Inspiration Archives | Goals Mantra

3 daily routines of gamechangers!

by Leena on August 4, 2019 No comments

As we wake up each morning and dash out that door to make our dreams come true – there are days when we need someone to kick us out or pull us up from our beds and we find ourselves crawling to work. Welcome to the most common challenge of our times – lack of motivation to keep going. In my years of learning from some of the best in the world, I find one word common – this one word connects all of them together. The word is ROUTINE!

I cannot emphasize enough the benefits of having a routine – no matter how whimsical! If it works for you and helps you get big things done – keep at it! Here are some of the most life changing routines of game changers around the world.

Morning Routine– While the 5 am wake up time is great, not all of us are cut out for this. If you are a creative owl, then so be it. This routine suggests cutting out that one hour from your routine to set you up for the most creative hours of your day. If it’s the morning – you want to wake up at 5 am, do a 20 minute work out to dump in some endorphins in your bloodstream grabbing your favourite cuppa coffee and diving into some life changing audio books or videos to change your hard wiring to a POSSIBILITY filled mindset for the next 20 minutes and deleting words like ‘can’t’ from your vocabulary. And wrapping up the last 20 minutes with visualizing your goals or writing down your affirmations! (simple as they seem, the effectiveness of this routine alone can change your life beyond measure!) For the owls, find any time of the night that suits you and do this routine, works the same!

Work Routine– No matter what time you check into work, keep your first 90 minutes the most sacred. Keep them free of any technology – no emails, no social media (may make you feel less important, but we can deal with it later!) Focus these sacred 90 on the needle movers that will take you close to your audacious goal. The world can wait till you see your mails again! Doing that biggest and most productive work first thing in the morning fuels you with enough energy that snowballs into a day of getting a lot more done! So schedule those 90 minutes into your every morning!

Night Routine – Some days are great and others don’t turn out exactly as we plan them. This night routine ensures, no matter how your day went, you press reset before you hit the pillow. Keep a journal by your bedside and write 3 things you are grateful for today. Doing this every night, (says research) helps you count your blessings, elevates your energy and sets you up for a great day the next morning! (If you are thinking, this is childish, I dare you to do this for the next 90 days, and then we can have a conversation!)

After reading countless number of blogs, watching enough ted talks and reading some fantastic authors, I find these routines to be a big part of their days. And the one thing I like about all of them the most is – it’s never too late to begin. You could be at any stage in your life or career, and these routines will make it all even better, so give them a shot! And let me know what shifted!

Leena Munot
Author
Goals Mantra

5 productivity hacks to get more done!

by Leena on July 30, 2019 No comments

Time – the biggest asset we all have – and one that everyone gets every single morning, in equal amount! And yet, at the end of each day, only some of us accomplish a lot and a bigger lot gets through the day, but with a lower sense of accomplishment. Here are my 5 favourite productivity hacks that will help you enjoy more days of the week, feeling great about getting things done!

Plan time to schedule your top priorities – Write down how many hours the job will take to get done, what day you plan to do it, what time will you do it and set time limits. Eg., I will complete that accounts review, on this Wednesday from 10 am to 1 pm.

Do the tough job first and boost your productivity – Research shows that your energy goes way up, when you get the biggest piece of work done first thing in the day and gives you a super sense of accomplishment. This fuels you up even further to push through the rest of the tasks and tick them off your list (usually before time!)

Time block minus technology – When it is time for you to get that scheduled job done, shut out technology – no mail, no call, no social media. This focused time allows you to give the job at hand your undivided attention and best shot (like I am using my time block window to write this blog today!)

Work in productive spurts – Give yourself a 15 minute walking or social media break after a 90 minute focused work window. Be a sprinter in your head not a marathoner. The latter leads to energy sapping days at work and lowers your motivation, making it tougher to get back on top of your work load. (Make sure you drink enough water to keep yourself hydrated and to keep your brain active!)

2 minute productivity rule – If a task will take no longer than 2 minutes to complete, then do it right away and don’t keep it for later – this ensures your to-do list does not keep adding new items and cause unnecessary overwhelm!

Do you face productivity issues and feel demotivated often? Leave a comment below on which area of your life would you like to address productivity in and (maybe) together, we can find a way out!

Leena Munot
Author, Goals Mantra

The 90 Day Challenge!

by Leena on October 3, 2018 No comments

In my years of working on and researching this whole goal setting business, I notice that it can be a rough ride every once in a way. And when I reach this part of the year, I spend some time reflecting on the year that has gone by – what I set out to achieve, where I am at, what items are off the check list, which ones are a work in progress and which ones are still cold as hell!

It is easier to beat yourself up at this stage, if you focus on what has not got done yet. Especially for those of us who are super tough on ourselves, it can even be devastating.

Here’s a simple way to pick yourself up, and make the next 90 days count!

Consolidate – I cannot emphasize enough the magic of this exercise and the effect it has on your energy. When you start by noting down all that you have got done so far, appreciate your hard work and journey, your energy levels are far higher than when you started. This makes it a great frequency to be in, as you plan forward, instead of allowing self-criticism take over and really plummet your vibration. So keep it high!!!

Re-strategize – There is no rule in the book that says you cannot alter your goals or revise them any time of the year. Remember, we set goals, so we enjoy the journey, feel calm, get a sense of control on where we are headed and what we want to experience at the end of the day. So it is perfectly fine to alter them if you feel you’ve outgrown them, they are no longer meaningful to you, life has evolved and your priorities have changed or any other genuine reason you feel drawn to, to make a shift.

Fuel up – Now that you have re planned your goals, stopped the self-beating and pulled up your socks for the next leg of this journey – fasten your seat belt, plan in detail, schedule blocks of time each day to work on the goals, use tools like the hour of power to keep you fueled up and make you super productive.

Get relentless – Remove all that comes in the way of you achieving those goals now! Use the tools, do the drill and above all simply become RELENTLESS. Note your progress each day, keep an eagle’s eye on where you are spending your maximum time, prioritize and say NO to anything that takes you away from your goal, just for these 90 days.

Winners Never Quit, Quitters Never Win – Vince Lombardi

See, the reason why these 90 days are important is because I believe this is your opportunity to taste blood. An entire year to wake up at 5 am, do the work out, chase the goals you set and keep to the regiment can sometimes feel very uphill and long drawn. So when we chunk it down to these last 90 days, the mind feels – ‘oh this is just temporary and a short goal’, hence the resistance automatically comes down and gives you a window of opportunity to go all out….like you do in a sprint! Give it your best shot, shoot through the finish lines and experience a quantum leap first hand.

To all the naysayers – I challenge you on this one! Try it!
To all the ones who’ve given up – come on pick yourselves up! Just because you couldn’t do it earlier, does not mean you can’t do it now. Shut out the voice of judgement.
To the ‘I can do this’ lot of you – ready, steady and go go go!!!!

To the life of your dreams,
Leena Munot
Author, Goals Mantra

Down Time = High Productivity

by Leena on September 23, 2018 No comments

We live in super fast, distraction laden and crazily overwhelming times. Look around you! Mobiles are buzzing, people are always in a rush with no time to lose, social media is plastered with success stories, people multi-tasking like there is no tomorrow…phew! It’s almost as if the earth has started to rotate much faster these days and I sometimes feel people have become Superman, Batman kinda super heroes – saving the world by night, working by day and making it all seem like child’s play. And I firmly believe, no matter who you are, however driven you maybe – building Down Time in your routine is imperative to reach your goals, sustain your success rate and lead a happy life.

While the heading may seem paradoxical, here is a list of reasons, why down time, rest time or taking off, whatever you may call it, is super important in our routine to amp up our productivity week after week.

Law of Diminishing Returns – The harder you work, the lesser you get done. There is only so much you can get away with in the name of pushing yourself to the outer limits of 18 hour work days. You can carry on this for a few days or weeks, before you start to feel the ill effects and burn out. After a point your mind is bound to slow down and you’ll start taking longer to accomplish even routine tasks. REST UP!

Emotions – A stressed body and mind, affects your emotional wellbeing too. You will find that happiness is being replaced by anxiety, peace is being replaced by worrying and so on. Before you know it you are unable to sleep well, you lose your cool at the smallest provocation and feel like you are on pins all the time. CALL IT A DAY!

Rest = Clarity
The old axiom – sleep over a problem holds a lot of truth. Quite literally when you rest well, your state of mind shifts from anxiety to a more calm one, helping your decision making skills to a very large extent. Sidra Jafri, world renowned healer says ‘you can’t solve a problem from the same state of mind that created it’. Need more convincing? SLEEP IT OUT!

Even if you agree with most of the above, there is an inherent inner voice that is constantly badgering us to keep going, chase those goals, deadlines, commitments… almost consuming us with high levels of guilt for taking that half a day off work, calling off that important meeting, postponing that decision at work…still DO IT! Take that off, get your down time, press RESET! A well-rested body and mind are the breeding grounds for unparalleled levels of productivity and success.

In my next blog I will share the different categories of down time that may be available, to help you make a wise choice on the one that suits you the most.

Like what you read? Feel free to share this with at least one super stressed superman or superwoman you know…and help them breath easy and schedule a down time in their routine!

Leena Munot
Entrepreneur I Speaker I Author I Blogger

Workation – the new trap?

by Leena on August 26, 2018 No comments

WORKATION – I must confess – when this word was coined, I was quick to jump at it. It meant I could work and play together? WOW!!! Think about it – I could go on vacation and work too – this meant less guilt for being away from work for long periods of time like 3 to 4 weeks, and I’d end up feeling like superman, never missing a day of work. John Henderson, Regus Regional Director for Asia Pacific, said, “The dedication that people worldwide are showing towards their jobs is admirable with a huge percentage of business professionals taking their work away with them.” “However, this can also be interpreted as an indication that they feel overstretched or insecure in their jobs and are unable to properly switch off. The effects of work place stress are well documented so it is important that workers carve out some personal time.”

As jazzy as this new buzz word sounds – it is a TRAP when not used wisely. Here is why:

Induces High Stress – You are neither here, nor there. This means when you are working you are thinking about play and vice versa. It stresses you because you feel pulled between the two. For example, if you are on workation and get a free window of two hours, you could choose from many things – write a blog, play in the pool, go for a walk and allow yourself to soak up the smell of the woods, the nature around you, enjoy the chirping of birds, or think about what’s the next big goal you want to achieve, that big work challenge that you are faced with, the outcome of a certain meeting and so on.

Heightened Levels of Guilt – Because you are not fully present to the job at hand whether it is work or play, you build guilt around your time in both areas. This makes you constantly feel inadequate and out of control. Unless you plan your days better, get into micro scheduling and be completely disciplined about it, workations could flop face down on you. You are never fully present in anything – not work, not play. And this defeats the very purpose of a workation.

Where from here? So while I am trying to get back to old school from Workation to either work OR vacation – these are some ideas I feel work for me

Plan two clear vacations a year – with no work. Fully relax, unwind and feel rejuvenated. And this to me would mean indulging my body, mind, soul and senses into nature, nothingness, new ideas – that are not forced – which means you allow them to naturally come to you, new experiences like gardening, walking in the rain, cycling in the hills and so on.

WORK when you work – no distractions of personal life, family or backlog of things you need to catch up on – like sleep, children time, love time, reading time, that pending house repair, taxes and bills that need your attention …nothing. You know that you need to be fully present and give WORK your 100% right here, right now. Your mind has only WORK to focus on.

Play when you PLAY – enjoy whatever it is you are doing – reading that book, watching a movie with your bestie, coffee time with friends, holiday with family, quality time with your spouse or children, switch off your gadgets…be fully present, involved and active. This shows the people you share your time with – that they are important, you are there for them – and this helps you build strong relationships. These relationships go a long way in ensuring a happier quality of life where you know you are always supported. No matter what.

Old school really works, because it was based on the principles of single minded focus on the things at hand. And for a non multi-tasker like me – this is a huge relief! One thing at a time, and the journey of life seems less stressful and more enjoyable.

Like this post? Go ahead and share it with those who live in high stress zones. This may be able to give them a new perspective on the concept of WORK and PLAY.

7 fail proof tips to Mastery – Part 2 of 2

by Leena on July 24, 2018 No comments

7 tips to mastery continued….2 of 2

TIP 4/7 – FIND A RHYTHM AND MAKE IT YOURS!

Most successful people attribute their productivity and consistency to their morning rituals. Whether you are a morning or an evening person, this works – find your rhythm. This is a simple one yet very potent – the Hour of Power. Dedicate 60 minutes to this routine each day and you’ll find yourself set into a routine.

20 minutes – go for a walk, work up a sweat, dance – anything to increase your heart rate and pulse. This releases dopamine in your blood stream making your entire physiology and mind become alert and open.

20 min – read and visualize your written goals (don’t have them yet? No worries, spend 30 minutes today and write down your top 3 goals and why you want to achieve them) During this time feel the experience of that goal becoming a reality and take in the feel of how it feels to be there. Anchor this feeling in your heart each day and you’ll start to attract the right resources and find yourself in the right place, at the right time.

20 min – wrap up the hour by reading something uplifting and inspiring to put you in the right frame of mind. NEWSPAPERS are not in this category for sure! You could read a book, watch a video, listen to some audio books or podcasts and infuse your mind with thoughts of possibility, dreaming big and rewiring your mind in the most amazing way.

This hour of power can also be crunched to 15 minutes by spending 5 minutes on each step (only when you genuinely cannot dedicate the time) and slowly you increase the time.This is a great tool to find your rhythm and to stick it to manifest mastery!

TIP 5/7 – SEEK INSPIRATION

While motivation is external, inspiration is what comes from within and fuels your days with an undying spirit to go out there and craft the life of your dreams. But there are days and weeks on end, where we feel off colour, lost in the fire fighting and making it through to the next day feels like climbing a massive mountain. Hold on. Breathe. This is not just you…it happens to most people and very often.

And that is why this tip makes so much sense. Seek inspiration on a daily basis – tune out of work and tune in to yourself for atleast 20 minutes everyday. During these 20 minutes, go out for some fresh air, be in nature, walk down to a nearby cafe, read a book, play your favourite music and go for a quick run… become fully present in your here and now and breathe in gratitude for this day. Once you are refuelled you get straight back into work and create magic!

TIP 6/7 – RESIST THE SABOTEUR

Here’s the thing about doing your greatest work: as you get closer to what you’re truly capable of producing, your ego will subconsciously seduce you to stop moving in that direction. You’ll feel like Skyping the office or checking your Instagram feed or taking a nap, thirst will kick in, you may yawn ….or many such distractions will crop up and try to do everything to steer you off course.

Don’t let your lower self cause you to betray the gifts embedded in you. Your loved ones need you to fly. And our world will be a whole lot better off when the brilliance of your light shines. So stick to the desk, do your job and to the little voice that so badly wants to keep you stuck…listen to this voice…and say thanks for sharing…and move on. No matter what we do…this little voice…lives inside us as long as we live. Asking us to snuggle up deeper in bed when the alarm goes off, making us sit a little longer on that social media page trying to keep us from doing our greatest work… and so on. Pick yourself up, cut the noise and move one step ahead at a time.

TIP 7/7 – REWARD THE WINS!

In my years of studying goal setting and the science of achieving them, i find a common thread. Most often people are stuck in a weird loop – set a goal, achieve it, set another goal, achieve it, set yet another goal, go on and achieve it or may be not….Not being able to achieve your goals can slowly and steadily build the baggage of guilt, reduce your steam and make achieving the next goal a herculean task. Is this you? Well, it is most of us at some point in time…

To crack free from this guilt, i’ve noticed two things work brilliantly well. First is to consolidate the journey from where you started to how far you’ve come. Acknowledge it. You may not have made it to the end, but you’ve surely moved ahead and navigated your way a little ahead. Appreciate it. And the one that nails it all is REWARD YOUR WINS. What if you set a goal, achieve it…and before you get on with the next one, you take time out and take in this success, celebrate it and reward yourself for the good work!

Research shows when you celebrate a win, and reward yourself – you increase the chances of repeating this success with the next goal. Why? Simple – what gets appreciated, appreciates in your life – you become and attract more of that which you appreciate. So the next time you set a goal and achieve it – remember to complete the loop by rewarding your win!

Be back to this space for more shares on goal setting.

Before 2015 ends!

by Leena on December 27, 2015 No comments

We enter the last week of 2015 and today is the last Sunday! As you prepare to welcome the New Year with new resolutions, a stronger resolve to achieve your goals and to move to your life to a whole new level, how about a reflective date with yourself today? Most of us go through years of our life working to make ends meet and make sure we are able to survive and grow at a reasonable pace. When one goal is achieved we quietly move to the next job on hand…do we take the time to stop and pat ourselves on the back for a job well done or for a goal achieved? The goal setting loop is incomplete when all you do is set goals and go all out and achieve them. You complete the loop when you celebrate your achievements.

Celebrating your achievements is a great way to communicate with and thank the universe for turning your goals and dreams into a reality. You are expressing your appreciation for all the efforts and sacrifices you made to ensure you achieved those goals. So on the last Sunday of 2015, I am inspired to share with you, these four important to-dos before we usher in the New Year. All it needs is an hour of your time to make a list of these, yes, I mean write them down so it gives your thoughts a definite form on paper.

Why plan?

by Leena on December 3, 2015 No comments

Personal planning and goal-setting are not sexy topics. But they are incredibly important and central to an extraordinary experience of life. I see it time and time again amongst those who are the best of the best: lots of time spent articulating a clear and detailed vision for what the key areas of their lives will look like and then a written plan with the vision broken down into sequenced goals so that the vision isn’t so overwhelming and so the big picture is neatly chunked into manageable steps to drive daily action.

One of the best effects of planning that I’ve discovered is what it does to my mind. Let me put it this way: few things focus the mind as well as setting plans on to paper and then sequencing them into goals. The very act of doing it heightens your awareness as to what’s most important. And with better awareness, you will make better choices. And as you make better choices, you are certain to experience better results.

So today, give yourself a gift: take out a nice, crisp white sheet of paper. Sharpen a pencil. And then start writing about the life you want to create. It’s a lot easier than you may think.

Source – Robin Sharma

3 most effective ways to save yourself from lack of motivation

by Leena on September 27, 2015 No comments

As someone who constantly likes to learn new techniques around goal setting, productivity and effectiveness I find myself reading some amazing articles and watching inspiring videos of productivity gurus like Robin Sharma, David Allen and Tony Robbins and so on. I think each one of us is on a journey to set and achieve goals in areas of our life that are important to us like personal growth, career, finance, health and the list goes on. And on this journey, while there are days we are all inspired and full of motivation and get things done, there are also some days, sometimes weeks where we lose our motivation.

Over some wine and cheese last evening I got chatting with my friend Amar and he said to me

Inspiration

3 daily routines of gamechangers!

5 productivity hacks to get more done!

The 90 Day Challenge!

Down Time = High Productivity

Workation – the new trap?

7 fail proof tips to Mastery – Part 2 of 2

Before 2015 ends!

Why plan?

3 most effective ways to save yourself from lack of motivation

Sign up for the Newsletter!

Recent Posts

Categories

Archives