Tag: Management

3 Steps To Getting Stuff Done

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Nothing betas the feeling of getting stuff done – Photo by Rakicevic Nenad from Pexels

Wow.

We have made it to the end of January.

Blue Monday is behind us.

Eleven months lie ahead.

And that is a lot of space for completing goals.

To be fair I’ve accomplished one of my main 2020 goals already (there are plenty left on my list).

This was one I had put off, as there is some pain linked with it, which made it harder to deal with.

Anyway, my method to get even the painful stuff done is simple;

  • Clearly define what needs doing
  • Set a specific time aside to do it and
  • Line up a reward for afterwards

What works for you? You can share your secret to success on Twitter @RogerD_Said

What Should We Do To Enjoy A #Happy New Year?

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Inspiring image of a climber
Where Will Your Next Step Take You? – Photo Credit smswigart via Morguefile.com

We all want a happy new year.

Don’t we?

At the start of the year advertisers make the most of that fact. They tell us that:

  • If we join the gym we can be healthier.
  • Moving home will make us that much happier.
  • Our lives will be even better if we start a new job.

But investing in those changes means accepting there are happiness gaps in our life (affecting our Health, Comfort or Career) and that these gaps need to be tackled.

Gap filling tools include, self help books; trusted advice; even blog posts.

Speaking for myself I am going to make more time this year to keep score. By that I mean taking time to assess my life to work out where the happiness gaps are. If an area scores 5 out of 10, or less, then I have to move it up a notch. I will set a goal, agree some actions, relate the actions to dates and get started. I’ll write about the results here.

I hope this post helps nudge you to sit down with a cuppa and score the important parts of your life out of 10, to work out what you can change.

Feel free to comment on your goals here, or share your thoughts in a tweet @RogerD_Said

Here’s to a great 2020.

3 Qualities To Help Reach 2020 #Goals

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A hand reaching out to the future - Photo by Ignored shots from Pexels
What Will We Achieve In 2020 ? Photo by Ignored shots from Pexels

So, the end of the year is here and I am looking back at how I achieved my goals, so I can reach out toward my next set of goals and achieve more of them in 2020.

What are the three things qualities I had to practice to achieve more in 2019?

Patience 

Making time to slow down and look again at my plan, message, relationships meant more chance of spotting a mistake and creating a better result. 

Gratitude 

Saying ‘thank you ‘ improved the quality of my relationships, even if they were related to simple projects.  

Acceptance 

Sometimes difficult situations cannot be changed only endured. Even bad situations can be a good learning opportunities. It has been worthwhile asking, What do I want instead of what I have got?

What have been your take-aways from 2019? Feel free to leave a reply or Tweet me @RogerD_Said

Have a great 2020!

5 Tools For #Success In Tough Times

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How Do You Start Moving Towards Success? Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels

Wow, it is almost the start of June and there are 215 days left until the new year.

There is no way I can predict what will happen between now and then, any more than I could have anticipated what I have had to deal with so far in 2019 (the list includes bereavement, bureaucracy and building new relationships).
Having said that I have found the following 5 points to be important in achieving success with my goals even in tough times (I hope you find them useful too):
  • Openness – being prepared to ask for help before being overcome by feelings of overwhelm.
  • Sharing – letting others know what is happening and what it is teaching you.
  • Listening – I have found paying close attention to what people are saying, beyond the words they are using, has been very helpful.
  • Humour – this can be difficult, but finding the lighter side of a dark situation can help with keeping things in perspective.
  • Forgiveness – we all make mistakes and no one is perfect. Getting hung up on the harm others have caused us reduces the time we can spend making a positive contribution to the world.
What are your top 5 success tools? Which one do you go to most often? Feel free to Like or Share if this post has struck a chord.

World Mental Health Day Means We Can Do More Than #Asktwice

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Guys Laughing

We Can Count On Our Friends To Help Us Feel Better – Picture by Nappy at Pexels dot com

Today is World Mental Health Day.

The goal for #WMHD is raising awareness that 1 in 4 of us will personally experience mental health challenges during our life.

Yes, that is even true for us guys. Although getting us talking about our feelings can be hard work (that’s why it is worth asking us twice ‘how are you’ just to check what is really going on).

Having poor mental health sucks, believe me: It might be back in the early 2000s but I remember that feeling alone; being unable to get out of bed; seeing the world in black and white made no sense at all.

Today is is also time to remember we can overcome the rubbish feelings caused by stress, anxiety and depression with the help of family, friends and maybe professionals.

How do we start to change our situation?

By talking about our feelings with our family, colleagues and mates today.

And keeping the conversation going tomorrow.

And the next day.

And the next.

What Are Your Next Steps?

This isn’t an easy conversation to have. If this post rings bells here are some questions we can ask ourselves to get started. 

  • Who can we talk to about what is really going on inside?
  • What isn’t working in our life?
  • What is the smallest step that might help us feel just a bit better?
  • Do we need professional help?

Thanks for reading this post. How will you use the information to make your life, or someone else’s better? Follow the link to Time For Change if you want to know more https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/asktwice

Finally, remember to Like, Comment and Share so others can learn how to help themselves too.

How To Choose The Next Step Toward Your #Goal In 5 Minutes

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Take A Few Minutes To Discover Your Next Step – Image Riccardo Bresciani at Pexels dot com

Everyone is busy these days, although some of us have already enjoyed a few vacation days this summer. Some others are looking forward to their holiday in the sun. Here’s a thought: How many of us understand the stresses and strains we carry around while we are busy leading our 9 to 5 lives as leaders, managers, entrepreneurs or creatives?

Good news, there is a way we can achieve a better understanding of ourselves at work, at home, or on a mountain top.

How To Get Clarity Over Your Goals In 5 Minutes

I’ve found five minutes of mindfulness a day can help answer the question, what should I be doing next? What does my approach involve?

  • Sitting with a straight back, eyes closed
  • Breathing deeply from the diaphragm
  • Relaxing shoulders, arms and legs
  • Tuning out the sounds around me
  • Noticing what I am feeling in my head, heart and gut
  • Finding a way to use all that information after my five minutes are up and I feel refreshed

What would five minutes a day of mindfulness do for you today? How about over the next week?  Take a moment to write down and share your answer. Feel free to message your discovery on Twitter @RogerD_Said You can Like and Share the post too, if it has been helpful.

Thank you for reading the post and have a great day.

Here Are The 3 Key Questions To Answer Before Setting Your Next #Goal

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People Planning Their Future

Where Will Your Next Goal Take You? Picture Credit Pexels.Com

The seasons are about to change and Spring is in the air. This is the time of year where plenty of us are thinking about what we want to happen next in our life and how satisfied we are with the status quo.

How Are Things With You?

Take a minute and be honest with yourself. How have you felt over the last year?

Congratulations if the last 12 months were ideal and gave you every chance to shine. You now have the choice of staying the same and still enjoying life without too much effort.

If the last 12 months were a struggle and you feel frustrated, unhappy or stuck in a rut you owe it to yourself to set a goal that will change your life. Here’s the key question to answer to get you started.

Where Will You Focus Your Attention?

It is very easy to get caught up in the business of being busy. If you have a job, lead a team, run a business, have a family and enjoy your social life your calendar is already full.

Do yourself a favour. Stop. Take a piece of paper and a pen then write down the key words that matter to you. This could look like a list, or it might be spread across the page. Either way you will have information from which you can pick the one area on which you can focus attention (the area you know in your heart / gut needs some work). That’s the one on which to build your next goal.

What Is Your Next Move?

The resources in the blog posts right here will give pointers to get going on your goal and change your situation for the better. Alternatively, if you are in London on 7 April you can book yourself a place at my next goal-setting workshop and get support to create the kind of powerful goal which will help you move forward over the coming months. Follow the link for more information and tickets (feel free to comment, like and share so others can also get the benefit of the opportunity).  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/create-great-goals-tickets-41940471078

See You on 7 April – All the best

Roger

3 Steps Toward Successful Goal Setting

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People At An Outdoor Party

Who Will You Celebrate Your Success With? Photo by jens johnsson on Unsplash

Are you struggling to define your main 2018 goal? No worries if you are. We’ve all been there.

Knowing we can do better is the easy part. Setting a goal that leads to major life changes can feel overwhelming. Breaking the situation down into manageable chunks will help.

Here are 3 powerful steps to help achieve our goals

Defining the outcome we want to achieve 
There is power in writing down the results we will achieve, when we will achieve them and what our victory will feel like. Paying attention to our results helps us invest emotionally in the work to bring them about.
Identifying our first steps 
With the headline goal written down it is tempting to get going, without an action plan. Not a good idea. That’s like setting out on a journey without a preferred route.
Better results come from a plan which starts from point A and delivers some immediate gains. Those act as a confirmation that we are headed in the right direction. What would be your chosen point A? How will you know you are going in the right direction?
Lining up our support network 
There’s a limit to what we can achieve on our own. The way forward involves points B, C, D and so on. Having supporters’ help along the way brings 2 advantages. We can help other people do more and achieve more as they improve their lives. Plus we get to tap into a lively knowledge network when we get stuck on our path. That’s a win win situation.
Who is in your network and how can you help them?
What’s Your Next Move?
Thanks for your engagement this year. Use the reply option to comment on this post, if you found the information above helpful. Feel free to Like and Share too.
Good luck setting your next big goal and Merry Christmas if you are reading this in December.

3 Steps To Achieve Your #Goal of Greater #Job Satisfaction

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A Firework Display

A Firework Display – Picture Credit Morguefile

This is the time of year for fireworks. Ideally every day we spend at work would be the kind of day to celebrate with them.

Is your work exciting, challenging and fun? If it isn’t your next goal could be changing that situation.

The Facts

According to May 2016 employee-outlook research by the CIPD* nearly a quarter of UK employees are dissatisfied with their role and ready to go elsewhere:

Job satisfaction in the UK has dropped to its lowest level in over two years and job seeking intentions have risen to almost a quarter (24%) of employees – a two and half year high.

What Options Do We Have If Work Is Dissatisfying?

Here are 3 steps to take if you want to move past the stuck-in-a-rut feeling

Achievements – List them. Take stock of what you have accomplished in the last 12 months and write down how these wins tell your story. How does the learning you have completed make you attractive as a member of a new team? Where could the new skills you have displayed add value to a new project? When have you stood out as a leader and what can you contribute beyond your day job?

Bravery – Practice it. Successful job changers spend time in uncomfortable situations. It is uncomfortable to plan how to plug gaps in your resume /CV. Getting feedback from practice interviews can be tough. Having your job applications go nowhere can be demoralizing. Keep trying.

Choices – Make smart ones. Is there a local project you can volunteer for which allows you to use your existing skills and gain new ones? Which network can you become active in to connect to people you can help? How can you use social media to show others what you are capable of?

What Is Your Next Step?

Rather than wait for the New Year why not use the ideas above to start making changes to your story. If you are inspired to take action use the comment section to tell others what you are going to do. You can Like and Share too

All the best. Roger

You can find out more about UK employees’ outlook at http://www.cipd.co.uk )

How To Start Paying Attention To Your Priorities And #Goals

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Moving Toward Your Goals - Picture From CDN At Morguefile.com

Moving Toward Your Goals – Picture From CDN At Morguefile.com

 

I’m at my most consistent…I feel ready physically, psychologically, everything, so I am really excited

 

Tom Daley – Olympian Diver, Speaking Before His 2016 Bronze Medal Win

Lessons From Olympians

So the Olympics are here once again and I’ve been thinking about all the effort that lays behind being ready to achieve peak performance. Team GB have worked hard to be third in the medal tables. Watching a team member achieve a personal best, or an Olympic record in just a few seconds is only part of the story.

Here’s A Thought Experiment

Imagine yourself standing on the edge of the 10 metre Olympic diving board.

You tune out the hundreds of people in the aquatic centre. You don’t think about the millions watching at home. Your team mates and coach have helped you stand ready to perform at your best.

You breathe deeply. Then you spring off the board and tuck into your dive. Your thoughts are focused on your goal. You know you are going to achieve a perfect result. You perform twists and turns like nothing else matters, because nothing else does. You enter the deep water and you come back to the surface. You are buzzing with the feeling of achievement. You did your best.

How easy was it to focus on your outcome? Could you tune out all the background noise?

How To Start Paying Attention To Your Goal

I am not an Olympian, few people are, but I think we can all strive to achieve our main goal, if we are clear what aspect of our performance requires attention.

Sir Dave Brailsford (Principal of British cycling’s Team Sky) and coach has a theory about this. He believes that by concentrating on making a large number of small changes to improve performance, the net gain is significant. Each step is a marginal gain. Those steps correspond to the gradual process of becoming consciously competent at life.

I know background noise and life’s pressures can seem overwhelming. They can crowd out the internal messages which tell me it is time to change. However, once I have decided what I want to achieve (and when I want to achieve it) I can set a goal. That goal will help me move forward. The goal today was to write this post from scratch to share some information with you. I started with a blank page and here I am putting the finishing touches to it.

Getting started was hard. The next few steps were easier. Maybe the same is true for you?

How To Get Started

If you want to work out where you can focus your attention today is a good day to start. Why not start improving your wellbeing, strengthening your team working skills, or begin creating client-pleasing results now. There is plenty of support at hand (so you don’t have to feel isolated).

Your first step is easy. Head over to the Members’ area and download a free tool to help you start to reach your goal. If you want to share your progress you can leave fa reply with your comments below (or Tweet me @RogerD_Said ). Don’t forget to Like this post, or Share it to help others get started on their way.

Thanks for reading and keep an eye out for more ideas about doing what you need to so you can move toward your goal.