This may be a bit controversial, but I think that stress isn’t always a bad thing. What?

Sometimes a little bit of stress while working can be incredibly helpful because it can motivate you to get things done on time and keep you productive, focused and determined.

That’s the good news, the bad news is that when stress builds up too much it can become overwhelming. Fast. The more overwhelmed you feel, the more problems can arise. Now that sounds more familiar, right?

So, how can we maintain a healthy level of stress without it spiralling out of control?

One of the best solutions is to take frequent breaks over the course of the day.

But there’s a problem: Most people associate taking breaks with laziness and feelings of guilt. In fact, guilt is often what motivates us to work straight through tiredness and fatigue and when we’re busier, we feel more productive and less guilty. But at the end of the day, productivity isn’t about how much we...

Do you fall asleep pretty easily, or do you find yourself lying awake at night thinking about all the things you didn’t get done that day and all the things you have to do the next day? Yeah, me too. We’ve all been there. It’s like a suspense movie playing on a loop inside your head, but it never gets to the end. Instead, the suspense just keeps growing and growing and it’s utterly exhausting!  

If this sounds familiar, then you, my friend, have too many open loops in your life.

What is an Open Loop?

Have you heard of these before?  Open loops are a term coined by international productivity consultant David Allen in his book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. They are the unresolved tasks that replay themselves over and over again in our minds like:

The laundry needs to be done. The kids need to be picked up. I have a meeting tomorrow. I still have to buy a wedding present. I have to make that phone call…

In...

What is an intention? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, an intention is "a determination to act in a certain way: an aim or purpose." Sometimes without an intention, we act without meaning or direction. It can be compared to just driving around aimlessly, without ever having a destination in mind. However, with a destination - or intention - in mind, the universe's forces can align to make even the most difficult things possible. It may sound a bit woowoo, but your intentions will give you greater control of your life.

I want to share an example of this with you that just happened.

Firstly, I want to ask if I’m the only one who dreads the annual ski holiday?

When I go skiing with my family, I take lessons every morning, meet up with everyone for lunch and then finish for the day by going back to the hotel to have a bath, a massage or catch up on my work. Sounds perfect, right? Then why is it that I dread the annual ski holiday? 

Some people...

Apologies for the first minute of the video - technical difficulties!

Having a workspace that's organised and free of cluttercan supercharge your productivity, giving you room to complete more tasks and freeing you from visual, stress-producing distractions. Maybe you've put off tackling the mess because you're somehow attached to what's in the room, are pressed for time or flat out don't want to make choices about your stuff. But whatever the reason, here's the way out: 

On Monday, 24 February, I will be hosting the  

5 Day TurboBoost Your Productivity Challenge to overcome workplace overwhelm.  

This 5 Day Challenge will be taking place in my Female Entrepreneurs Craving Time and Financial Freedom  on 24 February and I would love for you to join us! You can register here.

In the challenge, I go into lots of detail about how the process works, but today, I wanted to give you an overview so that you can get started and get more productive right...

Hello there! I’m so happy you’re here! My name is Marina Newington and I’m the Founder of PowerSystem, a 5-step process designed to help entrepreneurial women find the clarity, confidence and energy to make life’s big decisions.

Today, we’re going to dive into 4 Steps to Reduce Stress and Make 2020 Your Year to Shine!

I chose this topic because I know that you want to move forward with your business, but let’s be honest, sometimes it’s hard to fine tune your focus! Getting distracted by the next shiny object may seem like the mystical magical pill that will give you a shortcut to success, but more often than not just leads to loads of stress – and who wants that?

Now are you feeling stressed? I was!

At the end of last year I let myself get so stressed that it totally took me out. Through a combination of being overworked and a lack of proper planning, my body started falling apart. You know when your body says...

Have you ever heard of the Big Rocks exercise? It is a wonderful visualisation of how we should prioritise the things that really matter in our lives so that we can be happy and fulfilled. After directing my clients to various video versions of this, I decided to make my own (above) to convey the message that I really wanted to get across. 

In essence, I want you to know that time is the great equaliser. We all get 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 52 weeks a year. BUT, how we choose to spend that time will determine if our life will be fulfilling, satisfying and happy.

What are the choices you will make?

In my example, the  jar represents your life and the time you have to fill. 

The sand (chia seeds) are all the little things that really don’t matter like: 

• Emails
• Menial tasks
• Being mad at people for silly things

The pebbles (white beans) are the things that matter but aren’t critical like:

• Your job
• Your hobbies
• Your car

The big rocks (oranges)...

Let me ask you a question, do you know what your core values are?

Is your life and your career aligned with your core values, or do you sometimes feel dissatisfied - like there is something more you should be doing?

You’re not alone! According to a recent article in the Telegraph,  69% of 2,000 people studied felt trapped in the same old routine and over 40% were unhappy with their lives. That’s why knowing your core values is so important, because they make it possible to make important decisions, such as taking a job, starting a business, or making other significant changes in your life that may bring you the satisfaction you are seeking.

So, what are core values?

Core values are the essence of who you are and the principles and fundamental beliefs that you hold to be of worth in your life. Whether you are stuck in a situation that leaves you unfulfilled or are struggling to make a big decision, these guiding principles have the power to...

How are your New Year Resolutions going?

My biggest one this year was self-care and so far, so good. At the end of last year, I got myself into a real state physically, mentally and emotionally by not practicing self-care and I wanted to do things differently this year. I know that people get really confused about what self-care is. In fact, one client recently asked, “Is it just manicures and massages?”

I wanted to share my answer with you today and challenge you to start practicing self-care too!

So firstly, what is self-care?

Self-care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Although it seems simple to action, it’s something we very often put to the bottom of our to do list. Instead, we should really make this a priority, because good self-care is key to improved mood and reduced anxiety. It’s also key to a good relationship with yourself and others....

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2020 - what I am calling The Year of Clarity. This is the year that together, we will get clear on what your core values are, what you are passionate about and what really lights you up. We will then align these critical elements with your business goals and help you make decisions to bring you results with fulfilment and purpose. Sound good?

Let's start with your New Year's resolutions. Here's the bad news - they usually don't work. What? On average, 64% of resolutions are abandoned by February. Why is that? Why do so many of us make resolutions that we can't keep?

In this week's vlog, I discuss the top 7 reasons why resolutions don't stick. But don't worry, it's not all bad news! I also give you 7 solutions to put in place that will enable you to turn the negatives around and make your resolutions last all year!

Here are some examples:

Problem 1: Most resolutions are based on what you "should" do, or what...

So here we are  - it's holiday time! 

After all the planning, preparation and shopping, the holidays are now upon us. Wether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah or something else, the time has now come to reap the benefits of all your hard work and enjoy yourself with your friends and family!

Hopefully the cards have now all been sent, the presents wrapped and the food bought. My fridge is just about bursting now - how is yours doing? All that now remains to do is spend time with your loved ones and take advantage of the special moments together that this time of year provides.

I wanted to take this opportunity firstly, to thank you all for the support and encouragement you have given me. It has been an exciting year for me with lots of achievements from award nominations and speaking events to becoming a published author and appearing in magazines, but none of it would have been possible without you. So thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for helping to...