You Don’t Always Know What You Know – How Your Skills Can Help Others

How many times have you watched someone do something and it’s like they’re performing magic? In a matter of minutes, they’ve effortlessly solved a problem that would have taken you hours or even days! Maybe someone has helped you with something you’d given up on, or fixed something you’d written off as a lost cause?

How did you do that so quickly?”

Achievement list is more productive
Achievement list is more productive (picture of a Penguin because it’s cute!

I believe everyone is good at something and that we are all good at different things. Sometimes we don’t appreciate how often we know things that others don’t. Maybe we just take it for granted that we can install a complicated piece of software, re-tune the car radio, bake a delicious cake, write an blog, organise a sell-out seminar, do a Facebook live, or anything else you find easy but someone else would find impossibly difficult.

Will you show me how to do that?”

When you’ve solved someone’s problem, taken away their pain-point, and given them the ability to get on with their task, take a step back and see whether you can show them how you did what you did. Have a look at the task from their perspective and see if you can explain it in a way they can easily understand.

Can I do something to help you?”

Often our help is reciprocated, the law of “what goes around comes back around” kicks in. You’ll soon find sharing your knowledge and expertise pays back many times over. Helping others releases a “feel good factor”, we feel valued and appreciated, which plays a key part in our overall wellbeing.

On a personal level, it’s very satisfying implementing systems and processes to make life easier for people. I work with individuals and teams, streamlining procedures and making life run smoother both at home and in the office. Initially, this was based around helping friends locally, then I realised the potential to help people further afield and today I’m working with clients across the world.

How can I do that?”

Turning your skills into a business service is easier than you might think. I recommend starting with a list of ten things you think you’re best at. Then ask a trusted friend or colleague to do the same. I can almost guarantee there will be differences between the two lists! Other people are great judges of your skills and the reason for this is simply because you will almost certainly be taking some of your skills for granted. Perhaps you think “everyone can do this” or “everyone should be able to do that”, but they can’t.

Already this month, I’ve helped my 4Networking teams create ways to find new visitors for our meetings. I’ve worked with my Arbonne consultants to promote our products and generate new sales. I’ve worked with clients on accountability, time management, motivation and goal setting. Plus, I’m excited to be offering Mail Chimp training, including software set-up and creating targeted customer lists.

You don’t always know what you know.”

Remember, everyone is good at something and we are all good at different things. I’m offering a free 15 minute call to help identify your own key skills and strengths. You might be surprised what this uncovers. Once you know what you know I’ll help with strategies and suggestions how you can make the most of your unique abilities. Let’s chat! Please call me on 07756 772950 to get started.

Rachael Chiverton, Focus Guru – Giving You Your Time, Your Way

www.getfocus.guru

Squirrel! Squirrel! Squirrel! How to Beat Your Distracting Squirrels

How many times have you started to do something and then something else grabs your attention and you forget all about the task you began? Then something else catches your eye and you stop and start something new. Then something else…

I call these “Squirrels”.

Ban the Squirrels, take back control
Ban the Squirrels, take back control

Squirrels are the activities which steal your time and energy away from ticking the items off your Achievement List. They’re subtly distracting you from your long term goals. It’s the “five minute phone call” that lasts an hour. It’s the “just a quick look” you promise someone. It could be receiving a Facebook notification saying you’ve been tagged in a photo, or a discount voucher email from your favourite shop. Anything that takes you away from what you wanted to get done.

Squirrels can take a minute, or an hour, or a day. While they undoubtably provide short term satisfaction and entertainment, let’s face it, squirrels are really cute, they can be a menace if you have a deadline to meet or a place you need to be.

Have you got a friend who’s always late when you arrange to meet up? Do you know someone who can’t stop checking their phone? Maybe you’re the person who seems to be here, there and everywhere? The reason could be squirrels!

This isn’t to be confused with being genuinely busy.

It’s perfectly possible to enjoy squirrels once you’ve achieved everything you wanted to get done. Sometimes what looks like a squirrel will become an important item on your Achievement List. But, things may not always go to plan. Things will crop up and take your attention. It could be a family emergency. It could be a client needs to rearrange a meeting. Things inevitably will happen outside our control.

This is where it’s essential to have the self-discipline to recognise what needs doing and what’s a squirrel. With great time management, accountability and outsourcing, it’s possible to achieve everything you want to do and still have time to have fun.

I’m a “Go To Person” who loves helping people improve time management and accountability skills. I work with individuals and teams, identifying your unique squirrels and creating innovative solutions to streamline your systems and processes. This might include suggestions for outsourcing or automating tasks which can be performed cheaper and quicker, leaving your time free to focus on what you need to do.

Rachael is a FIREBALL! She understood my needs and got straight to the point. No messing about. Highly recommended!” Vernand Fong – Pain Free Ninja

With my Focus Guru services, I’ll guide you away from the distracting squirrels and help bring out the best in you and your employees.

It all starts with a free 15 minute no-obligation telephone call. What are you waiting for? Is there a squirrel attracting your attention? Please call me on 07756 772950 and I can help!

Rachael Chiverton, Focus Guru – Giving You Your Time, Your Way

www.getfocus.guru

Give Yourself the Best Chance for Success with More Energy and More Endurance

Just as you’d check your car has plenty of fuel, oil, and water to keep running at optimum performance, did you know that you can do exactly the same for your body and mind? By looking after your body and mind you’ll automatically have more energy, more strength, and more endurance.

And, it’s easier than you might think.

If you’ve seen me at 4N Online meetings, you’ll know I always have a water bottle with me. Taking frequent sips of water throughout the day means I’m rehydrating and replenishing the essential electrolytes and fluids I’ve used in my everyday activities. This is especially important when I’m 4Sighting as even sitting still and talking contributes to dehydration and fatigue.

What you may not know is that I’ve added Arbonne Phytosport Hydration Sticks to the water. The water changes colour with the flavours of orange, pomegranate and pineapple and it tastes great. But the science behind the hydration sticks is impressive and while I’m drinking the water, my body is receiving nourishment and care so I can keep going for longer between breaks.

PhytoSport Range provides hydration to assist with focus
PhytoSport Range provides hydration to assist with focus

There are three types of hydration sticks designed to help you at different stages of your day and especially before, during and after physical activity. These are suitable for both men and women aged 18 or over and can be added to water to drink at home, at work or on the move.

Prepare and Endure

These are the hydration sticks to use before or during your exercise regime. Everyone is different so you might use one before walking your dog, or while doing a 10k run.

After Workout

If you have sore muscles and fatigue, these hydration sticks are designed to restore energy and support muscle growth and recovery while helping to reduce downtime between workouts.

Complete Hydration

As the name suggests, these sticks contain Arbonne’s blend of plant powered performance to promote a healthy body and mind. By staying hydrated you’ll feel alert, refreshed, and awake.

Keeping your body and mind working at peak performance makes life easier. You’ll feel more positive, more flexible and this will help you achieve more than when weighed down with muscle soreness and fatigue.

So, just as you would keep your car supplied with fuel, oil, and water, you can do the same for your body and mind. Arbonne Phytosport Hydration Sticks are vegan, gluten free, with no artificial colours, flavours, or sweeteners.

Arbonne sticks also certified by Informed Sport, the certification programme for sports supplements, raw materials and manufacturing facilities, another way Arbonne demonstrates a company-wide policy of creating environmentally sustainable and cruelty-free products.

If you would like to improve your performance, to drive the success of your business or navigate better ways of working on your own or in your team, please message me. I can help advise which hydration solutions will fit in best with your lifestyle and give you that turbo charged energy boost.

Rachael Chiverton, Focus Guru – Giving You Your Time, Your Way

www.getfocus.guru

Are You Where You Need To Be?

Are you feeling overworked and overwhelmed? Is it time to find the root cause of your stress? Do you want to find those money eating squirrels and take back control? If you find your time is spiralling down the drain faster than you would like, please give me a call.

Ban the Squirrels, take back control
Ban the Squirrels, take back control

This strange quiet time of lockdown has given many of us the chance to stop and reflect on our busy lives. For some of us, the immediate stop in our working life was a mixture of shock, anger and resentment, but this has given way to a strange sense of calm. Lockdown has given many of us the time to think and the time to plan. There’s also an awkward in-between stage where you might feel you’re racing around but not really achieving anything.

So, my question to you is, “are you where you need to be?” and this can relate to an area of your work, or your home, or your family and friendships. If your answer is truly “yes” then that’s great. You’ve achieved the eutopia of success. But, if you feel there’s something missing, let’s chat and maybe I can help.

Studies show we’re much more likely to do something and achieve something if we write it down. The connection between our brain and the pen seems to form a binding contract within ourselves and we are more likely to follow through with the actions we propose.

Be Accountable to Someone

Even better than a pen and paper contract is holding yourself accountable to someone else. An example scenario could be promising your partner you’ll cook them dinner tonight. Once the words are spoken, your brain takes note. Something needs doing by a specific time and it will pull things together to make it happen. If you need to go shopping for ingredients, or are phoning for a takeaway, your brain figures out how to make it happen.

Equally at work, having an accountability buddy can help you achieve more tasks in less time. This is something I offer to my clients as part of my Focus Guru service. We start with a chat about where you are now and where you want to be. I can work with you as an individual, or as the boss of a team, helping you and your team achieve more.

Rachael’s butt-kicking, no-nonsense, organised approach has held myself and my team of six accountable. This alone is saving me over £2000 per month!” – Adrian Savage

Three Steps to Success

Step 1 – Let’s have a conversation

A great friend of mine, Stefan Thomas, says “every big opportunity starts with a simple conversation” and he’s right. If you give me a call, I’ll ask a few easy questions about where you are now and where you want to be. I’ll ask what systems and/or processes you have in place. Then I’ll put together a report from our conversation with recommendations for apps, software, time management, staff skills, outsourcing, the tools to help get you from A to B.

Step 2 – It’s time to implement new solutions

Having received your report, I’ll talk you through the steps I’m recommending and also help keep you accountable with the solutions to implement. We’ll go through the report together so you can see how and why the recommendations were made. These could be solutions such as an app on your phone to say how long you’ve been using the screen, or how many hours are taken up scrolling through Facebook. The report might highlight a recommendation to outsource your bookkeeping, filing, diary management, appointment booking, sending quotes, or writing web content. There are unique solutions for each person based on what you personally want to achieve.

Step 3 – Keep up the good work

It’s said it can take up to 90 days to make significant changes in your life. Old habits can be hard to break, but new habits can be instilled and followed within 90 days, creating the new you, a more relaxed you and a more productive you. This is why I offer 90 days accountability, to make sure you’re happy with implementing the new ways of working or running your house and lifestyle.

So, if you want to get rid of your squirrels and get to where you need to be to achieve the lifestyle you want, please give me a call and I will be happy to share my knowledge and expertise, adjusting your habits to bring out the best in you and your team. Let’s chat! Call me on 07756 772950 to get started.

Rachael Chiverton, Focus Guru – Giving You Your Time, Your Way

www.getfocus.guru

Ban the Squirrels, take back control
Ban the Squirrels, take back control

Give Yourself the Best Chance for Success with More Energy and More Endurance

Just as you’d check your car has plenty of fuel, oil, and water to keep running at optimum performance, did you know that you can do exactly the same for your body and mind? By looking after your body and mind you’ll automatically have more energy, more strength, and more endurance.

And, it’s easier than you might think.

Fizz helps you focus and energise
Fizz helps you focus and energise

If you’ve seen me at 4N Online meetings, you’ll know I always have a water bottle with me. Taking frequent sips of water throughout the day means I’m rehydrating and replenishing the essential electrolytes and fluids I’ve used in my everyday activities. This is especially important when I’m 4Sighting as even sitting still and talking contributes to dehydration and fatigue.

What you may not know is that I’ve added Arbonne Phytosport Hydration Sticks to the water. The water changes colour with the flavours of orange, pomegranate and pineapple and it tastes great. But the science behind the hydration sticks is impressive and while I’m drinking the water, my body is receiving nourishment and care so I can keep going for longer between breaks.

There are three types of hydration sticks designed to help you at different stages of your day and especially before, during and after physical activity. These are suitable for both men and women aged 18 or over and can be added to water to drink at home, at work or on the move.

Prepare and Endure

These are the hydration sticks to use before or during your exercise regime. Everyone is different so you might use one before walking your dog, or while doing a 10k run.

After Workout

If you have sore muscles and fatigue, these hydration sticks are designed to restore energy and support muscle growth and recovery while helping to reduce downtime between workouts.

Complete Hydration

As the name suggests, these sticks contain Arbonne’s blend of plant powered performance to promote a healthy body and mind. By staying hydrated you’ll feel alert, refreshed, and awake.

Keeping your body and mind working at peak performance makes life easier. You’ll feel more positive, more flexible and this will help you achieve more than when weighed down with muscle soreness and fatigue.

So, just as you would keep your car supplied with fuel, oil, and water, you can do the same for your body and mind. Arbonne Phytosport Hydration Sticks are vegan, gluten free, with no artificial colours, flavours, or sweeteners.

Arbonne sticks also certified by Informed Sport, the certification programme for sports supplements, raw materials and manufacturing facilities, another way Arbonne demonstrates a company-wide policy of creating environmentally sustainable and cruelty-free products.

If you would like to improve your performance, to drive the success of your business or navigate better ways of working on your own or in your team, please message me. I can help advise which hydration solutions will fit in best with your lifestyle and give you that turbo charged energy boost.

Rachael Chiverton, Focus Guru – Giving You Your Time, Your Way

www.getfocus.guru