#selfcare - Woman on a Mission

One Thing That Will Help You When There Aren’t Enough Hours In The Day.

by Claire | Jul 23, 2021 | Lifestyle, Organisation, Power Of An Hour

Image of a sofa and coffee table, highlighting the benefits of relaxation in a calm environment for the power of an hour. — Nkuku Lifestyle know exactly how to make a home relaxing yet functional.

In a series of Blogs, I’ll be sharing with you how an hour can be really powerful when focus and determination is combined. Each blog will have a different theme to your dedicated hour each day. So, step by step, you’ll have a ⁣host of tools to help you organise your lifestyle, therefore freeing up time for things you love.

However, what can you do when there just don’t seem to be enough hours in the day?

Have you ever found that when you have a mountain of things to do, you just don’t know where to start..?

Image of calming flowers, to relax about overwhelm over the power of an hours. — Don’t worry, take a breathe. Let’s remove the overwhelm.

Or perhaps you have just ONE thing to do and that task seems so totally overwhelming, so big (maybe even bigger) as you’ve over thought it!

What happens?

We procrastinate, put it off, scroll through our phones..

Maybe do everything we shouldn’t be doing just to put that task off a little more!

Does this sound familiar?

Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs”
Henry Ford

OK bare with me on this quote!⁣
I’m a firm believer that if we look after the small things, then bigger things, which might seem impossible, take care of themselves…⁣
⁣

Let me introduce you to a tool that I created years ago: the Power of an Hour.. It’s so simple but really helpful to just get started and make some headway with that task or tasks..

Don’t worry, I promise not to add overwhelm to your life, but help to take it away.. ⁣
⁣

Image of lap top with coffee cup and flowers in the back ground the power of an hour may take place in the office.

Here’s what to do:

Decide on your Mission, what it is that you want to achieve.?

Turn off your notifications and put your phone down.

Set your timer for one hour maximum.

Get to work, with intention and without distraction.

Why does it work?

By simply putting some urgency around your Mission, knowing that you have just one hour to make progress, you’ll find you’ll achieve so much – especially without any distractions! It’s amazing how quickly and easily we can be distracted!

“The Power of an Hour is such a help to me as I can’t physically do as much as I used to do. The Power Hour is such a string and positive name, it doesn’t make you feel feeble that you can only manage an hour!! Thanks for sharing, it’s been life changing for my husband and I’
Alice

Two coffee cups indicating the power of an hour to relax or to celebrate after the Power of an Hour is over.

Sometimes we don’t have have an entire hour to dedicate to a Mission, that’s OK. Often it’s simply the getting started that we struggle with. If you only have 20 minutes or half an hour, that’s fine too.

Incidentally, your Power of an Hour doesn’t have to be all about getting stuff done and ticking things off a list. It can be for whatever you want it to be. Self care and a happy mental health is far more important than an empty email box or a completed “to do” list.

Image of the sea thrust on the cliff path with the sea in the background, highlighting the benefits of getting outside. — A walk along the coast in the fresh can be super powerful.

Here are some ideas:

Something just for YOU

Call a friend you’ve been meaning to catch up with ..

Enjoy the fresh air, whilst giving the garden a little makeover..

Giving your pantry a little Refresh.

Image of a laptop on a desk with coffee cup, bulldog clips and a notebook

Most importantly, whatever you decide to do with your Power of an Hour:

Do it with intention

Without scrolling through your phone

Without interruption..

This is YOUR time!

What do you think?

I’d love to know how you find using this simple tool and what an effect it has on your daily life and routine.

Image of the free daily planner food in the organisation tools as an example

The Power of an Hour is a great way to inject intention into your day or evening. I’ve shared free daily planner (and more) in the Organisation tools.

It really helps keep me focused and find it invaluable for my Power of an Hour.

What will you do with your next Power of an Hour? I’d love to know, join in the conversation on my Instagram or comment below. Feel free to tag me into your #powerofanhour and use the hashtag!

Here’s to feeling more in control and less overwhelmed!

Sending love,

One thing that is magical for your mental health..

by Claire | Sep 21, 2020 | Lifestyle, Wellbeing

ne thing that’s magical for your mental health and that is setting boundaries. This weeks Blog discusses how to set boundaries and the benefits to your mental health and well-being.

Over time what we deem to be “OK”, gets blurred.

On occasions the we are treated or spoken to by work colleagues, friends and even our partners can cause upset, yet the need to do something about this situation may be delayed as you worry about the repercussions, regardless of how this makes you feel on a daily basis.

It’s no secret that I love Brene Brown’s work and her research on boundaries is amazing. (She’s one person I’d love to meet & have on my Dinner Party Wishlist!) Brené Brown studies human connection — our ability to empathize, belong, love. She’s funny and shares a deep insights from her research in her many books. Research that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity.

Maybe you run your own business and the boundaries around your working hours have become blurred, meaning that you’re trying to juggle work and home life, whilst going the extra mile for your clients..

Whatever your situation is, being mindful that creating boundaries of what’s OK and not OK can have such a powerful effect.

Mini Mission

Join me on a mini Mission. Grab your journal or notebook and consider a situation that is causing upset and worry to you in your life. How does that situation make you feel? Have you thought about setting clear boundaries. Read on for how to resolve the issue.

I’m not as sweet as I used to be, but I’m far more loving”

Brene Brown

They say if you want something doing, ask a busy person! Yet, how often to we feel ourselves saying yes to something when really your head is screaming “no!!”

Why?

When your default setting is to help out, It’s not easy saying no, it makes us feel guilty or judged. . Yet by saying yes, you know that it will be adding more to your plate, causing increased stress, resentment and maybe even a sleepless night or two..

So how do we fix this?

Brene Brown shared her top three tips on how to create your boundaries: (direct quotes)

Make a mantra. I need something to hold on to—literally—during those awkward moments when an ask hangs in the air. So I bought a silver ring that I spin while silently repeating, “Choose discomfort over resentment.” My mantra reminds me that I’m making a choice that’s critical for my well-being—even if it’s not easy.

Keep a resentment journal. Whenever I’m marching around muttering cuss words under my breath, I grab what I lovingly refer to as my Damn It! Diary and write down what’s going on. I’ve noticed that I’m most resentful when I’m tired and overwhelmed— i.e. not setting boundaries.

Rehearse. I’ll often say, to no one in particular, “I can’t take that on” or “My plate is full.” Like many worthwhile endeavours, boundary setting is a practice.

I find this really powerful and wonder if you do too?

setting Boundaries are magical for your mental health.

Like a candle or rose petal, our wellbeing and mental health is delicate, something that should be treasured. If looked after well, it will give you years of joy and happiness. If you fail to look after the little things, setting boundaries, being kind to yourself, then they will in turn become bigger things and eventually your mental health and well being will suffer.

“Compassionate people ask for what they need. They say no when they need to, and when they say yes, they mean it. They’re compassionate because their boundaries keep them out of resentment.”

Brene Brown

I love these mantras and have over the years, integrated them into my daily life.. Not easy, it takes practice, but remember every time you say “yes’ to someone else, you are saying “no” to you.

Writing your boundaries down is really powerful, it cements the “why” and as Brene says, what’s OK and what’s not OK.

If you have 5 minutes, take a look at Brene’s famous TedTalk that I believe you’ll love..

I’d love to know your thoughts about this one thing that’s magical for your mental health. Will you be joining me in this Mission of setting boundaries? Let me know in the comments below.

Feel free to share with a friend who you think would love this Mission too. Furthermore, I’d love you to subscribe to receive my blog straight to your inbox.

With love