PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN DAY!

Do you often find yourself putting off your most important tasks? Do you end up doing the things you really could do tomorrow instead of doing what you need to do today? I know I do. But when it gets too much, when it gets so blatantly obvious that I’m avoiding something, I pull out my secret weapon: the power hour. First though, let’s look at what’s in between you and your ability to ‘show up’ for the task in hand. (Or heart.)

meet your procrastination

Procrastination is a sneaky fellow. He’s convincing too. He’ll advise you to focus on all your other tasks, so you feel good about all the stuff you’re getting done. Yet he’s superficial; your feel-good factor soon fizzles away as you realise you’ve spent another day doing everything but what you really needed to do. That’s procrastination. When you know what he looks like, you’ll have a better chance of catching him in the act.

remember what you really want

Do you really need the sink to be clear of dishes before you do your morning writing? Is your nipping out to the shops instead of sitting at your canvas absolutely necessary? It helps to check in with what really matters to you. If having a clean and tidy home or that latest superfood from the shops is what you value above your creativity/well-being/success/add your own goal — then great — do it! But if you feel you’re neglecting something important, something that makes your life brighter in some way, then give it an hour in which it matters most.

what’s really stopping you?

This is the biggie. Many of us have a grasp of our gremlins–the judgements we carry about ourselves that keep us small, dull, scared. My own judgement is ‘I’m unloveable’. This translates into everyday gremliness as ‘What’s the point in doing my writing — what if they don’t like it?’ and other such scripts. It sits on my desk in a soppy, sad, worthless way and, if I let it, would quite happily (or miserably) run the whole operation. Some days it does. We all have days, moments like that, when our judgements rule our thoughts and subsequently our behaviour. But then the shiny one inside speaks. We all have one of those too. ‘It’s okay gremlin, you just sit there. I love you – but you won’t hear that and that’s fine. Right now I’ve got some shimmering, shining and sparkling to do! Ta DAH!’ And so the light breaks through. See if you can see what your judgement is… and then decide who gets to be centre stage in the next moment. And the next.

keep it simple with the power hour

Out of all the time-management courses I’ve been on, both online and in person, the best and most practical tip that really has stood the test of time is the power hour. Sometimes big tasks, or even little tasks that matter, can seem completely overwhelming. So we tend to do something else instead. But with the power hour, you just show up. It’s a window. You set aside one hour, in which you commit to show up for your task — whatever it is. You go to the loo beforehand, you eat, you drink, you spin on your head: do what you need to do before you start your hour. Your power hour is your sacred time, in which you give your full attention to your task, no phone answering, no email checking, no facebook. Because it’s only an hour, you’ll feel like it’s doable. Can I give this task the whole day that it needs? Maybe not. Can I give it an hour? Definitely! It doesn’t matter if nothing much flows or happens, simply showing up for your task is where it starts. Then, more often that not, you’ll find your hour slips into two… but that’s up to you. If you have space to keep in the flow, flow! If not, come back to it tomorrow for another power hour. It’s a truly great way to pull the energy back from procrastination and the gremlin. They’ll still be there, but you’ll be amazed at how little they have to say during your power hour.

feel the satisfaction

Rewards are fun. Give yourself a cup of tea or coffee after your hour’s up. Or something juicier. Or carry on flowing and creating and feel the immeasurable satisfaction that comes when you just showed up to shine. Procrastination? Pah. The power hour just knocked him out.

(with thanks to jonathankay.co.uk for the ‘judgement’ & ‘shiny one’ work recently, and to thewholemama.com for continued inspiration. x)

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