Ten Best Practices to Stay Centered When Surrounded By Chaos
We have all said it: “I need more time.”
Knowing there are twenty-four hours we get in a day, it is essential to think of the hacks that will provide you with more of what you need. This requires discipline in blocking time to think!
David Allen, a productivity consultant who is best known for his book, Getting Things Done said, “The problem isn’t time… it’s space.”
It sounds crazy, right?
Who has time to create the space to think? Creating space in your day can be a challenge although necessary for growth and innovation. It is a practice successful people engage in daily.
What I have discovered, for myself and the leaders I work with, is when you create the space to think about who you are and what you stand for, you are more intentional and mindful about the experience you create.
When you create the space to review what you have done really well, you no longer have to start each presentation or project from scratch, you start from what you already know. This allows you to get more done and use your time more efficiently.
When you take the time to attend a training session or conference, it creates the space for reflection about yourself, which allows you to feel more empowered and aligned with your brand.
When you create the space to plan for what is ahead, it provides a focus and can actually save you time.
Give yourself permission to take the time you need in a day that gives you the headspace you need to think. It makes things better with less effort. How cool is that?
TIME HACKS
Building best practices is a great way to raise your confidence. Your best practices emerge from reviewing your successes and the steps you took to make them happen. They also come from debriefing the setbacks you experience so you can identify what needs to be put in place for next time. This is an exercise that the leaders I have the privilege to work with do consistently.
Here are the top ten best practices, in the brilliant words of leaders, that will save you time, create greater certainty and allow you to live more fully aligned with how you want to be known:
#1 – Modify what you do, not who you are – knowing your brand is empowering
#2 – Don’t take it personally – seek to understand, don’t make it about you
#3 – Prepare, prepare, prepare – strategize to skyrocket your confidence
#4 – Define & reinforce healthy boundaries – teaches others how to treat you
#5 – Be fully present – there is no greater way to show respect
#6 – Share personal stories – helps in being more relatable and having deeper conversations
#7 – Honour your gut instinct – it is what you already know to be true
#8 – Value what you do well – what comes easily to you is your gift
#9 – Keep your eye on the outcome – don’t get caught up in the small things
#10 – Have a positive attitude – it keeps you open to what is possible
With additional demands on your time, it is critical to give yourself the space to think about not just what you are doing but who you are being. Not only in the moments when things are running smoothly but in the moments when your stress levels are high.
Apply these best practices and remind yourself of whom you want to be.
NOW YOU
Review the list and identify the best practice you can implement immediately that will help you in staying calm. How about the ones that will best serve you in moving the needle in how you want to be seen? Identify them and act on them daily.
Want to add to the list with your own best practices? Take time to review your successes and make note of all the steps you took to make them happen. Also, debrief your setbacks to identify what needs to be put in place for next time. Add any new ones to the list and begin to include them in your practice. They will help you in staying grounded in the chaos or even when a family member attempts to trigger you!
Align yourself with what matters most to you. Live your brand fully expressed with the intention and purpose to play bigger!
Are you interested in having a conversation to explore how you can define your personal brand and accelerate your growth as a leader, individually or as a team? Send an e-mail to book a complimentary 30-minute consultation.
