There's never enough time...

To me there's never enough time on holiday. I want holidays to go on and on.

At the start of each holiday it seems as if I've got infinite time ahead (that's a great feeling!), but by the time I've relaxed into holiday mode, the days go quicker and quicker and suddenly it's the end and there hasn't been enough holiday.

But during my working life there's always enough time... for what I want to do.

I'm constantly aware of my Balance Chart (see picture) and know which bits of my life I want to work on at any time. We use a Balance Chart every week at Life Clubs for that reason - so it becomes a part of your life too.

We've customised a Balance Chart that we use at Life Clubs Base Camp, so that we can prioritise each area of work and focus on what we want (or need) to do every day. We delegate to each other, know each other's strengths and weaknesses, tell each other when we need help and then together focus on our next tasks. By working as a team and knowing what's important we're increasing speed and cutting out inessentials.

Why do people say they haven't got enough time? Is it an excuse for not wanting to do something?

If you're finding yourself saying 'I haven't got enough time', just stop and think. What would be the harm in saying 'No'?

Learn how to prioritise, avoid procrastination and say 'No' this week at the nearest Life Clubs to you.

It's a great workshop, we call it Streamlining - we like to think of increasing speed to gain time.

See you there,
Nina

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He who hesitates is lost...

This week, although surrounded by green 'go-ahead' lights, I started noticing everything I was procrastinating on (probably because our workshop this week is on procrastination).

I realised that although I was getting on with lots of things, I was avoiding anything to do with banking, phone calls (the usual) and, yes, my mother.

I hadn't seen my 95-year old mother for a few weeks and was definitely dragging my heels about seeing her. There was a fear there, which I hadn't noticed before, but I couldn't work out what it was.

Yesterday, out of the blue, my 18 year old daughter said she'd like to do an art project on my mum and I found myself overwhelmingly moved. Somehow the idea that my mum would be captured forever in an 'A' Level project was very poignant and my Lightbulb Moment was that I really dislike the overwhelmingly sadness I feel when I see her as she is now.

Ursie, my daughter, and me went to visit my mother yesterday and I decided to embrace my sadness and tell her that I was already missing her. With her dementia, she isn't my mother at all, but more like a 2 year old grand-daughter, but with none of the joys of growing and developing in front of her, just those of death. But my comment about missing her, delighted her and we had a lovely few hours together.

See you this week at Life Clubs when we'll be exploring the three reasons for procrastination and how to get past them. Read more about the workshop here.

Love Nina x
Founder Life Clubs

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The three types of problems

Dear All,

I don't know about you, but there are some things I find incredibly difficult to write about.

One of them is procrastination. Just thinking about procrastination makes me procrastinate. Writing the Life Clubs workshop on procrastination took ages and ages and preparing to run it is something I always leave to the last minute.

Another subject I find difficult to write about is problems and knowing that I had to write about them for this post has just added to my problems.

This week's workshop was all about stress and the problems we have.

In the workshop we divided up our problems into three groups:

1. Those problems which will eventually go away anyway so there's no point in worrying about them
2. Those problems which you can't do anything about - other people's
3. Those problems which you can solve

Once you've found that you can solve your problem, there's then nothing but (you guessed) procrastination stopping you.

Please forgive me, that's a gross simplification of problems, but you get the idea. We often worry about things there is no need to worry about.

I've been spending the last few days thinking about some of my domestic problems and decided that even though they're so bourgeois I'm going to tell you about them. I worry about what I'm going to cook for supper this week when friends come round. I worry about what I'm going to buy everyone for Christmas (and when). I worry about how I'm going to stay calm when all our visitors arrive over Christmas... and on and on.

I don't know if any of you have noticed, but as I was writing them down my Lightbulb Moment was that all my problems will all have gone away by January 1st (see 1. above), so I'm going to stop worrying about them now.

Phew. I can breathe again...

What do you worry about..?

This week's workshop (week of 6th December) is a wonderful workshop about the choices we have in our lives. If you're working too hard, not working hard enough, not sure if your life is in balance, come along. I look forward to seeing you.

And, if you haven't already, do check out our new website, mybestthingtoday. It's getting 800 hits a day which is absolutely amazing.

Hope you have a great week,
Nina
Founder Life Clubs
Author The Big Book of Me, The Life Book and How To Get What You Want

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Lucky is saying 'Yes'

I was so lucky. At my Life Club this week was one of my favourite mentors, Jane, who just turned 80 this year.

The workshop was about saying 'No'. How could we create the balance we wanted in our lives by saying 'No' to things we didn't want to do and therefore have time to do the things we wanted to do.

Jane has now got to the stage that she felt she didn't want to think about saying 'No', she wanted to discover how to say 'Yes' to the things she hasn't yet got round (or dare I say 'dared') to doing.

But saying 'Yes' sometimes just means having worked out what to say 'No' to. For example, saying 'Yes' to having a great year this year, means saying 'No' to doubt, fear, procrastination and anything else that's stopping you having that 'Yes' year.

I'm going to say 'Yes' to continuing to think I'm lucky. And I'm going to say 'No' to worrying that things may go 'wrong'. After all, what is 'wrong' but a time to take stock of what's just happened and learn from it?

I'm lucky that you're ready this and, if you're not, then what can I learn from that?

Please let me know.

Hope you have a great weekend.
I'm at The Grove Hotel... do come and join me there another weekend.
Nina
Best-selling author (I've just been told by my publisher) of The Life Book

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Why wait?

This week's workshop was about procrastination.

I procrastinate on everything (well, almost everything) from sorting out the damp in our basement to putting meditation into my daily schedule).

We had a couple of new clubbers this week and they, of course, had procrastinated about coming to Life Clubs and, of course, once they got there, were amazed at what a great time they had and how many interesting people they met.

One of the things my modesty keeps me procrastinating on is talking too much about Life Clubs. But I feel I have to take note, as one of my clubbers has written to me about how I could sell Life Clubs a little better. He suggested that I show you the Puzzle of Life, which I now have done, and talk you through it.

I feel as if I have been pushed into action. This is what he suggested I say...

Each week we build upon a core component of the Life Clubs Puzzle. This week's procrastination workshop fitted into the Organisation piece of the Puzzle. Next week we'll focus on a Creativity topic. You get the most from Life Clubs when you can follow trends of yourself, seeing how you evolve and change over time.

Each week you track your development as you move round the circle - the boxes around the edge standing for the 50 workshops in Life Clubs - and each week you get a clearer way of thinking.

I feel so much better now. I got through that one and it was painless. What's next on the list?

Exercising... oh oh.

Happy Valentine's Day to you all,
Nina
Founder Life Clubs
Author of The Life Book

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What stops me....?

It's funny how, even though there's a green light beckoning me forward, I don't always do the things I want to.

I'm in the middle of writing a book - and enjoying it so much - and yet I'm writing a chapter right now that I keep on procrastinating on. What's annoying is that every time I leave it for a couple of days, it becomes so much harder to get on with because I can't remember what I've written and I'm not in the flow and I can't remember what I wanted to say. By the time I've remembered and adjusted my chair to the correct level and checked my e-mails for the nth time and gone and made yet another peppermint tea, I've forgotten again.

We all procrastinate, but there are very simple ways to get round it - I do usually practise them... promise.

What do you do when you notice yourself procrastinating?

Our secrets to getting round procrastination will be revealed next week. I hope you can come along.
To stop all procrastination on coming, we're offering free membership (worth £10) to all newcomers. £15 (or £10 concessions) still payable - works out at just over £2 a day.
See you at Life Clubs,
Nina

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Throwing all your worries away

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could just drop our problems in the bin?

Well we can. Not all of them, but most probably quite a few of them.

The problem I just dropped in the bin was worrying about the birthday party coming up for my son. I decided that I'd just think about it the day before and stop it worrying me all the time. In the end he was sick so it had to be cancelled anyway, but it was wonderful to put a deadline on my worrying and only allow it to start 24 hours before the actual event. The worry of it had been hanging over me for weeks and I didn't want it to.

I know, that was a frivolous example of worrying, when all around me people are losing jobs and money. But worrying is one of those activities that just makes you unfocused and panicked. It'll probably cause you to procrastinate and not do anything which might make the worrying - and the problem - even worse.

At Life Clubs we're going to see which of your worries can be held onto and solved and which dropped in the bin. And then we're going to see how to solve those we're still hanging onto. We're going to give you a clearer way of thinking.

See you there,
Nina
Founder Life Clubs

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Not America's Next Top Model again

Just how many times have my daughters watched that programme in order not to have to get on with anything and how many times has my husband (sweetly) tidied up the kitchen rather than get on with his 'homework'. And, yes, I've been known to check my e-mails more times than necessary in order not to have to get on with the 'big stuff'. Hell, even writing this is putting off something else I've got to do.

So, yes, this week's workshop, is all about procrastination and yes, it's all about you too. Come along and learn what your procrastination is all about and how to knock it on the head and lead a go for it type of life.

See you there. If you dare to turn on the TV instead you'll have missed it.

Nina
Westminster Life Club

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