My lessons from 2023.
The benefits of a regular reflection practice
I ended the year in a difficult place; my mental health has taken a bashing this year and by the time the festive season rolled around I was exhausted in every sense of the word - physically, emotionally, socially etc! And rather than ‘push through’, I allowed myself to embrace how I was feeling. We’re wired to see the negative (it’s our brains way of keeping us safe), and so it would be easy for me to take the stance that the whole year was a disaster, however, I know that it’s not the case and I actually achieved a lot and have taken many lessons from the experiences I’ve faced. This is one of the benefits of a regular reflection practice, which is something I facilitate monthly within my time management membership programme, called ‘Project Manage Your Life + Biz’ (interested? You can find out more here).
As I write this, we’re now at the start of January, and I’m feeling more like my usual self again. I’ve been looking at my goals for the year ahead (which are all mapped out in my Asana ‘2024 Goals’ board; if you’d like to learn more about Asana you can check out this video training here!). I have actually already ticked off two of my goals which I had managed to achieve last month (before my mood plummeted!).
Getting comfortable with my niche
Last year saw me become even more visible with my time management coaching business. I would attend networking events and be told ‘I’m seeing you everywhere Sarah’, and at one I was asked if I was ‘the time girl’. Despite being multi-passionate, I’ve embraced time management as my ‘thing’. At a brand photoshoot I was photographed with a couple of different clocks. I’ve been using these photos consistently across all platforms, and the imagery has become a key part of my brand identity. I’ve still some work to do on honing my niche, with respect to who I work with best. I’d love to help everyone, and do genuinely believe that most people would benefit from some help with their time management… for now, I’m focussing on solopreneurs with my private practice (where I tend to attract creatives and online business owners who are juggling motherhood with their business), and ambitious employees with my corporate offerings.
My risk aversion
I’ve discovered that I’m risk averse. I’ve accumulated some debt this year, and it isn’t sitting well with me. I’ve been reluctant to outsource in my business (+ life) as a consequence, but also recognise that taking risks is going to be important if I want to grow my business. I’ve outsourced some activities previously, and I didn’t get the results I had desired, which has also put me off doing more of it.
As I worked through some reflection exercises, I’ve landed on my ‘Word for 2024’ and I’ve decided to go with BRAVE. This word will be my anchor for the next 12 months, and when making decisions I can circle back to this. My word for 2023 was INTUITION, and I definitely used this as a guide at the start of the year… but as the year wore on, I neglected my word somewhat. Instead, this time I’m going to make sure my word is visible on my whiteboard above my desk and it’s captured in my Asana ‘2024 Goals’ board too. (Side note: I find this a lot, that if something isn’t visible then I forget about it. For instance, I need to have my Crohn’s Disease medication laid out on my bedside table which prompts me to take it before I go to sleep. If it’s not there, I don’t take it. My daily supplements live on the kitchen counter rather than tucked in a cupboard, and because they are visible to me when I make my morning cup of tea… I take them! Another recent one is that I used to put the clean washing in a laundry basket, where it would live for weeks on end. Whereas now, I put the clean clothing on top of the dining table which forces me to deal with it more promptly. There’s lots that you can do when you start to understand how your brain works, so you can make things a bit simpler for you).
Adopting the mindset of a scientist
As an ex-pharmacist (with a PhD too!), I chat to my clients a lot about ‘adopting the mindset of a scientist’… as with a lot of things, there isn’t a one size fits all approach for time management or business (or life!) and so it’s about experimenting to see what works and what doesn’t, reflecting (see above) and then making tweaks before trying again. One of my biggest insights this year was the impact that a good piece of PR can have, and the importance of my website SEO. I had two exciting opportunities come my way in 2023; one was when an editor from Stylist magazine approached me to contribute to an article she had planned on time management and the second was the request for me to deliver a time management workshop for a corporate away day. Both of these opportunities came via Google and my website. For a long time, my marketing strategy had been to show up daily on Instagram and I had neglected the bigger picture. When the magazine article was published (you can read it here) my website traffic doubled, I had 100+ people sign up for my email newsletter overnight and a flurry of bookings too. I was amazed at the impact that one great article could have. It’s really helpful to carve out some time to really consider what activities bring you the most return on investment (time and money), and I’m going to be doubling down on some of these other marketing activities this year rather than being ‘all in’ with Instagram. (I’ve also been getting some support via Business Gateway in the latter part of the year, as well as Digital Boost; there are lots of resources available for small business owners - check out this previous blog here that explains more).
Everyone has their own story
My last learning is around our individual perspectives when it comes to time. I attended a time management training earlier in the year delivered by a person half my age with no parental or caring responsibilities and they had an abundance of time available to them. I start most of my sessions with a little background on my story… I’m a single mum of two, and I’ve got a chronic health condition, Crohn’s Disease too. On top of this, my son has been having a very difficult time lately and not only does he not go to his dad’s house anymore, he also isn’t going into school currently. I also don’t have any family living nearby. So there’s a lot on my plate. All of this impacts my time and my perspective on time. We don’t all have the same 24 hours as Beyoncé! I’m learning to be more compassionate with myself, and accept that this is where we are (and it’s ok to still want to strive for more / something different). A recent client shared with me that one of the things they enjoyed most about working with me was my ‘non-judgemental presence’; which in part will come from my story.
Well, that was a lot… and perhaps a bit therapeutic getting it out of my head and onto paper! Let me know in the comments what your biggest takeaway from 2023 was.
And if you’d like to get started with your time management journey, then there are a few different ways we can work together. I have space currently for 1-to-1 time management coaching clients, have a look here for more information. Or I also have a free training on How To Time Block that you can register to watch here. And I’ve got a new on-demand video training on Asana which you can purchase by clicking the button below. Asana is a free digital project management tool.