Close Tabs. Empty The Trash |’To Me’ | Build Your Personal Brand
Hello there! Welcome to my weekly LEAPS.
You’re receiving this email because you subscribed to my weekly Wednesday feature or our mailing list. Every Wednesday, I share 5 things using our LEAPS approach:
Learn: something new or an idea
Energy: an energy (good or bad) word and it’s meaning
Action: something to do
Processing: a question to consider
Shout out: something or someone that I want to celebrate or acknowledge
LEARN
Something Worth Sharing
Close Tabs. Empty The Trash
Every so often my computer goes slowly and struggles. When this happens, if my husband is anywhere near me, he will ask me ‘how many tabs are open?’. I have stopped answering this question, because both he and I already know the answer…too many!
I am guilty of opening multiple applications and folders all at the same time, and jumping between this task and that. I know full well that this is not the ideal approach to anything - meaning not just my laptop, but in life too. We can all be guilty of starting multiple things and failing to focus on one - something that is frustrating and really inefficient. But just as my laptop starts to perform poorly when too many tabs and applications are open, we perform at a suboptimal and decreasing levels with unresolved and part started tasks. In addition, we often have a few tabs with historical ‘past stuff’ running in the background, perhaps relating to our childhood, fallouts, old relationships, previous jobs etc. that can drain and deplete us. Whatever your ‘open tabs’ are, they will eventually result in a sense of chaos and overwhelm.
The more tabs that are left open, the more energy is wasted. It’s not even enough to just close them - although this is certainly a start - because they will just sit in our ‘trash’. This means we still have them, and while more manageable in our trash bin, we are best emptying everything every so often.
So what do we do? We will have to open new tabs and accumulate trash in life - it happens every day - so we need to develop the habit of closing tabs and emptying trash before our system crashes! Here are a few suggestions, based on personal experience both with the computer and in life:
Tidy files: Create simple structures and systems.
Maintain files: Make an end of week tidy up habit.
Close tabs: Build a daily habit and make it your end of day routine.
Empty the trash: Add an end of week routine.
Shutdown: Every so often, make sure you turn everything off - and on again!
Prioritise your life-tabs: What can you close, and what needs attention?
Rest: Unplug yourself including from social media. Accept and let go of what you can’t influence or change.
Close the loop: See what actions are needed to stop wasting your energy and focus, and ask for help to manage any difficult stuff.
Focus: Pay attention and prioritise what you can influence and change.
Remember who’s in control: Either you are in charge of your ‘tabs’ or they are in charge of you.
ENERGY
An emotion or energy; a stand-out word / s
Sentiment
The original meaning of SENTIMENT was "personal experience, one's own feeling". The word originates from the Medieval Latin word SENTIMENTUM meaning "feeling, affection, opinion" - formed from Latin sentire "to feel".
A sentiment - and being sentimental - is how we feel about something or someone.
ACTION
Something small that you can do that might make a big difference
“To Me” Toast
I recently heard someone talking about how we need to be able to ‘toast’ our own achievements as well as the achievements of others.
Your action is to try and ‘toast’ yourself each day for the next week - at the end of the day consider one thing to toast about yourself and your achievements. This doesn’t need to be anything big, but do try and focus on what makes you who you.
PROCESSING
A question to think about and consider (you can discuss this with someone or write your thoughts down)
“What could happen that I haven’t thought of?”
Plans and strategies are fabulous - however, how many times have you found that they are quickly out of date due to unforeseen circumstances happening? While there aren’t many people that could have imagined a global epidemic, it happened. What could happen in your life - or in your business - that perhaps you’ve not considered previously? The possibilities could be positive, negative or a little of both.
I’d love for you to send me your own stories / thoughts about this. Drop me a line with your answer / thoughts on this question
SHOUT OUT
Who / what I think deserves recognition - my gratitude or to be celebrated.
In The Zone
As the ‘learn’ suggests above, it is very easy to be distracted and overwhelmed by life and the stuff that gets thrown our way. I’m shouting out the ability to get in your zone - to be focused, balanced, confident and at your best. It’s really a feeling of being fully in flow and stuff just clicking…you know it when you feel it! Shout out to you being in your zone!
BONUS GIFT FOR YOU
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LEAPS is a process used by our team and clients all the time - and even my own family on a daily basis.
I’ll be sharing a set of LEAPS each week with you and encourage you to do your own version:
L: what have you learned?
E: what’s your energy / feeling word
A: what’s one thing you need to do?
P: what are you thinking / processing?
S: who or what can you shout out?
