To Do or not To Do / Legitimising lie-ins?/ The corporate athlete / A close shave
September 2024
To Do or not To Do
How many items do you currently have on your "To Do" list...?
I started working with a new client a few weeks ago who reckoned he had 80 - that was a new record for me and not a good one! 😱
So we have flipped things round. He still has his extensive menu of things he could do, but each morning he picks just one to focus on and get completed that day, ideally first thing. So he actually has a chance of achieving that goal, whereas a 80-strong list just means constantly failing. If there is time left over, then he can do more things on the list.
How does he choose that one thing? Some people find it useful to categorise tasks into Urgent vs Important; my preference is to ask yourself the question: ✳️"What is the most valuable thing I could do today?" and that usually produces a clear answer.
There is a company called Intelligent Change that produce a range of planners, desk pads or daily notes that facilitate this approach to prioritisation - see pictures below. Link to the "productivity" section of their website here.
(I have no affiliation to them, but have had great feedback on their products from a wide range of clients and I use them myself on a daily basis).
Legitimising lie-ins?
When I first read about this study, I wondered if all the recent advice to sleep consistently across the whole week was about to be turned on its head.
But, as always, it pays to read the small print carefully - the full study (link here) focuses only on those who are sleep deprived throughout the week. This group did indeed see better heart health outcomes among those who "caught up" at the weekends, compared to those who didn't. 💚
But the important comparison that is needed is with those who did get a full dose of sleep throughout the week - was there a lower prevalence of heart disease among this group compared to the deprived cohort, regardless of weekend lie-ins or not?
So I think for now the consistency advice remains valid. Of course, this study only relates to heart health - there are many other benefits to good, consistent sleep, whether in relation to short-term effects (mood, energy levels, cognitive function etc) and other longer-term health conditions. 🛌💤
Sleeping better
At the end of the summer I ran a sleep workshop with nearly 150 team members of a major European bank, talking about the best ways to improve their sleep - part of an excellent “Brain Day” initiative.
We covered a wide range of topics including caffeine, jetlag, naps, alcohol, phones and a whole load more. Lots of great questions from the audience and some really positive feedback afterwards.
Let me know if you would like to find out more about doing a similar session for your team - they are a great way to enhance employee performance & overall health, and a very interactive gathering to get your team talking together about their physical & mental wellbeing.
Mrs Davies has also been running nutrition workshops in a number of businesses and senior schools recently, bringing a whole host of benefits to their employees & students:
🥑 Boost productivity - better focus, energy, and mental acuity.
🤒 Reduce absences - good nutrition can strengthen immune systems, leading to fewer sick leaves.
🥬 Foster team cohesion: learning as a group creates shared experiences and great talking points, particularly in organisations where the whole team is not always present together.
🐟 Enhance their lives outside work - give them knowledge that they can take home to their families too.
🍏 Show your talented people that you are investing in their human capital.
The healthiest double act since the Green Goddess and Mr Motivator in the 1980s…?
The corporate athlete
From a client of mine, a European MD in a private equity firm:
“Top executives, like their sporting peers, need to adapt, evolve and continuously improve - and be cognisant of this as something they may not be able to do alone. Working with Steve this year, my eyes have been opened to how incredibly helpful it is having someone who is not my wife or colleague to talk to on a regular basis - a sounding board on everything from building a business and managing complex workflows, to dealing with ageing parents and teenage children, or simply getting a better night’s sleep.
The result of my regular interactions with Steve have helped me set goals, work smarter, manage my time better, plan for the future and review my approach to certain non-work related initiatives. If I were to summarise in a sentence what my time with Steve has taught me it would be that “focused and constructive guidance (on a regular basis) from an executive coach can lead to more thoughtful processes and habits, robust future-proofing and better financial, social, wellbeing and other outcomes”.
The best athletes are always looking at how they can improve and thereby improve their chances of winning and continuing to win. There is a view that executives improve their skills primarily by gaining more experience year on year. However, I have found that almost everyone has weaknesses or blind spots which are often exacerbated with busy work schedules and home lives.
Once you know that your peers are benefitting from this kind of advice, maybe you should look into how you up your own game.”
You can read how other clients of mine in Asset Management, Industry, Banking & Education describe the benefits of coaching on my website.
And if you have come back from your summer break keen to make some changes & improvements in your life - whether professional, health-related or more broadly - do get in touch via info@stevedavies.coach and we can talk through how to make that happen.
Take a pitstop
We had a great offsite in the mountains of Courcheval with team Pitstop in August, planning the next phase of our mission to improve men's lives. A wonderful spot for some blue sky thinking…
And if you have never tried e-biking up (& down) a mountain, then I would wholeheartedly recommend it. I thought it was an easy option but it just means that you can travel further & faster than you otherwise would - I was properly tired at the end of it and the bikes are pretty heavy so the descent through some quite technical routes was even more enjoyable as gravity kicked in!
We were inspired by our advisors and a panel of our users, and there are some exciting product developments coming in the next few weeks. The content on the app is already getting great feedback; we are enhancing ways for men to build & change their own habits and also adding a new Community feature to help other men and discuss topics that sometimes don't get talked about enough.
We want as many men as possible using the app and giving us their feedback: have a look at our new website or search "Pitstop - men's health" on the App Store.
And for the other 50% of the population, we will soon be adding a feature to gift your father/brother/son/partner a subscription too...
[If you want to find out more about getting involved with Pitstop, whether as supporter, investor or ambassador, please contact me at info@stevedavies.coach or our Founder Emmett Kilduff].
A close shave
Well and truly scalped...
We have now raised north of £20,000 for Young Lives vs Cancer which supported Chris Walder and his family so much when his amazing daughter Fran was diagnosed with brain cancer last October. Thank you to all who have donated so far, link here for anyone else who would like to support 🙏.
After successful surgery in Bristol Children's Hospital, Fran underwent 5 weeks of intensive radiotherapy in the Bristol Haemotology & Oncology Centre. Chris & Vic were hugely supported during this horrendous period by Young Lives vs Cancer and her prognosis looks positive after 2 clear scans following the end of her treatment.
This was the final outcome - thankfully (and in spite of all sorts of fear mongering by my children) it has grown back reasonably quickly…
Have a great weekend
Steve