Time out to prioritise - Becks Neale, Designer & Brand Consultant

Planning ahead

Do you sometimes find special events and milestone days tend to somehow spring themselves upon you? Did you feel you had plenty of time, but then all of a sudden it was literally around the corner?

Even with the best of intentions, planning and creating content is one of those big tasks that easily finds it’s way to the bottom of the to do list, as impending tasks, projects, and meetings come in, daily life priorities, responsibilities, procrastination and doubts… or maybe it’s simply just not the right time… and time drifts away.

I’ve always used a ‘to-do’ list, as I love the satisfaction of being able to mark each item off once complete. However, have you found particular items just never make it across to your ‘done’ list, no matter how hard or long a day you work?

The big obstacle is that it’s a list of items (of varying sizes and probably some pretty substantial ones at that). If it was simply a check list for packing or your food shop – it would be job done, perfect! (- I wouldn’t want to be without it).

Transform your ‘to do’ list

Whilst a ‘to do’ list can provide focus and act as a reminder, it can also create overwhelm, stress and lack of motivation, especially for bigger tasks and projects. For these chunkier lists, it needs each item to be broken down with a strategy and actionable tasks that all build upon each other. Then prioritised and allocated resources (time, money, hiring a specialist etc). This enables you to keep moving your business forward through the different work and life challenges, opportunities and events that crop up during the day, week, month etc that need your focused attention, and plan ahead.

For instance, before and during the Christmas break, like for many, there were lots of things that needed organising and doing. Things I wanted to work on; for my business, for Christmas preparations, for our home, and also importantly time out with loved ones. Having it roughly scheduled, prioritised and time allocated towards moving each task forward made the to do list much less overwhelming, surprisingly more flexible and created a relaxing break.

It’s still a work in progress for me. (I’ve just ordered a lovely yellow weekly planner to help capture and organise my ideas). However, this feeling of flexibility and limiting stress is what I hope to bring more of in my soulpreneur life; to embrace the right opportunities, to have time to enjoy being in the moment in both my work and life, time for full focus and time for rest and restoration.

This feeling resonates perfectly with my brand focus word for this year: abundance.

For 2023, my intention is to transform my ‘to do list’ into a ‘to do plan’ of things I’d love to achieve, including personal and business goals. A plan of action that’s more manageable and enjoyable.

Insights

An important thing to note if you’re following along too is to ensure the actions, and how you are delivering them, are aligned with who you are and your natural tendencies. If they’re not then you’ll find a lot of resistance and likely stress yourself out, rather than gaining forward traction and excitement.
It also doesn’t have to be set in stone, it’s a journey, with each step taking you closer to your goals and vision. Sometimes you need to head off of the marked track and take a detour. Allow yourself time for exploration and to celebrate how far you’ve come.
When scheduling in your to-do plan remember to include blocks of times for your wellbeing and self care; perhaps a daily walk, time for personal development and training perhaps a class or book you’ve been wanting to read etc and safeguard them as you would for a client booking.

Introducing Brand Seasoning

One of those items that has been sat patiently waiting for the right time on my to do list is creating and launching my newsletter: Brand Seasoning

2023 feels like the right year for introducing it, and I need to carve out dedicated time to bring it to light. However, for me it’s such an important way of sharing inspiration as it’s all to do with brand alignment; living and working wholeheartedly and with fulfilment.

I’m taking inspiration from nature and the seasons as they have everything perfectly planned and entwined; a time for new growth, hope and abundance, a time for harvest, rest and restoration. Everything in balance and alignment.