7 Step Guide to Creating the Ideal Life Balance for you..

 

Especially for Fellow Mums working, in business or Fulltime Mummys looking to go back to work <3

I am not going to keep this from you as I want you all to know that what I am telling you I speak from experience and I want to share with you my tips and techniques that helped me dramatically to get my ideal balance when my business took over my life a couple of years ago . I am not afraid to tell you that 2 years ago I thought I was running a successful business and nothing else should matter, I thought as long as I did the VAT returns, logged the accounts, looked after my daughter , did the housework that was it! How wrong was I - I am not sure if I was wrong or I just went with it because it was easier and I wasn't important. Yep you got it I thought I had to be doing the things I was doing because I had too, what I wanted and remember this is only my thinking, didn't matter. In the end I burnt myself into the ground and the business I thought was successful wasn't and I nearly lost it all. So let me share with you how I dramatically turned things around for the better.......ps I have a secret to tell you at the end too :)

 

Step 1 - STOP!!!!!!!!!! BREATHE and MENTALLY STEP AWAY FROM THE CHAOS AROUND YOU...

Done it? Good now your ready to take the next Step...

Step 2 - Write down the key areas of your life that are important to you, YES to YOU. Score between 1 - 10 with 10 being the most satisfied you are in each area...

E.g   FAMILY, CAREER, MONEY, HEALTH, FRIEND/FAMILY, ROMANCE, PERSONAL GROWTH AND LEARNING AND FUN LEISURE & RECREATION. You can use these or add your own it's important you use what is important to you. This exercise is based on the wheel of life exercise - if you would like a copy to complete this on please email me lucy@virtuelifecoaching.co.uk it's a brilliant visual aid to do an audit on your life.

How are your scores looking? They can't be any worse than mine was ... I was between 0-3 for most of them. That's when it dawned on me my life was sure out of balance.  Lets get these scores up for you on to the next steps..

Step 3 - Create Goals...

 

How many of you have Goals? How many of you achieve the Goals you set?  Goals are great things to have for you to achieve the things you want in life.

If you want a copy of my quick guide on how to set goals and achieve them please email me lucy@virtuelifecoaching.co.uk where I will forward you a copy.

 

Step 4 - Do something for yourself and Recharge...

 

Because when we are running out of steam and burning ourselves out we then become stressed, tired and can't keep on top of things. Recharge yourself and achieve a whole lot more!! This could be a pamper, bath's, going out with friends, chilling out in front of a movie with a glass of vino, taken some time out to read a book or do something for you such as a hobbie, interest or exercise.

Step 5- Design your own life and write your own script of life...

 

Too often we all think on what we have to do and meant to be doing - I still haven't found out who wrote those rules that we often think we have to follow. Who says we have to? this is your life, your dreams, make your own rules up. After all we are all different with different aspirations and goals so why do we think we have to follow the same script!

 
 

Step 6- Scheldule time in to do the things that are important to you.
 

I created a weekly plan and colour coded each area of my life that was hugley important to me.  I also created a picture board with pictures of my friends, family, partner, diploma, and everything else I wanted in my life and I pinned both my weekly plan and my picture in the kitchen where I saw it everyday. I also book things in the diary even if the girlie night is 6 weeks away inleast it's in the diary and it will happen.  

 

 

Step 7 - Get ready to make those changes in your life - it's going to be great!!

Tell everyone around you because this will affect them - one night Daddy will have to put the children to bed, or take them to the Park one day or even visit the sink and do the washing up. Let me tell you something as well what I have found out through all of this - all you have to do is ask your other half to do something! I know I thought the same - why doesn't he offer but I found it out all you have to do is ask! after all they just get on with doing things for themselves so they think we would do the same. So just do it!

I hope this has helped you if  you sometimes feel your life can get a  bit wobbly and out of balance. Before I sign off I told you I had a secret, well let me share it with you. I told you this was a 7 step guide well I lied, let me reveal my secret, I have a gift for you. An extra step - and I want you all to do this.....

 

Step 8  -Don't feel guilty

 
Instead feel guilty when you are feeling stressed and tired and you are snapping at your children, you've lost control of your business, you and your partner are arguing, even worse arguing infront of your children and the scores you have scored for the things that are important to you are below a 5! Because when our lives are out of balance we feel ourselves tipping over the edge and what is the point of working so hard and running about every where if you are going to become ill and stressed, feel resentment  and loose the ones that care for you around you because of it.

 
I give you all Permission to do the things that matter the most to you and I ask you to give yourself permission to do the same.

 
Lots of Love and Happiness

 

Lucy xx

I’m an employee get me out of here!!

Lateness, unproductivity, frequent absences, conflict between staff members, loosing sales, not enough sales, customer complaints, no happy customers, bad cash flow, loosing money, high staff turnover, recruitment costs, headaches, stresses, have I said them all? There are probably lots more things that can happen to your business and you once your staff become unmotivated!

 

Keeping staff motivated at work can be the most challenging task a Manager or Business Owner has. Once a member of staff becomes unmotivated things can spiral out of control and have a detrimental effect on businesses.

This is why is it crucial to keep employees motivated so they can carry out their job role to its full potential and enable a business to sustain in the economy and grow.

So what can we do as an employer to keep our staff motivated? Payrise? Company Car? Bonuses? More Responsibility? Regular Reviews? They seem like the obvious things, but really who knows!!!! And how do we know they will work?!! Some may work for some people but things like a payrise, company car and bonuses only work for a little while and when Timmy in Sales gets a better car then Tommy, Tommy is going to start to get dissatisfied with his and want the same. And yes you got it more money expenditure burning a hole in the cash flow!

The truth is we all get motivated by different things -Most people believe it or not are not motivated by Payrises, Money or Material things. Some people just want a simple hello to them in the morning it may sound simple but to be acknowledged as part of the company is a big thing for people and what does it cost employers nothing!!

Everyone is individual, everyone gets motivated by different things so why do we second guess, treat everyone the same and at the same time throw away lots of money to things we are not sure are going to work. Some people don’t like responsibility they just may like coming into work, seeing people, doing their work and going home again whilst other people thrive on more responsibility, love a challenge and not really bothered if they have a chat with Janine by the water cooler about last weekend's XFactor.

I have just become part of an exciting new tool called Motivational Maps – this tool is brilliant and truly goes along in what I believe in. This tool is a great starting point for Employers and Employee’s to understand the people in their team and their colleagues. Part of the battle in life is understanding people; once we do we can then work on how to communicate with them, how to treat them and what works for them and what doesn’t.

When I left my other business last year I was on a mission to go in and work with employers and their employees and create happier and successful work forces. Experience has told me from being an employee, employing my own staff, working with people and helping people back to work there is a need. I want people to enjoy going into work, if I see another comment on my Facebook feed about the dreadful thing that it is Monday again and they don’t want to go to work I may have to delete them from my friends list or better still find out where they work and work with them. Face it guys we have to work, so we may as well enjoy it – right? After all we spend three quarters of our life working so why would we want to feel that negative and depressed for all that time, why would we want to do that to ourselves?!!!! I love my work, my map told me I get motivated by being the expert and wanting to shine. That is why I am in this job - I want to inspire people and help people to become successful. If only my old boss knew this, if she did she would have kept one of her best members of her team as I loved what I did but not how I was being treated. Wouldn’t it be great if we just knew the simplest thing – What motivates my staff? It could mean just a hello for some!

I am currently taking bookings for any Employers/Business Owners/Managers who express an interest in Motivational Maps and want to find out more about them and how my coaching programs can help them and their staff/teams. If you would like to arrange a 1hr free consultation with me – please contact me on 07788 988018 or send me an email lucy@virtuelifecoaching.co.uk where I can arrange a meeting with you.

Employee's make the world go round, without them our businesses would not be able to grow. We need Employee's to work for businesses like its their business. Lucy Flanagan.