The Unconventional Self-Management Playbook

Tired of the same old self-management advice that feels like chewing through a dry, overcooked steak? Let’s spice things up with some unconventional life hacks. Ready? Let's go.

1. Bring Back Your Imaginary Friend

Remember that invisible friend you had as a child that only you could see and everyone else thought you were weird? Yea! Invite him back! What part of you did he represent? The innocent? Playful? Creative? How can communicating with that part be useful? In NLP this is called 'Communicating with Parts', a self-discovery technique we can bring into our every day. So next time your colleague messes up and you want to high-five them in the face with a chair, invite your innocent, life-loving imaginary friend forward - what would he say?

Did you know, a useful coaching question used to incite perspective is "how might a 5 year old see this situation?"

2. Watch Yourself Fail, Then Rewind

Imagine the project or task you are working on has failed. Look around, what do you feel, hear and see from this perspective? What is here for you to learn? Then trace your steps and identify how this came to be. This mind hack is not just about helping you gain insight on contingency plans, it also helps you get comfortable with failure, which means it becomes less scary, hence you become more resourceful.

You've seen what happens to people operating under a fear of failure - don't be like that, it's extremely uncool.

Did you know they use this technique to train police? Imagining they get into their car and someone grabs their neck from behind. Then they rewind and replay - what would they do this time? Each time we play out a scene in our minds we are telling our body that it is happening in real life. Do that 3, 4, 5 times, it gets used to that feeling. This is why rumination can be a downward spiral. This technique is about pre-mortem planning, not endless midnight screenings of your mistakes from yesterday.

3. Anchor Your Superpower Mindset

Remember those times you took a bite of something and thought "Oh! This reminds me of my childhood", that's anchoring. It's classical conditioning - remember Pavlov's dog? Our unconscious mind captures everything about the smell, look and feel of every moment, and if that moment is associated with an elevated emotion, it takes snapshot - because there is something important here to remember. We all have naturally created anchors to smells, tastes and feels that link to particular instances in our life, however what if we could manufacture one for our own benefit?

We can create anchors to trigger a specific emotional or mental state. Pick a time when you felt super powerful. Connect with that memory and allow the feelings of that moment to arise. Select an anchor - a song, colour, or word. Once you have fully assumed your super power state, fire your anchor. Do this 3 times until you feel there is a connection between your anchor and your state.

Then use it! The more you use it, the more accessible it becomes. It's about creating your mind-muscle-memory.

Conclusion

The more we understand how our mind and body work together, the easier it is to hack. Enjoy the tips, and remember - stay unconventional ;)