As you work to create a positive timeline, it's essential that you build it on strong foundations. In this episode of my January podcast series on creating your own timeline, I share how I support my positive daily timeline.
I’m Dinah Liversidge and I’m a Coach and Trainer, a Celebrant and co-host of The Charcoal Hut, a woodland cabin in Myddfai, Carmarthenshire. I’m also a no-box-thinker. I believe when we stop trying to ‘think outside the box’ we take away labels and limitations that were always an illusion. There never was a box.
I love being a Coach, a Celebrant and a Host. All these aspects of my life help me achieve that illusive ‘work-life balance’ so many seem to be striving for. Join me in Myddfai in our woodland garden for a #MyddfaiMinute and listen to one minute of birdsong. I hope it brings you some peace.
If you’d like to explore Coaching, take a look at my Mindset Coaching here.
I hope you’re enjoying my Podcasts. I’d love you to share them with someone you think would get something positive from them.
Dinah
Speaker 1:
Hi there I'm Dinah Leversedge. And thanks for joining me on my podcast this month, I'm focusing on the idea that we can create our own timeline, both on the internet, on our social media platforms, but also in our day-to-day lives. This is the six out of 10 short podcasts on this topic. Um, and on the last one, I promise that this time I would share how I created a structure that could support a positive timeline. I kind of think of it as, as the foundations. So if we're really going to take responsibility for creating this sort of supportive timeline for ourselves, particularly since so much has changed, then I think a lot of this is about creating positive habits. I'm a really, really big fan of time-blocking the idea that you block out time throughout the whole day, and a really clear about what you do in each of those blocks. So it's not a meeting, uh, and then a big gap and then another thing, and then another big gap every hour of your day is a block. And you decide what you do within that block and you stick with it. It's a great way of having purpose. I found it very helpful in achieving my writing goals. Um, and it is also for me a great platform on which to build this kind of idea of things that are going to support my positive daily timeline. So the first one that I looked at was let's break up my day, my timeline into the two or three most vulnerable moments for me and make sure that in those moments I've put things that support me. So my day starting is a big deal. I'm setting the mood for my day. I talk about that quite often, and if I choose how I set that mean by, as I have done recently engaging every morning on Twitter with friends and people, I know all around the world, then I'm setting myself up with a positive foundation for my morning. And by the way, if you fancy a positive start to your day, go to Twitter and search for hashtag the breakfast club all as one. And between seven and 8:00 AM Monday to Friday, that's a lie. That's a UK time, but you can dip in and, and look at the timeline when you're having your start to the day and see what we used and how we shared and what gave us a positive start that morning.
Speaker 2:
And of course, act to it.
Speaker 1:
So my foundation for the morning for me starts that way, but I also do other things. So we're really lucky that we live in the woods here in[inaudible] in West Wales and during the spring and the summer months, uh, not during the winter, cause I'd walk into too many things, but you're the spring and the summer months, my morning starts outside. I go and I watch as the Woodland comes to life and I listened to the sound of the birds. If you look for a month by minute on YouTube or on my website,[inaudible] dot com. You'll see that I share just the sounds of being in the woods because for a lot of us, a great foundation for setting our mood is to be in nature. Then the next thing I do is I think, so when is the next bit of the day, which helps me to create a positive timeline? Well, it took me years to realize if I take a break at lunchtime, a proper break away from my desk, ideally with John, my husband, um, if he's at home, which of course at the moment he is at unlocked. But if I do that and I, I turn off the tech for a bit and I eat something really proper, proper food, not just a sandwich at the desk, that's rushed while you're typing between mouthfuls. Like, what you have to do is so important, but when I step away and I give myself that break, I've created another bit of the foundation. It supports me to have a positive timeline for the afternoon. I I've noticed when I don't do it that by about three o'clock. My timeline starts to drift to a negative place. Again, I often say things like I feel overwhelmed or I haven't achieved as much as I should have, but if I've taken my break at lunchtime, I come back feeling refreshed. I look at the plan I had for the afternoon in my time-blocking and I'm there, I'm cracking
Speaker 2:
On with it.
Speaker 1:
And then to end the day, you know how you end your timeline for the day before you sleep is also so important, I'm it can affect our dreams. But more than that, having closure on a day, that feels good. That feels like you achieved. That gives you a reason to want to wake up feeling really positive about tomorrow. Well, I'd say now more than ever, we could all do with that. So how are you ending your day to ensure those foundations are strong for your timeline? Even while you're sleeping? I like to end with acknowledgement. I like to think about the things that made me smile today. Maybe even made me laugh. Maybe something made me feel proud today. Did I achieve something that's been difficult for me? Or did I help someone else overcome something significant? And when I end with those things, I believe the foundations are strong and I have a real sense of hope for my timeline. Right? You found it interesting today and I hope it's got you thinking about how you're framing and supporting your daily time on the neck, except[inaudible]. I'm going to be talking about how I coped and changed things. When my timeline turned ugly. I do hope you'll join me. Thank you for your time today. And for coming back. I hope if you're listening to this regularly, you do me a favor and share the link to this episode with someone who you think could do with some foundations to support their positive time, speak to you soon. And don't worry. There is no box.