In this episode I’m talking about perfectionism and it’s very cosy bedfellow procrastination.

I work primarily with objectively successful professional women (I work with men too, but over 90% of my clients are women who hold senior positions in their company or run their own businesses – sometimes both) – and a trait that comes up time and time again for these women is perfectionism – their constant and relentless pursuit of perfection. It can be a loud and urgent pursuit, but it can also be a low and constant hum.

So many incredible, talented and ambitious women are shackled by their perfectionism because more often than not, it’s not helping them to reach greater heights, it’s holding them back. It’s keeping them smaller and more muted than their talents, passions and skills deserve to be.

So today I want to tackle it and provide some ways you can finally break free from the perfectionism/procrastination cycle.

The episode is broken down as follows:

• The Perfectionism-Procrastination Cycle explained – what perfectionism is, what procrastination is and how the two are linked.
• We’ll unpack The myths, lies, harms and excuses of perfectionism 
• We’ll get practical and explore how to move From perfectionism into action – including The Intentional Procrastination Method 
• Self-Coaching Questions for you to interrogate your own relationship with perfectionism and procrastination

Resources referenced:

• ‘How the Modern Epidemic of Perfectionism is Impacting Our Health with Will Storr’ on The Feel Better, Live More podcast by Rangan Chaterjee: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/feel-better-live-more-with-dr-rangan-chatterjee/id1333552422?i=1000648081242
• ‘Children with ADHD Avoid Failure and Punishment More Than Others, Study Says’ by Devon Frye on AttitudeMag: https://www.additudemag.com/children-with-adhd-avoid-failure-punishment/
• ‘Why procrastination isn’t laziness – it’s rigid thinking that your brain can unlearn’ by Annemieke Apergis-Schoute on The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/why-procrastination-isnt-laziness-its-rigid-thinking-that-your-brain-can-unlearn-270838 
• 'How to Befriend Your Inner Critic' by Monique Shaw on The Rewriters podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s3-ep-4-how-to-befriend-your-inner-critic/id1538589146?i=1000743388781

Further Reading

• Perfectionism is adaptive and maladaptive, but what is the combined effect?' by Joachim Stober, Daniel J Madigan, Lazaros Gonidis on Science Direct: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/perfectionism 
• ‘Perfectionism’ (no author) on Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/perfectionism#:~:text=Perfectionists%20set%20unrealistically%20high%20expectations,life%20for%20approval%20and%20validation.

Work with Monique:

• Join 'The Rewriters Community'. Explore here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember 
• Visit: www.rewriterewrite.com 
• For more tips, tools and stories, subscribe to The Rewrite Newsletter: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/get-the-weekly-rewrite

Get in touch with Monique Shaw:

• Web: www.rewriterewrite.com/contact
• Instagram: @the_rewriters
• LinkedIn: Monique Shaw

The Rewriters is written, researched, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we’ll explore why the common advice to "silence" or "erase" your inner critic is destined to fail. Instead, we’ll dive into the transformative power of listening to, learning from, befriending – and ultimately transcending – that critical inner voice. Whether you're struggling with confidence, imposter syndrome or negative self-talk, this episode provides guidance and techniques to turn your harshest critic into your greatest ally.

You'll learn:

• The psychology of the inner critic: What it actually is and why it’s trying to protect you.
• Identifying limiting beliefs: How to spot the hidden assumptions holding you back.
• Actionable tools & techniques: Methods for managing the inner critic in-the-moment and longer-term.
• A deep-dive case study: A real-life look at someone’s personal experience with their inner critic.
• Self-coaching framework: Questions to help you befriend and move beyond your critic, starting today.

Stop fighting your mind and start leading it.

Resources referenced:

• ‘Decoding the inner critic’s origins and purpose’ by Dr. Nelda Andersone: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/human-inner-dynamics/202312/decoding-the-inner-critics-origins-and-purpose
• Dr Kristin Neff’s exercise for changing your critical self-talk: https://self-compassion.org/exercises/exercise-5-changing-your-critical-self-talk/
• The Rewriters Podcast - 'Grow confidence and overcome imposter syndrome’: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/re-release-how-to-grow-confidence-and-overcome/id1538589146?i=1000720570445

Work with Monique:

·     Join 'The Rewriters Community'. Explore here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember

·     Visit: www.rewriterewrite.com 

·     For more tips, tools and stories, subscribe to The Rewrite Newsletter

Get in touch with Monique Shaw:

·     Web: www.rewriterewrite.com/contact

·     Instagram: @the_rewriters

·     LinkedIn: Monique Shaw

The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to HOW TO SURVIVE REDUNDANCY…

Like any big career transition – redundancy may end up being the most transformative thing that has ever happened in your career.

In this episode I aim to provide clarity and support for those experiencing redundancy. I share a 4-point framework for not just surviving redundancy but thriving after it.

The episode is broken up into the 4 points of the framework:

1. FORTIFYING – What does it mean to fortify during redundancy?
2. CONTROL – Controlling the controllable
3. CONNECT –The importance of sharing the load
4. ACT – Taking some time to breath and then taking ACTION!

Resources referenced:

• In the UK, seek support and legal advice from your local Citizen’s Advice Bureau as well as ACAS: https://www.acas.org.uk/
• If you’re pregnant or post-partum in the UK, you can seek support form https://pregnantthenscrewed.com/

Work with Monique:

·     Join 'The Rewriters Community'. Explore here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember

·     Visit: www.rewriterewrite.com 

·     For more tips, tools and stories, subscribe to The Rewrite Newsletter

Get in touch with Monique Shaw:

·     Web: www.rewriterewrite.com/contact

·     Instagram: @the_rewriters

·     LinkedIn: Monique Shaw

The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to this episode – HOW TO DEAL WITH JERKS AT WORK

Key episode discussion points:

• Different Types of Jerks at Work – the 3 jerk ‘archetypes’
• Tools for Dealing with Jerks at Work
• Different Jerks Scenarios – What to do when your boss, client or colleague is a jerk

The episode also includes some self-coaching questions to help you navigate a jerk or jerky situation you might be dealing with at work.

Resources referenced:

• Monique Shaw article ~ HOW TO INFLUENCE WITH INTEGRITY
• Coaching programme ~ Rewrite Your Career Story
• Transactional Analysis ~ A brief overview

Work with Monique:

·     Join 'The Rewriters Community'. Explore here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember

·     Visit: www.rewriterewrite.com 

·     For more tips, tools and stories, subscribe to The Rewrite Newsletter

Get in touch with Monique Shaw:

·     Web: www.rewriterewrite.com/contact

·     Instagram: @the_rewriters

·     LinkedIn: Monique Shaw

The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to this brand new season of The Rewriters podcast, beginning with this episode ~ HOW TO QUIT YOUR JOB.

Key episode discussion points:

• How to know if you SHOULD quit your job?
• Is it a YOU thing or a THEM thing?
• When is it the right TIME to quit?
• If you quit, what NEXT?
• I also introduce my ‘Quit Your Job’ Quadrant ~ a framework for mapping out if and when you should quit.

Download your Quit Your Job Quadrant HERE

Resources referenced:

• The Rewrite ‘Quit Your Job’ Quadrant: Download Here
• The Rewriters Podcast ~ OWNING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND AT WORK
• The Rewriters Podcast ~ CREATING A VALUES-LED CAREER
• Coaching programme: Rewrite Your Career Story

 Work with Monique:

·     Join 'The Rewriters Community'. Explore here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember

·     Visit: www.rewriterewrite.com 

·     For more tips, tools and stories, subscribe to The Rewrite Newsletter

Get in touch with Monique Shaw:

·     Web: www.rewriterewrite.com/contact

·     Instagram: @the_rewriters

·     LinkedIn: Monique Shaw

The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to this summer 2025 re-release: How to unhook from toxic productivity

Key episode points:

• Our obsession with productivity
• The problem with productivity
• Toxic Vs Conscious productivity
• My relationship with productivity – then and NOW
• How to design your days for maximum impact, minimal depletion. 

The Rewrite Planner

During the episode, I share the system I’ve developed to help you design your time to be more consciously productive – it’s called ‘The Rewrite Planner’. It helps you to identify your unique energy cycle, categorise your tasks into 5 different activity types, and then map them to your energy cycle for maximum impact with minimal depletion.

Download here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/rewriteplanner

Other resources referenced

• Article: When is productivity a dirty word? By Monique Shaw
• The Rewriters Podcast Episode 5 – How to maximise and conserve your time and Episode 14 – Owning your personal brand at work
• The Eisenhower Matrix – https://todoist.com/productivity-methods/eisenhower-matrix

Want to create more time wealth? 

Book a ‘Boundaries and Time Wealth’ career clinic with Monique and learn how to design a time management strategy that fits you and how you want to work.

Find out more: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/career-clinics

Work with Monique:

·     Join 'The Rewriters Community'. Explore here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember

·     Visit: www.rewriterewrite.com 

·     For more tips, tools and stories, subscribe to The Rewrite Newsletter

Get in touch with Monique Shaw:

·     Web: www.rewriterewrite.com/contact

·     Instagram: @the_rewriters

·     LinkedIn: Monique Shaw

The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to this summer 2025 re-release: Owning your personal brand at work

About the episode

Key episode discussion points:

• What a personal brand is and why it’s so important
• What a personal brand ISN’T
• 3 personal brand ‘myths’
• My simple formula for rewriting your personal brand

I also share how I came across the power of personal brand in my career and used it to get noticed for doing the things I loved most.

Resources referenced:     

• Career clinic: Rewrite Career Clinics – Personal Brand, Career Clarity, Time Wealth
• Coaching programme: Rewrite Your Career Story
• Article: The power of personal brand at work – by Monique Shaw
• The Rewriters Podcast Episode 13 – DIY PR & The Art of Self Promotion, with Pippa Goulden
• The Rewriters Podcast Episode 5 – How to maximise and conserve your time, with Monique Shaw

=== 

Throughout August, I will be re-releasing my favourite episodes from The Rewriters archives as we warm up for a brand-new season from 1st September 2025.

The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original artwork by Ciana Perry and original music by DJ Cinnamon.

Work with Monique:

·     Join 'The Rewriters Community'. Explore here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember

·     Visit: www.rewriterewrite.com 

·     For more tips, tools and stories, subscribe to The Rewrite Newsletter

Get in touch with Monique Shaw:

·     Web: www.rewriterewrite.com/contact

·     Instagram: @the_rewriters

·     LinkedIn: Monique Shaw

The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to this summer 2025 re-release: How to maximise and conserve your time.

Throughout August, I will be re-releasing my favourite episodes from The Rewriters archives as we warm up for a brand-new season from 1st September 2025.

Struggle with managing your time? Check out my Boundaries & Time Wealth Career Clinic here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/career-clinics

About the episode

I consider myself a bit of a Time Ninja – it's one of my favourite topics and special interest areas. In this episode I’ll outline my key time principles as well as my top tips and tools for maximising and conserving your time.

You’ll hear about micro-deadlines, peak periods, auditing and chunking diaries, as well as why you shouldn’t try to eat a whole

cake in one sitting. I am confident that if you implement just one piece of advice from this episode, you will carve out more time for you and your priorities.

In the episode I reference the following resources:

• Ep 3 of The Rewriters podcast – How to rewrite your career story in 2021
• How to beat the blank page in 4 easy steps
• How to make the same impact at work in half the time

===

Work with Monique:

·     Join 'The Rewriters Community'. Explore here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember

·     Visit: www.rewriterewrite.com 

·     For more tips, tools and stories, subscribe to The Rewrite Newsletter

Get in touch with Monique Shaw:

·     Web: www.rewriterewrite.com/contact

·     Instagram: @the_rewriters

·     LinkedIn: Monique Shaw

The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to this summer 2025 re-release! Throughout August, I will be re-releasing my favourite episodes from The Rewriters archives, as we warm up for a brand-new season coming 1st September 2025.

About the episode (originally released June 2022):

Key episode discussion points:

• Why to stop trying to be confident – and what to do instead
• Where confidence and imposter syndrome intersect
• What imposter syndrome is – my beliefs and what I’ve learned
• How to overcome imposter syndrome (one step at a time)

Resources referenced:

• Why you should stop trying to be more confident by Monique Shaw3 https://www.rewriterewrite.com/blog/stop-trying-to-be-confident
• Are you making decisions for other people in your career? https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/weekly-rewrites-2-are-you-making-decisions-for-other/id1538589146?i=1000566485119
• Making bold career moves without certainty with Dr Parth Shah https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/making-bold-career-moves-without-certainty-with-dr/id1538589146?i=1000515954033
• Contextualizing the Impostor “Syndrome” by Feenstra et al - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.575024/full
• Prevalence, Predictors, and Treatment of Impostor Syndrome: a Systematic Review by Bravata et al –
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7174434/
• Feel like a fraud by Kirsten Weir - https://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2013/11/fraud
• There's a Surprising Upside to Imposter Syndrome, Research Shows by David Nield - https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-have-found-there-is-an-upside-to-imposter-syndrome-at-work
• How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome by Jeremy Sutton PhD - https://positivepsychology.com/imposter-syndrome-tests-worksheets/

 Work with Monique:

·     Join 'The Rewriters Community'. Explore here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember

·     Visit: www.rewriterewrite.com 

·     For more tips, tools and stories, subscribe to The Rewrite Newsletter

Get in touch with Monique Shaw:

·     Web: www.rewriterewrite.com/contact

·     Instagram: @the_rewriters

·     LinkedIn: Monique Shaw

The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello Rewriters!

It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? In today’s special solo episode, I want to share what happened with I just stopped (almost everything) during the summer of 2022 – I call this The Summer I Stopped.

Ever feel like you're managing everything too precariously and you’re about to drop one of those plates? If you have, this episode is for you.

During the episode I share:

• Why Summer 2022 was the Summer I Stopped
• How I finally learned the importance of rest
• Why I replaced meditation with vegemite on toast
• 5 things I learned from The Summer I Stopped

Resources & links:

• 3 simple ways to develop a daily meditation habit: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/blog/3-simple-ways-to-establish-a-daily-meditation-habit
• 'Rewrite Your Career Story' coaching programme: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/rewrite-your-career-story

Work with Monique:

·     Join 'The Rewriters Community'. Explore here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember

·     Visit: www.rewriterewrite.com 

·     For more tips, tools and stories, subscribe to The Rewrite Newsletter: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/get-the-weekly-rewrite

Get in touch with Monique Shaw:

·     Web: www.rewriterewrite.com/contact

·     Instagram: @the_rewriters

·     LinkedIn: Monique Shaw

The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.