Can someone please press mute!!

If like me you have been on hundreds of video calls recently, either for work, home school or pleasure, how many times have you heard somebody say please press mute? The reason someone asks you to mute is because it's very difficult to concentrate on the speaker with everyone trying to talk at the same time. Whilst this can be quite entertaining, especially when you're watching one of your child's virtual afterschool clubs, it can also be very frustrating for the people trying to teach the class or for the people that really want to get something from it. In a video call with lots of different people trying to speak at the same time, is a bit like what has been going on in my head. Whist, I don't have people in my head all trying to talk at the same time, I do have lots of ideas and thoughts running around causing chaos and making lots of noise. I am a creative thinker by nature and have always got lots of ideas but with all this extra time on my hands, my mind and thinking has gone into overdrive. On top of all of these extra thoughts and ideas, I was also thinking about what I should be doing. Prior to lockdown, I wanted to de-clutter the house, get my fitness back, start eating healthier, cook more, get on top of admin but, I now want to build the foundations for my own business so that has added a whole load of other things that need doing! When your head is so overcrowded with ideas and thoughts, it is very difficult to concentrate and it's easy to get distracted. I already know from experience, that is impossible to do lots of things at once, effectively. I also know that if I try and do too much at the same time, I put myself under unnecessary pressure and get frustrated that I am not doing any of it. To be effective and get things accomplished I've had to prioritise everything in my head and anything that isn't a priority has gone on mute. With a new list of priorities, I now have a new focus and energy to get them completed. Whilst I still have a few things on my list, it is now much more manageable, and I have calmed the noise in my head. I have also learnt a great tip on my coaching course, that if you really want to focus on something specific, then write down everything you have going on in your head at the time onto a piece of paper. You then throw the piece of paper away and this allows you to really focus on the task in hand and gets rid of any potential distractions. As well as my list of priorities, I now have a very long list of things that are on mute, but the great thing is, I can turn them back on again when I am ready.

#then2zen #chaostocalm #inspiringchange