It. Is. Flippin’. Freezing here in London!
It was -7 on the way to the gym this morning… MINUS 7!
I’ve actually been doing my first couple of sets in the gym with my coat on!
And needless to say, I have absolutely not been running since last weekend.
I’ve opted for the stair master and X trainer for cardio instead where I can’t slip on ice, and also have the luxury of feeling my fingers and toes.
Anyway, enough about the weather, let’s move on to the wisdom!
Today, I thought I’d share with you 5 ways to get more sh…tuff done! 😉
1️⃣ Leave your phone in another room while you work and switch on ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode whenever possible throughout the day. Your brain can focus much better on the task at hand without having to keep “one eye open” on it potentially going off!
The Do Not Disturb mode has been my latest game changer. I have to switch it on while filming content on my phone, but it’s been so nice that I haven’t bothered to switch it back on until the evening on some days. It honestly feels like bliss!
Try it for a couple of hours today and see how it makes you feel.
2️⃣ Plan your week in advance and time block everything (work and personal) into your diary – your diary then becomes your personal coach, barking orders, and holding your accountable throughout the day.
Yes, this may seem a little intense, but time-blocking things into your diary really ensures your weeks are balanced.
When you plan in advance you are not in a reactive state, so you can calmly book things in and get a nice birds’ eye view of how the following week is going to go and if it’s going to work well for you or not. If not, then you can re-plan it calmly.
My top tip is always to leave some extra room in your days for the unforeseeable – things always crop up last minute that we weren’t planning for and will send your stress levels soaring if you don’t leave wiggle room in your week to deal with it.
3️⃣ Don’t check social media (or emails if possible) until after midday.
If you’ve never done this, then please do it tomorrow and see how much better your day is and how much calmer and more collected your mind is.
Social media gives us short, sharp, bits of data and from many different sources. It completely overloads our brain, and doing this before you’ve set yourself up for the day means that whatever you view on social media could end up running your entire day, not you.
Couple this with 1️⃣ and you could switch do not disturb mode on at 6 pm and not back off until midday – a full 18 hours to yourself, and I guarantee you’ll sleep better.
4️⃣ Grab a “quick win” in the morning which is a little challenging, but won’t take long for you to complete, as this will energise you to go forth and conquer everything else in your day!
Big fan of this one! My exercise sessions are my quick wins and totally set me up for a high-energy day with an “I can handle anything” attitude.
In the past, I’ve used tackling a work task that I’ve been procrastinating on, or simply writing down 5 things I am grateful for which completely shifts my mood. While those 5 things are wins in themselves, the real win is that I gave myself the time and attention to be present, which we all kinda struggle a bit with these days 🙃
5️⃣ Plan and prepare your meals in advance, not only so it’s ready to just grab and eat, but because we waste an unbelievable amount of energy thinking what to eat, when to eat, or if we should or shouldn’t eat it…
Following on from 2️⃣… planning and preparing your meals in advance when you are not responding to stress and emotion means you will have a far easier time at sticking to your healthy nutrition goals.
We tend to reach for sugary foods when we need an energy boost or to change our state if we’re in a low mood. And we grab high-calorie or fat ladened convenience food if we’re on the go and haven’t got anything prepared.
Also not eating regularly completely messes with your hormones and hunger signals.
If you plan out what you’re going to eat, batch cook/prepare, and then box it up ready to go for the next 3-5 days then it’ll be much easier to stick to your health goals and in general it will make you feel more in control of your day as a whole.
I know it’s Christmas time now and our usual routines are a bit out of whack 🙃 but I hope you can try at least one of these out this next week and make proper use of them in the New Year.
Love Cam x
