I hope you have been doing well, staying safe and healthy at home as we hit a very delicate time of year for our health during the pandemic.
I know you have heard this so many times already, but it bears repeating that although we have limitations due to the pandemic, it doesn’t mean that December and this holiday season can’t be just as wonderful and merry as always. Things may look different, but the reason for the season is still the same for you if you embrace it.
So, in this month’s installment of my public Entrepreneurial journal entry, I thought I should share about some awesome live events I have scheduled for this month.
December is the time of year when I like to wrap up my projects for the year and do my goal setting for the upcoming year. This year, like years past, I am again hosting my Annual New Year’s Goal Setting + Planning Class, however, this year the class is going to be held exclusively for my Productivity + Planning Master Mind members on this upcoming Saturday, December 5th @ 2PM EDT.
So, if you want to join, get yourself enrolled in the membership- it costs just $22 a month and each month you get an exclusive private class, plus loads activities, inserts, extra content and a private chat with our master mind group as well as myself.
In year’s past the New Year’s Goal Setting Class has cost twice as much to attend, so your investment this year into the membership goes so much further for your productivity and personal development.
The second live event I am hosting this month is my 2021 Planner Setup Party on Saturday December 19th @ 2PM EDT. This event will be a live steam on Youtube FREE to my community where you will follow along as I set up my planner for 2021.
In this live stream I will share how I clean my leather planner, my process for printing and binding my inserts at home, and of course I will walk you through how I am setting my planner up for the new year.
I would love for you to join me for the livestream and set your planner up alongside me. It should be a fun and informative time and of course I’ll be taking Q+A live so it’s a great chance for us to hang out and get your planning questions answered by me.
I’ll be sending out emails for this event the morning of to those on my email list. If you would like to ensure you receive those emails and a direct link to the even, click here!
Well, that is everything I have going on for December!
Like you, I am just hoping to wrap up my year in a nice bow, get in some rest and relaxation and start the new year with a fresh slate.
I would love to hear about your plans for December and how you are preparing for the close of the year. Feel free to leave me a comment and let me know your plans. I do hope to see you inside my Productivity + Planning Master Mind to kick off a fresh year together in January!
In today’s video I am sharing 5 rules that I follow for managing my email inbox. Reaching email inbox zero is a productivity and organization practice I use to keep me from missing important information or tasks that come from my emails on a weekly basis. But in addition to that process, I try to follow some simple rules when engaging with my emails on a day to day basis to ensure I remain focused and efficient with my email management.
If you would like to watch a dedicated video on my Email Inbox Zero Process, click here! Both videos are great resources to help you efficiently organize your email. I hope you enjoy!
ENROLLMENT IS NOW OPEN FOR MY PRODUCTIVITY + PLANNING MASTER MIND MEMBERSHIP GROUP!
You read that right!
A Productivity + Planning Membership dedicated to Functional Planning and Productivity, hosted by yours truly 😉
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Essentially, the Productivity + Planning Master Mind Membership is a private, group coaching community centered around the topics of productivity, functional planning, time management, mindset, and success. Everything I teach and create content around in order to help you get all your big thoughts, plans, dreams and ideas out of your head and onto paper.
The foundation of this Membership experience is the idea that Productivity and Planning aren’t just things you learn about once and then you are set for success the rest of your life. Like many things, Productivity and Planning are a lifelong pursuit where we find the right tools, learn the best strategies and gradually build up the skills that support our ability to plan, act and create the outcomes we want for our lives.
So, if you enjoy my products and content, love my live free master classes and get a ton of value and inspiration from them, this Membership is a way for you and I to go deeper to overcome your specific obstacles and develop the skills you need to achieve whatever success you are looking for in life!
WHAT DO YOU GET?
When you enroll in the Productivity + Planning Membership, each month you get access to some amazing resources hosted within a private membership website and chat group:
✔︎ LIVE MASTER CLASSES: Each month I will host a live Master Class on a new Productivity, Planning or Personal Development topic. During these Master Classes, you will have the opportunity to chat with other attendees and ask me open Q+A to make sure you are learning and integrating the information in a way that makes sense to you. Classes will be held on the first Saturday of the new month at 2pm EDT- so our first class is Saturday November 7th @ 2PM EDT (New York, NY Time Zone)
✔︎ FREE WORKBOOKS + ACTIVITIES: To accompany each Master Class, you will also get access to downloadable class workbooks and materials with additional homework and activities to put the principles you learn into immediate action in your life and planning.
✔︎ A LIBRARY OF EXCLUSIVE PLANNER INSERTS + TOOLS: Each month I will be creating new fun inserts and planner designs to share with you. You will get the first look at my latest designs, get a chance to test my latest products and I’ll share exclusive designs with you that I won’t have available anywhere else.
✔︎ A PRIVATE MEMBERSHIP COMMUNITY: Not only does the Master Mind have its own dedicated membership website where all our downloads and resources are housed, but we will also have our own Private Slack Channel so we can stay in touch via chat throughout the day. I will be sharing extra content on the Slack channel and you can use it to share content as well, chat with your fellow Master Mind members and ask me additional Q+A!
So, I know- that is already a TON OF VALUE packed into one membership, but of course I had to throw in some additional BONUSES!
When you enroll for your membership TODAY, you unlock these 3 value packed bonuses:
🗝 PRODUCTIVITY + PLANNING COURSE: When you join the membership, you get instant access to my 12 Week Productivity + Planning course that will help you learn the essential strategies I teach for Functional Planning and achieving success. This course is packed with 12 video classes, printable worksheets and class materials to help you set goals, make plans, master habits and much more!
🗝 A PRIVATE BOOK CLUB: For years my community has been asking me to start a book club and I am pleased to announce I will be hosting one from within the Master Mind. I’ll be sharing all my favorite books, plus choosing a title each month to read together and share key lessons from so we are continuing our education on productivity and success together! For those of you interested in Metaphysics + Alchemy topics, don’t you worry- I’ve got you covered too!
🗝 WELLNESS SUPPORT GROUP: I don’t know about you, but I have certainly packed on the Quarantine 15 since the pandemic began and I am on a mission to restore my health and wellness to a place that feels good to me. Many of you know, I lost nearly 100lbs back in 2017 using the Keto diet and I would love to share more details of my wellness journey, recipes and meal prep hacks with you inside the Master Mind.
WHAT IS THE INVESTMENT?
So, here is the best part about this whole experience- the price!
I know, I know, that’s usually the hardest part to swallow but in this case, I have priced this experience so competitively because I want this to be an easy YES for anyone who is truly interested in getting the ongoing support, inspiration, encouragement and information to help them achieve their best life.
I know personal development classes and courses can cost in the hundreds.
I know personal development coaching is generally thousands of dollars a year.
BUT, I really want to help as many of the wonderful women in my community as possible see their potential, map out their plans, and get to work achieving them!
So, your investment in this membership experience is just $22 a month!
Now, to be fair, that is my introductory pricing offer. Which means, if you ENROLL NOW you only pay $22 a month for as long as you remain part of the membership.
However, I do intend to raise the price on this membership in the future, so you will want to ACT FAST + SECURE THIS SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE so you are grandfathered in!
I’m sure right now some of you are excited and ready to get yourself enrolled, and perhaps others of you are interested but have a few more questions first.
So, click the link below to check out the sales page, ready more about this experience and when you are ready to enroll, click any ENROLL or JOIN button on that page to be transferred to my shop to checkout!
If you have any questions of course, I am here to answer those for you! So, shoot me an email or drop me a comment and let me know how I can help you or what key information I have missed in this post!
Talk soon and I can’t wait to see you inside our private membership community for some dedicated productivity and planning support!
How many of you feel as though your life is in intermission?
Like you are waiting for the show to start again, and that everything in life has been paused for the last several months.
Or perhaps you feel like life has sped up to an overwhelming pace?
Like now you are carrying the weight of all the priorities in your life on your shoulders and have absolutely no time to spend on your own personal objectives or development.
If you finding yourself asking IS 2020 OVER YET? You are not alone!
I have some tools and strategies to help you shift your mindset and motivation and get you back into alignment so that you can continue to move forward with your life even through this pandemic.
In this two hour free workshop replay, I will share strategies for:
✔︎ How I deal with grief and what I’ve been doing to manage my own emotions this year
✔︎ Identifying and managing triggers in daily life that keep us from taking action
✔︎ Getting clear on our responsibilities so we can map a clear and productive path forward
✔︎ At the end of this class, I am going to share something new I’ve been working on that is intended to help us move forward as a community and stay on track with our goals for 2020 and beyond, together!
How many of you feel as though your life is in intermission?
Like you are waiting for the show to start again, and that everything in life has been paused for the last several months.
Your goals are on pause.
Your plans are on pause.
Your happiness is on pause.
Or perhaps you feel like life has sped up to an overwhelming pace?
Like now you are carrying the weight of all the priorities in your life on your shoulders and have absolutely no time to spend on your own personal objectives or development.
You are not just mom, you are also teacher.
You are not just a daughter, you are also a caretaker.
You are not just a home based employee, you are a home based everything.
You are expanding into new roles you never anticipated in a world that seems to be shrinking around you.
How do you get grounded?
How are you supposed to be productive?
How do you accept and integrate this new normal without loosing yourself even more than you already have?
If you finding yourself asking IS 2020 OVER YET? You are not alone!
I have some tools and strategies to help you shift your mindset and motivation and get you back into alignment so that you can continue to move forward with your life even through this pandemic.
Join me on Saturday the 17th @ 2PM EDT on my YouTube channel for a FREE LIVE Workshop designed to help you navigate this unprecedented time, align your priorities and start living your life with clarity and purpose once again.
I’d love to hear how you’ve been managing in this unusual time, so drop me a comment below and let me know what you have been struggling with specifically that I can address for you in the workshop.
If you have been following along with this Entrepreneurial blog post series for a few months, you know that I have been experiencing a series of break-throughs with my mindset, my business and my content since lockdown started. So, it shouldn’t really be a surprise to anyone that September was my BEST MONTH EVER for my business so far.
Not only was September my personal best month of sales, it also now holds the record for my top three individual days of earning ever in the history of my shop which opened in 2014.
Because of this massive influx of abundance, I was able to hit a bunch of goals I had set for myself for the year, and unsurprisingly, these goals were things I had been manifesting on intentionally through my daily manifestation journaling practice.
I did a significant amount of mindset work leading into September and, well, it worked! I was able to attract an amount of money I have never reached before in my business, with what truly felt like a fraction of the effort I have put into previous months, campaigns or launches.
I have always believed that manifestation and law of attraction worked. I have played with it for years and years, but September truly proved to me that my reality and my level of abundance was completely under my control.
So, of course, I am now left wondering…
How do you follow up your best month ever?
Clearly, I have hit a new level, I tapped into a new high for myself and my business and frankly, I do not want it to end. I desire more, I know I deserve more, I know I am ready for more, I am ready to show up and do the work to receive more again in October.
I am still playing with all this but I want to teach you how to do this too. I want to go deeper on this idea of mindset and manifestation with you. Either for your business or your productivity in general, this is a tool and a skill everyone should understand how to use.
We have three months left in 2020, and I know many of us just want to throw in the towel for this year, but there is still so much time for us to do the deeply important work of breaking down our mental barriers, getting clear on what it is we desire and taking inspired action on plans to change the trajectory of our life and year.
Look, I know many people are going to say 2020 was the worst year ever, and I certainly don’t blame them. But for me, it wasn’t the worst year. It was actually quite an amazing year for me. And I know if I could accomplish so much for myself in such a tough year, holy smokes I can do anything!
So this is what I want to do.
I want to have another live class with you this month.
I want to talk to you about how 2020 has been going and I want to hep you shift your mindset on your outlook for this year and I want to inspire you to take action on the life you want.
Let’s get together LIVE on Saturday October 17th @ 2pm EDT.
We’ll call the class IS 2020 OVER YET? Because I know that’s how many of us are feeling right now, and it is my intention with the class to help you break out of this mindset.
Don’t worry, we still have time to shift out of this mindset, and we can build momentum starting now.
We don’t have to wait for 2020 to be over.
We can have the shift now,
We can feel better now,
We can take action and have exactly what we want, starting now.
So, mark your planners for Saturday October 17th @ 2pm EDT.
AND get yourself on my list so I can send you the direct link to the class in the morning a few hours before we begin!
(If you are already on my list, you can skip this step!)
Your home office is a very important part of your productivity and success. I know you might not think so initially, when you think about the amount of time you spend in your home office and how it makes you feel to be there, you can begin to see it’s importance. Making sure your space feels right to you and uplifts your mood and energy should be a primary priority to you. Your office needs to have the right vibe if you want to maximize your productivity and reach new levels of success there. So to help you raise the vibration of your office, I have picked out 13 Chic Accessories to Turn Your Office Into a Vibe!
Of course the easiest way to raise the vibration of your office is to use crystals. Known for their varying metaphysical properties, crystals can adjust the energy of your office space depending on the type you choose. I think a large quartz crystal geode is a no-brainer for any office vibe.
Cute keyboard
Ergonomics lesson two. If you work at a computer all day, it’s much better for you to type on a keyboard that way you can adjust the way you are seated to perform comfortably. And if you need an external keyboard, why not make it a vibe. This one is so freaking cute I am about to add it to my cart as we speak!
Clipboard
If you often have a lot of papers to wrangle at your desk, nothing is more vibe-y than using a clipboard. I feel like they are an accessory of the past or belong in a formal office environment so they really stand out in a well organized home office. This acrylic clipboard with galaxy print is such a vibe.
My number one favorite planner vibe at the moment is a clear or transparent planner. Luckily, it is super easy and inexpensive to get this look yourself. Purchase your clear planner here.
A classical mini bust is such a vibe at the moment for chic home offices. I have two in my office right now. I recommend finding a bust of a classical figure or sculpture that speaks to you on a personal level, if you shop here you have a lot of options to choose from.
I hope this collection of 13 Chic Accessories helps you to create a serious vibe in your office so you can reach all your potential in productivity and success. I’d love to hear about your must have office accessories in the comments, so please let me know!
I hope you had a wonderful and productive month of August. My month was pretty successfulwith the implementation of my new content schedule that I outlined for you in last months installment of this series. So, I wanted to give you a recap of how the past month has gone for me, the results I’ve seen from just a few weeks of work, and how I really feel like I’ve been embodying the concept of working smarter, not harder through this process.
My New Content Posting Schedule
To give you a recap of my new posting schedule, I am now publishing content every day of the week onto one of my platforms.
MWF I post to Instagram, T/Th I post to my blog, Sat is a YouTube Video and Sun is an email to my list.
So, I’ve been creating a lot of content, but it honestly has been such a breeze for me because I have been implementing some great productivity strategy for time and task management.
Time and Task Management Strategies I’ve been Using
First, in terms of the task management aspect of this, all of my content ideas are preplanned as part of my editorial calendar, so I always know what I am creating for each piece of content. Yes, I have made a few last minute changes to content, but overall, knowing exactly what I am posting on what platform on which day is such a time and energy saver. Even if I am low on time, there is no decision fatigue that I face for my content, I just need to do what I already planned to do- pretty easy!
Another task and time management strategy I have been relying on heavily for the last month is batching my work. When I film videos for youtube, for instance, I film two in one day, which means I only have to film every other week, instead of weekly. I don’t consider filming to be difficult work overall, but batching my filming saves so much time because much of my time on filming days is literally the setup. Doing my hair and makeup, getting my camera equipment set up, getting the dogs settled so I can actually film without background barking. All that takes time and to only have to go through that process every other week is a major time and energy saver. Then of course I also edit and upload my videos together and schedule everything to go live on the proper days which helps me to get ahead on my work.
I also batch other work as well. I always write my blog posts for a week together on the same day, and at this point I am writing for a week ahead so everything is scheduled and ready to go.
The only content I end up posting in real time are my Instagram posts because I can’t autoschedule those. Of course, I do write most of those captions and decide on the photo or video ahead of time to make it all easy for me. I have been using the Apple Notes app on my MacBook/iPhone to organize the elements of my Instagram posts so I have all the pieces on hand when I am ready to publish.
My weekly email as well is always written a few days ahead of time and scheduled. I usually write those on Friday as my last work task for the week which has been working out very well.
Sticking to My Daily Top 3 Tasks
The final time and task management strategy I have been sticking to very well over the past month is the idea of my Top 3. In July with the launch of the 2021 Planner insert collection, I switched my weekly view in my planner to week on one page as opposed to the week on two pages I had been using all year.
The major difference with these inserts is that they are much more focused on prioritizing your top 3 list, which is a strategy I often talk about where you literally list the three things you absolutely need to focus on for the day. The way I work and the way I plan, I don’t normally write down each and every task I have to complete in a day, instead I like to focus on writing down just the things I know are super important, business related or things I just need to stick to. Like if I could only accomplish three things very well today, what would they be? Nothing else matters as much as these three tasks.
So, in order to avoid overwhelm and stay as focused as possible with this new content schedule, as well as my other work for the month, I have been sticking to the top 3 list each day as a place to guide my energy and focus. I try to knock out the top 3 as quickly as possible because I know if I just get those things done, I am golden. I have nothing to worry about, little things can be forgotten but these three must be done.
I’ve also gotten even better at prioritization because of this practice because I do believe prioritization is a skill that you need to develop to understand what is truly important to get done for the day and what just seems urgent.
The Results I’ve Seen
Now, you might not think that posting on a consistent schedule for just a few weeks would have such a noticeable impact so quickly, but I have already been able to see some significant results.
✔︎My subscriptions on Youtube are up 25% from prior month.
✔︎My Instagram follower count is up about 100 and I’m getting more views on my IG Stories than usual.
✔︎I’ve been receiving more replies to my emails.
✔︎ I’ve been receiving much more engagement from my audience across platforms.
✔︎ The Charmed Shop is getting more consistent daily sales.
Honestly, it’s those last three that are the most important to me. I don’t really give too much concern over follower numbers as long as I am growing that’s good. I realize I am in a very privileged position that I already have a sizable audience online. At least my audience and my list are a size I am very proud of and help support my business in a way that I feel good about. The size of my audience, however, is also likely why I have had such great results in such a quick period of time. I’m not building an audience from scratch, I am just re-engaging them with my content across my platforms.
I’m eager to see how my community starts reengaging with me more and more over the coming months, especially on Instagram where I have been so stagnant for so long because I have just not been posting good content there. I know it’s easy for creators, influencers and business owners to blame a platform or an algorithm for why their accounts aren’t growing or engaged, but I know the truth is usually that the account itself is the problem. I know in my example that is true for sure. I took a big break from Instagram (several years…oops) so I have only myself to blame for low engagement. Hopefully, I’ll be able to revive my account through interesting, valuable and eye catching content and prove that it’s not the platform itself that’s the problem.
So, that is how I have been working smarter, not harder in August getting my new content schedule underway. Of course, I look forward to September being more of the same, more content, more engagement, more sales, more of me creating a valuable and popular business that serves my customers and audience well!
I hope you found this post to be informative and enlightening. I would love to know your thoughts on my new content schedule, so please share with me in the comments!
Wishing you a productive and successful month ahead!
You know what that means? I have a new free printable insert to share with you!
This months freebie is not just an insert, but a productivity strategy I like to use as often as I can to ensure I am completely on top of my task management.
It’s the Power Hour!
How to Perform a Power Hour
A Power Hour is a dedicated block of time where we intentionally work on completing tasks that we have been putting off. Maybe these are tasks that have fallen through the cracks of our weekly schedule, they could be tasks that we end up deferring day over day because of higher priorities, or they’re tasks that for one reason or another we have been avoiding.
Whatever the reason, if these tasks need to get done, we have to focus and knock them out. The Power Hour concept is one that can encourage us to get the work done by setting a block of time that makes it easier to get started.
Step One: Set a block of time for your Power Hour where you can work uninterrupted.
Step Two: Compile a list of tasks to work on during the time block.
Step Three: Set a timer and get to work! Often setting a timer ignites a sense of focus and intention that we don’t normally have otherwise.
Feel free to perform this Power Hour strategy as often as necessary to stay focused and productive!
And don’t forget to download the FREE Power Hour Insert to help you keep this entire process organized for you!
And of course, if there is anything you need from me, any questions you have for dealing with your productivity or life during this challenging time, please let me know how I can support you and bring you the solutions or resources to make things a little easier for you!
It’s been ages since I posted my last productivity playlist here on the blog, so let me quickly reintroduce the series for those of you who might be new or completely forgot about it!
Productivity Playlist is a series here on StrangeCharmed.com where I share a playlist of music I have been listening to while I work. Research shows that listening to music, specifically music without lyrics, can help increase your productivity by providing white noise as a background sound to drown out other random noise. For this reason, classical music is often touted as a brain and productivity booster, but it’s not the only option. So, from time to time I like to share a collection of music that I have been listening to in order to give you some new beats to help you whistle while you work!
In this fresh installment, I am sharing a new musical obsession with you, Lo-fi hip-hop. Don’t let the hip-hop term fool you, it’s nothing close to what you might be thinking. It’s just seriously some of the most chill and good work vibe music I have come across. No lyrics, just music and the occasional vague echo of a voice. So, without further ado, here is the playlist for you to enjoy.
I hope you enjoy this playlist and I would love to hear about what you have been listening to while you work, so please do leave me a comment and tell me about it!
