The ONE tool that influences everything else!

How many times have you taken some training, and 3 weeks later forgotten almost everything you learned, and failed to make any permanent changes to your behaviour … or results?

Very frequently?

Don’t worry: that’s normal.

It’s the great problem of personal improvement: we often KNOW what we need to be doing, but it’s so hard to actually do it.

When I was teaching time management and personal effectiveness, as a Franklin Covey trainer and coach, the most common questions people used to ask were something like:

‘Yes, Guy, I can see this all makes sense, and it would be amazing if we could change our habits and do it … but it’s so hard to change and to actually do this stuff’

To which there are two responses:

The first, the glib, but true, emotional response:

‘That’s great news: because it isn’t easy, very few people are doing it, and so, if you can do it, you’ll quickly excel and rise above your competitors!’

Whilst this is true, it didn’t always assuage their worries, so we moved onto the second response: how to get these ‘difficult’ things done and turn them in to new and better habits going forward.

The key to this is: small steps repeated continually.

Why do small steps work so well?

There are 4 points to understand:

1. 95% of our actions are controlled by our subconscious brain. This brain is very happy and relaxed when you’re doing something it’s familiar with but gets into a huge panic when anything new comes along: this is why we so often repeat behaviours that get us into a fix!!
2. It’s simply easier to do what we know, what we’re familiar with – that may be ineffective – than it is to learn and implement a new set of behaviours. Habits are tough to break!
3. There are two ways to change these subconscious beliefs: firstly, through hypnosis, or other similar mind-altering activities: secondly, by repetition of small activities over the long term.
4. When we try and change a habit, we meet massive resistance: the brain goes into the ‘fight or flight’ response, and we end up with frustration and problems. The only way to avoid this is to take very small actions, that ‘tiptoe round’ the fight or flight response and enable us to actually make changes that change our behaviour (and therefore our results) for the long term.

So small actions are the key: it’s ‘Go the Extra Inch’ for us!

Ok, that’s fine … but then they may ask:

‘What small steps can we take?’

You can make up your mind for yourself on what small steps will work best for you, and what ones to take first, but, if you ask my advice, I’d tell you that ONE SMALL STEP will help you more than any other.

A ‘weekly plan’.

My goodness that sounds boring!

Why is a #weeklyplan such a good idea: after all, you’ve got through your life Ok so far without one?

Well, here’s the answer to those questions:

• If you’re 100% happy with your current situation, happiness and finances and see no room for improvement, I agree with you: there’s no need to bother.
• If you genuinely WANT to make some improvements in various areas of your life and you’re finding it really hard to make progress (as discussed above), then a weekly plan may very well help you.

A weekly plan gives you 10 minutes every week to do 3 key things that, when done properly, will influence EVERYTHING ELSE in the week.

A weekly plan is basically a system to make you:

1. Stop and consider what roles are most important to you
2. Think of and commit to ONE small step in each of these roles (which you wouldn’t do if you hadn’t slowed down to do this)
3. Schedule in each commitment into your time plan for the following week (so it gets done)

Research has shown that this ONE small activity can have more influence on your effectiveness and success than any other. It’s 10 minutes that positively influences the other 10,000 minutes in your week.

Wow!

Remember: we all know ways we can act more effectively, that’s NOT the problem … The problem is actually acting in those ways…and continuing to do so each week!

The ability to discipline yourself to do this, literally separates the winners in life from the losers.

You may already be using our ‘Weekly compass plan’ tool: if so, well done!

If not, you can download it from the 'Slow Selling' website… and to do a simple plan for the coming week.

Remember: it won’t be easy when you start, it won’t always go well, and it won’t always happen: the key is to get started with small steps: just one inch this week is better than none … and then to keep doing it and improving what you do inch-by-inch.

It ain’t rocket science, but it also ain’t easy.

Commit to the weekly plan every week and the rest will follow … inch-by-inch.

*ACTION*:

Take 10 minutes to start using the ‘weekly compass plan’ tool

‘It’s vital to spend some time every week working ON yourself and your business … not just IN it!’