Visualisation for goal setting and memory
The lead up to Christmas is a busy time of year. There’s a lot to get done and it’s useful to have ways to utilise your mind in a way that supports you well at this time.
A lot has been said in recent years about visualisation. In this article I want to share a couple of ways in which visualisation can be used to assist you in getting things done and in getting what you want at this busy time.
We are constantly giving our minds instructions. With every thought we take our minds in certain directions. Visualising gives us another way we can give our minds instructions, and because we can really build them by including what we will see, hear and feel, these instructions can be a lot clearer than thoughts, therefore helping us achieve what we want to achieve.
The first way we can really use visualisations to help us is in goal setting. We often think about what we want, but we don’t often imagine exactly what that will be like. Building a clear picture of what you will see, hear, and feel when you have that goal builds a rich multisensory experience which really lets your mind know where you want to go. It also brings that experience alive, and increases motivation towards that goal.
The second way we can use visualisation to help us is in getting things done, and in remembering to do things. Again, this is about giving your mind clear instructions, which means things will happen much more efficiently in a day. I do this regularly when I have several stops to make in town or on my way home. For example I might mentally rehearse getting into the car after leaving the office and turning right towards Countdown instead of left towards home, being in Countdown and picking up some bananas, broccoli, and milk, then driving towards the hills and turning right into the Shell station to get some petrol. That way, after I leave the office, my mind already knows what’s next because it’s already rehearsed it. I do things quickly and efficiently as I don’t have to try and remember what’s next or what it was I needed from the supermarket, and I never end up at the top of the hill and having to turn around with the sudden realisation that I don’t have enough petrol to make it home and back into town again.
These techniques are simple. They take only a few seconds to do, but can help you get things done more quickly, remember what needs to be done, and achieve your goals. At Christmas these techniques can ensure you get from shop to shop to buy what you need, get that baking done, take the kids where they need to go, and do it all in a way that’s efficient and stressfree.
