Three ways to slow down AND get the important things done.

One of the ways we can create stress in our body is by going too fast, trying to do too many things.

It also means that we are not always giving the things we are doing our best quality thinking.

I know this from experience. I used to ?run from one meeting to the next, turning up and hoping to get through it as quickly and painlessly as possible.

That wasn’t me at my best.

Because I didn’t have the preparation time, it also meant that I wasn’t clear about my thoughts and therefore my confidence wasn’t as good as it would have been had I been clear.

Slowing down, being calm and having clarity are brilliant for your health and your confidence, so is it time for you to slow down?

Here are my 3 ways of slowing down and getting the important things done:

1.????Ban back-to-back meetings in your diary.?It’s your diary and you can take control of it, even if someone else manages it for you or other people book straight in. Be clear that you will not have back-to-back meetings and why.?It does two things, it role models great self-leadership, giving those that might need it permission to do the same.?It also means that people need to be clearer and more concise and efficient in meetings, sending clear communications ahead around expectations also helps.?

How you can make this work is by cutting down meeting times.?Often meetings are for 60 or 30 mins, because that is how they have always been done, cut them down by 10 or 15 mins and that will give you space to gather your thoughts, take any action and get your head straight for the next meeting.

2.????Write a list of all the expectations on you for the week.?Then next to them, write the initials of the person expecting these things from you.?Notice how many of them are your expectations!?

Then prioritise the expectations and if necessary, delete them. Sometimes we carry expectations without reviewing them and often they are no longer valid, it is always good just to do a review of the expectations you are carrying and whether there is still space for them in your life.

3.????Write a list of your top 5 priorities, then make sure that everything that is in your diary is aligned with those.?If they aren’t then delegate, defer or dump them.

It is easy for things to be in your diary and then take up your time, even when they are not aligned with your priorities, so this is a really important exercise to repeat before each week starts.?It will often create a bit more space for you and if the things you are spending time on are aligned with your priorities you are going to feel like you are making good progress.?How many times have you got to the end of a week and felt like you got nothing done??That might be a sign that these 3 approaches will be useful.

Remember, slowing down, means you give better thought to things, which means you will get the important things done and done well.

You will feel calmer and more confident too!

I hope you find these useful. I would love to know what tips and techniques work for you to help you slow down.