My Pocket Psych

Following on from last episode, where we explored the imposter phenomenon and its impact, this time we look at how it can show up in coaching. Even when it's not the main topic or theme we're exploring. Experiencing the imposter phenomenon can lead clients to mask their true feelings and experiences, needlessly seek approval and unhelpfully view their coach as an authority figure to impress. It ca...

In this episode, Richard is joined by fellow psychologist Dr. Hayley Lewis for a chat about what we now call 'Imposter Phenomenon'.  Essentially, Imposter Phenomenon (previously called 'imposter syndrome') is an experience when an employee feels they've achieved their success and position due to luck, rather than talent, and that any moment, it could all come crashing down. The combination of unce...

In this episode, we turn our attention to the topic of thoughts, thinking and how we interact with all the stuff our own mind creates for us.  While the human mind is definitely a wonderful thing, some of the thoughts (including images, predictions, memories) it provides us can be unpleasant to experience. They can lead to worry, distraction, and unhappiness over time. And unlike all the fridges,...

In this episode, I look at the downsides of striving for future success, when we're not completely sure what that actually looks like. In coaching sessions, I often hear clients worry that they're not successful, not successful enough or concerned about missing a future success target. All when they can't clearly explain to me or themselves what success looks like.  This means we can often put in...

One of the best ways to understand something as conceptual as values is to use metaphors and imagery. In this episode, I explore the topic of values by seeing them as tools - tools for life. Whether it's navigating organisational change, cultivating new healthy habits, or managing a difficult relationship, values can be an extremely helpful way to clarify our intentions and guide our behaviour. Bu...

Our monthly focus over on WorkLifeSpark is values and how to bring them to life. So, in this episode, I take a look at the importance of living values, not just talking about them.  I use my recent extended holiday as a simple illustration of how to bring values to life in simple ways, but also explore how this can be done in the workplace. Values-in-action isn't always fun, though - so I take som...

This episode continues our recent run on sleep, intentional rest and breaks, this time viewed through the lens of sustainability. When working with coaching clients, I often ask them something along the lines of: Can you keep working the way you are right now without it costing you? That is the central question when it comes to working pace, intensity and sustainability. And it's sustainability, n...

In this episode, I continue the focus on sleep, rest and breaks, moving beyond sleep itself to explore the many other forms rest can take. I explain why treating rest as something to be earned gets in the way of sustainable working. And actively hampers our performance and wellbeing. Why sleep is a biological imperative, but rest is a separate need requiring a conscious decision. How rest can take...

In this episode, Richard is joined again by Dr Fiona Jane Meechin to tackle a topic that underpins everything else in workplace wellbeing: sleep. They make the case that sleep isn't just one wellbeing habit among many. Rather, it's the foundation that determines whether everything else we do for our health and performance actually pays off. The conversation covers why consistently short sleep is l...

In this episode, I look at how self-compassion can help us navigate organisational change - one of the most common, and often most difficult, experiences we face at work. I start with a quick recap of what self-compassion actually is (and isn't): mindful awareness of our difficulties, a sense of common humanity, and genuine self-kindness — not softness, not lowered standards, and definitely not "k...

In this episode, I explore why we compare ourselves to others at work, and what to do when those comparisons leave us feeling worse rather than better. I unpack the evolutionary roots of social comparison, why comparing ourselves to people we don't know well (rather than those close to us) tends to be the most damaging, and how these comparisons can spiral into rumination, pull us out of the prese...

In this episode, Richard is joined by an expert in self-compassion for a discussion about this all-important skillset. Richard and Fiona Jane Meechan discuss why self-compassion can be tough to develop, even when we can be compassionate to others. They look at some of the simple ways we can bring self-compassion to life in our everyday routines, exploring it through the lens of the six pillars of...

Last time, we looked at the benefits of doing less to support our self-care. In this episode, I tackle five of the most common misconceptions about self-care - which I've encountered from coaching and training clients over the years.  From the idea that it's just pampering or an occasional treat, to the belief that it's time-consuming, selfish, or something that can be saved for a less busy season...

In this episode, we take a look at an aspect of self-care that's often overlooked: the impact of doing less, not more.  Often, when we discuss a need for self-care, my clients' minds turn to new activities, new routines... new stuff. They can easily visualise a 'need' to somehow squeeze even more into their already hectic schedules. As a result, self-care can quickly feel like a chore, not a benef...

In this episode, the final of three looking at how we use our productivity tools, I discuss the humble task list.  It has the potential to bring clarity and a sense of accomplishment. At the same time, it can lead to overwhlem, confusion and a sense of failure. It's all in how we think about what the task list represents. It's one thing to equate it with a plan for the day. Quite another to equate...

Following on from last episode's exploration of intentional use of productivity tools, this episode we take some time to look at calendars. When used intentionally and with care, a calendar can provide valuable structure and a plan for investing your limited time, attention and energy. However, the calendar is instead often a source of anxiety and overwhelm.  Calendars are the tools we use to mana...

In this episode, we take a look at the role that productivity tools play in our ability to get stuff done at work. Don't worry - this isn't an episode reviewing all the latest apps! But rather, we look at the essential categories of tools needed for the typical knowledge worker. Somewhere to manage their tasks and projects, somewhere to gather information and knowledge, and somewhere to manage the...

Richard is joined by Pilar Orti and Brie Caggiati , co-authors of ' Connection and Disconnection in Remote Teams',  a book that grew out of a season of the 21st Century Work Life podcast.  They discuss the misconceptions that exist about remote work (and co-located office work!) and the role that organisational leaders, managers and individual employees can play in improving connection - whatever...

In this third episode exploring the benefits of reflection, I take a look at how reflection can exist on a continuum of time and complexity. From a few moments in between meetings through to taking the time to review the week, month or even year gone by! It needn't be an enormously time-consuming activity, or one that requires us to maintain a complex and all-consuming diary of thoughts, feelings...

In this second part of our focus on reflection and self-awareness, we take a look at the role of feedback. While it's not always comfortable to ask for - or receive! - feedback from our colleagues can make a valuable contribution to self-awareness and personal development. Others' perspectives can round out the view we hold about our own skills, behaviour and performance.  In this episode, we look...

In this episode, we take a look at a key element of personal development and growth: reflection. While so many of us feel we're too busy to engage in reflection, or worry that it's too time-consuming, this episode illustrates that we can start with tiny steps and grow from there. But it's not just thinking about our experiences. It's about sense-making and identifying ways that we can turn our ins...

In this, the final episode in our mini-series on procrastination, Richard is joined by fellow psychologist Dr. Joe Gray for a conversation about workplace proactivity - and how it can be a useful antidote to our procrastination habit. Joe explains the different ways we can be proactive, while also sharing the fundamentals that need to be in place to facilitate proactive behaviours. Joe is the auth...

Last time, we explored procrastination, its origins and how it impacts our wellbeing, productivity and relationships. In this second part of our three-part review of procrastination, we look at how much psychological discomfort can lead us to delay taking helpful action. We look at some of the sources of this discomfort, how it can show up and how we can effectively reframe it to side-step procras...

In this first episode of a three-part series, we take a look at the origins of procrastination, how it can show up, and the impact it can have on our wellbeing, relationships and performance at work. Rather than being some kind of moral failing, procrastination is essentially part of being a human with a mind! And rather than being a permanent fixture or part of our identity, we can view it as a h...

Building on our last episode, when we looked at how organisations can misinterpret resilience at work, this time we look at how individuals can expand their perspective on resilience.  There are so many misconceptions when it comes to resilience. That it's just about keeping going, persistence, bouncing back. When over-simplified like this, it can lead to disappointment, unhelpful behavioural resp...