Category Daily Exercises

Diane Dye Hansen teaches you how to accomplish more in a day.
Productivity: 5 Ways to Accomplish More in a Day

Every day, we are granted the same 24 hours. And, every day, some portion of that is wasted. It’s wasted to cell phones, email chains, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, shopping sites… deep breath…. you get the idea. In spite of all of these distractions, it is possible to accomplish more in a day. So, if you are ready to look like a serious rock star – read on. Or watch on. The video is right here.

It’s all about the mission you want to accomplish.

You have a mission. Whether its in your life, your work, or with your family – you have one. And you know what? You deserve to accomplish it! You do! Being clear on your mission and the three action items which move you toward it is the first step to productivity. In my Crappertunity framework, it’s the Awareness piece. You need to know what you want to do before you can do it. Pick three and then choose one to crush.

Then it’s about your mindset.

You need to prepare yourself to crush it if you really want to crush it. If you are the type who feels overwhelmed, doesn’t know where the day went, or tends to let others distract you, then you need a BATTLE CRY to start your day. Choose a word – any word – and speak it when you are at the threshold of your business, of your bedroom, anywhere you need that boost. Say it loud and proud to yourself. Heck, you can say it out loud if you are brave. But the only way to accomplish more is to set yourself up to do it!

The enemy will invade.

No, your friends, family, and co-workers are not your enemies. But they are to your mission if they are pulling you away from it. When you honor your own time, others will honor it too. Be prepared with a holding statement for them. Tell them when you are available. Clue them in on why you are trying to get more out of your time. Let them know when they have your attention, they have all of it. They will appreciate you for it.

Have a feast!

After battle, Caesar’s men would all gather for a feast. They would revel in the win. So should you! Revel hard, my friend, because you are forging your path to success one task at a time. Now, you don’t have to break out and have a party every time you finish something. But you do deserve a pat on the back. This is a new muscle you are conditioning. You are learning to accomplish more by actually accomplishing more. Be sure to acknowledge yourself for that. I know I am proud of you already.

Do it again – and again.

Wash, rinse, repeat – habit is formed when you do it over and over again. It becomes a way of life for you. It becomes who you are to be intentional during your work hours. I have been in the office an hour and a half. I have shot a video and written two columns. My original content for the week is done in less than two hours. I haven’t reached for my cell phone or my email box once. If I can do it, you can. Post your success below. I want to hear from you!

packed calendar
Productivity: 7 Secrets to Cut Calendar Clutter

Last week, while I was coaching a vision board class. I noticed a student was looking for space to add just one more thing.  I call that conscious clutter. People who have a Type A Personality call it “the way we live.” I should know. I am about as Type A Personality as you can get. And that’s not a bad thing!

  • Time is a valuable thing and scheduling it is important.
  • We are goal directed, visionary, people who like to take action.
  • Unfortunately, we like to take a lot of action. Sometimes it’s more action than we can fit into a 24-hour period.

I like to tell my coaching clients, it’s not how you manage time. It’s how you manage yourself within time. It’s a small shift, but a large one at the same time. Suddenly, time isn’t a such a beast. You no longer feel the need to tame it, either.

packed calendar
Believe it or not, this calendar isn’t as packed as it looks.

That’s how I felt when I was cluttering my calendar. I was trying to tame time. My Type A Personality craved control and my calendar was the mechanism to control. What I found, though, in that control, was that I was shutting myself off from an opportunity. Yipes! If there’s anything a Type A Personality hates, it’s missing out. FOMO (fear of missing out) is part of the driver of calendar clutter in the first place.

Here are some coaching tips from a fellow Type A Personality. I hope this helps you cut down on the calendar clutter and removes stress from your life.

  1. Resist the urge to schedule every minute. Really, leave some space and see what happens. I think you will be amazed.
  2. Start coaching yourself to believe that empty space isn’t wasted space. When you accomplish #1, you may feel a bit of anxiety. Take a deep breath. Blank space is space for potential. If you are busy like me, you may learn to relish the break. Then again, if you are busy like me, something may just come along you didn’t expect and take that space.
  3. Give yourself time to get from point A to point B. Travel time, bathroom breaks, and time to make phone calls are necessary. Leave 15 minutes between appointments to provide padding.
  4. Group activities in the same location to avoid back and forth driving. Running back and forth is about as painful and tiring as running “horses” in high school. Remember those? Instead of running “horses” in your car, group activities to cut out the back and forth.
  5. Keep a list of to-dos separate from your calendar. This provides flexibility from day to day without hard scheduling tasks. Hard schedule meetings and events where you need to be present. Work those to-dos in separately. If you must block out work time to focus, do that. Entrepreneurs with flexible schedules may need to draw that hard line.
  6. Prioritize and decide what is calendar-worthy and what isn’t. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was your empire. Focus on the stones that build your career colosseum. Handle your hot items and let the rest trickle into your day (and don’t give me the “it’s all hot” line, it’s not).
  7. Realize it’s OK to be perfectly imperfect. Be kind to yourself. Sometimes you have to be gentle with yourself. No one will be harder on us than US. Remember that, breathe, and know the sun will rise tomorrow.

Doing these seven steps may feel like getting jabbed with a needle at first. But, when you feel the difference of over scheduling versus aiming for the middle ground, you will see a huge difference. It’s incredibly freeing. What’s best about it is you don’t have to stop scheduling. You just have to schedule some air so you can breathe. And, if you are concerned with balance, there’s always the Type A Personality go-to: color coding. But, that’s a whole other article.

Of course, I can help if you need it. Schedule a complimentary consultation with me right here.

Even a coach need motivation.
Mindset: How do you motivate yourself?
Even a coach need motivation.
Even a coach needs motivation.

When it comes to motivation, do you coach yourself to success or paint yourself into a corner? Part of business is learning how to coach and motivate others. But you also have to motivate yourself if you are going to drive the success of your company.

I love Audible. I pay a subscription fee and I get to download anything I want for one credit. The subscription is motivation to keep consuming information. After all, a coach is only as good as the information they can provide. Hiring a coach is like taking a football team filled with coaches and committing to one to give you personal attention. I listen to a lot of books because I multi-task. I made it through seven chapters of Jen Sincero’s “You are a Bad Ass” between Coloma, CA and Carson City, NV. I could not have done that with a paper copy. In fact, I think this coach would have killed her business and herself in the process of trying. To save lives and expand minds, I am gladly giving away a 30 day Audible Free Trial [Digital Membership].

See, I am always on the look out for tools to motivate me. I see motivation as the gas that makes my business engine run. My company is healthier when I do the work to motivate myself. I motivate others better when I motivate myself. I have always used vision boards to propel my business forward. In fact, everything I coach I do myself. Go figure. Want to see if What Works Coaching works? Look at how healthy What Works Coaching is! Basic business 101 – no contractor’s dilemma here. I know I must fill my own cup first before filling others.

Yes, that means you need to motivate yourself and that will fill up your cup. So, how do you motivate yourself when energy is low, ideas are short, and time is shorter? Well, you might want to consider looking for a coach. For me, I downloaded “You are a Bad Ass.” I do highly suggest you read or listen to that book. You might like the You Are a Badass 2017 Day-to-Day Calendar. But, since Jen Sincero may not be on your speed dial, maybe consider putting me on there.

Schedule some time with me. If you are super convinced already that coaching is right for your business, go all in on one hour. If you want to stick your toe in the puddle of motivation and risk 20 minutes of your time to possibly motivate the hell out of yourself, schedule a complimentary 20 minute session.

Whatever you do, do something – anything. Take action. Because action is what motivation is really all about. Unless you can think of a company that stayed in the black doing nothing. I’m waiting… No company can do that? You would be right.

So my question to you, right here, right now, is this. How do you motivate yourself? Share in the comments below. Who knows. The way you motivate yourself might motivate others, which will great sweet rapids of motivation we can all raft. Let’s go!

yoga prop
What yoga taught me about business
yoga prop
Using props is important, in yoga and in business.

The other day I was taking Theresa Simmons’ yoga class at Eagle Fitness in Carson City. We were doing what I considered to be a basic pose. I don’t remember the name right now. However, it was a pose where I didn’t feel like I needed to reach for my blocks. “Use the blocks, that’s what they are there for,” she said.

Immediately my ego shouted at me “No!” “I won’t use blocks for this pose!” “I don’t want to look like I don’t know what I am doing.” “I don’t want to appear weak.” “I can do it without help!”

Yet, the one thing yoga practice has done for me is that it has helped calm my monkey mind. And boy can that thing chatter! It has taught me to challenge my ego. Sometimes, challenging my ego means accepting help from a block made of cork.

Immediately, the pose felt better. I wasn’t straining as hard. I could breathe. Even in the simplest of poses, utilizing my props made it easier.

Suddenly, it all came together. I haven’t been using my props (my support system) in business!

The ego shouting sounded the same in a business context. “No!” “I won’t sub-contract this out!” “I won’t ask for help. I don’t want to look like I don’t know what I’m doing!” “I have 20 years of experience. I don’t want to appear weak.” “I can do it without help.”

I have been blessed to have a great support system. This system grows every day as I open myself up to possibility. When I use my blocks in yoga, I don’t hurt. When I use my support system in business, I also don’t hurt. Things…. flow.

Coaches are like blocks, too. We are business yogis of a sort. We help correct your poses. We connect the asanas. I used to hate it when a yoga teacher would provide an adjustment or correction. That, too, provided a business lesson. Sometimes, we need our teachers. We need our blocks, our straps, our bolsters, our blankets, to help get us to the next level.

That, my friends, is going with the flow of business.

Daily Exercise: Choose one area where you will ask for help today. Comment about it below.

eye
Peek into your psyche with this quiz

Today’s exercise is a little different. It’s symbolic in nature. Dr. Carl Jung studies symbols and their meaning in the dream world. Imagination is a form of lucid dreaming which can give you just a little peek into your psyche. Post your results below. Or, if you found this on social media, tweet your biggest realization. If you feel comfortable, form an affirmation for yourself. Then, after 30 days of practicing this, do the exercise again.

My biggest realization is that my defenses are still up. Although nothing else surprised me, this did – until I looked at it. When I have my walls up, it limits my good.

Today, I commit to being open to what gifts the world has for me and will follow the flow without fear or defense.

The power of should

should

Have you ever heard the phrase, “stop shoulding all over yourself?” I remember the first time I heard it. I was a teenager and I wanted to fit in. This was followed by a barrage of shoulds.

  • I should try out to be a cheerleader.
  • I should enroll in athletics.
  • I should be on the yearbook staff.
  • I should have a boyfriend.

The word “should” has historically been knocked down in my life. I was told that I was beating up on myself, that I was expecting too much, and that I SHOULDN’T say SHOULD.

What I have found is that should, framed with a balanced mindset could be easily (and powerfully) replaced with the word LONGING.

  • I long to be a cheerleader – which meant  to me, to be seen, heard, and matter.
  • I long to be in athletics – which meant to me, to be healthy, fit, and accepted.
  • I long to be on the yearbook staff – which meant to me, to make a permanent difference in as many lives as I could touch.
  • I long to have a boyfriend – which meant to me, to have companionship, love, adoration.

Today, as an adult and coach, I recognize that every should I give myself has a deeper longing behind it. The POWER of that should is this.

When I put action behind it, I take steps to fulfill my longing. 

I choose to be part of charitable projects: Which means I contract with myself to: bring my full creative self to the project and any project where I can make a difference, to see this project to the end, and to honor the work I do and the work of others as we create together.

Result: I fulfill my longing to make a difference and more projects begin to manifest to expand the ripple effect of my presence in the world.

All that from a teenage longing! The word SHOULD is so powerful! And don’t forget to look within as well as outside, because both the inner and outer world have the potential to fulfill a longing. Creating inside first makes that outer expression so much more powerful and lasting!

Daily Exercise: What have you been shoulding yourself about? Do the exercise below.

  1. List your shoulds.
  2. Unroot your longing.
  3. Pinpoint one focus area which, when worked, will meet that longing.
  4. Take action and witness the results in your life.

Did you complete this exercise? Comment below on what works for you.

What feels like a frustrating block, can actually be God's way of protecting you from taking a difficult path.
Door locked? Find another one.

I spend every morning on Facebook, catching up with friends, reading articles, and laughing at cat videos (OK, not really, but did you see this cute one about cats saving tigers)? It’s in this sea of randomness that I find entertainment, information, and (more than occasionally) inspiration.

What feels like a frustrating block, can actually be God's way of protecting you from taking a difficult path.

The badge I found on Doreen Virtue’s page spoke to me loud and clear. There have been many times where I have come up against locked doors, brick walls, and obstacles of all types. Living in self-will, I proceeded to call the locksmith, buy the jack hammer, or suit up to climb. What I didn’t realize is that sometimes blocks and obstacles are there for a reason. We are being redirected to bigger and better things in life. Lost jobs resulted in happier situations. Unexpected moves resulted in life-changing experiences. Before I learned to “embrace the suck” as a dear friend of mine says, I would rail against it, fight, cry, self-medicate, and do whatever I could to rattle the locked door.

Now, when I face a locked door, I look to my left and right to see if I see other options. If I feel too far off the beam, I will course correct and choose a new direction.

Daily Exercise: What are you facing today that might be an indication that you need to change your path? Make a list and mind map out a solution. Bubbl is a free mind mapping program you can use.

I’d love to see your results! Comment below!

Do you see the person or the persona?

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Robin Williams’ suicide really touched me in a place deep down in my soul. I realize the depth to which I can, occasionally, put on a mask. I use my experience to help others through their business challenges. But, often, I’ll mask it up when it comes to my personal life. I posted last week about being single and I got a Facebook message from a colleague which read “You know. I can’t help myself from micromanaging… so may I suggest you keep your personal stuff off of your WWC FB page? The “Single. And learning…”  feels too personal to show your professionalism.” In other words, dear coach, wear your mask.

Robin Williams wore his mask well. It wasn’t until his re-entry into rehab to “maintain his sobriety” came to the forefront that anyone had an inkling there was something going on behind the scenes. Still, the statement of maintaining sobriety thinly veiled that Robin was seeking help outside himself in a safe place. The media made that unsafe.

Actors rely on their persona. Often, in the process, the inner person gets ignored. Dustin Diamond recently came to Reno to perform. His “person” has been eviscerated in the media for the actions of his “persona.” Finding out a bit about the real person, thanks to a friend of mine, I find out that he’s happily married and good natured about people seeing him through their own lenses.

But where is the line? I find that actors aren’t the only people being judged by the characters they portray. We, as wives, mothers, husbands, fathers, friends, leaders, and professionals, may do the same. We may not have characters, but we have assigned roles and expectations we strive to live up to. Think about how you approach the people in your life. Even in your private life, do you assign a persona to your doctor, your teacher, your lawyer, your spouse? Do you ever spend time with a person and get real for a moment? If you do, you may be surprised by what you find out.

Today’s Exercise: See the person inside the personas you meet. Find out one new, non-professional, thing about the people in your immediate circle. What did you discover? Were you able to help someone you didn’t know needed it?

 

What is realness?

bridget_jones

Whelp… I’m single.

38. And single.

It’s about this time where friends start gathering, breaking out the romantic comedies laced in personal liberation, people start saying “oooh, I have the perfect guy for you.” But I’m realizing something. I don’t want the perfect guy. Not yet. I am not ready for him. First, I need to find my perfect self.

Now, I understand perfection is entirely unattainable and I can disappoint myself in little ways on a regular basis. But I realize in my singledom that, if I can’t love being with myself, how the heck is someone else going to love being with me? I mean the real me… the messy me… not the “headshot” me, or the coach me, or the me that shows up to parties and smiles at everyone.

Realness with who you are and what you have to offer is the first step in both life and business. If you can’t be real, than you cheat yourself out of the real experiences that come with candid interactions and real relationships – whether that be clients or potential mates.

This is my challenge today and everyday. It’s an even bigger challenge in the coaching field because my clients look to me for answers. But, you know what, the only way we get answers is through learning. We learn through others, we learn through ourselves, and we learn through those brown paper bag wrapped lessons life gives us.

So, today, I’m going to be real. Really real. If I cry during a session, know that something you have said has touched my heart. No more walls. What you see is what you get.

Today’s Exercise: How can you bring your walls down, just a little, and operate in your relationships as your singular, unique, self? How can you be unabashedly unafraid to really be you?

The floor is yours.

Your life is a blank canvas. Paint it!

abstract skyline

This week, I finished painting a little project I started about a year ago. I drew the outline and then I just put it back in the case. I went about my life. What I realized, when I picked that canvas up again, is that I really feel peaceful when I paint. It’s not about doing it right. It’s about putting brush to canvas and seeing what materializes. Often, it’s not what I expected. As I paint, I get inspired to do different things, use different colors, and express myself in new ways. I have come to realize this is a great approach to apply to life as well.

Blank canvases are filled with possibility. When you can quiet your mind and listen to what inspires you, it’s amazing where life leads. You can dip your brush in a color, fill a pre-conceived drawing, but you never really know exactly how it’s going to come together until it has. Life often imitates art in this way. I love it when someone asks an artist, “what was your inspiration?” Some artists have a very clear direction. In art classes, the students learn according to a very specific plan. There may be room for color interpretation. However, if the class is centered around painting a horse, everyone is going to walk out the door with a horse.

Art also imitates life.

You can walk through life with yourself, your higher power (whatever that may be), trust and faith. Or, you can find a living mentor and follow a base set of instructions. You can use a mixture of the two. However, one thing is constant. You start with a blank canvas.

To achieve a blank canvas, clear your mind of pre-conceived notions of how things should be or will be. Choose a path and walk down it. Artistic blocks happen when your will and the will of the universe clash. Give in to full inspiration and you will be inspired.

Today’s Exercise: What inspires you today? What can you clear away to create a blank canvas to express that inspiration?

This week, I reinforced my rediscovered love of peace and painting by purchasing a meditation pillow and some new art supplies. I can’t wait to see what I create with them! What will you create? What hobbies will you indulge in? What projects will you complete? How will you paint on the blank canvas that is your life? Share by commenting below.