How I transformed The Day From Hell Into A Productive, Focused, And Joyful experience
The day started out with so much promise. After a cold winter, a heat wave promised temperatures in the 70s! My 4 month old baby finally slept through the night again after about a week of regression. I had a good plan in place, including getting some important work done, a workout, and a date night with my husband.
And then at 7:13 am, my Nanny canceled. Sh*t.
I quickly sprang into action to try and salvage what I could of my day. Luckily, my parents were in town visiting, so I asked if they could babysit for the day. Having my parents babysit is sort of like having half a Nanny. They are in their 70s so they are able to do some parts of the job, but not everything. As I handed the baby over and was peppered with questions like how to use the bottle warmer and laundry machine (which I had already demonstrated multiple times), my heart sank further into my chest. This was not going to be easy.
Then I got a text from my husband, a liver transplant surgeon, letting me know that he likely had a transplant later which meant that I would probably be alone for dinner, dog walking, and baby bedtime. As the clock ticked by I saw my perfectly planned day slipping even further from my grasp.
I became frustrated, and decided to try and leave the house (and hence, the crying baby and flustered grandparents) in order to get some quiet and focus. Upon arriving at a coffee shop to finally sit down and start my work day, I discovered that I had left my computer at home.
At this point, I just had to laugh. How did this day fall apart so quickly? And I realized that I had a choice to make. I could allow this day to cause me frustration, anger, and overwhelm, or I could coach myself into having a productive, focused, and joyful day.
Whether or not you are a parent, if you have days like this where everything just feels like an overwhelming sh*tstorm, read on.
My signature coaching method is called LEAP, which stands for Listen, Explore, Activate, Perform. Here is how these 4 steps solved my problem:
Before solving any problem, you have to know what your goal is. What is the result you are trying to achieve? Sometimes when we are overwhelmed and frustrated we lose sight of what actually matters. But when I actually LISTENED to my inner wisdom, the purpose of my day became clear. I wanted to accomplish 3 things: 1) Be 100% present for and attuned to my clients, having transformational and inspirational sessions. 2) Write a blog post (something I had been procrastinating for weeks due to all sorts of excuses like no time, lack of clarity, blah blah blah). 3) Spend quality time with my parents who are only in town for a few more days.
Next, I EXPLORED the blocks and challenges that were holding me back from accomplishing these goals. After doing a brief exercise called a thought download, I realized that my inner dialogue was full of self doubt, control, excuses, blame, and helplessness. And while I couldn’t change the circumstances I was faced with, the story I was telling myself about those circumstances was so negative that it was no wonder I felt overwhelmed and frustrated, leading me to be short and snippy with my poor parents, procrastinate work, and sink further into my stressy pit of despair.
With this understanding and awareness, I then ACTIVATED a plan that would instead lead me to my desired results. Ever heard the saying “less is more?” In the case of a day from hell, this may need to be your mantra. I cleared my calendar of all the little tasks I thought I needed to get done and wrote down the 5 most important things I would need to do to accomplish my goals. Those 5 things were to meditate, review client homework, write this blog post, provide my parents with written instructions for the day and then leave them alone and let them figure it out. Sometimes (especially for you Type A control freaks like me out there) your action plan involves inaction.
The final piece of the puzzle and the key to your grand PERFORMANCE requires you to change your mindset and your attitude. You can have a great action plan, but without the right mindset to back it up, the overwhelm and frustration will creep back in any time you experience just the slightest deviation from your plan, which trust me, you will. Halfway through the day, my dad threw out his back and I had to take back over baby duties. But by reframing my story with surrender, self-compassion, gratitude, and trust, I was still able to achieve my goals.
The results? I achieved all 3 goals AND managed to have time to do some of the other minor tasks on my list, plus a workout! But best of all was that I didn’t feel stressed and overwhelmed throughout the day. I was able to focus and be present, for my clients and for my family.
If you are struggling with productivity, feelings of overwhelm or stress, or figuring out how to achieve work/life balance (including taking care of yourself), coaching can help you achieve your goals and reach your highest potential - both professionally and personally. Book a free initial consultation with me and learn more about whether my coaching program is right for you.