108 | How to stop overthinking and get it done
If you find yourself stuck in overthinking and procrastination, juggling multiple roles as an entrepreneur or coach, then you won’t want to miss today’s episode with Jo Lott! She shares six practical steps to help you break free from analysis paralysis and take confident action.
Key Timestamps:
[00:01:00] The Challenge of Overthinking
[00:02:00] Step 1: Lowering the Bar
[00:04:00] Step 2: Commitment Over Feelings
[00:10:00] Step 4: Messaging for Clarity
[00:11:00] Step 5: Co-Working for Focus
[00:12:00] Step 6: Weekly Reflection
Key Takeaways:
- Just start - motivation follows action
- Work with your natural tendency type (Obliger, Questioner, Upholder, or Rebel)
- Message someone when you're stuck
- Use co-working sessions for structured accountability
- Implement a weekly reflection practice
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Transcript
Hello and welcome to Women in the Coaching arena podcast.
Speaker A:I'm so glad you're here.
Speaker A:I'm Jo Lott, a business mentor and ICF accredited coach and I help coaches to build brilliant businesses.
Speaker B:I know that when you prepare to.
Speaker A:Enter the arena there is fear, self doubt, comparison, anxiety, uncertainty.
Speaker B:You can tend to armor up and.
Speaker A:Protect yourself from vulnerability.
Speaker B:In this podcast I'll be sharing honest, not hype, practical and emotional tools to support you to make the difference that.
Speaker A:You'Re here for DARE greatly you belong in this arena.
Speaker B:Hello, welcome to episode 108 of Women in the Coaching Arena.
Speaker B:I am so glad you are here.
Speaker B:I'm excited to record today's episode on how to Stop Overthinking and just get it done.
Speaker B:Because my clients always say to me, I just don't know how you get it all done.
Speaker B:Which astounds me really, because I don't feel like I'm a very organized person.
Speaker B:I'm not one of these who has blocks of time in my diary to record this podcast?
Speaker B:As you'll know if you're a frequent listener, I don't have blocks of time in my diary to do my social media content or to do pretty much anything else.
Speaker B:I have been working on time blocking for a really long time and failing miserably, but I still do get quite a lot done.
Speaker B:So excited to share with you how I do it in case it helps you to do the same.
Speaker B:Because when you have a business there is a lot to do because you are the coach, the tech person, the admin person, the website person, the person who's sorting out the accounts.
Speaker B:There is so much you need to do.
Speaker B:So there is no denying that there is a lot to be done and often we know what we should be doing and we have really good intentions to do so.
Speaker B:But we get stuck.
Speaker B:We procrastinate, we make excuses.
Speaker B:So in this episode I will be covering how to Stop Waiting for Motivation and jfdi.
Speaker B:I don't normally swear.
Speaker B:I'm unsure about whether I should swear or not.
Speaker B:But when I was preparing this episode I thought that's exactly what I want to say.
Speaker B:We just need to get on and do it.
Speaker B:So I will cover six steps to really help you to get the work done without overthinking, without always feeling overwhelmed.
Speaker B:Because often we can spend so much time thinking about what we need to do that actually just doing it is so much quicker.
Speaker B:The best way to start by lowering the bar.
Speaker B:So how can you commit to just starting, just doing it, and then it will become easier rather than carrying it in your head.
Speaker B:So it's a bit like 10 second rule.
Speaker B:Just do it before you get to 10 and you will more than likely get in the swing of it once you have started.
Speaker B:So if you don't want to write on social media, if you can't think what to write about, just make some sort of decision within that 10 second period and get started.
Speaker B:If following up a previous discovery call makes you freeze, then just start typing hi and then name and just see what happens.
Speaker B:It's a bit like this podcast today and actually I mentioned this to someone in my Mastermind on Thursday who's starting a podcast and she said how do you do it?
Speaker B:I said I just hit record and then I get under pressure so I have to think of something to say.
Speaker B:So yes, I have a few notes but much of the time until I put myself under the pressure of having hit record, I don't really kick into recording mode.
Speaker B:So that is the perfect example of how powerful it is to just take that small first action and the rest will flow from that.
Speaker B:So motivation follows action, not the other way around.
Speaker B:So stop waiting to feel ready and J F D I Step two is Commitment over feelings One of my favorite mindsets is because I said I would.
Speaker B:I am what they call an upholder in Gretchen Rubin's four Tendencies quiz.
Speaker B:I will link it in the show notes.
Speaker B:It's so worth doing.
Speaker B:Taking the full Tendencies quiz can reveal your core driver and how you respond to expectations both internally and externally.
Speaker B:So the biggest one, and this is really key in entrepreneurship, is the obliger.
Speaker B:So 41% of the population fall into this category.
Speaker B:This means that you meet outer expectations and you struggle with inner expectations.
Speaker B:So often it's a bit like if you want to go running, you could say to yourself, I'm going to go running today.
Speaker B:But you are the type that is far more likely to go running when you are meeting your friend at the end of the street and you know you have to go because you said you would to her.
Speaker B:The strength in this is that you are a reliable team player and you are really great with deadlines.
Speaker B:The challenge here is that self care suffers and there is that burnout risk and there is that tendency to maybe just not get on with stuff unless you have really strong accountability in place.
Speaker B:If you recognize yourself in the Obliger description, as I said, there is a quiz online if you want to go through that, your power move here would be to create that external accountability and join or build communities.
Speaker B:Next up is the questionnaire.
Speaker B:This is 24% of the population.
Speaker B:You meet inner expectations and you question outer expectations.
Speaker B:So your strength, if this is you, is you are research driven, you make informed choices and you have strong conviction.
Speaker B:The challenge is analysis, paralysis, lots of extra research and you can exhaust others with questions too.
Speaker B:So your power move, if this is you, is to set time limits on your research and create decision making frameworks.
Speaker B:Next one, which is the one I am, is an upholder and 19% of the population are upholders.
Speaker B:So this is meeting both inner expectations and outer expectations.
Speaker B:So the strength here is self motivation, reliable, disciplined.
Speaker B:Oh, it's quite nice reading that.
Speaker B:That's probably why I'm so very tired.
Speaker B:Because, yes, I feel all of those things.
Speaker B:And the challenge therefore is being rigid with rules and struggling with things like self care.
Speaker B:Because if I said I would record a podcast every week, I will record a podcast every week.
Speaker B:If I say I will post on social media seven times a week, I will post on social media seven times a week.
Speaker B:So sometimes that's great for building your business.
Speaker B:And that's why I've managed to build a successful business, because I do what I say I will.
Speaker B:But obviously in that comes the times when maybe I'm tired, maybe I don't want to, maybe I can't, maybe I need to see family, maybe I need to do something different.
Speaker B:So therefore sometimes it's a negative because I can't just forget that commitment.
Speaker B:I will always have to do it.
Speaker B:The power move I'm reminding myself of today is to build in planned spontaneity.
Speaker B:That sounds pretty boring, doesn't it?
Speaker B:And schedule Rebel time.
Speaker B:So it's so true.
Speaker B:Like if I'm baking a cake, I will.
Speaker B:Despite the fact I may have baked the same cake a thousand times, I will still get the recipe out.
Speaker B:And if it says 100, it has to be bang on 100.
Speaker B:Whereas my sister is the final category I will talk about in a moment.
Speaker B:And she will never follow the rules.
Speaker B:So let's talk about the Rebel now.
Speaker B:So this is 17% of the population and you resist all expectations.
Speaker B:So like I say, this is my sister who will never follow a recipe for any dish she's making.
Speaker B:So the strength here is independent thinking.
Speaker B:She's definitely got that.
Speaker B:Creative solutions and authentic choices.
Speaker B:The challenge with the Rebel is resist helpful structures and can be contrarian.
Speaker B:I must get her to listen to this episode, especially as we are working on a business together right now.
Speaker B:So it's actually really tricky.
Speaker B:And this is why knowing our tendencies is really Good as to how you can work together with people of different natures too.
Speaker B:The power move if you are a rebel is to frame choices as freedom and use the words could rather than should.
Speaker B:So use what you know about you to actually make this work for you.
Speaker B:So for example, if you are an obliger, don't think you should be able to say you will post seven times a week on social media and post seven times a week on social media.
Speaker B:You need to be able to commit to someone else and say if you do it, I'll do it too and have some sort of accountability in place with someone else.
Speaker B:Maybe it's telling someone what you need to do.
Speaker B:Often my clients will use me for things like this and say, I will publish my website by the end of the week and then I can put in my calendar, follow up with Sally, has she published her website?
Speaker B:And then I can message saying, hey, how's it going?
Speaker B:You were going to publish your website today.
Speaker B:How's that getting on?
Speaker B:So it's just like being in the workplace where you have a boss who is going to notice if you do that thing or don't do that thing.
Speaker B:And if you do drop the ball, don't spiral, just reset and recommit to whatever you want to do, really taking into account of what is going to help you to succeed.
Speaker B:So do figure out your tendency.
Speaker B:Work with that natural motivation style, not against it.
Speaker B:Step four is to message someone when you are stuck.
Speaker B:So that moment when you are spiraling in your head, you've maybe written your niche statement 30 times or a social post 30 times over and you just can't see the wood for the trees.
Speaker B:You've got no idea if it's too wordy, if it's too boring, if it's talking to an important enough problem, all of the things, send it to someone else immediately to get clarity.
Speaker B:I often say when I hold my in person events that women in particular often think while they're speaking and I've definitely noticed that.
Speaker B:So if for example, you're saying to yourself, I need to write this email, but I keep over complicating it, then send someone a message saying, hey, someone sent me this email.
Speaker B:I can't seem to reply because I've got this query in my head, would you mind chatting through some options?
Speaker B:And you can do this via voice note.
Speaker B:This is the sort of thing I do with my clients.
Speaker B:You don't have to wait to book a call with someone to move forward.
Speaker B:You can just send that message and I can send one Back a few minutes later and you can start Moving forward immediately.
Speaker B:90% of the time, just verbalizing the problem will help you to move forward.
Speaker B:And if you don't have that person, then join me in the business of coaching.
Speaker B:This is what I do in my program and masterminds.
Speaker B:You will always have that space to be able to chat through whatever it is for you exactly when you need it.
Speaker B:Step five, which is working really well for me right now, is co working with others.
Speaker B:So again, if you struggle to focus alone, co working is your secret weapon.
Speaker B:It's not about chatting, so you have to be super strict with yourself.
Speaker B:It's about forcing yourself into that focused, structured space.
Speaker B:One of my wonderful masterminders holds a Wednesday co working session where loads of us go.
Speaker B:It was essentially to help her focus on her particular goal in the mastermind and so many others within the mastermind now, including me, has made huge progress just to that one hour call on a Wednesday, saying what you're going to do at the beginning of the session and going on mute, knowing those people are still there watching you.
Speaker B:So you can't just wander around the house and do nothing really makes you focus on that thing.
Speaker B:Knowing you're going to have to say at the end, how did you get on?
Speaker B:And you don't want to say, yeah, just scrolled on my phone.
Speaker B:You don't want to let them down.
Speaker B:Therefore co working makes such a big difference.
Speaker B:So the final one, Step six, the one habit that changes everything is your weekly reflection.
Speaker B:Most ambitious coaches just do, do, do and never pause to reflect.
Speaker B:I know that feeling and I only really managed to do this because I like to set an example for my community and I know how powerful it is and therefore I'm astounded every week when I start noticing my wins, how I can then stop myself making the same mistakes again and actually really notice those mistakes.
Speaker B:Because until I've paused for that reflection, I wouldn't have even noticed I was making a mistake.
Speaker B:And it also gives you that opportunity to be asked the question, what are your priorities for next week and how do you want to feel?
Speaker B:So I get to choose what I want my week to be like, what my focus is.
Speaker B:So the three questions I ask myself in case useful and I share it in my group so they learn from my learnings and hopefully they do their own reflection and we can all learn from each other's learnings.
Speaker B:So one, what worked well?
Speaker B:Two, what could have been better and what did I learn?
Speaker B:And three, what is my priority for next week and how do I want to feel?
Speaker B:This simple 10 minute habit will really keep you focused and stop that feeling of I'm not doing enough, I'm not getting there fast enough that we all have unless we force ourselves to stop.
Speaker B:Okay, so let's do a quick recap so how to get more done without the overwhelm.
Speaker B:So jfdi just get on and do it.
Speaker B:Obviously there is an extra word in there which I'm being very prim and proper in not saying.
Speaker B:So motivation follows action.
Speaker B:Just do something, anything.
Speaker B:Like me today, I hit record not really knowing if I was in the mood for recording.
Speaker B:If I had really anything to say, just take that tiny action and then the motivation will follow.
Speaker B:Commitment over feelings because I said I would is a great way to live your life with some balance of course.
Speaker B:So I would highly suggest you go onto Gretchen Rubin's website and do the four tendencies assessment and work with your natural style.
Speaker B:Anytime you find yourself stuck, then message someone.
Speaker B:Just talking it through and having to articulate it is often enough to get you unstuck.
Speaker B:Co working is the final genius thing.
Speaker B:You will achieve so much more in that hour than you will ever ever do alone.
Speaker B:And weekly reflection track your progress and refocus.
Speaker B:You don't learn by doing, you learn by reflecting on what you have done.
Speaker B:So your challenge today is to pick one of these and commit to trying it this week.
Speaker B:If you want that structured accountability, co working and that place and that person to go to anytime you are stuck, then check out the Business of Coaching program in the show notes.
Speaker B:It is designed for ambitious coaches like you who want that success without the burnout.
Speaker B:You will find the details in the show notes and feel free to drop me a message on joannaoannalotscoaching.com if you have any questions.
Speaker B:Thank you for listening to this episode of Women in the Coaching Arena.
Speaker B:I was listening to Stephen Bartlett's podcast this week who always stops and puts an ad saying please ensure that you have hit subscribe because 70% of listeners don't hit subscribe.
Speaker B:Therefore you won't see future episodes and it might just be a one off you being here.
Speaker B:So if you haven't already hit subscribe on your favorite podcast app, I would hugely appreciate it.
Speaker B:Subscribe, share and leave a review if this podcast is useful for you and I will personally thank you for that.
Speaker B:And like I always say, trust yourself, believe in yourself and be the wise gardener who keeps on watering the seed.
Speaker B:Thank you so much for listening to.
Speaker A:This episode of Women in the Coaching Arena.
Speaker A:I have a mass of free resources on my website.
Speaker A:Joanna not coaching.com that's Joanna with an A and Lott with two T's.
Speaker B:JoannaLoptCoaching.com and I'll also put links in the show notes below.
Speaker A:Let me know if you found this episode useful.
Speaker A:Share it with a friend and leave me a review and I will personally thank you for that.
Speaker A:Remember to trust yourself, believe in yourself and be the wise gardener who keeps on watering the seed.
Speaker A:Get into the arena, dare greatly and try.
