During our coaching programme I will ask the client what they want from various aspects of life. Many find the exercise challenging, not because they don’t know, but because their list is too long – it is an impossible ‘wish-list’. Capturing their thoughts without interrupting the ‘flow’ has made me a fast scribbler!

I ask them to then prioritise each area – picking out what they see as important and urgent – we go through numerous versions. When I then limit them to focusing on their top 10 there is renewed discussion is around item 11 – because that is the first one relegated to the ‘back burner’.

The exercise creates focus and drive as clients spend more time on what they see as important to them while consciously spending less time in other areas. The results can be spectacular. One client contacted me 18 months later saying that their initial impetus was waning. We pulled out their lists for a review and realised that many of their initial goals had been met – it was time to look at item 11!