Another month and it will be time for the summer holidays. If you’re a mum with kids at school you know what a big transition this is. You go from your regular time alone to having the children around all the time. This is especially impactful if you are an introvert and benefit hugely from having time in the day where you can do your own work and think without much interruption.
Sometimes I notice resistance coming up that my whole schedule can be so easily toppled, like a house of cards in the breeze. I had a coach who once said to me that the reason she started her own business was so that she could be there for her children as much as possible.
I do want to be there for my child when she needs me, of course I do, but this is not why I started my coaching business. I started it because instead of doing what I thought I should do in life (which had not really worked out) I thought I might as well try doing what I really wanted to do and see how that worked out instead.
So how to navigate the summer holidays as an introverted, recovering perfectionist who is trying to grow a business?
Hmmm.
Time to tap into ‘wise self’.
You can do this anytime you get stuck.
Imagine that you are asking the highest, most knowing version on yourself, or your future wise self what you should do and then see what they have to say about it.
It’s O.K. if it feels like pretending, or a bit daft. It does often feel this way.
Here’s how:
- Close your eyes and take some big deep breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth.
- Now you can get a bit woo woo if you like and imagine roots going from your body, through the layers of the earth and into the core of the earth.
- Ask your question.
- Get a journal and a nice pen.
- Write the answer from the highest part of you that has only your best interests at heart.
Give it a go, I’ll wait.
See you in a mo….
How did it go? I’d love to know. Leave a comment below or email me at deborah@deborahchalk.com
Here are some ideas from my ‘higher self’ to consider.
- Decide whether a ‘summer bucket list’ will feel inspirational or dictatorial.
- Write a list of regular things you can do that are inexpensive, fun and doable.
- Get lots of sleep, if you don’t have a baby / very young children. If you do try reading ‘The No Cry Sleep Solution’ for some helpful ideas.
- Read together each day.
- Read alone each day.
- Enlist help with simple household chores.
- Have some quiet time.
- Get a simple collection of art and craft supplies.
- Visit your local library and look for summer events.
- Make some time for your own exercise. At home / video streaming workouts work well.
- Don’t cook complicated dishes.
- Do online food shopping.
- Have some healthy snacks ready.
- Stock up on sun cream, sun hat, sunglasses, insect bite cream and plasters.
- Arrange the number of playdates that does not feel overwhelming to you.
- Schedule time to work on your business and don’t get sucked into the Facebook or email vortex during that time.
- Accept that you won’t ever get as much work on your business done as you would like to. (this is really the case all year round)
- Don’t do things that don’t really need doing.
- Consider if you can get some help or swap a task you don’t like for one that you do.
- Keep regular bedtimes going.
- Don’t expect to have the perfect summer. Lower the limbo bar on that one.
Until next week,
Deborah
P.S. If you’d like help with having a perfect imperfect summer holidays email me at deborah@deborahchalk.com and we can set up a free 30 minute call to see if we are a good match for coaching.