REVIEW #35: HOW TO MANAGE YOUR MAMMOTH – MOTIVATION TO TACKLE THOSE BIG GOALS

How to Manage Your Mammoth
By Wendy Jago
Piatkus, 2012

Rummaging in the Little Street Library for big people at my local kindergarten, I came across this book of advice for tackling those big things we prefer to put off because we don’t know where to start, how to start, or even whether we really should start. Wendy Jago tries to break it all down into manageable steps. She calls it chunking. That seems like common sense to me. However, I was intrigued that, from the outset, she assured her readers that this wasn’t just a book about how to clean out the garage, or the craft room that you have to squeeze through sideways to find what you need. Jago promises to help us with mammoths like unfulfilled dreams, huge projects, relationships that have gone pear-shaped, achieving an ambition, miraculously finding the time you need to be creative, or the courage to change the power imbalance or expectations between yourself and friends or family members. She even claims she can help you change a bad habit. Basically, Jago hopes that her readers will take her seriously, try her strategies and transform their lives. In the introduction, she  says the takeaway is that ’mammoths can be managed.’ We need not give way to despair, or lose all confidence in our capacity to manage our life’s challenges.

PRACTICAL ADVICE ON HOW TO MANAGE THE BIG THINGS YOU AREN’T SURE HOW TO TACKLE

At the foundation of her advice are the practical strategies of Neuro-Linguistic Programming which she refers to throughout the book. The key is to be aware of the thought processes and more self-aware regarding the way you approach things, or the best times of day for you to do chores, or rest and let your creative ideas begin to flow. Our attitude towards our mammoths will have a significant impact on our success in achieving what is needed. The strategies we use will be affected by such things as whether we are larks or owls (i.e. we are at our best in the morning or night.) Whether we are sprinters, mid-distance or long-distance runners, metaphorically speaking. Recognizing that is crucial to formulating a strategy best suited to getting the job done with the most satisfaction. Jago even suggests that modelling our approach on other successful people can lead to success in the workplace, helping to open doors that appeared to be locking you out of negotiating and sharing ideas.

Another important point she makes is that your thinking around your mammoth needs to be honest and clearly expressed. Fast-paced responses that prevent you from mulling over things too much can sometimes be revealing . . . if you are asking the right questions. Here are some sample questions related to a mammoth:
            What is the biggest challenge I face?
            What is the biggest risk I might take?
            What would my greatest satisfaction be?
            What or who can I rely on?

Visualising the end result of achieving your mammoth and then working back through the possible steps you could have taken to reach that goal can also be useful. You can chunk forward, or chunk backwards. Both methods can be helpful. I was surprised to discover the possible answers to these questions. Once I started mulling over these things, I was also amazed to realise that my biggest mammoth wasn’t actually the one I had assumed it would be. Jago uses common sense and logic and sets out her approach in clearly labelled chapters with a specific focus, breaking her points down under clear headings. That makes it easy to go back to a particular part of the book that is relevant to you at any point. For example, there is a chapter on replacing a bad habit with a good one, and another on optimizing your success by allocating your time and energy at the time of day that is best for you to achieve your goals.

Throughout the book, there are fascinating examples of times when people have applied these strategies, the thinking behind it, and the final outcome. I found these especially interesting. They are from a broad range of people from all walks of life and professions and help to underscore the usefulness of the NLP approach to dealing with the mammoths in our lives and building the skills to face any new mammoths that came sauntering ─ or thundering ─ towards us. I found it useful and, in some instances, reassuring. I always chastised myself for wanting to sleep after lunch. Now I know that is completely normal and natural as my body begins the digesting process. I always knew about the circadian rhythms of the body, but now I am aware of the ultradian rhythms, so perhaps I will not be so hard on myself when I feel like taking time out for 20 minutes. After all, I am a poet. Who knows what creative impulse might turn up after I have refreshed and reenergized my body!

Jago has written several books about NLP which you may like to explore. There is a bibliography of works that have helped her put this book together and which you may also find useful around this area of beneficial thinking and strategizing for maximum life efficiency. The aim is to give you a framework for making changes that will help you enjoy life more and feel better about yourself.