching Netflix and eating Cheezles.

I’ve compiled a little list of the things I am putting into place to help me exercise my Self Discipline muscle. I thought you might like to read them. Whether you work for yourself, or if you have something you want to get off the ground – or really any area of your life that you feel you need to get unstuck from….Maybe you will discover something you didn’t think of, or maybe you will look at one of the suggestions from a different point of view. Either way if it sheds just a little light on your journey and propels you that one step forward, then that is my intention fulfilled.

Planning

I recently saw a video on FB where Marie Forleo explains how she does her planning the night before for her day ahead.  

This is a habit I sporadically invest in, however, I think it really helps when you have so much to do, and you don’t know exactly what to do with the time you have.  

A little pre-planning the night before can help your day run more smoothly. It also helps you measure your productivity and gives you a greater sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.

 My experience is to limit yourself to between 1 and 3 things a day.  

Check out the video HERE  

Boundaries

This sounds suspiciously like another word for Structure if you ask me.

But seriously when I map out my days  – and I designate particular days to be “work days”, it helps me to say “NO” to those things which will take me away from doing my work.  

Having kids often has me stretched in all directions to attend school performances, deal with unexpected illnesses, attend appointments, etc. However by having boundaries in place I can work out what goes on the list of things that will interrupt my “work days” (e.g.. sick child) or things that don’t interrupt my “work days’ and need to be scheduled for another time (e.g.. coffee catch ups).

This can apply if you are chasing a dream outside of your day job. You may have “dream days” or “dream hours” where you commit to working on that dream and not catching up on Netflix or sorting out the washing.

Guidance

Guidance can take many forms.  

When you no longer work in an office environment, or you are working on a dream from the comfort of your own home, it is easy to miss out on the benefits of what other people already know or how they can change and enhance your ideas.  

Human connection does amazing things for your creativity and the saying “two heads are better than one” certainly applies when you are feeling stuck or unmotivated.

There are many ways to seek guidance – simply by checking out Youtube to see if someone else has done something similar, or maybe something that inspires you and unlocks something further for you.

 Alternatively you may want to check in with a friend – and bounce some ideas around.  I

f you feel that you don’t have anyone who may get what you are doing, I can highly recommend the lovely Che from Blessed Brisbane who is offering 1 on 1 session for a 2 hour dream and heart storming session.  I had one the other day, and the notes, ideas and plans I came away with have got me feeling very inspired with my purpose.

Another resource I love to use is THE UNICORN PROJECT from Jo at The Darling Tree. It a journal based program to help you make real progress on a project you may be working on.

Please note I am not affiliates for any of these products.

Truth Seeking

In my own words, this is more like Tough Love..focused on yourself. It’s time to take away all the BS and excuses and acknowledge that my drive for flexibility and avoiding stress and burnout is in actual fact just a road block to success.

 A little raw review shows me how my lack of structure and routines has allowed me to let many things slip into the “I’ll get around to that one day” basket. This is not an opportunity for beating yourself up – by no means. More of a getting to what’s true and what’s not.

It is also a great opportunity to see what you have let into your life that is draining your energy – for me this equates to late night NETFLIX binges, a few too many indulgences in food that make me feel less than, and a lack of movement in my life.

 A little review of where your time and energy goes – and then refocusing back to what does work for you – goes a long way to get you back on track.

Trust

This is the one I think we all struggle with to some degree. Often we just want to be “there” already.  This is where lack of motivation and fear creep in when we are on the path but have set our sights on the end instead of the journey.  The end goal is waiting for us – but the journey is unwritten – and through the ongoing practice of trust, we can open ourselves up to really exploring the journey and seeing the sights along the way.

I’d love to know if you have any tips for keeping yourself on task without ending up in serious overload or stress mode.  As always your ideas and comments are a great source of inspiration.