Better Business, Better Life – Issue 110

What are Clarity Breaks?

As the name suggests, it’s about taking time to get clear on business & life.

Imagine a glass of water with some sand in the bottom. The glass is your brain, the water is what helps your brain to function & the sand is all of the ‘stuff’ you have going on in life.

When you are constantly moving – fighting fires at work, making decisions, answering emails, checking social media, taking phone calls, WhatsApping, just doing stuff – that sand is always moving around in the glass, making it difficult to see clearly.

When you take a break, that sand can settle & suddenly, everything becomes clearer.

In this space of Clarity, you make better decisions about the future. We all know what it is like when you are so ‘busy’ & rushing around doing everything & never sitting still, with just your own mind as a company… We generally make ‘in the moment’ decisions rather than long-term decisions.

Give your brain a chance – take a Clarity Break & see what comes of it!

The first time I did this, I created a new 6-month Mastermind programme that I had been procrastinating on for months. The full programme with all the content & all the marketing messages in just 2 hours…  But I had been waiting 6 months to start on it as it felt overwhelming.

One of my clients refused to do this for almost 12 months as she said she was too busy & couldn’t find the time. After my constant but gentle & caring nagging, she finally took her first Clarity Break. What she got out of those 2 hours on a beach was invaluable & now she raves about them & encourages all of her leadership team to take them.

So, what is a Clarity Break?

It sounds really simple & it is. But just because it’s simple, it does not make it easy. You need to have the discipline to carry it out & then continue to carry it out regularly to get the most benefit.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Take yourself to a place away from your regular distractions – for me, this is generally a place in nature – a forest or a beach. For others, this might be a cafe or home alone. Wherever it is, make sure you can commit to at least an hour, preferably two, with absolutely NO distractions.
2. Turn off all electronic devices & don’t try to do this with an iPad or a laptop. A good old-fashioned pad & pen is best, but a remarkable one can work well, too.
3. Just sit with yourself & your thoughts until everything is settled & calm.
4. Now, start writing the things that come to mind. If you get stuck, I have attached a bunch of work questions you can ask yourself – print this out & take it with you.
5. Once you start scribbling, drawing or writing, just go with the flow & stop when you are ready.

That’s it – nothing complex. It’s a mixture between journalling & furious focus.

All it really is, is a way to calm the mind & allow it to wonder & wander.

Let the sand settle so that you get the Clarity of focus you need to deal with life’s opportunities & challenges.

Just make sure you do it regularly to get the true benefit. Once per week is ideal, but if you can’t manage that, then at least once per month. Some of my clients do it every day – just for half an hour before they come to work.

What about preparing for the New Year?

Well, I have a special set of questions I have pulled together & used at the end of each year to get me thinking about the New Year.

The questions are both business & personally focused & designed to get you really thinking about what’s working & what’s not working in your life.

Once you know this, you can take an additional Clarity Break & start thinking about what needs to change.

And that’s the tool for this newsletter – print out the two attachments & give it a go. I promise you won’t regret it… Unlike all that food & all those drinks over Christmas. 😊