#264: Creating an Emotional Energy Refresh for Your Space

Creating an Emotional Energy Refresh for Your Space

We’re going to do something a bit different today, and it’s going to be a short and sweet episode that can have a really big impact on how you feel every day with tiny steps.

The First Step to Creating an Energy Refresh

Before I dive in, I want to invite you download the Busy Lawyer’s Ultimate Time Management Guide because I’ve added something brand new to it that’s going to be a game-changer if you’ve ever felt like you just weren’t capable of managing your time effectively.

Over the years, as I’ve worked with more and more lawyers and become more and more proficient with being able to teach the concepts I teach my clients, I’ve uncovered the biggest problems with implementing any kind of time management system.

A lot of time lawyers think it’s about finding the perfect planner, so they go through every single planner and end up thinking there’s something wrong with them or they just haven’t found the right one.

Or they think they don’t have time to make a calendar or that a checklist is just as good.

None of these things are true, and I learned that the hard way as a lawyer.

What made the difference was having a tried and true plan that worked with any calendar. And it took knowing that the investment I make in planning and problem-solving my week ahead of time was going to 10 times my investment. I was going to get 10 hours back for the one I used to think about my week ahead of time.

I also had to learn the hard way that a checklist for today was not going to help me problem-solve my week and feel in control of my time or my caseload.

So what I’ve added to the Busy Lawyer’s Ultimate Time Management Guide is a video training series that walks you step-by-step through what you need to know and the common problems I see, so you can avoid them.

When you download the Guide, I send you emails connected with each step to help inspire you to take action too. It’s about as close as you can get to working with me one-on-one without hiring me as your coach.

You can download it and get the training videos at dinacataldo.com/busylawyer

These training videos are between 2 and 8 minutes each, so you can watch one each day or binge them all at once.

They are key to helping you master your time.

You can download the guide and get the video training series at dinacataldo.com/busylawyer

Alright, let’s jump into creating an emotional energy refresh for your space.

I love the idea of where we live, work and play being a temple, and I wanted to create an episode for you to get awareness around the places you spend time and how you feel in them.

This is something I’m doing in each area I spend time in, so I can open up energy and brain space but also to take action on changing areas of my spaces that I’m less than satisfied with.

We can get used to the low hum of dissatisfaction in our lives and forget it’s even there.

It feels normal to feel anxious, claustrophobic or unsettled in our own homes and offices.

The good news is, it doesn’t have to be your normal if you don’t want it to be.

Our brain has so many thoughts that it’s difficult to see the low hum of irritability and annoyance we create with our thoughts about the places we spend time.

When we free up those that brain space, it’s easier for us to focus and it’s like we can breathe easier.

In this episode, I’m going to help you create an emotional energy refresh.

You’ll be able to make a plan and make space in your brain to enjoy more of your life.

You’ve probably noticed that when your desk or your home has been cleaned, you just feel better. You feel more energized, more at peace.

That’s because you’ve changed your thoughts about your workspace, which changes the energy in your body.

I refer to emotions, energy and chemicals in our bodies interchangeably because they’re all the same here.

Take a moment — wherever you are, whether it’s in your car, your living room, your kitchen, your office — and look around you.

Do you like what you see?

How do you feel when you look at your space?

When you look around, do you feel calm in your body or on alert?

Do you feel peace or do you feel anxious?

If you’re looking at a pile of papers on your desk, you may feel anxious because you’re thinking that you have so much to do or you’re going to miss something.

If you’re looking in your car, and you see a clean car and smell a little bit of that new car smell still, you’re likely thinking that you love your car, and feel peaceful.

If you’re sitting in your kitchen, and you see things on the counter that need a home in the cupboards, and you’re thinking you don’t have much space, you may feel overwhelmed or claustrophobic.

It’s okay.

Just notice.

I’m going to run your through what to do, then I’m going to give you an example that I just did for my home, so you can put this into action.

It does NOT have to feel overwhelming.

Know that you don’t have to make changes all at once.

If you know something is going to happen, you don’t have to rush it.

You just know it’s inevitably going to become what you want it to be and take small steps.

Here’s what you’re going to do step-by-step:

Grab a piece of paper and pen.

Sit down in the morning or just before bed when your brain is the quietist.

Then think about each area of your life.

Imagine yourself sitting in your office.

Ask yourself these questions:

What does it feel like right now?

How do you want it to feel?

What needs to change for you to make it feel that way?

Then you estimate how long each task will take.

And guess what you do next? You put one on your calendar this week.

And of course, delegate where you can.

Here’s what I walked myself through, so you have another example:

When I think about my home, I want it to feel like a temple. Right now there’s parts of it that feel like a temple at times, but mostly it feels like it’s gone through changes. It feels disjointed.

I want my home to feel organized, peaceful and like an oasis. I want it to feel like a temple with a sense of devotion. A place where I can easily reconnect with myself.

Those are lofty goals, but when I focus my mind on what I want, I can tune in to what needs to change for me to make it that way.

I also remind myself it’s not all going to get done at once. I’m going to have a wishlist, and I no longer need to think about it. It’s on a list. It’s done. And when my mind wants to tell me that I’m not doing enough, I just remind it that it’s a process, and it’ll get done in good time.

When I focused on what I wanted to create, I wrote a list of all the things my brain told me needed to happen:

• patch paint in the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen
• Center pictures in the bedroom
• Patch holes in kitchen, bathroom, bedroom
• Clear bottom shelf in the bathroom
• Clear magazines under living room table
• Go through movies in garage and list on eBay
• Get another bookshelf to help with overflow
• Clean out shelves to make home for overflow paperwork
• Shred paperwork
• Get a new dishwasher

Now I won’t be able to do all of this at once.

What I can do is get a 100 foot view of what I want to take action on and make a plan that makes it easier on me.

I can patch holes and paint rooms while I’m waiting for patches and painting to dry. How long will that take me? Maybe two hours. I can do that on a Saturday.

I can clear the bottom shelf in the bathroom? That’ll probably take an hour, and I can do that one evening next week.

See where I’m going?

When I get specific about what needs to get done and how long it will take, it feels less overwhelming.

When you put it on your calendar, you’re also less tempted to use it as an excuse not to do your work too.

I see you sitting at your office desk telling yourself you need to clean your desk before you do anything else.

Nope.

You can put time on your calendar to do it, and you can get the most important things done in your practice first.

I’d give myself five minutes at the end of every day to reorganize my desk before I left the office — and I still do this — so that when I get to my desk the next day I felt peaceful.

It’s a great habit to get into.

This is just one practice that can improve your quality of life.

When I work with lawyers we delve into every corner of their life from time management to building their business with ease to how they handle difficult clients and more.

If you want to improve your quality of life exponentially with the help of a life coach who understands the lawyer brain, book a Strategy Session with me.

You can book a call at dinacataldo.com/strategysession.

I’ll help you take control of your practice, find fulfillment, and create a life you love.

Alright my friend, I hope you take what you learned today and run with it.

Have a beautiful rest of your week, and I’ll talk to you in the next episode. Bye.