Are you giving yourself a hard time because you don’t think you’re doing your best?
Or are you making huge efforts to do your best and feeling exhausted and miserable as a result?
This is so common among high-performing women in business – and I’ve been there myself.
Self-criticism and overdoing can happen at any time, but are probably even more likely at the time I’m writing this – when we’re in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
In Episode 64 of the Sasuga! Podcast, you’ll hear:
- Why doing your best doesn’t have to make you exhausted
- How to rethink the demands that you place on yourself
- How the pressure that you feel doesn’t necessarily come from where you think it does
Also, if you’re a parent and your children’s school is closed, you might find this useful: 7 Top Tips For Working At Home With Kids (scroll down to see the tips).
Enjoy!
Prefer to listen on your podcast player?
Links for you
Ask Helen Live – Answering the question “How can you do your best in difficult situations?”
The Four Agreements – The book I mention in the podcast (also available in Japanese as 四つの約束)
Sasuga! VIP Women’s Coaching – 3-month online program primarily for Japanese women in business to build confidence, use their time and energy effectively, and get the results that are important to them in work and life – even in difficult times.
7 Top Tips For Working At Home With Kids
1. Reduce your expectations of yourself
These are unusual times and you probably have things to do in your day now that you didn’t have before, e.g., time studying or playing with kids, cooking, cleaning and tidying
2. Explain to your kids the benefit of you focusing
If your kids are old enough to understand, show them what they gain from you working, e.g., time to play later, mummy in a good mood, money to go to Disneyland when coronavirus is over… (maybe have a family meeting asking everyone what will help them to get through the challenging times – we did this)
3. Keep your promises to your kids
When you say that you’ll do something with your kids, do it when you said you were going to and do it with full focus (this makes them happy and builds trust)
4. Use toy power
If you have small kids, have a favorite toy and maybe a simple written sign to indicate that you’re focusing and not to be disturbed (amazing how kids pay more attention to stuffed toys than parents sometimes – lol!)
5. Identify your top 3 priorities for the day
Write down your top 3 (tasks, not projects) and keep coming back to them even if you’re interrupted
6. Focus on the next 30 minutes
For more on this see Ask Helen Live – How Can I Stay Focused
7. Recognize what you did do
At the end of the day (or even the next morning if you were completely out of energy), reflect on what you DID do – maybe cross off each item and put a heart next to it to reinforce your achievement
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