When you’re in the flow state, or “in the zone,” you’re more productive and creative. Learn how to cultivate that state naturally so your day flows more smoothly. Watch How to Develop the Flow State.
Transcript:
Welcome. Thank you for joining me. In this video, I’d like to give you a tip about how to enter the flow state when you want to work on a task or project.
You know what the flow state is, right? It’s an intensely focused state of mind, where all distractions fade away, and you’re totally involved in your activity. In sports, it’s called “being in the zone.” It’s a peaceful state that enhances productivity and creativity.
The idea I’ll share with you is one I use when starting to write an article, or in any interest I might find a bit challenging.
I’m Linda-Ann Stewart, a focus mentor, writer and hypnotherapist. These videos are dedicated to empower you to focus and align your heart with your vision so you can achieve your goals.
My tip is, at the beginning of an endeavor that takes some effort, you may resist it, and try to distract yourself. This is natural. It’s rare to enter the flow state immediately, so you have to allow it to build. The state takes about 10-20 minutes to develop, if you keep at it.
So, work through the first few minutes of struggle. Don’t multitask or chase any squirrels, no matter how tempting. You could even tell yourself you’ll do something else after focusing on your task for 20 minutes. At the end of that time, you’ll probably find yourself engaged in your activity and want to continue.
Keep at it until you finish, find yourself at a stopping point, or your time is up. Stop when you still feel motivated, so it’s easier to pick it up later. In this way, you’ll train yourself to enter the flow state. This will allow you to get more done, more smoothly. In other words, it’ll flow. And wouldn’t that be nice?
Thank you for watching. If you liked this video, please give it a thumbs up. And if you’d like to be notified when I release more videos on mindset, motivation and empowerment, please like my channel and click on the bell. As always, stay focused.
Recently, I was working on 3 separate projects with deadlines, answering emails, making phone calls, had some unexpected interruptions that had to be handled, and had 2 clients. By the end of the day, I had a throbbing headache, was exhausted, and had forgotten to pay an important bill. That’s the unfortunate result of multitasking.
Back in the late 1990’s, when smartphones came into being, it was believed that they’d allow us to get more done. We were told we could juggle a lot of different tasks at the same time, and get them all done more efficiently. The truth is far different. Not only does productivity suffer from multitasking, but the activity is a major cause of stress.
The Problem With Multitasking
Multitasking isn’t really doing several things at once. The brain can’t focus on more than one thing at a time. You’re actually quickly switching between one task and another. These mental acrobatics increase the stress hormones in your body, while depleting the glucose in your brain. The result is that multitasking clogs your mental pathways, causes stress, tight muscles, fuzzy thinking and exhaustion. Your mind just can’t juggle multiple tasks, and your health, progress and effectiveness suffers.
It’s like being a hamster on a wheel. Although you believe that you’re getting things done, you’re running in place, never getting anywhere. You use up an incredible amount of energy refocusing your attention from composing an email to talking on the phone to answering a question. Something is going to fall through the cracks, like sending the email to the wrong person.
Multitasking Creates Stress
When you’re multitasking, you’re always in emergency mode. You’re braced for the next crisis, even if it’s just the phone ringing. In this state, you’re just reacting to events. Since you don’t have the mental resources to consider new responses, you fall back into old patterns and innovation evaporates.
Because you’re always expecting the next predicament, you find it. “Where attention flows, energy goes.” Your subconscious seeks to provide what you’re focused on, which is stress and crises. The Law of Attraction will draw more problems for you to deal with, as that’s where your attention lies. And your subconscious will ensure you remain stressed and continue to multitask, because you think that’s the solution. It’s a vicious cycle.
If you’re trying to move forward in any part of your life, multitasking and the stress it causes will prevent this. Your brain has engaged all its resources to handle what’s immediate. Even the best juggler can only keep so many balls in the air. And he can’t do much of anything else when he’s at his maximum capacity. All his attention has to be on those balls.
How to Break the Cycle of Multitasking
The solution is to free up some of your attention to be able to make progress and changes. The only way to move forward and start taking back control of your life is to break the habit of multitasking. It won’t be easy, because first you have to accept that it’s not beneficial. Then start by focusing on doing one thing at a time. Set aside an hour or two each day to put all your attention on one project. Turn off any technology that could interrupt you.
Occasionally, you’ll have to multitask. Modern life demands it. But you must minimize it to reduce your stress, and improve your health, progress and personal growth. When you find yourself being overwhelmed by multitasking, take a step back and breathe. Break the cycle.
Once you’ve reduced your stress, you’ll have more creativity and resources to make positive changes in your life. When you communicate your desires to your subconscious and the Law of Attraction, they’ll be clearer and more concentrated. You’ll be able to think things through and be more decisive. By being more focused, you’ll begin making progress on your desires, and in your personal and professional lives.
Affirmation:
I now begin to focus on one thing at a time. This frees my mind to be creative and resourceful. My subconscious and the Law of Attraction receive clear guidance from me about my desires. Because of the energy I’ve released, they now put it to work manifesting my goals. The Universe provides me with all I need for a happy and healthy life.
As a focus mentor, hypnotherapist, and writer, Linda-Ann Stewart motivates women entrepreneurs and small business owners to focus and transform their business through deliberate actions that break through distraction and overwhelm to greater success, wellbeing and prosperity.To boost productivity and reduce overwhelm, register for her FREE guide,Design Your Best Day, at https://www.Linda-AnnStewart.com/guide.html
This time of year is filled with chaos and overwhelm. Trying to get holiday preparations accomplished, attending gatherings, while balancing your other responsibilities is a challenge. Unfortunately, this season of love and joy often creates issues of stress and anxiety. It’s common for me to start having nightmares in August that it’s Christmas morning and nothing’s done.
What Mindfulness Is
This season inspires us to love, be kind, compassionate, and be of good cheer, towards others, and ourselves, as well. When you’re mindful of your own welfare, you can appreciate the season more. Mindfulness means that you’re focusing on what’s going on only in the present, so all the future tasks aren’t crashing into you.
If you start worrying about the future and what still needs to be done, bring your attention back to the present moment. By being mindful during the holiday rush, you’re better able to maintain your peace of mind. And you’ll remain more open to the Universal flow of good.
Being Mindful
To stay mindful, give yourself permission to make your mental and physical health a priority. When you’re calm, you can accomplish more and have more energy to share with others. So set your intention to pay attention to your needs.
Don’t overcommit yourself to social events.
Reserve your energy for what’s most important to you.
Set reasonable expectations for yourself.
Instead of thinking about everything that you want to get done, focus on what you can do today.
If you start getting anxious, remember that everything will get done in Divine Time. It always does. And if it doesn’t get done, then it’s not worth sacrificing your wellbeing and ability to enjoy festivities with your friends and family. This time of year is about creating cherished memories and spreading good will towards all. Have a joyous holiday season!
Affirmation:
I grant myself the gift of greater peace and harmony this season. When I begin to feel overwhelmed, I bring my attention back to what I can do this moment. Moment by moment, I glide through this holiday season. The Universe guides all my actions. Everything gets done in Divine Time and with Divine Order.
As a focus mentor, hypnotherapist, and writer, Linda-Ann Stewart motivates women entrepreneurs and small business owners to focus and transform their business through deliberate actions that break through distraction and overwhelm to greater success, wellbeing and prosperity.To boost productivity and reduce overwhelm, register for her FREE guide, Design Your Best Day, at https://www.Linda-AnnStewart.com/guide.html
How many times do you get sidetracked in a day? This often happens when you put other people’s priorities ahead of your own. When you prioritize your priorities, then you get so much more done with less stress. In this video, I talk about my struggles with this issue and what I’ve done to deal with it. Learn the 3 questions I ask myself and that you can use to find clarity about where to put your attention. Watch Manage Your Priorities to Achieve Your Goals.
Transcript:
Welcome. In this video, I’d like to give you a tip on how to improve your productivity, progress and effectiveness. I’ve struggled with managing my priorities over the years, and want to share a tip about how I’ve learned to handle this area so that you may get more done, and have less stress.
I’m Linda-Ann Stewart, a focus mentor, writer and hypnotherapist. These videos are dedicated to empower you to focus and align your heart with your vision so you can achieve your goals.
There are times when I’ve gotten sidetracked in a day. Before working on my priority for the day, I’ve checked my email and found a client’s message asking a question, and decided to answer it right then. Or my work flow was interrupted by a follow up call from someone I’d met networking. Or my phone would notify me of a message on LinkedIn, and I’d immediately answer it.
And of course, each of these led to other demands on my attention from other people. Has this ever happened to you? You fall into the trap of satisfying other people’s immediate demands, and not your urgent concerns?
Each time, I mistakenly thought that if I took care of all of these other details right then, I’d be free to focus on my priority task for the day. But what generally happened was that I found myself scrabbling with distractions from others all day long, paying attention to other people’s priorities. Not my priorities.
I learned that if I started out my day scattered, the rest of the day would often continue that way. I would be running all day to catch up with myself and what was important for me and my business.
Unless you pay attention to your intention first, and prioritize your priorities, you’ll fall victim to someone else’s agenda. This is true in your personal and professional lives. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t deal with those folk and what they request of you. Just that you do it in your time frame, when it’s convenient to you, after you’ve worked on what’s important to you and your business.
So here’s the tip. There are 3 simple questions you can ask yourself so you know if you’re working on your priorities or someone else’s.
Will the distraction interfere with your priority for the day, such as your task or project? Yeah, I know, this sounds really simplistic. This is the basic question to ask for you to realize you’re being distracted. If the answer is yes, the next couple of questions will help you decide if the interruption can be dealt with now or later.
Can the distraction be delayed a few hours? Whether it’s a message, a phone call or something else. If it can be delayed, set it aside, focus on your priority and respond later.
Is it imperative for you to deal with right now, such as, will it bring you money or customers immediately? Now, that would be a good reason to interrupt your flow and respond, right? But if not, set it aside and focus on your priority and respond later.
See the theme? If you can respond later, set it aside and focus on your priority first. These questions can help you gain clarity about where you need to put your attention and what to do in each one.
When I started using these questions, I was much more productive, and less frustrated. When you manage your priorities, by prioritizing them, you’ll get a lot more done, with a lot less stress.
Thank you for watching. If you liked this video, please give it a thumbs up. And if you’d like to be notified when I release more videos on mindset, motivation and empowerment, please like my channel and click on the bell. As always, stay focused.
As I was guiding a client into self-hypnosis using a relaxation technique, I noticed her shoulders becoming more and more tense. I suggested “It’s safe to relax,” and her shoulders dropped. She successfully went into self-hypnosis and we continued with her session. At the conclusion, she opened her eyes and said, “I couldn’t relax until you told me it was safe to do so.”
Are You Afraid to Relax?
I’ve heard this same thing from numerous clients. Many people have a fear of letting go and relaxing for a variety of reasons. Some of them have come from dysfunctional homes, and have learned to be hypervigilant in order to survive. Others have been through a long period of crises that have emotionally hit them over and over, until they, too, are hypervigilant. People with either of these issues often fear that something awful will happen if they let down their guard.
Sometimes anxieties or fears will begin to surface as a person starts the relaxation process. These are feelings that they’ve been able to keep suppressed and are now rising to the surface because their conscious control of them has loosened. Or a person could simply become apprehensive because relaxing is so unfamiliar that they feel uncomfortable doing it.
Tension Depletes You
Stress, tension or a sense of pressure signals the brain to keep the mind and body on alert, prepared for physical danger. Waiting for the other shoe to drop, or the next crisis, damages the body in subtle ways. The medical profession believes that stress causes or worsens over 90% of illnesses. It’s like water dripping through a hole in a glass. Eventually, the glass will empty completely. Stress and tension actually wear away body systems, until they are depleted.
Being able to relax is essential to a person’s well-being, both physical and emotional. Relaxation allows the body to heal in a natural fashion, like replenishing the water in the glass. The body then has a reservoir of energy to draw from and preserve health.
Relaxation Replenishes You
Relaxation is the way we tell the brain that we’re safe, that all is well. For those who’ve existed in a dangerous environment, feeling safe is a new concept. I remind them that if there’s going to be a crisis, it’s going to happen whether they’re tense or relaxed. Relaxation not only gives the mind a feeling of safety, it provides it with more resources, reserves, and resiliency to handle the challenges of life.
Where a small setback, like being late to work, might have been all that was needed for a mental meltdown, the more relaxed person can keep the situation in perspective. Creativity and problem solving are also enhanced, as is mental flexibility. A person can be more productive and efficient, because their mental resources aren’t diverted to keeping them alert for a danger which may no longer exist.
Relearn to Relax
In our fast-paced world, we have a habit of being tense. Although relaxation is a natural process, it needs to be relearned. I tell my clients that they’re entering a period of training. They’re re-educating their bodies and minds to let go of tension and return to their natural state of relaxation. As they practice, they feel better mentally, emotionally, and physically. They quickly find that the rewards of relearning to relax are powerful and tangible.
Affirmation:
It’s safe to let go and relax. I’m safe now. I drop my shoulders, and release the tension in every part of my body. By relaxing, I’m allowing healing energy to fill my mind, body and spirit. In doing so, I have more resources and resiliency to deal with the challenges of my life. I trust that all is well, and Divine Right Action takes place for the Highest Good of all concerned.
As a focus mentor, hypnotherapist, and writer, Linda-Ann Stewart motivates women entrepreneurs and small business owners to focus and transform their business through deliberate actions that break through distraction and overwhelm to greater success, wellbeing and prosperity.To boost productivity and reduce overwhelm, register for her FREE guide, Design Your Best Day, at https://www.Linda-AnnStewart.com/guide.html
When people come into my office, I generally have to educate them about stress. They think that stress just arises from difficult relationships, the death of a loved one, or from the workplace. But stress can come from events such as Christmas, moving, a wedding or divorce, a vacation or even winning the lottery. The common denominator of what causes stress is a person having to adjust to something new.
Anytime you have something out of your normal routine, your mind has to make changes to accommodate the new circumstances. The subconscious mind doesn’t like change. It likes the status quo, so whenever anything throws it off its schedule, your subconscious complains.
The Results of Stress
Stress results in tension, anxiety, short temper, tiredness, memory loss, inability to sleep, worry, obsessing over non-essentials, and much more. When you’re stressed, you tend to believe the lie that you are separate from the Universe. Without relief, stress begets more stress, and escalates. If stress continues unabated, it will eventually erode the body’s organs, and create illness or disease.
The Benefits of Meditation
To combat stress and its consequences, meditate each day. This puts a break in the cycle of stress. Meditating and relaxing helps to calm the mind and body. Instead of always feeling on edge and in danger, meditation lets the mind know that all is well and you are safe. This allows the body and mind to recover and recharge.
As a side benefit of meditation, you actually become more efficient, effective and creative. Your awareness of your intuition will be enhanced. Any kind of meditation will do, from concentrating on a mantra, to doing self-hypnosis. Select the one that you resonate with. You just need to take the time to center, getting back in touch with yourself and your Higher Self. By doing so, you’ll have more time and resources to deal with the events of your life.
Affirmation
I am now relaxed and calm in every situation and circumstance. I know the the Universe protects and guides me at all times. As I take the time to center in this knowledge each day, my life flows more smoothly. When a challenge arises in my life, I remember that the Universe has any answer that I need. I open my mind to listen for the solution.
As a focus mentor, hypnotherapist, and writer, Linda-Ann Stewart motivates women entrepreneurs and small business owners to focus and transform their business through deliberate actions that break through distraction and overwhelm to greater success, wellbeing and prosperity.To boost productivity and reduce overwhelm, register for her FREE guide, Design Your Best Day, at https://www.Linda-AnnStewart.com/guide.html You can contact her at LAS@Linda-AnnStewart.com or 928-600-0452.
Contrary to western beliefs, rather than success bringing happiness, happiness brings success. In great measure, your happiness is within your control. You can increase your level of happiness that will bring you multiple benefits. Watch Craft a Sustainable Well of Happiness.
Transcript:
Welcome to this month’s mindset coaching tip. Everyone could use more happiness, right? But trying to find it through achievement or awards is fleeting, at best. Happiness is much more persistent and powerful when it’s developed by activities that you have the ability to do each day. I’d like to share a couple of tips on how you can craft a more sustainable well of happiness.
I’m Linda-Ann Stewart, a focus mentor and hypnotherapist. I empower people to focus and align their heart with their vision so they can achieve their goals. And being happy makes success more likely
The first tip to developing happiness I’d like to share with you is to take 15 minutes a day to do something that feeds your soul. Take a walk, get into nature, play with your dog or cat, or garden.
This gives your brain a boost of pleasure chemicals that increase your sense of satisfaction and joy. You know how you feel when you take time for what matters to you, right? So make sure you take at least 15 minutes a day for you.
My second tip to crafting happiness is an outgrowth of the first tip. Get creative with some sort of craft. It could be something like quilting, embroidery, needlework, jewelry making, beading, knitting, crocheting, or my favorite, weaving. Crafting can reduce stress and anxiety.
The same is true of any art or creativity, such as painting, sculpting, music, pottery, photography, cooking, baking, or woodworking. And there are so many more.
Because you’re focused on something enjoyable, it puts you in a state of flow. In addition to increasing a sense of satisfaction, flow is where ideas and insights can start to surface. This makes achieving your goals easier.
So there are multiple benefits for taking the time for you and also for enjoying some art or craft each day. Not only will you reduce stress, and improve your mood, but you will begin to build a well of happiness and fulfillment within yourself.
What can you do for you today? I’m going to go take a walk and then go weave. Thank you for watching. If you’d like to be notified when I release more videos on mindset, motivation and empowerment, please like my channel and click on the bell. Stay focused.
When you’re kind to others, you reap rewards of calm and happiness for yourself. In aggravating circumstances, it can be difficult to feel kindly towards those who are rude, inconsiderate or unpleasant. But you can train yourself to intentionally respond more constructively so you are kind to others and yourself. Watch Deliberately Choose Kindness.
Transcript:
Welcome. I’m Linda-Ann Stewart and I empower people to focus and align their heart with their vision so they can achieve their goals. In this video, I’d like to talk about how you can be kind to yourself and others in those momentary upsetting circumstances that happen all too frequently.
This takes practice, but you can train yourself to be intentional and respond more constructively. It’s something I’ve done for decades, because I trained myself to do so. What you do is, in that upsetting situation, you use your imagination to think about what might have caused the other person to act as they did.
Essentially, you’re looking for an excuse for their behavior. Not to excuse them, but so you don’t invest your energy in a negative reaction. You’re thinking kindly and empathizing with them.
For example, when something irritating happens, like someone cutting you off in traffic, imagine that they’ve been called to an emergency. This automatically shifts your reaction from aggravation to compassion. You reduce your stress and let go of the incident.
Or, if a clerk is rude to you, rather than snapping back, imagine that they’ve just had a fight with their spouse. This allows you to be courteous, which may uplift them, and will definitely will make you feel better.
What you’re doing is reframing the situation, thinking about what the other person might be going through that has caused them to be inconsiderate, unpleasant or rude.
I don’t recommend this when someone has consistently and deliberately offended you, but in those situations that can momentarily annoy you and impact your mood.
When you imagine an alternative scenario for the other person’s behavior, you can maintain your calm. And then you can choose how you want to respond, in a deliberate way, that might spread some cheer, and allow you to feel good.
When you’re kind to others, even if they’re rude, you’re being kind to yourself by reducing your stress and not letting the episode affect you so much. You empower yourself by staying composed and choosing the way you respond.
Thank you for watching. If you’d like to be notified when I release more videos on mindset, motivation and empowerment, please like my channel and click on the bell. Be kind, to yourself and others, and as always, stay focused.
