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Revising whilst balancing working from home

Iā€™m not sure about you, but at the start, working from home for me was enjoyable and I was able to work less but get as much work done and being in the comfort of my beautiful home (with Spencer my dog) made it stress-free and dare I even say ā€¦ fun?!

 

Then it became about juggling working from home, running my coaching business and trying not to put on a stone per week was a lovely balancing act!

I didnā€™t manage to watch a live Joe Wicks class like I wanted! And I didnā€™t even have a family zoom quiz! Which does bring a little bit of guilt to me, BUT before I go off on a rant about all of the things I havenā€™t done!

I always stop and reframe my perspective and focus on the amazing things I have done.

 

What I have done (That makes me super proud)

? I have setup a new membership ā€“ The Ultimate Revision Club ā€“ is where nearly 50 qualifying Accountants hang out, get coached by me and transform their revision phaseā€¦ with confidence!

 

? I have shown up on Linkedin every day since June, and always give revision and exam boosting tips and secrets ā€¦ that work!

 

? And I have enjoyed many daily walks! I think Iā€™m officially obsessed with how much of my village I have now seen!

 

Soā€¦ now we are in 2021 ā€¦ and I know loads of you are ā€˜stillā€™ working from home!

You are ā€˜stillā€™ juggling all the things, but because itā€™s become a new normal to you, then I have a feeling that you are stuck and struggling with getting out of the ā€˜new normalā€™ routine.

 

This blog is to firstly tell you that you are doing great!

Secondly to give you a virtual Helen hug and thirdly to bring you coms coaching advice on how to revise whilst working from home.

 

I reckon that

If the thought of studying after work makes you want to scream

Or

Wishing you could the motivation to turn off Netflix and pick up a study text is too exhausting

Or

You are struggling with your work load, youā€™re lucky if you even stop work before 8pm.

 

Then I have got your back and you will appreciate this blog!

 

This weekā€™s blog is my Helen style revision coaching to help and support you to revise ā€¦ with confidence!

Iā€™m giving you coaching on how to work from home and revise successfully!

 

I absolutely love giving you structured coaching, in ways that boost your confidence and also tricks that you can implement straight away

Today I am focus on the Three Pā€™s specifically for working from home!

 

Perspective, Planning and Positivity!

Three key words but Iā€™m aligning them in a super laser focused way (cos thatā€™s the smart thing to do in my opinion!)

 

Grab a notebook and enjoy this juicy blog! Feel free to share what you thought and what your biggest takeaways are ā€“ over on LI or IG

 

1 – Perspective

Some might think I overuse this word ? ā€¦ but I think we all need to check in on a daily basis with our perspective.

Remember, this is your exam journey, and you can have whatever perspective YOU want!

 

My pro tip is to make sure YOUR perspective adds value and happiness to YOUR exam journey!

 

It really does not matter what Sue Smith or Joe Bloggs thinks, itā€™s about YOU and YOUR view! (Yes Iā€™m shouting in capitals already!)

 

Your perspective is going to get you through this.

Your perspective will motivate, push and drive you.

Your perspective will influence your actions and behaviours.

 

In a good way {or in a bad way!} ā€“ YOU get to choose!!

 

Choose the smart revision perspective that makes you more prepared!

Focus on the learning and practising with a positive fun perspective!

Be laser focused about what thoughts and stories you are telling yourself ā€“ and turn up the volume on the amazing perspective!

 

For a smart way to focus on your perspective ā€“ I encourage you to grab a few post it notes. Write a positively motivating sentence about how you want to feel. Write it down and then say it out loud (over and over, every single day).

 

Here are some of my beautiful clients post itā€™s

ā€œI can pass my F2 exam because I am a smart Accountantā€

ā€œI love AAA because I have prepared in my way!!

My personal favourite is ā€œI will revise in 30 minute revision slots because my brain loves it!ā€

 

So turn up the revision perspective and Ā ā€¦ Grab some post its today!

 

 

2 – Practical

When you get to know me, you will learn that I have such a black and white personality!

And I am so practical when it comes to my logic and solutions!

And Iā€™m also a libra ā€“ so balance makes perfect sense to me!

 

When thinking about what is the best solution for me, I always go for the pros and conā€™sā€™ kind of list.

Or the right or wrong, or the why I should and why I shouldnā€™t.

There are always two choices, I rarely have many grey maybes in between!

 

Iā€™m imagining you working from home, wondering about how and when to revise!

What you should do, when you should do it and then getting into a little bit of a head mess about all of the optionsā€¦.

Especially when what you have to do is learn a tough syllabus that will take longer than you want to soak into your already overwhelmed WFH brain.

 

In conjunction with your positive perspective, I want you to plan what you can do, how you can do it today and what smart revision do you want to aim for (eg pass 7 out of 10 questions)

 

Here are my top 3 practical recommendations to revising whilst working from home.

  • Study Space

It might be a simple solution, but itā€™s such a powerful motivating one.

Caveat ā€“ no this is not your opportunity to procrastinate and tidy and redesign a brand new study spaceā€¦ thatā€™s wasting precious revision time!

If you can, then I want you to find a study space in your house which is not your work space.

Pick a motivating (but not distracting) view.

Have enough space around your computer to not feel trapped by stuff ā€“ give yourself and your brain some white space!

If your study space has to be the same space you do your day job in, then I want you to be able to pack away your work and unpack your revision (quickly, efficiently and in a fun way!… Get a new box and label it- My CIMA commitment!ā€™)

 

  • Plan

Yes Iā€™ve said this hundreds of times, and I will continue to say it.

You need a revision plan, because a blank piece of paper is the least motivating tool in my opinion.

Iā€™m not going to give you my generic ā€˜here is how to write a revision planā€™ speechā€¦ because this is about how to juggle working from home.

So we need a laser focused revision plan to deal with this.

What I would say is to write a 3 day mini plan- letā€™s break down the overwhelm and demotivation and be real.

What can you do today, tomorrow and the next day to be smarter, more prepared and more confidence about YOUR next exam.

I am shouting YOUR now because it really is about youā€¦ not Joe Bloggs or Sue Smithā€¦ and not even what you ā€˜usedā€™ to be able to do. Itā€™s about right here, right now and what YOU can do.

Please do not make it ridiculously ambitious, or stupidly easyā€¦. Remember you want to pass your next exam (not just pretend your 5 minute slot per day made a difference).

 

I would recommend three 30 minute bite sized slots per day (with a break in between) and if you manage this then you can add a few more 30 minute bite sized slots in.

It really is all about being smart!!

 

  • Have something amazing to look at!

When I suggested this to my members, they might have thought I was a little crazy .. but trust me nowā€¦ the ones who havenā€™t done it are the odd ones out! ?

I want you to print off your qualified plaque.

Grab a blank ACCA or CIMA plaque and photoshop your name, ID and date onto it! Then print it out!

This is about having an inspiring motivating view, something you see everyday and you positively obsess about it!

I want you to work towards something motivating and positively obsess about it!

Iā€™m here to keep you on track, supported and boosting your confidence every week!

 

3 ā€“ Positive

The 3rd P from todayā€™s blog is about being positive.

I want to encourage you to recognise your wins- however big or small you think they are!

Write your daily wins ā€“ in a journal, on a post it note wall, or a LI post ā€“ I want you to write them down, remember and recognise them and enjoy every single win!

You attitude is key to your daily behaviours and habits. This is your reminder that a positive attitude always motivates! Keep your head up, focus on positive words and stories that youā€™re telling yourself and wake up knowing tomorrow is a new day and you can pass this exam.

Repeat after me ā€œYes Helen, I can revise today and I can pass my exam! I canā€™t wait to tell you!ā€

 

 

The success of revising from home depends on you sticking to your revision plan. And I know that work, family, friends, tv, noises can disrupt this.

I want you to commit to your next exam so my biggest coaching hug I need you to do is communicate.

To be able to commit to your exam journey I need you to communicate your boundaries.

This might be as simple as putting your revision plan up on the wall and telling your household when you are not free (small bite sized slots remember- this is not about blocking out 4 hours of revision)

Plus communicating to your manager and colleagues. If they donā€™t know you are revising then they might ring you or give you an extra task.

 

Work boundaries are tricky ā€“ I get it .. this is a big enough topic to be a blog of its own, but a few overriding thoughts I want you encourage you to focus on

  • Commit to the slot ā€“ remember this is your exam!
  • Plan and stick to YOUR Revision times ā€“ donā€™t prioritise work ā€“ that journal can and will wait!
  • Donā€™t put work first! ā€“ but thatā€™s a whole ā€˜nother blog!

 

Thanks so much for reading my juicy blog, I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have writing it!

Iā€™m a geek when it comes to revisionā€¦ I might even change my Linkedin profile from ā€˜Accounting Revision Coachā€™ to ā€˜Revision Geekā€™ ???.

 

Any questions at all, feel free to ask. You can DM me on LI or send me an email {hello@prettysuccessfulcareers.co.uk}

 

Keep your head up, you can revise and pass your next exam!

I have many coaching tricks in my toolkit and coaching services if you need some extra help and support ā€“ please just ask (You donā€™t have to do this alone!)

Helen x

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