We only have so much bandwidth or operating space in our brains and if some of it is taken up with unhelpful interference, self-judgement, concerns or worries about what has happened or what might happen then we are not at our most effective.
This week I was coaching a client who felt he was unable to operate at his best because of everything going on in his head. He called it “busy brain”.
He was forgetting things, missing meetings and failing to meet commitments he had made. We followed a simple 4-step process to free up his bandwidth. It is like ‘defragging’ for your brain, sorting the files into more easily accessible places and trashing the unwanted items.
Clearing your thoughts, like tidying your desk, can be extremely productive and liberating and can free up bandwidth to be able to pay attention to what’s important.
Here are the red10 top-tips for self-coaching with a busy mind;
Step 1 – Brain dump – Make a list of everything you feel is in your head. Not just ‘to do’ lists but all the thoughts concerns and nagging worries you are carrying – home and work related
Step 2 – Controllables vs Uncontrollables – Split them into the controllable and uncontrollables
Step 3 – To do – Take the controllables list and turn it into a ‘to do list’ with some kind of prioritization
Step 4 – Discard – Take the uncontrollables list, read it and acknowledge that whilst they are a concern, you cannot influence the outcomes on them and throw that list in the bin, shred it or throw it on the fire.
Finally, finding a colleague or coach to talk things through with can be hugely helpful. Just the act of speaking your thoughts out loud can help to organise your thinking and free up some bandwidth for other, more important things.