getfocus, Author at Focus Guru

Unlock the Secret of Mailchimp Success in 5 Easy Steps with a Focus Guru Power Hour

Even with today’s variety of instant messaging systems, sending emails is still one of the best ways to keep in touch. You can send instructions, entertainment, information, product updates, special offers, vouchers and more, directly into your customer or prospective customer’s inbox.

Your customer doesn’t need to remember to visit your website or Facebook page to find out what’s happening and you don’t need to phone them. They can read your emails at their leisure at any time of the day or night.

Some of my clients use emails to generate new business and others use emails to send topical information. It’s possible to send your latest blog by email, or an extract encouraging people to visit your website to find out more.

Several clients have asked for my help setting up a mailing list and showing them how to make it work for them. I’d like to share some of the steps with you now and if you’d like a 121 training session via Zoom, please click this link and book your Focus Guru Power Hour.

“Rachael has been amazing helping me set up mailing campaigns for my Sammy Rambles books and dragons! She walked through all the steps from creating the account to importing contacts and sending a test email. I feel confident I can send my own mailshots after my Focus Guru Power Hour.” – Jenny Leggott, Transcend Zero

Step 1 – Creating Your Account

You may already have a Mailchimp account, but if you don’t then I will walk through the steps to create your own account where you can manage all of your mailshots and contacts. This takes just a few minutes and you’ll have your own dashboard set up to manage your campaigns. If preferred, I can manage a Mailchimp account on your behalf if you’d like to outsource this aspect of your online marketing.

Step 2 – Adding Contacts

If, like me, you’ve been to lots of 4Networking meetings you’ll probably have collected contact details for customers and prospective customers from all around the world. Hopefully you’ll have followed up with many of these new friends and contacts and, if you have their permission, they can be added to your “Mailchimp Audience”, either one address at a time or imported using a CSV file. This ensures you meet GDPR requirements. When adding addresses, I recommend setting up “tags” which can be used later in your campaigns send relevant mailshots to targeted groups of people.

Step 3 – Setting Up A Campaign

This is the exciting part! You’ve set up your account and imported your contacts. Next, it’s time to create an email to send to your chosen recipients (using the tags we set up earlier). There are two ways you can do this, either by sending a one-off email using “Create Email” or using “Campaigns”. If you’re anticipating sending regular emails, I recommend using Campaigns as this will save time in the future. In the Focus Guru Power Hour I’ll also make sure you’re confident creating engaging HTML or Text emails using the built-in design templates where you can add pictures and use different fonts, colours and text sizes.

Step 4 – Scheduling Mailings

Have you got an upcoming product launch? Or would you like to send a mailshot at a particular time on a particular day? You might want to send your mailshot at 3am so it can be opened during early business hours in America. There are many reasons why it makes sense to schedule a mailshot and Mailchimp has this facility. I call it “using your time twice” where you can make the best use of your time with multiple activities taking place at the same time.

Step 5 – Analysing Your Results

This is my favourite part where I show you the direct results of your mailshot. It’s where you can view the success (or limitations) of your campaign. Are you curious who has read your correspondence? Do you want to know if they clicked on an image or a link in your message? The real-time reports give you the information you need to measure the success of your mailshot. You can drill down to individual subscribers and follow their progress from opening the email to clicking a link to ordering a service or asking for more information.

“I was really impressed with Rachael’s knowledge of Mailchimp and how she helped make it easy to keep in touch with my customers. I’d definitely recommend the Focus Guru Power Hours to anyone who wants to learn more about Mailchimp and set up their own campaigns.” – Jenny Leggott, Transcend Zero

If you’d like to book a Focus Guru Power Hour to set up (or review) your Mailchimp mailing lists, please click this link to book now. I run 121 workshops via Zoom on a number of different business tools designed to free up your time to do the things you want to do, when you want to do them. Let’s get started! Book your Focus Guru Power Hour today!

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

www.getfocus.guru

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 (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”.

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

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.

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

Give Yourself the Best Chance for Success with More Energy 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.

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.

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

How A Time Intensity Grid Will Help You Choose What To Outsource

Are you feeling overwhelmed at the moment? Do you wish there were more hours in the day?

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. The last few months of lockdown have been hard for many people for many different reasons. It’s also been a good time to stop and take stock of what works in your life and what can be changed or dropped altogether.

One of the tools I use is a Time Intensity Grid. It’s less complicated than it sounds, and it simply means I divide items on my Achievement List into sub-categories, based on how much time or energy I estimate they will take. I can show you how to do the same and in just a few minutes you will see exactly where your time and energy is going.

Know the Source

Knowing the source of what’s making you feel overwhelmed is part of the solution. It’s a lot easier to solve a problem when you know what the problem is. Identifying your “brain drains” and “time thieves” is the first step. It will make you think and re-evaluate whether the task is important or necessary. But it may also prompt you to think whether the task is best achieved by someone else on your behalf. How much time could you save by outsourcing a troublesome task?

A client recently said to me how stressful they were finding it to choose a new car. They admitted spending hours on car websites, looking at manufacturers, models, specs, interior and exterior trims and features, safety features, fuel economy and much more. They had spun themselves into such a muddle that the idea of buying a new family car, which should be an exciting achievement, into a spiral of stress. Guess what, they were still driving their old car two weeks later.

This made me think about how much energy we use thinking through problems. Things we find incredibly time consuming, difficult, and stressful, other people consider a breeze. I phoned my client and recommended outsourcing the search for their new car. They created a brief list of the features they wanted and their budget. Suddenly, the list of thousands became a shortlist of a handful cars available on the market. A couple of test drives later and they have their new car. A great result!

Outsourcing Works

The simple step of outsourcing this task saved time, effort, energy and potentially a couple of family arguments. Outsourcing can be applied to almost anything. If you stop and think about the tasks you dawdle over, the things you procrastinate and put off, the “tomorrow tasks”, you’ll know the ones you need to look at.

When chatting with clients about outsourcing, some of the most popular tasks to delegate are:

Finding sales leads and booking appointments
Sending quotes and answering common enquiries
Invoicing, sending statements and debt collection
Filing and putting receipts into the accounts

By outsourcing these tasks to a Virtual Assistant (VA), the cost of hiring someone for a few hours per day, week, or month, can suddenly free up your time and brain to focus on what you do best. I can help with all these tasks and more. Please call me and we can chat about saving you time and stress by delegating tasks like these.

At home, some of the popular tasks my clients said they wish they could outsource were tidying up, cooking healthy meals, washing clothes, cutting the grass, buying birthday presents and checking utility prices for the best packages.

The good news is that all these tasks can be outsourced as well. It might feel strange at first letting someone else come into your home, cook your meals, or make changes to your filing system. But by changing small things now, you’ll find you have more time to spend with your family and friends and more time to expand your business.

What works for you might be different to what works for someone else and that’s why the best way to start is with a Time Intensity Grid. Please contact me and I’ll help create your Time Intensity Grid and show you how to put it into practice. You’ll be surprised how much time, energy, and money it will create for you and your family.

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

www.getfocus.guru | 07756 772950

Top 5 Tips To Achieve More From Your Zoom Meetings

Since the beginning of lockdown many of us are using virtual meetings to keep our businesses running. We’re hosting meetings with clients, suppliers, colleagues, friends, and family. We’re attending conferences and networking online with other business owners and decision makers.

Zoom meetings have opened up a whole new way to connect and interact. We can chat with people in the next room, the next town, across the country and the other side of the world. For some people it’s the new normal. They enjoy the possibilities of networking without geographic boundaries, without hours of travel and without additional expenses such as fuel, restaurant food and hotel accommodation.

Zoom meetings have no geographical barriers

For other people, it can be a bit daunting. It can be scary to download and learn a new app. It can be unsettling to see colleagues in their homes and out of the office environment. Equally, it can be nerve-wracking to turn on your webcam for the first time. Are you embarrassed about the clutter on your bookcases, or your lockdown hair roots showing? Are you worried about having a sip of coffee, scratching an itch, or looking bored? You may feel like you’re on show but really it’s no different from when you were in face to face boardroom and networking meetings.

I’ve compiled these top 5 tips to help reduce any worries or fears you might have about online networking. I attend dozens of meetings each week and I’ve seen the good, the bad, the funny, the serious and everything in between!

Tip 1 – Check How You Look

It might seem obvious but use Zoom’s preview window to check how you look before you join a meeting. It only takes a second and you can check for spinach between your teeth or if you need to move into or out of the light. For best results, face a window rather than having the light behind you as this can cause your face to be in the shadow. Think of it like checking yourself in the mirror before leaving the house.

Tip 2 – Arrive Early

Many of the 4Networking meetings open 10 minutes early. This is so the host can check everything’s working and so they can greet people as they join the meeting. As an attendee, you can treat this as an extra networking opportunity. You’re getting an extra 10 minutes of free networking time. Lots of people use this time to say hello to people they already know, to give testimonials and recommendations, or simply just to observe and settle into the meeting.

Tip 3 – Use The Group Chat Feature

When arriving in a Zoom meeting remember to introduce yourself. This could be with a smile, a wave or saying hello. It will let the host and other attendees know you’ve arrived and, if appropriate, you can also advertise your business in the group chat with a short description and contact details. At the end of 4Networking Zoom meetings everyone is encouraged to save the chat. This means your contact details will be seen again by the attendees. You could consider putting a free download link or details of a special offer in the chat to encourage follow ups.

Tip 4 – Enjoy The Meeting

Being in a Zoom meeting is a great way to connect with people from all around the world. There are brand new 4Networking meetings connecting people from the UK with business owners in America and Australia, and many new groups emerging in the near future. Remember, while the meeting is taking place if you need to make a call, get a drink or take a toilet break, you can always switch your webcam off temporarily while you leave the room. If you’ve set a custom background this can continue to advertise your business until you return.

Tip 5 – Always Follow Up

Just as I advised to write your own details in the Group Chat feature, I strongly encourage you to read through the chat and connect with people after the meeting has finished. This works equally well after virtual meetings as it does after face to face meetings. It can be as simple as “great to meet you today” to “would you like to meet for coffee”.

Bonus Tip – Every big opportunity starts with a little conversation.

You never know who knows who or who will recommend you further down the line. Ask questions in your 121s. Be interested in the other attendees. Remember the golden rule, “Meet, Like, Know, Trust” and enjoy your Zoom meetings.

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

www.getfocus.guru | 07756 772950

Are You Experiencing Overwhelm In Your Life Or Business Right Now?

Overwhelm doesn’t usually happen overnight. It can creep up on you over days, weeks, months or even years. It comes in tiny layers of stress, building in your mind and showing itself sometimes in physical form. That stiff neck and shoulders you’ve had all week. A recurring headache. General lethargy and loss of interest in your favourite hobbies.

Left untreated, overwhelm can lead to more serious physical and mental conditions. So, if you see signs of overwhelm in yourself or in your family, friends, colleagues or customers, then you may have an opportunity to act, intervene, assist or remove the cause of the stress and overwhelm.

It's easy to stop overwhelm — It’s easy to stop overwhelm

Remember, it’s ok not to be ok.

Everyone has different tolerance levels. What seems easy to you may be difficult for someone else. While you learn how to do something new quickly, it might take someone else lots of practice. This can vary from social skills to practical tasks. It might be daunting attending a networking meeting, or filing your tax return, or driving on a motorway.

Everyone is different and we are all good at different tasks too. Overwhelm can cause us to doubt ourselves. A task you could do with your eyes closed suddenly seems complicated, you’ve forgotten the steps, or the directions, or the system or process. This can cause anxiety, stress, and panic.

Symptoms of overwhelm can include an increased temperature, sweating, quicker heartrate, shaking, irritability and insomnia. One of the key symptoms is our susceptibility to distractions (otherwise known as “Squirrels”). You might call it procrastinating, deferring, postponing, or messing around, but these are all side-effects of overwhelm.

There’s often a logical reason behind why you haven’t jumped at sending that email, or made that phone call, completed that purchase or done the next task on your achievement list.

I recognise my overwhelm when I am scrolling aimlessly through Facebook or find myself watching daytime TV. If I was mentally ready to do the tasks on my achievement list I wouldn’t stop for half an hour to scroll through what my friends had for dinner or where they’re going on holiday after lockdown. Online quizzes and polls wouldn’t catch my eye and I wouldn’t look at the clock and wonder where the last hour had gone.

Make time for yourself.

If you need to watch an hour of TV to unwind and relax, that’s ok. If you want to have a blitz of news from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram, that’s ok too. It’s when your list of important tasks gets set aside that you might feel overwhelm creeping up on you.

Perhaps you had a deadline to meet and now there isn’t time to get that report in for your boss. They won’t be happy and you can imagine their reaction when you have to tell them. This adds a layer of stress. Or maybe you had a client appointment to prepare for and now you’re winging it. You may be thinking you could have done better or worrying about what the client thinks of you and this could cause a layer of stress.

Tips to avoid overwhelm.

Allow plenty of time to achieve tasks on your list. Can you ask for more time if needed? The idea is to remove the layer of stress brought on by unreasonable deadlines and unexpected delays.

Keep an eye out for symptoms. Are you feeling rushed? Any physical signs? Do you need more skills or training? Could this task be delegated to someone else? Is there anyone you know who seems stressed, angry, tired, or tearful? These are common signs of overwhelm.

Look after your body as well as your mind. Simple suggestions include homecooked meals, drinking more water, having a good night of sleep. Making the time for seeing friends, exercising, and learning new skills is as important as meeting that deadline.

I know how overwhelm can cause short term and long term problems and I work with people from all over the country to help them recognise their symptoms of overwhelm. I can help put steps into place to reduce overwhelm in your business and personal life. If you’re juggling too much something will give.

Don’t let overwhelm run your life. If you find you’re bouncing from one task to another with no time to rest or relax please get in touch with me. I will help identify where you can carry on with what you’re doing and where it makes sense to outsource or delegate tasks. No task is too big or too small and if you feel overwhelmed, please give me a call.

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

www.getfocus.guru | 07756 772950

Why Your To Do List Isn’t Getting Done

For many of us, having a To Do List is our way of remembering what we need to do and crossing items off the list once they have been achieved. Your list might be the top three things you want to achieve this morning, or it might be a list of everything you want to do today.

When working with clients, I’ve seen To Do Lists which include items that can’t possibly be achieved in a day. Sometimes people show me their To Do Lists spanning weeks or months with a bottomless pit of items.

There comes a point where a To Do List becomes more of an Ideas List, a brainstorm of items you’d like to get done, maybe, sometime, one day. You might have a list like this that never seems to get done.

Scrap Your To Do List

My advice is to bin your To Do List, that’s right, to scrap it completely, and start again. But, this time, I’d like you to create an Achievement List with all the things you’d like to get done. The simple act of changing the name of your list from “To Do” to “Achievements” mentally reinforces the good feeling you get when a task is done.

Then I’d like you to look at all the items on your Achievement List and group activities where possible. You may need to rewrite your Achievement List a few times to put things in groups to start with, but this becomes easier over time.

For example, I like to make phone calls on my walks with Missy. We have about an hours walk twice a day and this enables me to use my time twice. I still take in the scenery and fresh air and get to play with Missy, but I’m also crossing off items on my Achievement List at the same time.

Another example would be to post letters on the way to the supermarket. Both tasks need doing and if I combine them into one journey it becomes an efficient use of my time and my petrol.

Order Your Achievements

I also try to prioritise items on my Achievement List. To do this, I use a Time Intensity Grid and allocate a value to each task, whether it is a high or low intensity task using lots of energy, strength or brain power, or a high or low time task using minutes, hours or days of my time. It can help to annotate each task with HIHT, HILT, LIHT or LILT so you can prepare yourself for how long or how intense each task will be.

For example, my trip to the supermarket and posting my letters would count as a LIHT task, because although it’s easy, it takes time, especially at the moment where there are sometimes long queues to go into the supermarket.

Add Times For Your Achievements

If you have a lot of tasks on your Achievement List it can be helpful to divide your day into blocks of 15 minutes and allocate blocks of time to each task. For example, my walk with Missy takes about an hour, so that’s 4 x 15 minutes blocks of time.

I can add to this by allocating a time of day to this task, for example Missy likes a morning walk, so I can allocate 9am to 10am for our first walk. To use my time twice, I will often pre-prepare some phone calls to make during this hour as well.

Our second walk usually takes place just before an evening meal and we often meet friends on this walk to share our day and catch up on news, socially distancing of course.

Try This For Yourself

At the beginning, I encouraged you to bin your To Do List and change it into an Achievement List. I’m pleased to say my advice and tips have worked for many friends and clients over the years. I recently gave a 4Sight at a 4Networking business networking meeting talking about Achievement Lists and Using Your Time Twice.

The 4Sight was very well received and I had a 121 with one of the attendees who commented, “If nothing else, that bit (about Achievement Lists) has made this 121 worthwhile”. So, I encourage you to try this for yourself and turn your To Do tasks into Achievements.

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