5 steps to summer success…

Towards the end of July, most school children in UK received their end of year report card. Remember those days? Well, being on the flip side, I didn't personally feel the joy or worry that comes with this kind of assessment - BUT it did inspire me to think about how I would be assessed against my targets for 2014 at this stage. 

Seeing as I love a good audit (as anyone who's read Happily Ever After for Grown-Ups will know) - it became a prompt for me to imagine my end of term report... and it was a great exercise. In summary, it was a little bit like this: 

Goal (NB: Phrased here in a very general way – don’t worry…I have these in a more specific, measurable way!)	Assessment Grade	Effort Grade (where 1 is excellent and 4 leaves much to be desired!)
Career development	B-	2
Health & Fitness aspirations	C+	2 / 3
Focus on family and friends	B	2
Adventure / fun	B	2
Gratitude	B+	1

To have a fair idea, you first need to know what your targets are - and it's most likely that these will involve recognition / clarity about your New Year's Resolutions… and if you weren’t clear then, why don’t you get clear now. 

What might yours be like? 

Looking (way back) towards my school days, I had to really work hard to achieve the A grades I wanted and these days it’s no different. Not only can it be difficult but is also a strategic approach needed in going for your goals… but when you really want something – it’s certainly worth that effort… and this is a GREAT time to focus in this way.

Why? Well, it’s summer time (at least in this hemisphere) and it’s a time when we tend to switch off a bit – and maybe even take a much needed vacation. Some people see relaxation as being the opposite of productivity but I’m a firm believer that it’s quite the opposite – and can be all about recharging your batteries… and perhaps even doing some reassessing if you have stepped off (or slowed down) the “daily life” treadmill.

With that in mind, here are just a few things for you to do this summer – to move forward with your aspirations during this ‘slower’ season while getting some summertime rest and of course having some summertime fun at the same time:

1. Your report: Do the exercise above – assessing where you are at the moment – taking the time to remind yourself what is important to you and why it’s worth keeping up the hard work.
2. Get active: Take a walk around your neighbourhood (or a run… if you’re that way inspired like my friend Elelta, creator of the “Joy Run”). Take deep breaths, appreciate the sights you don’t normally take the time to appreciate and get back home rejuvenated.
3. Reconnect: Contact 3-5 friends / family members that you’ve been meaning to get in touch with recently (no, I didn’t read your mind… we ALL have those good friends that have been in absentia because of mutually busy lives). Reach out. Sort it out. Have a good time.
4. Have a break from the norm: It might not be able to be a two week vacation on a beach for you right now but take a break from your regular work-life routine. The aim here is to spice up what you regularly get up to… and although you could do a gorgeous spa weekend with your loved one/s – these activities don’t actually have to cost much. You can go visit an out of town friend for the weekend (which also fulfils the aims in #3) for example… and enjoy whatever summertime fun your city has to offer. For me, that’s the Notting Hill Carnival which is coming up in two weeks – so excited!
5. Reflect: Make a note of things you’re grateful for AND things you have achieved in 2014 that you are proud of. Please do stop to do this in the summer while the pace has slowed down a bit. I bet things have happened in your life that you didn’t take the time to pat yourself on the back about. Take the time now (and don’t just think about them – write them down)

Now you are ready to crack on with the rest of 2014 – your head held high, rejuvenated from reconnecting with some important people in your life, having had a bit of time to rest and reflect and with a new found sense of gratitude – ready to keep on trucking towards those plans… and ensuring you enjoy the journey.

Watch out 2014… s/he’s back!

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Gina Visram is a career coach, speaker, mentor and author who works with career driven people in relationships and couples who are ready to work hard at being successful in their careers and personal lives - on their own terms. She has recently published Happily Ever After for Grown Ups: A Post-Wedding, Blues-Busting Guide for Newlyweds" and is committed to helping people get over overwhelm and achieve the career success/life balance they seek. For more information and to sign up to her free newsletter visit www.limitlesscoaching.com. 

You can rock 2013! (Yes... I said 2013)

The nights are dark, the air is crisp and every other ad on TV mentions the words "this Christmas." Yup - the season to be jolly is approaching which means that the end of 2013 is imminent.

How has 2013 been for you? How far along did you get with any New Years Resolutions you set more than 11 months ago? Did you score the new job you were after? Gain the promotion you were working towards? Create a deeper, more supportive connection with your partner? Spend more quality time with your children? Have more fun with your friends? Lose that excess weight that's been bugging you?  Plan or go on the spectacular holiday you wanted?

Yes? Yay you! There really is not much else that is as satisfying as moving closer and closer to these sorts of goals if they help you create the kind of lifestyle you want.

If you've not quite gotten there yet and are already Thinking "it didn't happen this year but I'll DEFINITELY make it happen in 2014" then I would like to stop you in your tracks. Whoa there! "I'll make it happen next year?!" Your resolve is commendable but you have forgotten one thing. There are (just under) 7.. Yes nearly 7 weeks of 2013 left. You know his much can happen in 7 weeks? Lots - to put it mildly - so with that in mind I would like to share 7 ways that you can progress further to your goals in the last 7 weeks of 2013. 

1. Look for a quick win: Are you close to achieving one of your goals but not quite there yet?  If you've been wanting to spend more quality time with someone for example call them now. This moment. Set a date for 2013. Boom... done.

2. Break it down: No... I'm not encouraging a funky 80s dance move but I am encouraging you to split your goal into parts. For example, if - like a few of my clients - you are working towards gaining your doctorate or your masters, please don't beat yourself up if you didn't complete it in 2013 as you had hoped. Sometimes life really does get in the way or you have been missing the motivation. Whatever the case, don't just decide this is a 2014 goal now. Decide what you can still do this year to progress your goal. Can you write or plan your literature review? Progress your research by booking a few interviews into the diary? Set aside a day or 2 in the library to get away from it all and force yourself to write (you may even find its less busy with everyone focused on shopping for the holidays!). There is no shortage of things you can do to focus and achieve an aspect of your overall goal this year - and you'll be so proud that you did.

3. Make a plan for the coming week/s. At this time of year, the diary may fill up fast with festive fun - which is fantastic in ways but not fruitful of you still have some things to achieve this year. With that in mind, plan your week to ensure you are diarising 'goal time' as if you don't - that time will be swallowed up.

4. Book a meeting: As most goals involve an ally in some way - book a meeting with that person. That can work for most goals! Book a meeting with the person who will help you make it happen. That could be a personal trainer for a weight loss goal, your coach for a business goal, your manager for a career progression goal, your parents or friends for a goal that requires you to have more support from your networks - you name it and there will be someone who can get you closer to it. Make that meeting today!

5. Tell a friend: this may involve posting info about the goal on social media or just verbally telling a friend or two. When you speak your goals - they become alive! When you speak them to friends, you become accountable as although you won't have the structure and focus that you'd get from a coach, you will have them then asking you how you're getting on with it. Accountability greatly helps action. Phone a friend!

6. Write it down: While its helpful to speak a goal it is ESSENTIAL to write it down. Physically write it. Whether its on your iPad or a piece of paper - write or down. There's huge power in getting it out of your head and onto paper.

7. Make yourself a promise: promise yourself that within the next 7 weeks you will take active steps as per the above towards making something happen so while you look forward to 2014 - you have the momentum of very recent goal achievement success in 2013.

I'd LOVE to know what your remaining 2013 goal is, what you think of the above, what you are going to try and any results you have from implementing these steps. Please do share below! 

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Gina Visram is a career coach, speaker, mentor and author who works with ambitious, multi-tasking individuals and couples who are ready to work hard at being successful in their careers and personal lives - on their own terms. She has recently published Happily Ever After for Grown Ups: A Post-Wedding, Blues-Busting Guide for Newlyweds" and is committed to helping people get over overwhelm and achieve the career success/life balance they seek. For more information and to sign up to her free newsletter visit www.limitlesscoaching.com. 

How to Prioritise: Tools, tricks and tips for busy professionals (Part 1)

As we rapidly approach the second half of 2013 (yup… the time is nigh) – conversations I have recently had with colleagues, clients and friends led me to the conclusion that it was time to write a short, thought provoking, action-orientated post on “How to Prioritise”... so here goes:

Why?

Well 2013 seems to have the potential to turn into another one of those ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ years. You know the ones. The ones where January comes and the year feels like it’s full of promise. You take a deep breath and exhale when you think of the promise of the blank slate ahead of you. This will be the year that X, Y and Z happens. This will be the no-nonsense ‘I can do it’ year. 

Suddenly – before you know it, it’s July and although you hopefully have some of your main goals ticked off your list, you realise that unless you get your skates on- you’ll have less to celebrate by the end of than you would have envisaged. 

With that in mind, read the points below (and those in the rest of this series of posts) – designed to give you the tools to help you answer the question “what did I achieve this year” with your head held high. Have a look and adopt, remember and/or repeat anything which takes your fancy. Remember, when it comes to achieving your goals, the adage “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” applies if all is going as you’d like it to… but if you feel like you can stretch yourself even further – try something from the list below that you have not yet explored this year.

·         Make a (written) task list – This is a back to basics approach to prioritising, but SUCH an important one. Remember, your brain is crammed with the goings on of your day job; the funny YouTube video you watched recently; the conversation you had the other day which upset you; your exciting plans with your other half/friends for the weekend and more. A MENTAL CHECKLIST IS NOT ENOUGH. Whether you (like me) take the old school approach of a pen and paper list, use a time management app or anything in between – make sure you write down your to do list to give yourself the best possible chance of actually getting some things done.

·         Get to know your A, B, Cs – Once you have your written list – prioritise the tasks on your daily list using an ABC approach:

-          As are the tasks that are must do today – these are the TOP PRIORITIES and if you have more than one of these – prioritise them further using A-1, A-2, A-3;

-         Bs are important but less time critical – if not done, someone may be inconvenienced, but it is nowhere as important as an “A” task. Returning an unimportant telephone message would be a “B” task and to keep your head above water, you should aim to get all “A” tasks complete before moving onto these; and…

-        Cs reflect something that would be nice to do but really have no bearing on anything work critical. These tasks include phoning a friend or completing some personal business during work hours. Activity in the ‘C’ category has no real impact on your work life.

[Please note – this may not be mentioned by the ‘time management gurus’ out there but it’s something that has worked for me.  Sometimes, I reward myself with tackling a ‘C’ task when I have gotten through a number of As. For example – if an item on my list is to contact a friend to book a time to catch up – that would fall into the ‘C’ category – and although it’s not important on a work / professional priority level – it is a priority when it comes to feeding my soul! With that in mind – when I work my way through a number of A tasks – I’d take 5 minutes to focus on one of these tasks before getting back on track.

·         Real life doesn’t always fit on a daily task list – When it comes to prioritising and being ‘on task’ – remember that not everything can go according to plan or will be on your initial list. Sometimes life happens external to our priority lists and swoops in presenting you with something that becomes more important than anything you have written down. This may be dealing with a health issue; grieving a loss; going on an important trip; dropping everything to see a parent or friend due to an emergency and many others.

What do you do then? Be flexible, change your plans and go with this new priority.  9 times out of 10 – these sort of emergency priorities require our full attention so when they occur – try to tackle them head on and with your full attention. Your ‘to do list’ will still be there when you get back and  you will be in a much better position to keep working through it when you feel confident that you have wholeheartedly handled any other (albeit unexpected) priorities. 

So, here are three things to explore / remember when it comes to prioritising. If any of these speak to you – do implement. Give it a go and see if anything increases your productivity. 

There are many many more “how to prioritise” tips so this is the first in a series of posts addressing this topic. Stay tuned for more.

In the meanwhile, do share your comments, own experiences/tips and any questions in the section below. I’d love to hear from you… 

*****

Want to use this article on your blog or ezine? No problem... you just need to include the below:

Gina Visram is a career coach, speaker, mentor and author who works with ambitious, multi-tasking women (and men!) who are ready to work hard at being successful in their careers and personal lives - on their own terms. She has recently published Happily Ever After for Grown Ups: A Post-Wedding, Blues-Busting Guide for Newlyweds" and is committed to  helping people get over overwhelm and achieve the career success/life balance they seek. For more information and to sign up to her free newsletter visit www.limitlesscoaching.com. 

Where did January go?

Do you remember having discussions about how hard it was to believe 2012 was already coming to an end. 

"Where did the year go?"

"2012 whizzed by... How did that happen?"

"It seemed like only yesterday that"... etc. 

You remember those conversations? They happened over office Christmas meals, seasonal drinks with your friends and festive meals with your families. Yet, here we are at the end of January already... Suggesting that 2013 may have the same Usain Bolt-esque speed that we experienced last year.

Whether or not you officially set yourself some resolutions / goals within the first month of the year, chances are, you at least paused to think about what you wanted 2013 to bring.

How is that going for you?

Here we are, past the alleged Blue Monday (3rd Monday in January - deemed to be a common day for giving up on new years resolutions), and on the cusp of the second month of the year. Even if you aren't a structured resolution or goal setter, I bet you still don't want the year to pass by without feeling like you've moved (edged, even) closer to your aspirations in some way. Whether its leaps and bounds or the slow but steady approach, don't let 2013 come to an end with only fireworks to make you say ooh and aaah.

My wish for you is that some of that incredulity is saved for your own special achievements this year. Whether that's earning a promotion, finding a new job, getting onto the dating scene, improving your health and fitness, going on a trip you've always dreamed of or starting your own business - achieving this aspiration won't be achieved without some effort.

For me, there are a few personal and professional goals that I would like to achieve, some of which I am happy to share with you.

1. Complete,  publish and promote my first book - Happily Ever After for Grown Ups (a career coaching book for newlyweds that I've been working on, on and off for 15 months and am now finished writing and approaching the production stage. Look out for it in March / April!

2. Quit the gym (yup... You gotta work out what suits you and what doesn't! - paying and not going doesn't!) and get back into dancing (belly dance and bollywood here I come!)

3. See and speak to friends more regularly (more face to face time than Facebook time)

This is just a few of many for me, and I've recently hired a coach to help me achieve a number of my business focused goals, of which there are many. Yup... Even coaches hire coaches! I'm a firm believer in the process which is why I love working with clients who are serious about doing, not just hoping - and I take the same approach when it comes to my own goals.

What about you? What sorts of things are you wanting to do? What will make this a game changing year for you? What can you do if you want to accelerate your progress? Here we are, already rapidly moving through 2013 with January already out of the way and it's up to you to make this thing happen.

Excited?