Category: The Limbic system

I put creating in quotes in the title because the wealth you will create with the “scheduling creates reality” principle is actually money you already have and/or money that people and organisations give to you in “rewards” – this principle is simply the organisation of that spare cash.

This effortless “wealth creation” is simply automated saving (a fantastic money tip I picked up from Kate Northrup in her book: Money, A Love Story )

Make specifically named savings accounts and schedule a small weekly/monthly automatic transfer that fits your budget.

I created two savings pots with named purposes (“Present Buying Fund” and “Dyeing Workshop Creation Fund”) on 26th February 2015, and set up an auto transfer of £7/week each on a Friday (£1/day). (If you are paid monthly, schedule a transfer of £30.42/month =£365.04/year))

£7/week fits my model as I “pay” myself a weekly disposable budget. And yes, I hold my “Money for life” in another savings account (interest!) and schedule the weekly transfer into my current account.

I also pop extra cash from the “reward” and “cashback” monies my bank gives me for being in credit/spending in certain shops, and if Salary payday is a Friday, I zero my current account the evening before and tip the “left over cash” in there as well.

This “left over” money is usually under a fiver, money that would be easy to just fritter away, easy to unconsciously spend on “utter rubbish” just because it is there. I could do this zeroing every week, but I’m not that ruthless on myself (yet). It works out though, generally, my weekly left over is what pays my scheduled transfer!

I really really don’t notice any “lack” because of scheduling that tiny regular transfer. And simply because the pots exist, I don’t fritter my “reward” monies away on junk.

In the 2 months they’ve been open, they’ve built up £~~110~~124 between them!

As a bonus, I’ve also created a “no panic/stress zone” over the “where do I get the money to buy my partners a Birthday/Xmas/Anniversary/Valentine present?” issue. This in itself is a huge clarity win!

As this is working so well, I’ve made two new pots, as from next month I have “Extra Cash” coming from my mortgage renegotiation. A muck up with my pay means that I’ll also be getting a very small lump sum.

I’ve already set up a monthly “old to new Mortgage difference” transfer, and I’ve done another £1/day transfer that will also kick in after pay day. That one is towards having a month off the day-job! I’ve done all the hard work, and now its simply waiting for the money to arrive, so automatic scheduling can take care of the wealth creation for me, effortlessly!

So, have I inspired you? Take action today & open a savings pot and schedule a transfer today that will kick in next pay-day. Come back and leave me a comment below about what you are “scheduling to reality” around, then we can start working toward connecting those dots.

May 1, 2015

If it’s not scheduled, it’s not real.

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When I was in my teens and early twenties, I never kept a diary/calendar and I remembered all the phone numbers that I needed (about 20 at that point in my life). I prided myself on remembering everything I needed rather than having to write it down. (I learned the periodic table, both order and atomic number/weights for instance)

Whilst my memory is still something I take a pride in, and I’m well known as having “the elephant brain” in my team (I remember everything I do generally, and when prompted, can easily recall detail level (or where to look to get it), I acknowledge that life back them was rather more simple in terms of happenings and events than it is now.

Ironically, but unsurprisingly, one thing I was never good at when I was younger was being on time or prepared for things. Although I knew where I was supposed to be, I never planned enough time to get everything done before arriving. I never honoured the space that appointments take, and I realise now that this is because I didn’t schedule anything.

I now live and die by my Google Calendar. It’s awash with colour-coded goodness and copious event notes. I now know where I need to be and when, what I need to do to prepare, I get it to send me text messages to prompt me and can therefore show up fully committed and raring to go!

For instance, I’m a B-School Alumni from 2011, but this is the first year I’ve done the entire course. Previously the time I needed to commit was just swamped in the tide of life & I faded out after the first week. So why success this year? Because I scheduled it! I carved out the time to do it in my GCal, told my partners that I was “DND”during this time and therefore I was fully engaged in the process.

Recently, I’ve also been popping in physical things that I want to achieve/own as well as the things I need to do/places I am planning to be at.

If it’s in my schedule, I will put time and effort into making it happen.
I’ve given my brain permission to act on an external ordered list, rather than juggle and procrastinate over an internal mess.

By reducing that internal mess, I gain clarity, and so actually have space to get other “to-do” tasks done along side my scheduled events! I’ve finally found a round tuit 😉

Also, by making space in my life for “a thing”, I tell my limbic brain and so the universe that I’m open to receiving said thing. Being open to receive means that either “the thing” will just turn up, or the means to obtain “the thing” will happen in my life.

So, have I inspired you? I know that I inspired myself and I’ll be carrying on in this theme next week; as I wrote this piece, another ‘blog post focusing specifically on Money Scheduling fell out of my brain and onto the page as well! *new post, cut-paste*

Meanwhile, take action today & get your schedule out of your head and either write it down or GCal it. Come back and leave me a comment below about what you are “scheduling to reality” around, then we can start working toward connecting those dots.

Catch you next week!

April 17, 2015

Why writing a goal list rather than typing it out has way more power.

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I know that I always learn something way better when I write about it. Recently, I both changed job roles (with a promotion!) and moved fields slightly. I moved from being an Information Security Technician into the SharePoint Architect role. As I sat with with the outgoing Architect, I sat there and scribbled notes and doodles as we chatted.

Now, my hand writing is legendarily awful, as you can see! (Yes, that really is my hand writing.) Even I have issues reading what I wrote later on, so, why would I choose to had write the handover notes when I could have used my laptop to type into OneNote to organise the same thoughts.

The reasons are two fold. Firstly, when you put pen to paper to write words around conversations, take lecture notes or form ideas, it forms far better memory pathways in the Neocortex, especially when you are summarising, as you are actively thinking about and analysing what you are writing about as you are writing it. This in turn activates neurons and forms complex memory chains, a real boost to learning. It also leads to far better understanding of the subject at hand.

Secondly, writing is also an act of creativity, to which the Limbic brain responds and acts upon, giving you emotions about what you are writing and creating life feedback from the feels created that motivates action. If you are keen to learn, or eager to visualise your goals as you write, your limbic brain will feed back this happiness, this sense of anticipation into your everyday life.

Conversely, typing is all about mechanical skills, and so drawn entirely from the Neocortex. And typed information, although generally more verbose (most of us can type faster than we write) is generally is less understood by the note taker; it gets rationalised, contextualised, and is then “filed away for future reference” by the Neocortex.

The brain is basically parking the information for future recall, but with no real understanding of this information typed. This is because the Neocortex is not at all in charge of acting/reacting to stimulus (yep, that’s the job of the Limbic brain) and so the information sluices through your brain without making a real impact or forming the more complex memory chains you get from writing.

The upshot of all this? The combination of Neocortex and Limbic brain working together to give both context/understanding and emotion means that the goal list you type is far less likely to actually happen than the goal list you write.

Have you a list of goals that are just all in your head? Do your goals never seem to happen? Take action now, grab a pen and a piece of paper and write down that goal list! Leave me a comment to tell me about it and we can start working toward connecting those dots.

Catch you next week!

April 10, 2015

Being creative – the path to fun and mental clarity

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I feel that finding your particular creative “thing” is very important – because creating is all about focusing in the now.

Being creative talks directly to your Limbic brain. This the part of your brain that has no language, no sense of time, and can put no context to anything you experience. It’s where your gut reactions, your “feels” originate.

When you say “That doesn’t feel right, but I don’t know why” about something, that’s your Neocortex (or Rational/Cognative brain) trying to rationalise and contextualise the emotion being passed to it by your limbic brain in that moment – and failing. Because you can’t rationalise gut feelings. They just are.

The Limbic brain responds to images, colours, smells and textures – It’s working with the information your senses provide it in that moment, and only in that moment. Which is why mindful/positive thinking and creativity are so powerful.

The limbic brain responds to creativity by producing a state of happiness, a “this feels right” vibe – As a result, these positive vibes translate into your “this is how life is now” vibes, rippling and manifest themselves through your whole life.

By doing your chosen act of creativity – painting, cooking, dyeing, knitting, origami, bonsai, decoupage, etc. etc. – you are being fully committed to the moment. Consequently, this creates “good feels” in your Limbic brain. Which ripple wonderfully out into your life.

Me? I get my creative on by dyeing and by knitting. I love playing with colour, feeling the textures of the fibres, creating wearable art.

Want to get creative at home?
Watch my tutorial on dyeing with food colouring:

So, how do you get creative? Has my video peeked your interest? Do you now want to throw colour at things? Or do you get your art on in a totally different way to me? Leave me a comment below and we can start working toward connecting those dots.

Catch you next week!

April 3, 2015

Be Selfish – It’s a vital part of Mindfulness

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It’s almost swearing isn’t it, making that “I’m being selfish” statement, and it’s used as an insult, “You’re so selfish!”

However, being selfish is quite probably the number one factor in personal health and well-being.

I’m not talking about the type of being selfish where you detriment others, take the last biscuit or don’t stop to give someone a hand if they need it, I’m talking about the kind of selfish that is centred on self-care.

Being selfish enough to stay home when you are sick and not “just struggle on” because it is expected.
e.g. Flexible working here is so good – When the brain is active enough, but you feel wiped out and can’t face the commute, a day or two of Working from home may well be the recharge you need!
Being selfish enough to look after your own needs so that you then have the energy and capacity to take care of your loved one’s needs.
e.g. Booking a babysitter for an hour or to and then taking that time to get out of the house, relax and recharge – Read a book, go to the gym, get a manicure or a haircut.
Being selfish enough to take the time out to create art, to look after plants or to make a good nutritional choice.
e.g. find that moment of stillness within that allows you to paint, write, draw, cook, dye, knit, do origami. Have the moment to find and follow the inspiration that comes as you cook a good but simple dinner. Enjoy focusing on how your orchids are growing, taking that ten minutes a day to check them over for damage or rot, and to talk to them about how beautiful they are, how well they are growing and what beauty they add into your life.

Women in particular are really bad at this style of selfishness, I know I’ve done it more times that I care to think of, caring for my loved ones to the point of my own exhaustion. However, taking that time out to self-care, to “be selfish” can carry with it massive amounts of guilt.

We have to learn to let this guilt go, as being selfish gives us the focus and clarity to be our best, to show up in each moment with calmness, kindness and compassion. It sends a message to your limbic brain that you are ready for “good things” and promotes focus to serve the world with our own superpower (we all have one!).

After all, as the saying goes: “Put on your own oxygen mask before you help others.” If you are constantly leaving your own “oxygen mask” to one side, starving yourself and your soul of love and care, you will simply not have the resources to live life to its full potential.

After all if you don’t look after yourself, you won’t be able to love and serve others in the world. So, how can you be more selfish in your life? Think of three ways that you can be more selfish, leave me a comment below and we can start working toward connecting those dots.

Catch you next week!

Want to get creative at home? Watch my tutorial on dyeing with food colouring:

Want to get creative at home?
Watch my tutorial on dyeing with food colouring: