Speaker 1: 0:02

Hey and welcome to Productivity with Zest, the podcast that helps you get the important stuff done without burning out. I’m Jasmine and I live and breathe productivity strategy, the kind that gives you life and helps you get the important things done in a way that works for you. Here I like to keep it real and practical no fluff, all zest and no pith, just simple, doable strategies that help you focus, get organised and actually move forward. If you want to figure out what area of productivity is holding you back, take my quiz at wwwzestproductivitycom forward slash quiz. Now onto today’s episode.

Speaker 1: 0:42

Hello and welcome back to Productivity with Zest. I’m Jasmine, your resident productivity strategist, executive coach and passionate champion of ditching the burnout and doing what matters most. Now I’m saying this to myself today because I have been severely procrastinating this week. It has been holidays, with the kids off, and I’ve not had much time to work, and when I have been working, I have been doing things like designing mugs with my logo on and pens, which I do need to do, but I did not need to do it this week. So that is just an example of how I am human. I do not always get everything done that I mean to get done and I do procrastinate. So if you are like me, then you are very, very welcome Now on today. How often have you gone on a course, purchased one, even got some really great free training with great intentions and then just not done it? So this episode today is about how to have the most productive training course of your life. It’s about how to actually attend a course in a way that transforms your brain, your energy and your results. So, whether you’ve got a self-paced course collecting digital dust, or you’ve signed up for a new training and want to make it count, this episode will help you get the most out of your course. And I’ve got something a little extra to help you a totally free mini course and PDF download the Productivity Pre-Course Action Plan. That will help you go from oh, exciting, a new course to wow, I actually did it in a way that feels energizing. So let’s get going.

Speaker 1: 2:35

So there are lots of reasons why we fall off the course wagon. We start off full of good intentions, we’re buzzing with this will change everything, but a week in and we’re knee deep in the usual life stuff in emails, sorting the house out, the snack requests, and that course is stuck on module one. This is classic cognitive overload and it’s what’s known as the intention behavior gap, where what we intend to do doesn’t match what we actually do. It’s not about laziness, so get rid of the guilt, stop calling yourself lazy. It’s about your brain not having the right environmental cues and support systems to follow through. That’s why we need to treat learning like a project, not a passive experience. Think of this as productivity for your brain, so it actually remembers, implements and benefits from what you’re learning. That’s what we tackle in the free Productivity Pre-Course Action Plan, and I’m going to walk you through some of it now.

Speaker 1: 3:38

So, part one before the course, you need to block your time out. It all starts with scheduling. Because it’s not in your calendar, it’s not happening. We often rely on I’ll get to it when I’ve got time, but cognitive psychology tells us that unscheduled intentions rarely get actioned. So, instead of relying on memory and hope it in, how about for your course? Why don’t you block a one hour block for learning and a 30 minute block for implementation each week if you’ve got the time, or more if it’s an intensive course? Make it visible, set reminders, color code it if you’re a visual person, and adjust this based on what you actually need once you start, because you might need to flip it and block less time for learning and more for implementation, or some weeks you might block less or more time depending on what else is going on. Keep adjusting the times, but don’t throw in the towel when you don’t get it minute perfect first time. If you want a bit of help with this, have a listen to episode 15 of season one, the Power of Short-Term Planning. This has a step-by-step guide for weekly planning that actually sticks. Okay. So that’s before the course. Now, during the course, I want you to remember this really important thing Small steps, big results. Because during the course is where most people fall into one of two traps Number one, trying to do everything at once and burning out, overwhelming themselves. Or number two, freezing and doing nothing, letting the course gather dust. Or bonus number three both you tried to do it all at once, then you froze and now it’s hidden. Does that sound familiar? This has happened to me. I have done this.

Speaker 1: 5:31

I bought a course for actually starting a podcast, and that was about 18 months before I started Productivity with Zest. I bought it with good intentions. I knew that I wanted to host a podcast and I purchased this course with great intentions. I purchased it when I was on holiday. I remember sitting in a holiday cottage in Northumberland and getting really, really excited. I think I’d been on a free workshop got really excited about this course and bought it. And it wasn’t cheap, it was a few thousand pounds and I started off with really good intentions. But I got back home, life got really busy really quickly. I did most of the course. I don’t even know if I did. I think I did the first bit and then I just left it to the side and I was so mad at myself but I made myself feel really guilty about it. So what I did was I picked it up again before I started this and it did really, really help. But if I’d have had a plan, if I’d have scheduled time and if I’d have done those baby steps rather than trying to do it all at once, then maybe this podcast would have been born a bit sooner. Who knows? Then maybe this podcast would have been born a bit sooner, who knows?

Speaker 1: 6:45

So in my mini course I teach the next best step, strategy, and this is rooted in goal gradient theory, the idea that the closer we feel to a goal, the more motivated we are to keep going. So when you are looking at your course, like I did with that podcast creation course, instead of thinking what is everything I need to do, ask yourself what is one small thing I can do next? If I’d have done that a couple of years ago, I’d have got through that course. So practically after every lesson or module. Why don’t you just write down one baby action and do it? That’s it. Rinse and repeat. Create the momentum, build baby steps after baby steps, because it is such a boost. Are you a procrastinator like me? Well, this strategy is magic for this, because the small wins that feel achievable, your brain is happy. Doing it means you actually do them. Then you get the dopamine hit from actually doing it, and that builds the momentum. Then you get the dopamine hit from actually doing it, and that builds the momentum. Okay, so you started it, you’re keeping going, you’re breaking down the baby steps.

Speaker 1: 7:54

Next, you want to look at accountability. Research from the American Society of Training and Development shows that you have 10% chance of success when you have an idea. When you have an idea, you have 25% chance of success when you actually decide to do it. You have 65% chance of success when you commit to someone that you’re going to do it. But if you want 95% chance of success, you need to have specific accountability check-in. 95% I like those odds. So if you are serious about completing a course and you want a 95% chance of success, you have to build in that accountability. So accountability looks like telling a friend asking a friend to check in with you weekly. If you’ve got a group as part of your course, post in the group, set a weekly check-in with yourself. How am I doing with the course? What percentage through am I doing? Am I enjoying it? What’s my key learning so far? Best yet is create a buddy system with someone else on the course. So if you know somebody doing it or you can find somebody else doing it, just ask if anyone wants to have a bit of an accountability buddy. If you struggle with motivation or focus, then accountability will bridge the gap between intention and action every single time.

Speaker 1: 9:15

Finally, we have to talk mindset, because this is the invisible engine behind everything else. You can have the best plan, the prettiest calendar or planner, the most clever learning platform, but if you are stuck in perfectionism or the fear of falling behind, none of it will stick. Here is my go-to mindset reframe progress over perfection. You don’t need to do it all, you don’t need to do it perfectly. Just do something, however scrappy, however messy, however beautifully imperfect, and then celebrate it. Practically what you could do is each day write down one thing you did well, or each week one thing you did well in terms of your course just one. This activates your brain’s reticular activating system, the filter that decides what you pay attention to. So you need to start training your brain to notice progress, not just the pressure and the perfection. If you struggle to get balance in your life or you struggle with habit formation, mindset work is a non-negotiable. You need grace and grit, but not the guilt. If this episode has lit a fire in your brain, here is what to do next.

Speaker 1: 10:34

Access the free mini course, the Productivity Pre-Course Action Plan. Now it’s completely free. There’s a link in the show notes or go to zestproductivitycom forward slash course. You’ll access the mini video series. That will change how you show up for any course from this point on. And when I say mini, it is short in duration, but it is not short in impact. There are five videos, all about three minutes long. You can get through them very quickly. You will also get personalized tips in a PDF. So, whether you have already signed up for a course, partway through it or you’ve got your eye on one, this plan will make sure you actually finish it, get the results you’re after and you feel proud doing it.

Speaker 1: 11:20

Just wanted to flag this now. If you are a course creator, if you run trainings, if you run courses and you want your students to actually implement what you teach hello testimonials I would love to offer you this productivity pre-course action plan as a bonus for your program. Just message me or drop me a line via my site. It’s completely free and it’ll add serious value to your course. So you’re not forgetful, you are not unmotivated, you are not bad at finishing things. You just need a better system, one that supports your brain, one that works with your energy and one that makes learning feel fun and not frantic, and that is what the Productivity Pre-Course Action Plan is all about. So block your time, take baby steps, get some accountability and choose progress over perfection, and then go out there and make the most of that course that you’ve invested in.

Speaker 1: 12:23

Head to zestproductivitycom forward slash course to get your free mini course to make it happen. You’ve got this and I’ve got you. See you in a couple of weeks and that’s’s all for today. Thank you for joining me on Productivity with Zest. If you want to figure out what area of productivity is holding you back, take my quiz at wwwzestproductivitycom forward slash quiz and I’ll give you some tips to help you along the way. If you’ve enjoyed this hit, follow so you never miss an episode. And if you’re feeling generous, please leave a review, because it really helps. If you want to hear more, head to wwwzestproductivitycom. Until next time, stay focused, stay balanced and keep bringing the zest to your productivity.