Sleep Is Essential

Yesterday I felt stressed about having lots on my plate.

But today I feel SO much better.

Nothing magic has happened. There’s still the same number of things on my calendar and to-do list.

The only difference is sleep.

And yet whenever there are lots of things on my calendar or to-do list, sleep is the first thing that suffers.

The one thing that makes everything feel better.

Today has been a great reminder: sleep is more important than my to do list.

Stealing Time

I had a client say to me today “Why did it take me a whole week to finish something in one hour?”

SO TRUE.

Procrastination steals more time from us than any task ever will.

Why does it take us a year to read a book that is only 5 hours of reading time?

Why does it take us a whole day to put out the trash that only takes 10 minutes?

Why does it take me an hour to write a 3-minute blog post?

There’s only one solution: Count down 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 – and just do it.

One Single Priority

Priority used to be a singular word. It means the prior thing. The first thing.

Until the 1900’s, you could only have ONE priority – one MOST important thing.

Then sometime in the last 100 years, we pluralized it.

Nowadays, we claim to have five or six or seven priorities.

As if changing the word alters our level of productivity. If we can have more priorities, surely we can get more done? But usually, the opposite happens. We have too many priorities, and then ironically, the most important things don’t get done.

In truth, we can only have one priority. One thing that is more important than anything else.

One thing that would come out on top if we were forced to choose.

Work. Sleep. Health. Leisure. Family. Friends. Netflix. Facebook.

What is your singular priority?

Today I Woke Up As Serena Williams

Even though I teach changing your identity on a daily basis with my clients, it still surprises me how effective it is.

Last night, as I was looking my schedule over for the morning, I realised I was going to have to get up earlier than usual (and if you know me – I don’t love to get up early). 

Current identity: I’m not a morning person

Okay – so who IS a morning person? 

I had just been watching a documentary about Serena Williams on Netflix, and although I can’t know for sure – I bet she is a morning person. 

You don’t become a 23-time Grand Slam champion by sleeping in.

So I decided that when I woke up this morning, I wasn’t going to wake up as Sarah – I was going to wake up as Serena.

And you know what? When my alarm went off extra early this morning, the first thought that came into my head was “Serena would get up.”

Suddenly, like MAGIC, my feet were on the floor.

It doesn’t need to be Serena. It could have been anyone.

But the most important thing is that it wasn’t the version of me that likes to hit the snooze button. 

This is a game-changer.

The Second Kind of Time

I recently learned that the ancient Greeks perceived two different kinds of time:

1. Chronos: The time we’re used to; forward-propelling time that goes in chronological order. Time is measured quantitatively.

2. Kairos: The time we experience when we’re in “flow”. Time stands still. We’re totally present and involved in what we’re doing. We forget time exists. Time is measured qualitatively.

I love the idea of Kairos, and I want to experience more of it. I most frequently experience it when I’m dancing, chatting with friends, and particularly during the holiday season where normal to-dos are long forgotten and I can just be in the moment.

One of the ways I’m attempting to experience more Kairos is to detach myself physically from my phone – and all the apps in it. I just deleted nearly every app from my phone, and I’m LOVING it. That means any time I want to spend working needs to be on my computer, in my office. Anytime not there, I can’t work.

What could you do to experience more Kairos?

Essentialism

I’ve been thinking a lot about minimalism. Not minimalism of stuff, but minimalism of lifestyle.

Only bringing into my life what truly matters. Letting go of the rest.

I’ve also been listening to Greg McKeown’s Essentialism book, and it’s totally been transforming my way of looking at what I need to do in my life.

Do I really need to be checking social media THAT much? Even if I use it for business?

Do I really need to have THAT many things on my to do list? Could some of them be reduced?

Do I really need to bring THAT much stuff with me? Will I really need it?

The answer is usually no. Almost always.

So I’m learning to declutter my own process of decision making.

Leaving only what is essential.

I Hired a Personal Assistant

One of my goals this month was to hire a Personal Assistant like Donna from Suits.

I think I found her! This month we’re strategizing the changes that need to be made to help my business run more smoothly, and next month we will kick off.

I’m SO excited. I can’t wait to give you more information and let you know all about her.

That’s one thing checked off my December Goals list already. Done.

Just ONE thing

This is not the first time I’ve written about this idea. But it’s just SO effective, I have to share it again.

The basic idea is: if absolutely nothing else gets done today, what is the one thing that will propel you forward towards your goal?

For me, that’s showing up online with value.

It's just non-negotiable.

Exercise doesn't always happen.
Going to sleep on time doesn't always happen.
I'm working on those things.

But no matter what, for the last 500+ days I've shown up online with value.

And now I've built a full-time location-independent coaching business because of it.

What is ONE thing that you commit to doing today that will move you closer to your goal?

Creating a New System

One of the things I’ve blogged about a lot over the last year is time management. I’ve made a lot of progress, but as things shift in my business and life, I keep needing new solutions.

Currently, I create content every day. What you’re reading on my blog is almost always posted on the day it was written. I’ve always been resistant to batch-create my content in one go, because I feel like it doesn’t represent what is actually going on in my head that day. But now that I’m coaching almost all day, it’s incredibly inefficient for me to write just one blog post each day (and sometimes I end up writing only a few words, as you may know!). So I’m ready to try batching my content – just to see if I like it.

I’ve decided that Friday is my day, and I will spend Friday creating content for the entire week, as well as getting all the images and scheduling it, so I don’t have to do it in between my coaching calls.

I have no idea if this is going to be a life changer or a disaster, but I’m ready to give it a go!

I will keep you posted! Have you tried batch-creating content? Do you prefer it? Let me know in the comments by clicking the title of this post.

Creative Insomnia

The kind of rush of excitement of a brilliant idea that means you just can't sleep, no matter how hard you try?

Not just for like, 20 minutes, but for the whole night.

Like, proper "omg I'm a genius, this is going to change EVERYTHING" moments at 11:30pm that leave you creating plans to contact Microsoft Headquarters or branch out into the film industry or start a social movement all night?

Sometimes, I get an idea for a goal or dream that is so good, I plot and plan and scheme until 5am.

I know I'm going to be ridiculously tired in the morning.

But my brain will not switch off. Creativity takes me over.

And then usually, I wake up the next morning and think "That idea wasn't even THAT good. Bill Gates probably doesn't even like flashmobs."

Just me?