The Toxic Positivity of Time Management

Text that reads "How to Embrace The Four Fears of Business Ownership"

You've the same 24hrs in the day as everyone else Reader!

How yeuuch! is THAT particular motivational nonsense?

Later this week I'm running a workshop on the "Toxic Positivity of Time Management" – the moral of the session being that; whilst it is entirely true that you do have the same amount of time as everyone else (and that no one can give you extra), what you do with it has much more to do with why you want to do the thing than how long doing the thing will take.

pale blue alarm clock with text emanating from the right side that reads "It's never about the time"

Spoiler alert... it's never about the time

Do you ever look at your calendar and think "I really want to get the thing done before Friday... but:

I need to make sure I get it just right
Which means I'm going to need to give it a decent amount of time
But I don't have a lot of spare time this week
Which means I might not be able to make it 'just right'
If it isn't 'just right' then it won't be good enough (or as good as it can be)
This might reflect badly on me - basically it would look like I got it wrong
I should probably wait... maybe I'll do it next week?

Hmmm. Next week is looking pretty busy already too..."

Relate much?

Buried in this inner monologue are some interesting points of note:

"It needs to be just right" (perfectionism anyone?)
"It has to be good enough" (compared to...?)
"... or it will be a failure" (what WILL people think?)

It's never about the time we have; it's about those other Fears. They're what is actually holding us back from doing the thing.

Clarity and bravery (yet again!)

What is it you really want and why is that so important to you that you are going to make it happen?

I know I ask those two questions in almost every email I send you but until you truly, deeply connect to the answer in each half of that vital sentence, there will always be something in your diary that can pull you away from the thing.

Once you can see clearly and bravely, it becomes easier to choose the right things and create more meaningful impact.

With each action, it will become easier to go again, creating a sustainable momentum built on helpful habits that you are manifesting and maintaining.

Your energy levels are becoming more sustainable, topping up on that momentum. Without realising it, you're getting better at doing the thing – building a body of evidence to prove that 'not ready', 'not good enough' and/or 'getting it wrong' only matter in your previously time-bound mindset.

Those Fears start to dissolve.

There's actual science behind all this

Chapter eight of "How to Embrace The Four Fears® of Business Ownership" – it's all in there.

Or email me back - let's get a call in the diary to talk about the time you have (and the Fears that are stopping you from using it well).

Again, it's not about the lack of time

Anyone who tells you to "JFDI" is ignoring the real reasons why the thing feels a bit too big, too scary. And that is where the toxic positivity resides.

What IS helpful is taking a moment to remember why you do what you do, what it truly means to you and where you want it to take you.

Make your 'why' bigger than your 'but'

Little challenge of you to start the ball rolling...

There is one, tiny but valuable first step you can take this week to move you closer to doing the thing. Can you see it in your mind? Do you know why it could be so important, so valuable to you?

You do?

Right... NOW you can JFDI. (Email me to tell me how you got on).