Self Care at Work: Reduce Stress, Boost Productivity, and Do More of What Matters

1. Class Trailer: Hi, I'm Melissa Cygnus, a self care and productivity coach. I'm also a social worker, yoga instructor, writer and designer. But I'm so much more than just job titles, and so are you. This class is about us as people who are we outside of our roles, responsibilities and to do lists? Who are we as ourselves, and what do we do for ourselves? See, most people are familiar with self care. You have an idea of what it looks like it could look like, and there's no shortage of Block Post telling you what it should look like, but for most people, and this was certainly the case for me. The gap between knowledge and practice is wide, and maybe that's how it feels for you, too. I'm teaching this class to help you bridge that gap. If you want to start putting toe action, what you know about self care and healthy habits than this classes for you. Knowledge, maybe power, but really change lies in action in the doing, and in this class you'll be doing a lot. You will identify your needs and goals, assess your current lifestyle, doesn't meet your needs and moving towards your goals on. Determine specific changes you want and maybe need to make in order to work more productively, to fulfill your needs and to move toward the goals that are meaningful to you. But that's only the beginning. The purpose of this class is to lay the grounding for a long term self care practice, something that is purposeful, personal and practical. And that's what our class project is all about. In this project, you will create the foundation for yourself care action plan to move you through today and build long term healthy habits. You'll determine that skills and the tools you'll need for success, and you'll start practicing your action plan and living out those changes that you want to see in your work your life and yourself. Now the beauty of this class is that it's not over when it's over. When you finish each module and you've completed your project, you've laid the groundwork for lasting change in your life. Committing to self care is an investment in your well being. On speaking from experience. This directly benefits your productivity, the quality of your relationships, your ability to navigate and articulate thoughts and emotions, and so much more so, whatever your role, schedule or lifestyle used this class to invest time and energy back into yourself and transform the way you work and live and roll now to start creating yourself care, action plan and moving in the direction that's right for you. 2. Build a Purposeful Framework: let's begin by asking yourself a few questions. What brought you to this class? What does productivity look like for you? And why is it important? Sure, there are plenty of definitions up there. But as you'll find in this class and in life in general, creating your personal definition is what will keep things purposeful and practical and will make your progress much more meaningful. In the long run, your personal definition becomes your framework, and this acts as the roots for your tree, your tree of growth or productivity success, whatever it might be for you, the roots are your purpose. Still, why? Why do you want growth, productivity or success? It's your purpose that will keep you going through the process. You can't grow a tree without roots, and you can't move forward if you don't know where you're going or if you don't know why you're going in that direction. If that's the case, you're not really moving forward. You're just moving. It's like pushing papers, doing busy work. Your hands are busy, but you're not really doing much. Or maybe you are. Maybe you're hustling to get somewhere. I mean, in life, not catching the train. But if it's not intentional, if you don't know why you're working so hard to move in a certain direction, then really all you're doing is losing energy. Often times we set goals or creating deals based on other people's journeys, or what we feel or are told we should do where we should go. And then what happens? These goals become unattainable or we just become apathetic because the roots are missing. It was never your goal in the first place, though it may have been practical. It wasn't purposeful or personal, so you kept pushing it to the bottom of the pile. In order to see long term success. And I define success as consistent intentional practice, your framework will need three sides. It will need to be purposeful, personal and practical. Now, since this class is all about self care for productivity and wellness at work, the examples that they use will reflect that. But certainly there's a lot of flexibility with what I teach, especially since you will be Taylor in your framework in action plan to your lifestyle and your needs. So if you're looking to explore productivity outside of a work context, there will still be crossover and relevance for you to take on in practice. But back to the questions I asked at the beginning of this video. What brought you to this class? What does productivity look like for you? And why is it important? So, question one. What brought you here? Obviously, what drew you into my talking head will differ from person to person. I can assume based on the title of this class, that you value productivity and want to increase yours. You want to learn more about how your personal wellness impacts your work and vice versa, and that you want to create a plan that will benefit your well being both at work and otherwise. Now, whatever brought you to this class, consider what productivity looks like for you. What does it mean to you to be productive, Having worked with productivity strategies and professionals and being trained in their coaching methods, I would define productivity as a mindset or process rooted in assessment and prioritization . It's a qualitative approach versus a quantitative one. So rather than how much you're doing in a day, how many items you've checked off your to do list? I would encourage you to ask yourself, What am I doing that matters to me? And that brings me to question three. Why is productivity important to you? Sure, you may have checked off 27 items from your to do list today, but did you get the right things done? Did today matter? And in that sense, productivity is purposeful. Doing it's paying attention to your intention to ensure that what you're doing is truly worth your time and energy that the outcome was worth your investment. Of course, this will look differently for each one of you, depending on your job, lifestyle routines, values and so on. And that's why it's up to you to define productivity for yourself. Remember, your purpose is the root of your framework and is your most powerful motivator and taking steps forward and building lasting habits. Take a few minutes to think about these three questions and encourage you to keep either a paper or digital note pad handy throughout this class and using that no pet. Now jot down your answers to these questions before joining me in our next video. Oh, and by the way, whatever did bring you to this class, I'm thrilled you're here, and I can't wait to move forward together. 3. Redefine Self Care: So far, we've determined that productivity is a process of purposeful doing, investing in activities, rolls and a lifestyle that actually matters to you. In the last video, you define productivity for yourself and assess its importance in your life. Congratulations. You're more productive already, but we're only just scratching the service. Now. You might be wondering what rolled is self care playing all of this. Think of yourself is a vehicle and your work or life as swell ride. Sometimes you feel you're on the straight and narrow, and other times you wrote twists and turns or even circles back a time or two. Self care is your fuel through all of this, whatever your road ahead or the path you've taken self care is what keeps your motor running and your wheels turning. One of the main reasons I began writing about in teaching self care is because it's a topic that often brought up and brushed up is nothing more than a buzzword. Of course, like most things, self care isn't some universal Do this once, and it will change your life sort of deal. It's called a self care practice for a reason. Now I found that self care is often described as one of two. Extremes are a spectrum survival or indulgence. Self care is either drinking water or getting your nails done, getting enough sleep or going shopping. And I'm here to tell you that self care is the spectrum. Yes, you need water and sleep in order to keep your vehicle running. And sure, maybe shopping you're getting your nails done are ways that you treat yourself. But is it practical to go to the mall every time you feel like you're running on empty? Well, that really benefit you in the long run? Not likely, because self care is a self investment like productivity. It's paying attention to your intention and doing the things that matter to you. So like we discussed in our last video, long term success is defined by consistent an intentional practice. This requires that yourself care framework or action plan B. Purposeful, personal and practical. Let's explore these pillars and a bit more detail. Personal self care starts with self awareness. Tune into yourself. How do you feel and what do you want or need? Purposeful the Why the roots of your tree Self care strives for self fulfillment. How can you meet your needs and once, How could you fuel and nourish yourself? And number three practical activities that cultivate self awareness, personal and fulfillment purposeful will only continue to fuel you if you can continue to practice them. So what personal, purposeful activities can you do regularly to stay fueled and fulfilled? Justice you did for productivity at the end of this video, I'd like you to spend a few minutes creating your own definition for self care. But before you dive in, let's zoom out for a second toe. Why you're here for wellness work. Remember that work and life coexists. Wellness at work follows you home and vice versa, and the same goes for when you're not well, not fulfilled or not. Fueled work and life are not two opposing forces to balance. They go have in hand and are intertwined as different elements of the same person You. So when creating your definition of self care, consider your wellness but at work and outside of it because in reality, the benefits of yourself care action plan will extend far past the walls of your workplace , which will explore a bit more in later videos going forward In this class and life in general, you'll gain knowledge about self care, productivity and how these fit within your lifestyle so your definitions can and likely will change. And that's OK, because you're going to create an action plan that will be simple and flexible enough to adapt with these changes. So start with a definition that makes sense for you based on your current lifestyle. What does self care look like for you? And why is it important once you've jotted down her definition, joined me in our next video to dive deeper into the role of a self care practice in making you a more productive person. 4. The Role of Self Care in Productivity: This whole idea of creating your own definition and framework actually takes into account the first step I teach when it comes to self care, which is building awareness in order for you to determine what matters to you and to make your doing purposeful and productive, you have to first check in with yourself, ask questions, gain awareness of what's important to you and then assess how the implement and prioritize those things into your day and life. This process of introspection for awareness is at the root of both self care and productivity, and now this isn't a coincidence. It's because the two are intertwined it. Let me explain. We've determined that your purpose for doing something is at the root of your long term success breaking that down further. How do you determine your purpose? What is at the root of the why? Well, how do you make any decision? Think about it. You go about your day to day, then you face something new could be a challenge. Let's call it an opportunity USS this new opportunity, considering how it might impact your current circumstances. If you're like most people, you weigh the short and long term pros and cons and make your decision accordingly. Now, what is the common factor in every step of that decision making process? It's the person making the decision, and this is where self care comes in. I've already told you that awareness is at the root of self care. It's essentially the first half of the word awareness of yourself with this self awareness in connection. Your decision making process looks like the one I just explained. But without a healthy relationship with yourself, your decision making will be entirely external. Now. What do you mean by that? When that new opportunity comes flying through your window, your thought process will look a lot differently than it did in our previous example. You might ask yourself, Should I do this? How made accepting this opportunity impact my partner or my boss? What would my friends think if I pass this up? Now, Of course, we naturally consider others perceptions. When we wrestle with major life decisions. This is because we don't exist in a vacuum. We impact and are impacted by the people involved in our lives. But it's important to remember that the decisions you make are your decisions. And without checking in with yourself and what you might want or need, you'll find that you start doing your work and living your life for everyone but yourself. That's not productive. It's not sustainable, and it's certainly not fulfilling. So what would things look like with self care in the picture? Well, first of all, with a greater awareness of your personal wants and needs, decision making becomes a whole lot easier on more meaningful. It's much easier to trust yourself to make a major decision when you trust yourself in general. But the role of self care in a productive work day and lifestyle isn't just about decision making. Let's expand into wellness in general. We determined that you are the vehicle on that self carries your fuel. It's what you do to keep you going. Without it, you're likely to hit the brakes or hopefully not spin out of control. And yes, that's my segueing into stress and burnout. And I don't mean burnout in the sense of spinning your wheels doing doughnuts in the parking lot. See, many of us have what I call the superhero delusion. This is the idea that you could do it all, save the world and still be home for dinner. I mean, that sounds great, right? What's so bad about that? Well, I'll tell you, this mentality and lifestyle often leads to stress bodily, your mental tension caused by physical, mental or emotional factors. Compassion, fatigue, which is emotional or physical erosion occurring from lack of or inability to refueling, regenerate and eventually burn out. Physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress. Burn out is the end result of too much energy output and not enough energy self invested? In other words, you've burned too much fuel than you put in your tank. But how did this happen? What might have caused this? Let's look at some of the possibilities within the workplace. High expectations, both others on your own inability to set boundaries. Pushing yourself too hard mentally, physically and emotionally. Heavy workloads and long hours time pressures, limited resources, competing priorities and other organizational pressures. There can be a lot of contributing factors you might also add in personal relationship issues, financial concerns and a world of other stressors. Some days you just blink and it feels like you've gone from full down to empty now there's a big difference between stress and burnout. We all experience stress in one way or another. Burn out, on the other hand, is the result of a long and heavy buildup of stress that has been repressed or ignored. It's the collapse, the breaking point, the feeling of just throwing your arms up and saying, I'm done. Your self care plan and practice will help you better manage stressors and prevent you from getting to that breaking point. So let's gain some awareness here to take preventative measures. What might be some signs that you're running low on fuel? Let's start with the physical, what you can see and feel. Fatigue, loss of appetite, difficulty falling asleep or changes in your sleeping habits. Restlessness, headaches, changing in eating habits, increased blood pressure and susceptibility to illness. Emotional increased mood swings, decreased. Motivation. Maybe you feel irritable, isolated. Your relationship dynamics are changing. Feel inadequate, fragile, vulnerable and unable to cope on cognitive. Maybe you feel confused. You have difficulty making decisions, solving problems, memory blanks, difficulty paying attention, air staying focused, its decreased productivity on all fronts again. Self care is your most powerful tool to combat these things to deal with the symptoms and identify what's at the root. Ideally, yourself care practice will be proactive in helping to prevent these symptoms, and if not, it will help you to reduce their severity. Self care is the way that you cope with the stresses in an outside of the workplace so that you don't go home and develop a nasty habit that might harm you or someone else. Giving yourself well is also your best method for working productively. Think about what your workday looks like when you're not feeling your best. Your energy is low, your ability to focus is even lower, and the quality of your work suffers. You might be easily distracted or directing a bit too much energy towards social media, email or just plain old paper pushing unhealthy habits and lifestyles. Reduce your productivity. Cost your business, which, if you're self employed, is costing you. Andi. Create cyclical patterns of dysfunction and general dissatisfaction. Let's use a real life example. Sarah works 9 to 5 in a fast paced environment. Her mother is unwell, so Sarah visits and cares for her outside of work hours. Sarah's husband is struggling to keep up with the kids in the evenings without Sarah present, Sarah feels guilty, frustrated and completely exhausted. Her level of stress and emotional overwhelmed is up here, and it's affecting her sleep. Which son effects her focus at work. So it's Friday afternoon, and Sarah's boss calls her into the office to address a few of her administrative errors. How do you think Sarah might have responded? Given your current circumstances, how would you have handled that situation? I use this example to challenge the myth that self care is selfish. Really? Does stairs well being on Lee Effect? Sarah? Absolutely not. Sarah's personal wellness effects her family, the people she works with her clients, her friends, the clerk at the grocery store and the cafe, or surrogates or coffee. So know that your personal wellness is not only about you and know that by making a positive self investment, you also benefit those around you. Life can come in waves and your well being effects and is affected by those ways through small ripples of self Karen Decision making the key to both self care and productivity is focusing on the ripples that you create and control your behaviors and decisions. Productivity is all about time and energy optimization right? Paying attention to your intention and self care is exactly that, just in a bit of a different context. It's all about reinvesting energy into yourself so that you have energy to expend to send outward in productive ripples and waves. Building healthy habits at work and otherwise starts with awareness gaining a knowledge of what you want, where you want to invest your energy and why the why determines the how. In the next video, you'll begin to shift into the how you'll identify our starting point and actually assess various elements of your life and self before you jump in. Take a minute to reflect on the definitions of productivity and self care that you've created so far. How will self care help you manage those day to day stresses to prevent fatigue and burnout , and who else is affected by her personal wellness? Make any adjustments. You feel necessary to your framework before moving forward, and I'll see you in the next video 5. Identify Your Starting Point: By this point, you've explored your definitions and needs surrounding productivity and self care. You've also begun strengthening and deepening your personal awareness to lay the groundwork for meaningful action. Essentially, you started sketching out a roadmap for yourself thinking about what kind of fuel your vehicle needs and where you might find that fuel. And now it's time for the wheels to start turning time to gain momentum and cover some ground. The pace might be slow at first, and that's fine. The key is to start from where you are and take one step at a time. Now. I stated earlier in this class that it's about us as people. You, as a person who are you outside of your roles, responsibilities and to do lists. Who are you? Is yourself and what do you do for yourself? This is where you'll begin to really think about these questions. Maybe you won't find the answers just yet, and again, that's fine. It's part of the process. The point is to become more comfortable with introspection, especially when it comes to deep questions you have about who you are and what you want. Pretty deeper productivity. Well, yes and no. Gaining an awareness of and connection to yourself helps you identify and move toward your personal ideals in both work and life. This makes you a healthier individual and aligns you with your purpose. However you define that for yourself, we've talked about consequences of a lay sow that lack self care, one overcome by stress fatigue and eventually burn out. We've discussed the role of self care in combating these things and also in making you more productive at work and in general. Now, as we move forward, you'll begin to apply this information to you. Your work, your priorities, your lifestyle and identify your starting point in this process begins with getting to know yourself as a person. It's a strange concept, getting to know yourself, but our relationships with ourselves are often clouded by what we do with and four others. Think about it when introducing yourself for answering the question. What do you do? What's the first thing you respond with? Job titles, family roles? How weird would it be if you ask someone what they did and they responded with? I'm passionate about painting or I feel happy. It's when I'm building birdhouses that would probably throw you off a bit. We rarely share personal information with people right off the bat. It's much more professional and socially acceptable to start with a job title, and that's not the issue here. My point is that we get into this habit this practice of defining ourselves to others by what we do for work, that it becomes increasingly harder to define ourselves outside of that box. And you and I both know that we as people are much more than what we do for work. So now you're going to practice thinking about yourself as a person. That is ultimately how you'll determine what matters to you, which determines yourself care practice, which then determines how you can be most productive. There are many areas of your life and yourself that make you who you are. Sometimes we identify by or focused solely on one or two. Becoming familiar with your many facets will help you do self assessments, which will help you identify your starting point, your lifestyle and current circumstances and determine the areas that could use a little extra investment. Here's what a quick check in might look like physical. What is your body telling you if you're constantly tired or tense, is your body holding on to stress that you're not dealing with emotional? How do you feel? Notice how you react to certain people are situations? Think back to the example of Sarah, who is exhausted and emotionally overwhelmed. How would that have impacted how she reacted to criticism or confrontation? Rational. What's your mentality? Are your thought patterns clear or clouded by worry, doubt or negativity? Spiritually, this might be rooted in believe, personal values or self connection. Do you feel connected to your purpose or your higher power occupation? How are you performing at work? How is your job treating or serving you and do your outcomes match the energy you put in and finally, network? What is the quality of your relationships? Are the mutual or one sided? And who do you rely on for support? Ah ha. And now you see yourself as a person. Give or take a few interpretations here, the facets that make you you looking at each facet and its related questions. It might feel overwhelming to explore these ideas all in your head. So when doing a self checking like this I would recommend having a way to record your answers. No pad I recommended in a previous video would likely do the trick. Another way to ask and explore these questions is with a wellness wheel. This exercise creates a visual representation of the areas of your life that you feel could use a little extra intention. Let me show you what I mean. Start by drawing a circle either around or as a list. Underneath that circle. List the six facets of your person. Physical, emotional, rational, spiritually occupation. A network. Now there are inner circles as well, which will get two right away. This exercise starts with you dividing your wheel into six parts and adjusting each part of the wheel or a slice of the pie by the value you assigned to each facet. Now this wheel is divided into six equal parts for reference, one for each element or facet nice and tidy, all equal sizes. You'll adjust the size of each section, depending on that areas level of importance. So most wheels look something like this. For example, in this wheel, we see that the physical and rational health as well as occupation are the main priorities , as these sections are the largest, so start by dividing the sections of your wheel accordingly to make it relevant to you. The next step is to shade each section based on how satisfied you are with it. Five would be very satisfied. Three being somewhat satisfied and one meaning little to no satisfaction. If you're not entirely sure how to measure your satisfaction with each section, consider some of these questions and feel free to pause the video as you go. Starting with physical. Ask yourself. I eat a balanced diet. I exercise at least three times a week. I have a healthy relationship with my body, and I'm generally free from illness based on these or similar questions. How satisfied are you? With your physical self moving on to emotional, I'm able to feel and label my feelings. I can express my feelings appropriately. I'm able to comfort myself. One upset. I can identify and practice healthy ways to cope with stress, anger or general upset. Rational. I pursue mentally stimulating interests or hobbies. I have positive thoughts and self talk. I commit time and energy to learning and self development. Spiritual. I have a general sense of serenity and self connection. I have faith in a higher power or I have a sense of meaning and purpose in my life. I trust others and I'm able to forgive them and myself and let go occupation. I find meaning or satisfaction and what I'm doing at work. My work allows me to grow important skills or do things that are important to me. I have a solid work life, harmony. I feel valued and respected at work, and I performed while at work and give my best effort toe what I do or make and finally, your network. I am aware of the feelings of others and can respond appropriately. I can resolve conflicts with others in a way that's healthy and effective. I have a close, trusting relationship with at least three people. I am aware of an able to set and respect my own and others boundaries, and I have satisfying relationships or social interactions. So now you're wheel might look something like this. In this example, you can see that the areas of greatest importance also showed the highest levels of satisfaction. That's a good sign. So do this for all six sections of your wheel. Finally, right. Your current level of investment on the parameter of each section, choose a number from 1 to 5 that you feel reflects the amount of time, energy and attention you invest in each section. Again. The higher the number, the greater the amount of energy you give to that particular area. This person invests a lot into their network and occupation, which is why those sections are out of four or five. They're either disinterested or lacking in attending to their emotional and spiritual facets. Hence the low numbers here. And by the end of this exercise, you've got a wellness wheel dividing into six parts, with each part shaded to varying degrees and with a number from 1 to 5 outside each section . And that's how you do the wellness real exercise. Keep in mind that this exercise isn't intended to be a blow to your ego. The purpose here is to visually see where you're sending your energy, as well as the areas lacking attention. When energy lacks in an area you deem important, the larger sections of your wheel, you experience imbalance, dissatisfaction and decreased productivity. It's like when you get sick and your body feels like it's forcing you back to bed so you can rest. Your body is trying to get back into balance or driving with a flat tire. Your vehicle knows something's up, and it's not going to make it very far until you pay attention to what's wrong when you experience symptoms of imbalance in one area of your real, you best believe those symptoms will spill over into the others. Hence our previous discussion on work, life, harmony and interconnection. When your wellness wheel is in balance, your vehicle runs much more smoothly. You run much more smoothly, and that is what productivity is all about. Before moving to the next video, consider what you've learned from this exercise. How does it shed light on your current lifestyle, and what would you like to see your wheel look like? Take a few minutes to highlight the area or areas you'd like to invest more energy into and jot down what that might look like. Then join me in the next chapter of this class, creating and practicing your action pot 6. Your Action Plan Pillars: you've pinpointed where you are on your road map, and now it's time to actually map out your route with an action plan. I've said before that a successful plan or framework is one measured by consistent, intentional practice, and in order to create a lasting action plan, you'll need to make yours purposeful, personal and practical. So let's walk through this process and what I mean by each of these three pillars to your plan. Purposeful, purposeful action plan starts with why that's both your first question and your ultimate goal. Your purpose is what makes your plan rooted, and it's your marker to measure whether or not something is working. You started asking yourself Why? Why do you want to be more productive? And you now have a personal definition of productivity and its purpose for you. Let's say your definition of productivity is streamline your work to cut out on time spent in the office unnecessarily, the streamlining process is half the battle. The other half the long term maker break lies in what you do with the extra time you now have. If you save yourself an extra hour at work each day on Lee to come home and slump on your couch and watch an extra hour of TV. Is there really a long term benefit, or will you eventually tire of the extra time on your couch and default back toe longer office days? But let's say your definition of productivity is to streamline your work, to spend less waste of time in the office so you can sit down and eat dinner with your family every night. Or maybe it's still you Have the time and energy after work to further a personal project in the evenings. With that is your purpose. Your motivator. You're already much more likely to build effective productivity habits and, more importantly, to stick to them when you make time for the activities, projects and people you value play an essential role in your well being. So being more productive at work, so you have more energy to invest outside of work. That process becomes a cycle that fuels you. One might even dare to say it's a cycle of productive self care. Now we take a step further toe. Look at those activities and investments that fuel you. How do you use that extra hour after work to fuel yourself. If you're using that, our to eat with your family? Well, yeah. You love your partner and your kids, but dig a little deeper. You spend that hour hearing about everyone's day, and you feel a deep sense of connection. You feel part of this interwoven network of people living both individually and interdependent, Lee, and that's pretty special. Maybe that's where your purpose lies. Or let's see. Use that extra hour each evening to further a personal project. Maybe you're writing a book or starting a business or building bird houses in your garage for no other reason than it makes you happy. You are passionate creator and branching out to make something truly your own is what gives you purpose. Whatever the activity, so long as it's healthy and it fuels you, is an act of self care, and it's worth making time for and bonus. It's making you more productive at work. The second pillar of your lasting action plan is that it's personal. It's made by you for you, which is why you've already spent time creating your framework so that your action plan is relevant to you. Your current lifestyle, your needs and your ideals. This class is all about moving, growing in your right direction. That's why there's no should hear. How can I tell you what you should do when I'm coming from a totally different place and potentially looking to move forward in a completely different direction? I can't. We all have different starting points, directions and modes of transportation. Those of you looking to hike up a mountain, for instance, aren't interested in what car you should buy to get you up that mountain because you want to hike on. Those of you taking the scenic route by car aren't concerned with hiking gear because it doesn't pertain to the way you're getting up the mountain. There's more than one way up a mountain, and there's certainly more than one mountain. Just focus on your mountain and your path. Don't worry too much about what someone else tells you you should do. Just know why it's important to you to be productive. Why is it important to you to practice self care, and how will you use thes practices to help you get up your mountain? Earlier in this class, we talked about how self care impacts your decision making process. We went through the downfalls of making decisions externally that is based on everything and everyone else. So think about this as if you're heading up a winding mountain without a map of your route . No markers, no path, just you. You might consider taking a moment to gather your bearings, identify where you are and create a route for yourself. But instead here, voice in the distance telling you where you should go, what steps you should take on what your journey should look like. So what do you dio who do you listen to? Do you create a path based on where you know you are? Or do you listen to someone on a different route, possibly a different mountain entirely? When you paint the picture like that, the answer seems pretty simple, doesn't it? An action plan that's personal to you. Your starting point needs desires and so on will keep you going much longer, and more importantly, it will keep you going in the right direction because it's the direction that you have chosen for yourself. The third and final pillar to your action plan lies in its practicality. Are you creating realistic goals and ideals. Do you have the tools and supports that you need to move in a certain direction? And if not, then what other options do you have? This builds on our previous pillar, making your plan personal. If you're self care, activities aren't practical than how can your plan b tailing to you? If your definition of productivity is rooted in office life, for example, and suddenly you're a home raising twins, your definition and approach will change to reflect your new needs and lifestyle. So when thinking of self care activities and ideas, ask yourself, Is this a night and activity that I could maintain when I'm stressed or frustrated at work ? Can I do this activity when I'm starting my morning or winding down my evenings? Can I do this activity now? These activities don't have to be revolutionary. Self care could be closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths to dispel frustration. Maybe you keep a notebook by your desk and write down one sentence of gratitude every day. It might look like a consistent exercise routine, a regular phone call to a friend or a technology free meal with your family or yourself keep things simple and practical so that an activity that feels you doesn't become this massive, daunting obligation your self care activity doesn't need to be yet another thing that lingers on your to do list. So there you go three pillars for an effective, long lasting action plan. Purposeful, personal and practical. And if you ever get lost in a whirlwind of thought, come back to these three questions to find your pillars. Does this deep in my self awareness? Does this nourish or fulfill me, and can I do this consistently? Remember, your action plan is your road map. It helps you get the wheels in motion, but it also steers you towards the long term, the consistent, intentional practice and healthy habits that keep you fueled to keep going before moving on to the next video. Take another look at your wellness wheel based on your levels of satisfaction and investment. Ask yourself a few questions. Where would you like to focus? A little bit of extra energy? Where do you want or need to practice self care and based on your pillars? What can you do to start practicing self care today? How can you start fueling yourself now and move in the direction That's right for you. We've covered a lot of big picture stuff up until this point. In the next video, we'll funnel these big picture concepts into immediate and specific action so you can start to see what this process looks like in practice. So gear up. Or should I say, gear down? Because the next video is a lot of work. As the uphill climb begins, let's move forward together and put your plan into action. 7. The Process: From Plan to Practice: Welcome to the action module of this class. By now you've already taken a number of steps toward um, or intentional and productive lifestyle. Let's review you've redefined productivity and self care in ways that are purposeful, personal and practical. You've outlined your framework in terms of both work and life, son. You did a self check in using the person acronym to identify your needs, wants and ideals. You then determine the changes you want to make and where you might invest more of your energy and you explored the role self care can or rather will play in your productivity. And you even outlined a few specific activities that you conserve practicing today. Now it's time to take these pieces and put together your puzzle. It's time to start integrating your action plan into your day to day life, both in the office and outside of it. Remember that the progress is in the process. You are creating a system for yourself on ongoing practice to keep you fueled and performing well. This isn't about achieving a certain goal, though Goldson and can certainly be used within your system. But your goal in this class is to create a structure for yourself, care practice and build healthy, productive habits, and that is certainly a process. So what will this process look like? First, lay everything out on the table? I mean literally everything we've discussed so far your definitions framework, wellness wheel, the self care activities you've outlined and any notes you've taken on what stood out for you. Keep that all within an arm's reach. Second, we're going to dive in. You use the wellness wheel to get an idea of your big picture needs, wants and ideals. Now let's move into a different kind of assessment your day today. Schedule neighbors to say your process will look different than mine. But I will walk you through how I've done this for myself. The steps I took to create a purposeful, personal, practical self care practice that makes me infinitely more productive. Of course, feel free to take on and adapt my process as it fits with your path. So years ago I did the wellness well exercise for myself. My wheel was off balance, to say the least. About 50% education and 50% occupation with very little room for much else. I'm sure you can imagine what my lifestyle look like. Overworked, highly stressed, frequently sick and spending very little time with friends and family. Once I finished university, I faced a lot of anxiety because a big chunk of my wheel is now missing irrelevant, and I didn't want to fill it with more work. I wanted to pump some air into the other areas, my flat tires so I could create more balance for myself. Now I'm well aware that this exercise can be sad and frustrating. But after looking at my wheel, I knew I had to change something. Well, a lot of things, but one thing at a time. So we took the steps that you've already taken throughout this video, redefining self Karen productivity, asking myself a Siris of tough questions, building a framework on gaining a deeper understanding of what I wanted things to look like and why. Then I put what I learned into action, and this is where you'll jumping Step one. I scheduled myself into my day every day, So set up a meeting with yourself and keep it. Make it a priority. Treat that meeting like you would any other. It doesn't have to be one or two hours either. Start with 15 minutes in the morning or on your lunch break. Use that time to practice one activity set in your action plan a walk, a phone call to a friend, a journal entry, a quick yoga practice or series of stretches. Set a consistent time each day for your meeting and put it in your calendar. Whether paper digital, block off those 15 minutes, close your door and mark yourself busy. Do whatever you have to do to spend that time by yourself for yourself when finding a consistent space for yourself. Care practice. Start with what you know. This method works whether you're working 9 to 5 schedule, navigating through shift work or creating your own schedule as a freelancer. I've done it with each of these schedules summer easier than others, of course, but it's definitely doable within each one. Let me show you what my weekly schedule looked like with the classic 9 to 5 job. Here's my schedule with a 9 to 5 job, so meetings with colleagues, managers and clients constitute my fixed time, that which is set each week and some him set for me that time is blocked off and won't be going anywhere. I've also included my 30 minute lunch break in the Breaks and Meals section to ensure that I'm not tempted to work through lunch. I take that break each day from noon until 12 30 and technically this could be flexible. But I like to take it around the same time so that I keep consistency for myself and so that I set boundaries for my clients. Now your fixed time also includes events, appointments and commitments that you have outside of work hours. Do you regularly attend an exercise class in the evenings? Or maybe in the early mornings, I've added a health and self care tab for exercise classes, mindful morning routines, community events and weekly phone calls with a friend. This is a starting point, and I expect this calendar label to grow as I do now. Keep in mind that the four hours I've allocated on Saturday might not always occur, but by putting it in my calendar of set aside that time for myself and my community. So I'm both available and actively seeking these opportunities. Remember to map out any regular commitments that have that fixed time block things like weakly prep or creative pursuits. Whether it's set in stone or not, putting it in your schedule sets an expectation that you've committed to something or someone, and we'll set that time aside. Now that leaves flexible and free time. Even with a seemingly full schedule, there is still a bit of wiggle room evenings, weekends and here on Wednesday morning. It may look and feel overwhelming at first, but I have now set a structure in my calendar so that I can see what wiggle room I do have . I can see those free 15 minute increments for when I want to practice and expand myself. Care activities. Step two. I practice habits. Sacking have a second is a big topic in the productivity room, and it's important because it focuses on the big picture. This system, the overarching process. Your goal here is not necessarily to hit a certain target. To be able to practice five self care activities in your 15 minutes like productivity, its qualitative, not quantitative focus on the meaning and intention behind your activity. The purpose behind the practice productivity's isn't about how much you can dio. It's about whether or not you're doing the right things, the things that matter to your work and to you. And that means starting small with what you know matters to you. If, like me, you work a high stress job with individuals or families in crisis, you may want to start with something that will help you reduce stress to keep your scales from tipping, to maintain balance and prevent compassion Fatigue. For me, that's meant keeping a one sentence grabbing to journal at work that I write in at the end of each day. You might also consider using a planner calendar to keep track of meetings and to do lists . This also helps you set and stick to boundaries so you don't double book or hyper schedule it yourself. Maybe you have a 30 year, 60 minute, closed door policy to minimise distraction and get your work done so you're not taking it home with you. Or maybe this looks like waking up 20 to 30 minutes earlier, each work day to spend time meditating, reading, drawing or learning something outside of work. Whatever the activity you choose, choose one. Practice it regularly every day for one week, then to Ben a month. Once it becomes habit and your routine feels weird without it, then and only then consider how you can expand it. That's when you start to explore other activities to add to your morning routine or another part of your day. Yes, the process of have it sacking can be slow going, but the key is to lay your foundation and ensure it solid before building on it. Step three. I kept track of my process in order to see my progress. Finally, I want to touch on the importance of tracking and reviewing your process. Already, you may have noticed the value of reflection as you've practiced it throughout this class. Reflection goes hand in hand with assessment and leads to long lasting growth and change in combination with action, of course. So what make this look like in action? I don't know if you've ever been one for journaling, but that's one tool or method will explore in this class. Now don't let the term journaling throw you off. There are many different ways to track and review what you're doing for self care and how or whether it's benefiting you simply think of journaling. As the process of documentation and review review is essential to evaluation, which is essential to progress. Journaling is a great way to pay attention to how it all came to be. In looking back, you gain insight into on often appreciation for your challenges, lessons and perseverance. You can also gain clarity into your current situation where you are on your roadmap. How many times have you looked at your current circumstances and wondered, How did I get here? Or what would things look like if I had done a instead of B? Sometimes the answer is clear. But other times not so much by journaling the odds are good that you could flip through the pages out of a few events or decisions and find the answer. You ask yourself, How did I get here? And you wonder about it. So you flip through the pages or scroll. If you're into digital journaling and then you see well be let to see and then d happened, which prevented me from doing a and you might think to yourself Wow, I really miss doing a I'm gonna do some of that today. You review the past to assess the present and then determine what actions are necessary to change your future. You take what you know and apply it to how you want to grow, and that's the power of journalists. So start by deciding your medium digital or paper. Make this decision right off the bat and stick with it. Journaling is a practice of organizing jumbled thoughts, feelings, etcetera and jumping back and forth between mediums is totally counterintuitive. Whether using a digital document, online app or good old fashioned notebook, the key is to make it a habit, even for a few minutes each day. I personally like journaling before bed because it's not just at the end of a work day, but at the end of my entire day. Remember, there's so much to reflect on in life that effects and is affected by work. If you had a great day, take a few minutes to celebrate that. If you're day felt like an endless struggle and you're just waiting for it to be over, reflect on what made it challenging. Being specific puts things in perspective, transforms thoughts and feelings into practical actions and can shed light on the problem should it arise again in the future. Journaling is a great way to track yourself care practice and how it impacts your productivity journal consistently by removing the guesswork, ask yourself the same questions each day. Maybe you want to write about what you did during the 15 minutes you scheduled for yourself that day. What activity did you practice? How did it benefit you? And how can you continue to shape it into a habit? Or ask yourself, How is my day today? Did today matter to me? Juice 123 questions that matter to you again. Keep things purposeful, personal and practical, so their ego. That's the process. Schedule yourself into your day. Start with one healthy activity and slowly stack your habits and keep track of what you're doing and how it's working for you. Remember, meaningful, long lasting change doesn't happen overnight, so be patient with yourself and know that the progress is in the process. Start by finding something you enjoy and create space in your schedule to practice that something each day. Make it a priority, and you will eventually make it a habit 8. Case Study: A Productive Process: In the last video, you explored tools and tactics to put your action plan into, well action. We outlined scheduling habits, sacking and journaling toe, highlight your process, create consistent practice and reflect on what works for you. I walked you through my process and how these steps work for me. And now let's go through James Process from start to finish. So Jamie's a fantastic client of mine. Before we connected, Jane had shifted from a stable 9 to 5 job into freelance work from home. A side project of hers quickly gained momentum, and you transition to a place where she made enough to pursue that project full time. Go Jay. But the transition hasn't exactly been a smooth one. So Jane is in her late twenties, no kids and now worries from home. Due to her recent shift and work, she now invest long, tiring hours into her business and clients and lacks the energy to maintain other hobbies and commitments. Her lifestyle lacks boundaries. It's become all about work. The more work she puts in, the more her business will grow. Jane is highly motivated and passionate about her business, but also very aware of this lifestyle in balance. So what strange do Well, First things first. J needs to set boundaries for herself. With most jobs, hours and boundaries are set for you. Self employment is a whole different ballgame. So we begin by building Jane's purposeful framework. Jean defiance, productivity and its purpose within the parameters of her new life. So this process clarifies Jane's ideals for both of us, so that we can create an action plan that is purposeful, personal and practical, both for where she is now on for where she's headed. This also connects Jane to her purpose so she can stay focused as she moves forward. Next, we start digging into self care. What does James current self care practice look like? What was Jane doing for herself that's now slipped to the wayside or been replaced by work ? By this point, we have a two part focus. One. Jane wants to become more productive so she could keep doing what she needs to do to grow her business. And to Jane also wants to practice self care, to recreate balance and to stay fueled. We know that the two go hand in hand, so here's our key question How can Jane be more productive by practicing self care? Because self care will create balance for Jane and keep her fueled. It will also make her more productive. The circle of Wellness. And speaking of wellness circles, yes, Jame did the wellness wheel exercise. Now you might think, Why bother? Jame has already seen her lifestyle in balance. Well, yes, she can see that her occupation section is currently larger than the rest. But J might not know yet where she wants to investor energy outside of work. Or she may benefit from seeing how much she values her network or spirituality. But how little energy she currently has to invest in those areas of her life. The wellness wheel can be a powerful visual exercise. I can't count the number of times I've done it with clients who look at theirs and say, Whoa, this is not okay or I really need to make some changes. So Jane and I assessed her personal wellness, physical, emotional, rational, spiritually occupation and network. We then took James completed wheel and discussed where she wanted to invest her energy. For Jane, it was her physical health and network. Then we explored what that might look like, what meaningful activities would draw attention to these areas of her life, and Jane created a fairly extensive list. So here's what James Process has looked like so far. One. She's built a purposeful framework by defining productivity and self care, as well as their importance to her two. She's assessed her starting point by doing the wellness real exercise, and three, She's outlined her action plan by identifying one or two areas she wants to invest in as well, a specific areas to invest energy there. And that was all part of our big picture process. Then came the real work. As we began to funnel all of this information into action, we assess James schedule. We started by reorganizing her days to create structure and set boundaries. Jane identified and blocked off fixed time. We also restructured your schedule, designated certain chance to certain tasks. This freed up more time because it prevented Jane from hopping from administrative tasks to email to running errands all at random times. It focused her thymus well, which benefited her mental health by setting boundaries for her relationships clients. Jane went from working around the clock to having a structure that enabled her to create consistency with clients and to actually stop working when it was time to do so. Jane by then looked at her flexible on free time, both within and outside of her work schedule. Now remember, Jane wanted to focus on her physical health on her network. For her, that meant attending group classes at a local fitness center and engaging in healthy activities with friends. Jane explored evening exercise classes as a way to physically shift herself in body and in mind, from work mode to health mode or herself. Mode. James evening classes took on a greater purpose than just fitness. They allow Jane to network with healthy individuals and have a set event in her schedule that told her to step away and call it a day at work that was a game changer in James boundaries and bonus. Having that set time four evenings each week gave Jane that added push. She needed to avoid distractions during her workday. After a while, Jane was actually doing more work and creating better quality work in only eight hours instead of her usual 12. She also started eating better, falling asleep earlier and incorporating stretches and 15 minute YouTube yo deceptions into her lunch routines. Oh, that's right. Jane also stopped working through her lunch break. Now our next step is habit sacking. James started with three evening classes and with soon up to four, after doing four days a week for two months, Jane fell ready to add to her routine. She felt she had a grip on her physical health, and now she wanted to expand to her network. By this time, it seemed, Jane had triple the amount of energy she expressed When she first began her coaching sessions, she started meeting people at her gym and joined local groups for weekend hikes and meet ups. And then guess what happened? James Network started investing back into James. She gained clients through these activities and meet ups and the right clients, the people who knew Jane and knew she practised what she preached. Jane gained long term clients by shifting her lifestyle to better her work and fulfill her wants and means. Now don't get me wrong. This wasn't a totally linear process. There were many days when we would need to backtrack a bit or reset because of a curveball and James Work Day, or in her readiness for those 12 hour days. During those sessions, I'd asked Jane some tough questions, and we dig deep into her process and the why behind what she was doing. The big picture stuff. This is where journaling proved itself an essential tool From the beginning. I encouraged Jane to keep track of her purpose and productivity. James tracked three questions each evening, seven days a week. What do they do for myself today? How did this action benefit me? And how did this action benefit my business? For Jane? It became especially important to identify how herself care benefited a her business so that she would prioritize it even on the busy workdays and be herself to remember that she is a person with many facets outside of her occupation. Remember my initial question. When working with Jane, how can she be more productive by practicing self care? Well, she certainly answered that question, and her business and health benefited greatly. See, the key with Jane and with everyone yourself included is that the progress is in the process. The growth is in the doing, and the success is in the longevity. Will James Action Plan and self care practice stand the test of time? It certainly has so far. And as Jane and I continue to work together, it will likely continue to evolve. We might do the wellness wheel other self assessments to three times going forward. Life is full of ebbs and flows, and it's important to create an action plan that rides those waves with you. As things change And as you grow the key, the Browning factor is to grow with intention. And you do this with an action plan that's you guys that purposeful, personal and practical. The next video is your class project, where you'll tie all your steps together for yourself. Chances are you've already done a lot of the work already. Now let's bring everything together and go through your process. It's time to create yourself care, action plan and start moving in your right direction. 9. Project: Create Your Action Plan: all right, It's your time to shine. If you've joined me through each module, you've already done a lot of work on your action. Now it's time to lay everything out on the table and connect the pieces of your puzzle in our framework. Saves you. Define productivity and self care for yourself. You identified why this matters to you. The purpose behind your process. Next, you build awareness and assess the many facets of your person, your physical, emotional, rational and spiritual self alongside that of your occupation and network. Using the wellness wheel, You acknowledged your energy investments and determine what self care and productivity looked like, given your roles, lifestyle needs and wants. But we didn't stop there. The wellness well wasn't your project for this class. It was really only the beginning and determinant for your action plan. Now, as with any other class, I have to hope you've done your assignments and are caught up to this point. If you haven't created your definitions, built your framework or completed your wellness real and encourage you to revisit the previous videos, moving forward without laying groundwork makes for a pretty shaky road ahead. Remember, this is your class your action plan in your process. If you want to be more productive at work and increase your wellness in general, it will take time and energy. Your wellness is an investment at an essential one at that, and this is the part of the class. Or you create your personal self care action plan for increased productivity and wellness at work. You know by now that your wellness extends far beyond your desk and job title. You know that the facets that make you you are interconnected and that the benefits of self care weaved through these connections. So increased physical or emotional wellness will impact your occupation and network, and vice versa. The purpose of an action plan is to reduce the guesswork. So instead of having a tough day and having no clue what to do about it or repressing that stress and emotion, you'll have a go to plan of action instead off. What about me? Where do I fit in? You'll have a process. You'll check in with yourself to identify your stressors and current state. You'll be equipped with a self care practice to bring yourself back down to your baseline and you'll have fuel to move forward in a way that is healthy and productive for you. Let's talk about your action plan. Answer a awareness assessing your current situation, lifestyle and self care practice. This includes building your framework and doing the wellness wheel exercise. This step is all about inquiry and introspection, looking at your wheel and asking, How does this affect my productivity? And how will a well balance wheel better my work and life in general and sense for your needs, defining what you need from your self care practice. For instance, US. Esther completed Wellness wheel to identify what areas of your life need more energy, since you've already taken, these essential steps will build on these to help you establish the rest of your answer. Before moving forward, I'd like you to take a moment and review your well this wheel. Hone in on one area to invest in to keep your action plan practical and focused circle, highlight or mark your focus area in some way. Next in our acronym is US for schedule. You've assessed your life cell in the form of a wheel, and now it's time to look at your day to day. So pull of your planner. Or open your additional calendar and identify your fixed time meetings, appointments, lunch breaks, consistent ongoing commitments. Start with what you know and move backwards to fill in the blanks. Once you've established your fixed time, move onto flexible and free time. What's flexible? What Can you move around if you need Teoh and what time do you have? That's totally yours. And more importantly, what do you plan to do with that time served with a 15 minute time block? If you need to schedule 15 minutes each day at the same time, set an alarm on your phone or computer. Call that block of time what you will self care, health, personal time or, if you already have a specific activity, you want a practice. Make that your label 15 minutes of yoga or walk during your lunch break. Whatever it is, set that appointment. Once it's in there, consider it fixed time and treat it like you would. Any other meeting moving on to the W? Who, what, when, where, and most importantly, why these air the specific parameters of yourself? Care plan. So what are you doing in that 15 minute time for him. You just scheduled. Whatever your focus, how will you pay attention to that area of your life? Once you've brainstormed a few ideas, go through the other W's to choose the activity that will be most purposeful, personal and practical for you. Remember that there's no longevity and shit. This isn't a New Year's resolution or a race to keep up with the Joneses. This is your practice and your process. And in order to stick to it, you've got to choose something you actually want to do and that will work within your schedule and lifestyle. Once you've decided on what you'll do, where will you do this? Activity with whom? And most importantly, why will you do it right on your wellness wheel or calendar? Or, better yet, in your journal why you scheduled this activity and stick your why, where you can see it regularly So you see rooted in your purpose. The reason you started this class and this process in the first place. And then comes the doing the action E stands for every day, and here comes your practice of have it sacking start small to create a self care practice you could do each day for some of you. That's 15 minutes of meditation in the morning or journaling in the evening. It could look like a 60 minute exercise class, four days a week and 15 minutes of you to be over the other days for other still, it might be 15 minutes of drawing on your lunch break or half an hour of creative work each evening when you put the kids to bed. A key to remember with habits Docking Is that your processes? Qualitative, not quantitative. It's not about the number of hours you put in each week, but the process is the progress, and your success lies in regular intentional practice. Let the E in your answer remind you to be present toe Focus on today. Right now, if you've missed a day or two, OK, revisit the reason you started in the first place and start again today. Finally, the last step of our answer Acronym is review. This is where your journal becomes your trusted tool. Grab a plane lack notebook, open a dock on your computer, or use the journaling app if you so choose your medium doesn't matter so long as you keep it consistent. Start with your wife for yourself. Care Action plan. Why is it important to you and what do you hope to gain? Based on your answers to those questions, you can determine how you want to use your journal to track your process on your progress. What do you want to look back on six months down the road? If you're why is rooted in a balanced and healthy lifestyle? You might ask yourself, How did I practice healthy yesterday? Or how did I create more balance in my life? If you're growing a business, you might use James questions from our last video. What did I do for myself today? How does this benefit me and how did it benefit my business? Your journal is your tool to define your process, to create consistent practice and to reflect on what works for you. And there you have it. There's your answer. By moving through this process, you've officially created ah, purposeful, personal, practical and productive action plan and one that your work relationships and help will thank you for 10. Next Steps: Moving Forward: first, I want a virtually pat you on the back for taking a lot of challenging but important steps towards your productivity and personal wellness. I know I threw a lot of information and exercises into this class, and I appreciate you sticking through it to the end. I hope you recognize and appreciate this empowering investment you've made in yourself, and I thank you for sharing your time at our energy with me. I want to invite you to use this class as a reference and come back to it as your plan and life shift and grow. And now it's time for you to put your plan into action every day to use what you've gained in this class. Your definitions and framework, the wellness wheel exercise, scheduling habits, sacking journaling. Use this knowledge and these tools to prioritize and practice what matters to you. That's what productivity is all about, doing the right things, moving in your right direction, and that is my sincere wish for you going forward. Wherever you're forward leaves, you stick to the plan that you've laid out for yourself in this class and start living out the changes you want to see in your work, your life and yourself. Each element of your work and each facet of you as a person will thank you. So now I'm passing the torch on to you. You have the knowledge, the tools, the skills. And if you've made it this far, the will toe work and live with purposeful productivity. Remember that the progress is in the process and that success lives inconsistent and intentional practice. No, that should is not nearly as powerful as need or want, and finally trusted what you know. Be patient with yourself and take things one day at a time. If you want to learn more about self care and productivity or connect with me directly, please feel free to do so through the links in my profile. Otherwise, thank you again for watching and participating in this class. May your work and life benefit from yourself. Care practice, and may you grow with purpose in the direction that's right for you.