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How to Avoid 'Nervous Click', and Get More Done!

4/9/2013

3 Comments

 
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The Unstoppable Power of Intention

This week did not start well: I sat down at my desk, opened my computer, and promptly developed a nervous tick, (or what I more accurately term: nervous click).

I checked email. I checked Facebook. I made the odd comment, answered the odd email. I refreshed both pages to see what was new... Nothing was new, so I refreshed the pages again.

What was I doing? I was checking email and Facebook.

What was I really doing? I was doing my damnedest to avoid the fact that I was overwhelmed by all the thoughts in my head about what I wanted to do this week. I had no clear intention and was vainly hoping that checking Facebook and email (which ironically are both full of other people’s priorities and intentions...!) was going to inspire me (or at the very least make me feel I was achieving something).

After 30 minutes nervous clicking, I’d achieved the grand total of: nothing.

This was yesterday - Tuesday is my Monday – and Mondays, in my experience, (Tuesdays in my case), carry a particularly high risk of nervous click.

UNLESS.

Unless, I unleash the Unstoppable Power of My Intention, BEFORE nervous click sets in.

Let me explain:

A Solutions Device, Not A Storage Device

Our brains, (contrary to the way we often try to treat them), are solutions devices, not storage devices. 

Our brains like to get things done. When our brains are overloaded with thoughts, as mine was yesterday morning, they look for the nearest and most defined task they can get done and feel a sense of completion and satisfaction about. That’s why the washing up can look so attractive when you’ve got a report to write, or Facebook can seem so very appealing when there’s a big long list of things to get done, but a lack of clarity about where to begin or what’s a priority.

Our brains want to help us, but they need definition and clear instruction.

This is where intentions come in. 

The Might of The Big Red Cartoon Arrow

Intention-setting acts like a big red cartoon arrow pointing down from the sky, helping our brains sift through never-ending fog of 'to dos', and focus in on what's truly important. 

Once I realized my mistake yesterday, I back tracked, shut my computer and started where I normally start: with emptying all the thoughts running round my brain onto a piece of paper and setting my intentions for the week; three key things I want to get done over everything else, that will make me feel really good about myself and my business, and help me to move forward. I then broke these down into manageable bite-sized tasks with defined beginnings and endings and put these in my calendar.

By the end of the day I’d made significant progress with two of those intentions. I'd resurrected my week, was feeling purposeful and good about life again, and that nervous click...

...was HISTORY.

Magic

Admittedly there’s a clear process I follow to ensure I stay on track and get things done, but what I’ve discovered over time is that even if I don’t do as I prefer to do and break down and calendarise the tasks related to my intentions, just drawing my brain’s attention to those key intentions seems to be enough. 

Magically, whatever else is going on, however busy the week, however many other important 'to dos' come on to my list, those intentions, seem to get done. 

  • In what ways do you experience the unstoppable power of your intention?
  • How do you get clear on your intentions before your week begins? 
  • There’s still time, and I'd love to know: What are you intentions for the rest of this week...?!

I love hearing your thoughts and feedback - drop me a line in the comments below.

*You can get a free copy of the the super-effective 'Getting Things Done' Toolkit which covers emptying your brain and intention-setting in lots more detail, when you subscribe to this blog.*

3 Comments
Tara Lemay
4/9/2013 03:08:11 am

I have been feeling this "nervous click" a lot lately since returning from holidays. Also in the evenings where I find myself wasting way to much time online. And by adding a Mamadag to my week I need to be productive more than ever.

You're a great writer! Thanks for sharing these tips and I will try to practice them in my work and evening time.

Tara

Reply
Kate Barsby
4/9/2013 08:00:28 pm

Hey Tara

Great to see you here!

You're right, it's so easy to get lost online in the evening time. The only way I've found to combat evening interweb wanderings is to avoid turning the computer on at all in the evening, OR, failing that set a timelimit so I know that whatever surfing I do it has to be optimal. It's harder when your partner is at it too so we've made a pact to reduce evening surfing to a minimum. Having a good book on the go helps as then there's an incentive to get to bed which I know is THE most optimal thing I can do when I'm wanting to be more productive/feel more balanced.

Good luck with your productivity quest - I look forward to hearing how you get on.

Kate x

Reply
Farizah Sedek link
5/9/2013 06:42:55 pm

Hi Kate! Your post really spoke to me. As I become more and more aware of how I'm utilising my time, I began to realise that not only do I do the nervous click, I also do the nervous read. I LOVE reading great stuff, but I now ask myself if I'm doing it because it is my intention, or if I'm procrastinating from doing something I'd intended to do during that time.

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