STOP! TAKE TIME TO FIX THE REAL PROBLEM.

I just got off a coaching session with an amazing client of mine who said to me that she just doesn't know where to go next. There's so many things that she wants to do and achieve that she just ends up almost doing nothing. And my feedback to her was a lot of things, but one of the things I suggested is she takes some time to create some critical thinking time.

This is a time where you do nothing. Nothing actually changes in the world, but you take the time to pause and ask yourself some quality questions. You see some of us are so busy running around that we never take the time to ask ourselves what's really going on. We run around trying to fix the symptom, the problem that is on the surface rather than truly addressing the problem that's underneath the obstacle that is stopping us from getting to where we need to go. Truly addressing the obstacle is asking yourself some quality questions.

And the best place to do this is in what we call critical thinking time. It's time where you specifically put aside an hour to sit quietly in a chair (or maybe even go for a walk) and ask yourself quality questions. Quality questions are questions that don't address the symptom, but have you ask a deeper question that attempts to answer what is really going well. What's the cause? What's the reason behind this challenge that I've currently got in my life? So often we keep patching the symptom when what we really, really need to do treat what is causing the problem.

Treating the underlying issue is usually some kind of Strategy (Why, How, What, When). It's a new way of thinking versus treating the symptom is often a tactic (Do). Clients often come to me, saying what do I need to do? What's the next do, do, do, do is a tactical thing. Doing often only addresses the symptom. Whereas strategic thinking, critical thinking, asking quality questions has you address the underlying obstacle or the underlying problem?

So, here's my tips.

• First of all, three times a week, put aside one hour to do some critical thinking time. It's you sitting by yourself with a pen and paper, not a phone that's going to create distraction, but a good old fashioned pen and a piece of paper.
• You sit there for an hour and in the first 45 minutes, you just asked yourself quality questions and sometimes you're, you're not even actually seeking the answer. You're just seeking to create a real quality question. Often the solution is just found in the quality question. Again, those quality questions are looking for a deeper strategic thinking rather than the DO tactical thinking.
• Then for the last 15 minutes, you're going to take the quality question, and I think of the answer. What is it that I need to change in coming out of this critical thinking time at the end of this hour? What do I actually need to then go and do, what? What's the thing that I need to change? Who do I need to have a conversation with? Where do I need to change what I'm doing? The way I'm thinking, the way I'm planning? What's the, what's the underlying issue or obstacle?
• 
  

Repeat this process three times a week, each time building on the challenge, problem or issue from before or addressing a new question.

Over time you will get better at doing this.

Go have a go.

YEP, YOU'RE WORTH IT!