Print from {Tashasprintopia} 
Headband from {Perdys_Madewithlove}
I am all about inspiration. It’s something that comes quite easily to me; however, moving to the implementation stage is often a different story. It pains me to say it but I suppose you would not consider me to be much of a completer finisher. I get ideas, get totally excited and go two feet into the start of a project {be it work, home or creation related} then stop. The brakes go on for a variety of reasons – time, distraction, loss of interest, overwhelm, general tiredness or the unwelcome appearance of limiting beliefs. Then something else inspires me and off I go again. And so the cycle continues. My lovely friend Gem from gem.spot quickly {and affectionately} labeled me as “loving half an idea”. And she’s right. I’m a total yes person when it comes to throwing around ideas and encouraging others to explore theirs. I just need to work on how to keep that momentum going through to fruition……
Being a yes person has got me into some sticky patches over the years. It’s something which drives my hubby potty {see Dreamer vs. Realist {And How To Work Together} post}. It means I tend to be quite obsessive about an idea and make impulsive decisions {some of which pay off, many of which don’t}. I mean, if you’re looking for someone to bounce ideas off – whether they be about sorting out your wardrobe, blog or business strategy, changing careers or what to do with your kids – I am totally your gal. Not because I’m necessarily an expert or anything like that but I love to fire ideas around and share my enthusiasm and inspiration and sometimes this helps people and some of those ideas stick. Basically, I can talk the talk, but then struggle to walk the walk – at least when it comes to implementing my own ideas through to completion.
So, for example, at home instead of thinking “right I’m going to work on our bedroom and that is going to be my project and I’m going to see that project through until it’s finished – I’m going to plan and buy what I need I’m just going to crack on with it” instead, I get inspired, start going crazy on Pinterest and become obsessed with popping to the shops to buy little bits here and there and adding little trinkets, pulling up carpets or randomly painting a wall as I go. But then I stop. The project remains unfinished and {probably} looking a bit random and by the time I actually get round to finishing it {if I ever do} I’m likely to have spent twice as much dosh as I needed to because I’m always looking for the quick fix option instead of planning it out properly. I could preach to a friend all day about how to plan a project and would talk them through how to collate their ideas, set a budget and then work through the steps in a logistical order only buying exactly what you need – but this is something I struggle to stick to myself. It’s like once I get inspiration BAM impatience kicks in and my thoughts {and actions} run away with themselves.
Creative Inspiration
This also happens in my creative life. I have so many ideas that I struggle to keep on top of my thoughts and they get mixed together and the next idea starts before the first one had really had a chance to embed. If I don’t jump on an idea {for example writing this blog post} straight away the chances are the moment will be lost and it’ll be overtaken by something else. I literally have notebooks and everything from OneDrive to Google Docs, emails I’ve sent myself to voice notes and not to mention the numerous notes on my phone full of my “half ideas”. One of the things I’ve been trying to do is condense where I keep my notes, so, for example, I now have one paper notebook and I use Google Keep {see Apps I Use To Help Me {Organise} Home Admin post} to jot down ideas I have on the go which I will then transfer to either Google Drive if it’s blog related or OneDrive if it’s business-related {see my Weekly and Monthly {Reset} Tasks YouTube video}. This helps me to at least try to organise my thoughts.
You hear people talking about brain fog and this is exactly what it feels like. Everything’s going around at 100 miles per hour and there’s no space for thoughts to form. Something I used to do with my mentor {and great friend} Kerry at work is to have a weekly meeting to review my work plan and she would help me to prioritise and refocus on what actually needs doing rather than me flitting between jobs trying to do too many things at once or half starting projects. With this in mind, I feel like I would really benefit from going back to basics and creating some kind of workflow resources to help reduce the mass of thoughts in my head and organise them in a way that helps me to think of them as projects rather than bursts of impulsive actions. I am very systems-based and I love a good routine.
Before I had kids I used to be uber organised {some may argue I still am} but having kids has definitely made me more flexible {chaotic}, and I think having some kind of simple workflow in place for me personally would be really beneficial to bring back some of that structure I thrive off rather than the bedlam I so often find myself in. I find myself feeling really overwhelmed and I think this is why I’m so keen on simplifying our lives {see Project Simplify post}. By simplifying the chaos maybe I can start to get into the habit of stepping back and exercise some self-control to look at the bigger picture and plan and implement a project in a logistical manner. Having a template to follow – whether it be for home projects, blog posts, business strategy – helps me keep on track, feel less overwhelmed and that progress is being made.I truly believe that simplifying things would help me organise my brain and prioritise what’s important and just give me the headspace to be able to enjoy life and relax in a way that I find impossible with so much going on.
Reassessing my {Why}
This leads me to my current mindset. I’ve been thinking {probably overthinking} a lot about why I’m doing what I’m doing – mainly from a social media and blogging / vlogging point of view – but also for my business and at home.
Now, this is a line of thought I am treading quite lightly because I know from experience it can very quickly become very negative. Thinking about why I’m doing things can quickly become thinking what’s the point? And that’s a slippery slope to navigate for someone who has personal struggles with mental health {see Stepping Back {To Move Forwards} post}. This aside I wouldn’t generally describe myself as a negative person but I am very mindful about staying away from thoughts such as “who cares”, “who am I to write a blog and think people will like it or that it will help / speak to someone “, “what’s the point in doing this, in doing anything? and that’s not the place I want to be. So I have to stop myself and I think that’s sometimes why I take a step back from platforms such as Instagram if I feel like I’m losing track of what I’m actually doing or trying to achieve – if anything at all! What do I have to offer {hello limiting beliefs and imposter syndrome!}? What do I want to achieve? Does it matter if I have 2,000 followers if half of them are accounts I don’t engage with? Do I really want {another!} free fan from a big corporate company? What is the point?! {Just a note here to say that I’m not in any way bashing gifted items etc. – I think they’re great – I’m just trying to work through what works for me}. I love connecting and engaging with people but I also find it really exhausting at times.
Stepping {Back}
So I’ve taken a step back just to re-calibrate. To think about my “why”, what it is I’m aiming to do, how much I’m willing to share, how to have fun and enjoy being creative and how to stick to my own morals, values and beliefs. I’m not bothered about becoming an influencer, social guru or working with big brands. That’s not to say these things wouldn’t be nice but I want to stay authentic and not get dazzled by the seemingly attractive lights of social stardom. I want to support small businesses I love and engage with people I genuinely connect with, inspire me or have a positive impact on my life either because they make me belly laugh, offer great advice or are just so visually pleasing I get a warm fuzzy feeling inside.
And this is where I find it helpful to sit down with a cuppa and a blank page of my notebook and attempt to unjumble my thoughts to assess where I’m at and how I can move forwards positively, whilst also acknowledging my journey is ever-evolving. Thinking about my blog – I’ve been trying to pinpoint what it is I actually want from this – is it to make money? Write a book? Become published? But actually, right now, the answer is much simpler than that – I blog / vlog {and post on Instagram} because I like to write, share my experiences and connect with people. Because I find it therapeutic to put my thoughts down on “paper” and by doing so I hope I can inspire, help or support someone else on their journey. This is where the business part of my brain struggles and chips in with – but what is your end goal? And puts on the pressure to overthink things – but actually, I have a business and this blog is separate from that. This blog is about personal growth and enjoyment.
I may have {half} ideas about what it may become in the future, but for now, that’s enough. I’m still working on my why and what it is I want to achieve but I’m also trying not to overthink and drive myself cray cray. I’m enjoying creating content. I’m enjoying having the freedom to do so in my own way. And I’m enjoying learning and trying new things along the way. I find it therapeutic to talk as openly as I can about mental health. About my / our experiences with dermatillomania, DDH and being a wife / mum / boss. I enjoy talking about my kids; although this is a whhhooollleee different aspect of my thoughts – if or how I should share my kids so publically – and this is something which may change in the future. Things change and that’s ok. As long as you stay true to yourself and share what you are comfortable with for reasons in line with your own ethos and values you can’t go far wrong.
Next {Steps}
So in summary – the personal “projects” I am currently working on are 1) creating work flows / resources to help organise my thoughts / ideas 2) to think about {or remind myself of} my why, ethos and values behind A Life Twintastic and my business and 3) work on my limiting beliefs and imposter syndrome . So I will share these with you more as I go and also look at creating some resource templates to pop up on the blog for you to download. {Have you checked out the resource page on my website yet?}
As I said, things will change and naturally evolve and that’s ok. Things don’t need to be set in stone but hopefully, these projects will help me {and you!} to actually see things through from inspiration to implementation. And what an exciting journey that would be 🙂
Business Health and Home 