“I want to change but I’m too busy”.
“I need to get the space to do what I want”.

These are two of the common excuses we all hear.

I recently met a man who is so busy he has no time to do anything that might get him ahead in life. We went through his week and it really was full: Committees, attending public meetings, helping neighbours and so on. Talking more, it turned out he is unemployed and so scared about not being able to provide for his daughter that any time he thinks of doing a course or applying for work, he gets such a sense of panic that he runs back into being so busy in order to stop facing those fears. It’s an extreme example, but so many of us do a lesser version of it.

What is it that you are too busy to do? What have you been putting off? What changes do you want to make?

Here’s my top tip to get started: Set an hour or ninety minutes tops, to work on answering these questions. Stick rigidly to the stopping time. It will allow your mind to focus on what you need to do when there is a stop time.

Pick a time, set the stop time. Stick to the stop time you set. You can do the same the following day if you want. Use this time for the things you’re putting off. You’ll be amazed how easy it is to progress when you do it in this one-step-at-a-time way.

Change is easier than you think.