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I used to be a sucker for time management tactics.
I believed if I could only manage my time better then I could “get it all done.” I also did overwhelm fairly well.
It’s really quite easy to excel at overwhelm. You simply think of everything you need to get done with a special focus on what you can’t control.
Add in a dash of starting this task, then switching to that and now dwelling on all those you’re yet to start and it’s amazing how busy you can feel – how overwhelmed – without actually achieving anything!
Stated this way is easy to see that overwhelm is really just lazy thinking and frenzied yet indiscriminate action taking.
The alternative is to,
First admit you will never get it all done and,
Second have the focus and clarity of thought to choose what is most important – to Prioritise – and the discipline to act according to those priorities.
Today’s show – the 6th and final in the Becoming Vegan series – is your alternative to overwhelm. Overwhelm is overdone – let’s ditch it today and prioritise your way to a healthy vegan lifestyle.
Today I’m covering how to:
Prioritise and Overcome Overwhelm To Live A Healthy Vegan Lifestyle.
I covered part 5 in show E609: The Most Effective Strategies The Most Effective Strategies To A Healthy Vegan Lifestyle.
I covered part 4 in show E607: How To Educate and Accelerate Your Way To A Healthy Vegan Lifestyle.
I covered part 3 in show E605: How To Eliminate Limiting Beliefs and Live A Healthy Vegan Lifestyle Long Term.
I covered part 2 in show E603: How To Align Your Goal To Live A Healthy Vegan Lifestyle Long Term.
I covered part 1 in show E601: 6 Step System To Becoming Vegan and Living A Healthy Vegan Lifestyle Long Term.
What is the goal for today’s show? To prioritise the thought process’s and actions that will make creating a fit, strong, healthy body following a vegan lifestyle simple and sustainable.
Why? So that you can escape the clutches of overwhelm and enjoy the results you deserve for your busyness.
Let’s get cranking with the How to – I have 3 steps for you:
Step 1: Focus first only on what is the #1 priority… until it is done.
Your #1 may be planning your best #plantstrong meals for the day or perhaps getting a 30 minute walk or workout in first thing before your inbox, phone or social media jump in your way.
This should get the best of your time and energy. That prime-fresh-focused-Golden-time when your discipline tank is full. Yes, you have a daily discipline quota!
For most people ‘golden time’ is first thing in the morning. You will know when it is for you.
If you find yourself constantly turning to the easier option – sleeping in, reading emails, whatever – then remove as much friction from your morning routine as possible.
=> Friction removing factors may be tangible like laying your exercise clothes out the night before. Or moving your alarm to the other side of the room so you have to get out of bed to turn it off or having an oats or smoothie mix in the fridge ready to go for a quick morning get away. Or,
=> It might be more about removing the friction in your mind. The pervasive thoughts that creep on in and undermine your best intentions. Stuff like:
“Its cold and wet outside, and so cosy under the covers” or “That gym class is so hard, I feel so uncoordinated, unfit, uncomfortable – it seems so much easier for everyone else”
These thoughts set up walls designed to make it easier to give up on your #1 priority… each time you let yourself entertain such a thought that wall grows higher, tougher to climb and more likely to stop you achieving your goal. Remove the friction in your mind by immediately reframing any of these thoughts before they get to grow into a wall.
Step 2: Refine your focus to only what is within your control.
How much time and energy do you spend on things that are not within your control? It’s an absolute waste.
To turn your focus around it can help to picture your circle of influence:
=> Imagine a circle and within it are all the factors and variables within your influence.
For example:
- What time you go to bed.
- What time you get up.
- How you fuel your body.
- How you move your body.
- Who you choose to spend time with.
- How you choose to spend your time.
This is where to spend your time and energy, you will only see results for the things you can change and you know that if nothing changes, nothing changes (!) AND that that is 100% within your control.
=> Now draw a circle outside that inner circle. This will contain everything beyond your control.
- The weather.
- The financial climate.
- How other people respond to you.
- Your genetics.
There is no value spending your time and energy here. It’ll only make you feel overwhelmed and ineffective.
Step 3: Decide and commit to stick with it until finished.
Yes, it will take more than just deciding. Positive constraints are super effective to make it happen for you consistently.
My go to constraints are:
- Planning my day to come the night before.
- Get to bed 7-8 hours prior to my ideal time to get up.
- Remove all non-ideal foods and trigger foods from home. It’s much easier to not have bread for breakie instead of a smoothie when there’s no bread in the house right?
- Announce on social media when I’m due to do a session I have a history of avoiding (cardio intervals!). Nothing like a bit of accountability! Perhaps you might hire a trainer or find a training buddy.
- Set a timer for those tasks I find it tough to start or stick to. Choose whatever is a super non-intimidating time for you, I like 45 minutes.
What next? The time of the actionable is what next! It’s 3-part today:
- Decide what is the one action that if performed consistently would have the most positive and life-changing effect on your health? No but’s or I cant’s or what if’s! This is that one thing that if I said: “From today you get to enjoy the exact results you would get if 6 months ago you committed to that one thing and you did it every day for an entire 6 months?” Ok, what is it?
- So you’ve got your one thing. Now take 10 minutes (or more!) to brainstorm what is and what isn’t within your control in relation to performing this one action.100% responsibility here: Weather is not within your control however, walking in the rain or a wet weather alternative both are.
- Once you’ve committed to your one thing, determine ‘3’ go2constraints that are going to support you in making it happen.
I have a few more resources that I’ll link to in the show notes for today. Basically you know if I’ve written and podcasted about something a lot it also means I’ve struggled with it a lot. I’m much better than I used to be however for sure, overwhelm still rears it’s ugly head with me from time to time.
And to be honest, I cling a little too tight to my priorities as some sort of comforting little safety net / overwhelm shield that has earned me the less than flattering nick-name “The Planner” from one dear (yet distressingly spontaneous) friend.
How Certainty In Yourself Helps Beat Weight Loss Overwhelm.
Getting Over Overwhelm To Fast Forward fat loss.
013: Overwhelm Is Lazy Thinking.
442: 9 Overwhelm Overcoming Tactics
That’s it for today in Healthification. I’ll be back soon to share my chat with Julie Andersen, Global Executive Director of Plastic Oceans International. In E612 Julie and I discuss the amazing film: A Plastic Ocean and the terrifying need PLUS hopeful solutions to shift our reliance on plastic.
The Healthification podcast is proudly bought to you by my FREE ‘Easy Vegan’ plan. It took me 25 years to transition from a meat eater to a happy, healthy Vegan! You can do it in just 3 days with my simplified ‘easy vegan’ plan! Get the fit, strong, and healthy plant based body you deserve… while avoiding ALL the mistakes I made along the way!
Till next time, remember Creating a body and life you love is Freedom. (If this ex-carb queen, non genetically gifted, naturally uncoordinated vegan chick can do it – so can YOU!!!)
If you liked “Prioritise And Overcome Overwhelm To Live A Healthy Vegan Lifestyle” you’ll also like: The 5 Best Discipline Developing Tactics I Rely On Daily
If you’re yet to share the Healthification love – just click here to zip over to iTunes and leave an honest rating and review. It’d help me out big time. With gratitude, Kate.
EATING PLANT BASED IS SO MUCH EASIER THAN I EXPECTED!