Your Time With James Sweetman

Episode 145 Five minutes for me

There are 1440 minutes in the day, and this week I’m ensuring that we take just 5 minutes for ourselves. This is a new type of episode for me, as it’s a reflection piece, a combination of words and music that hopefully encourages some introspection. Most of us are busy managing responsibilities and juggling commitments that we rarely have a chance to pause, reflect and remind ourselves of how far we’ve come and what’s truly important. 

Episode 144 The 5 disciplines of the ruthlessly efficient!

A conversation with a man with 100K unanswered emails and a woman who realised she couldn’t be in two places at once, were the joint inspiration for this episode on time management. We all know the fundamentals of effective organisational skills, so this week I’m focusing on 5 key distinctions that make all the difference when it comes to being focused, proactive and productive. These tips gives us an enhanced sense of control over our workflow and are a counterbalance to feelings of overwhelm, which for me, makes organisational skills a key part of my self-care routine.

Episode 143 What am I shedding?

This is the time of year when trees shed their leaves. It prompted me to think, what can I shed? In this week’s episode, I suggest 5 areas where we can contemplate what we can drop, including goals or ambitions that no longer serve us, as well as habits and routines that may be beyond their sell-by date. By pondering the question – what I can shed, or drop we are aligning with the cycle of nature.

Episode 142 Why my sabbatical wasn’t enough

This week, in the first in a new series, I speak about how taking an extended sabbatical wasn’t enough. Yes, I need physical rest, but burnout is not the same as tiredness. I share how overthinking was the root cause of my exhaustion and how I learned that you cannot skip any of the of stages of change, including that sense of feeling lost. I also speak about how our lives transform when we are courageous enough to bring our values front and centre. I close  with some reflections on the spirit of adventure, something we all crave deep down.

Episode 141 An alternative approach to the New Year

If, like me, you don’t buy into the ‘New Year, New You’ hype, then this is the episode for you. I believe that we are all perfectly ourselves whilst still works in progress. So in this special episode at the start of 2023, I share the questions that I reflect upon at this time of year including - What have I been resisting? How can I nourish my soul? How can I exercise my creativity? In 2023, let’s focus on the inner work and allow our ‘doing’ to be a natural bi-product of our well-being.

Episode 140 Reflection questions to close the year

In this special episode, I share my thoughts on what makes Christmas meaningful as well as some self-care tips for this time of year. At the heart of this episode I share 18 self-reflection questions, a great way to close out the year. These are ideal to ponder curled up with a journal and a cuppa, or to discuss with a friend or family member. Wishing you all a wonderful and wonder-filled Christmas.

Episode 139 In conversation with Gerry Duffy

This week, I’m delighted to be joined by international speaker and author Gerry Duffy. In the past 12 years Gerry has delivered over 2,000 presentations at conferences and workshops in Ireland and overseas. His sporting CV has seen him complete many extreme endurance challenges, including running 32 marathons on 32 consecutive days. He is an expert on corporate performance, effective leadership, goal-setting and presentation skills. We kick off our chat discussing how Gerry went from having a pathological fear of public speaking to his work as a professional speaker. Our conversation soon goes deeper as we explore the broader topics of performance, growth and fulfilment. Gerry is very generous with his tips and insights. It was a fantastic conversation and a great way to close this current series of episodes.

Episode 138 Words to Inspire - celebrating the launch of my new book

This week, I’m celebrating the launch of my new book Words to Inspire. As it says on the back over – ‘this book serves as a calming reminder of the resilience, wisdom and courage that we possess when we slow down.’ Words to Inspire comprises over 60 short chapters on themes that have become part of modern day living. From feeling stuck to coping with change, dealing with challenging people and learning how to be less tough on ourselves. As well as sharing some extracts from Words to Inspire, I also speak about what goes into the process of creating a book. Check out Words to Inspire on my website www.jamessweetman.com

Episode 137 Leveraging your personal brand

Personal branding is how we market ourselves to others. It’s not about being someone other than who you are, it’s a mechanism by which you can leverage your authentic self. Personal branding is relevant when attending an interview, delivering a presentation, and is also important from a career development perspective, and of course if you run your own business. This week I look at factors that impact our brand, how it ties in with the customer service theory of 'moments of truth' and I also share reflection questions that will help you take ownership of your personal brand.

Episode 136 10 ways to feel more confident

If we are honest, most of us would like to feel more self-confident in at least some situations. It might be at an interview, delivering a presentation, attending a big meeting, or just trying something new. Over the years I’ve gathered many confidence boosting strategies and this week I’m sharing 10 of these tried and tested tips and distinctions.

When we’ve been through challenging times, it’s natural that our confidence levels will take a hit. So this week’s episode is all about rebuilding our self-confidence by harnessing techniques that engage our mind, body and spirit.