How To Start Executing Your Ideas

This time of year, things tend to pick up speed. Like busy little bees, we find ourselves socializing more, taking on new projects, and dreaming even bigger.

With all of these new ideas and momentum underway, it can often be challenging to determine where our energy is best channeled, and where our focus is most potent.

Here's exactly how I stay focused in the midst of change so that I can actually move the needle forward instead of getting stuck in decision paralysis:

1. Do a mind map. This is essentially a big brainstorm! Grab your notebook and write down your primary focus in the middle of the page (example: getting a new job or client). Then, branch off as many ideas as you can come up with that will bring your intention into reality. This will help you get clarity on a) what is actually most important to you right now, and b) how many options and paths are available to you so that you can start planning.

2. Create a plan of action. Determine the three most effective actions you can take within the next three weeks to meet your goal. Then, boil those actions down to daily tasks (and routines) so that you're actually moving the needle. Put those tasks in your calendar so that you know exactly what you're doing and when! For example, if you want to get a new job/client, your daily plan of action could look like: sending 4 cold emails, building your portfolio, taking a course to sharpen your skills, formally applying to a job listing every day, etc. 

3. Curate the perfect environment for productivity so that your mind gets prompted to focus. Have a work playlist, light a candle, work in the same place, wear clothing that feels ‘professional’ to you, have the same kind of drink... trigger your senses into being ready to focus with this level of consistency and familiarity!

4. Focus in 20-minute power increments. This will make your project feel so much more manageable, and I bet you'll be blown away with how much you can actually get done in just 20 minutes. Just set your timer and go for it. 20 minutes on, 5 minutes off - repeat this for at least a few cycles. Additionally, get clear on what time of day you are actually the most productive. Maybe your brain is the most high-functioning from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM, or from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. We're all different!

Finally, energetically, move your ego to the side. By ego, I mean your inner critic - the one who tells you that you have to be perfect, or that you aren't ready yet, or that your idea isn't fleshed out enough. This voice keeps us paralyzed. Speak to your inner critic with love, saying, “I know you're scared and that's okay. I love you and I'm going to take great care of you. You are safe. You can relax."

I invite you to take a more objective approach to your work as well. You're the CEO and the employee of your life all at once. When a CEO gives direction, it's not emotional, right? It's not wrapped up in the drama of internal dialogue. This is where our masculine, logical energy can be so helpful to harness. Here is where the slogan “Just Do It” couldn't be more suiting.

Tune into The Lifted Podcast (every Wednesday) for more deep dives into self-mastery and healing.