Productivity

Productivity

Work From Home Productivity Tips!

Hello My Charmed Ones!

Working from home is a concept I am all too familiar with. Even before quarantine and before I left my job to go full-time for my own business, I was a home based employee.

Working from home has a certain allure that many office goers are often curious about and sometimes envious of, but trust me, working from home is no cake walk! I’m often asked about how I stay productive when I work from home because to be completely honest, working from home can be a total productivity killer. Unlike working in a structured office setting, home based workers are faced with many different obstacles that often cause them to be less productive. This may not translate to all at-home workers, but I know I have experienced challenges working from home and I know others who have as well. The way I see it, there are three main issues that home based workers face.

Isolation: Working from home often times means working alone and this issue often caused me a lot of grief even when I did work for a Fortune 50 company and technically had co-workers. When I worked in an office I often felt like my co-workers were a major distraction to me because they would pop in and out of my office all the time, but when I transitioned to working from home I realized that those interruptions actually forced me to take a break from my work every so often. You see, when you work from home you don’t have the same pressures and excuses to get work done that you do when you work in an office. There is no “Oh, I really need to finish up this report quickly before my co-worker stops by to chat about our project.” Although many of us dilly dally when we work in an office, we also have some institutional pressures that actually help us get our work done!

Lack of Accountability: Depending on the type of work you do and whether you work from a home for a company or for yourself, you may feel a lack of accountability looming over your head to keep you productive. This is something I felt as a home based employee and something I struggle with now that I work for myself. When your supervisors or co-workers aren’t watching, you feel like you can slow down your pace, engage in more distracting behavior (like turning on the TV or doing the laundry) that can waste much of your time when you should be working.

Distractions: As much as a formal office setting has its own unique set of distractions, nothing is more distracting that working from home. Seriously, your bed is never more than a few steps away from you at all times which is a very tempting trap I often fall into! Working from home gives you a lot of freedom, many of us think that if we work from home we can get all our work done and clean the house and make dinner as well, but in my experience that isn’t the case. Unless you are highly disciplined it’s going to be hard for you to get your full 8 hours of work in and then a bunch of extra personal items as well. Other than the time you get back from your commute, you really don’t get anymore hours in a day when you are a home based worker!

So, what can we do about this very common issues that at home workers face?

I have a few tips that I use to keep myself productive and I suggest you put these into practice for your own home/work balance!

Create a defined office space: It’s very important as a home based worker to have a defined office space. Your bed cannot be your office! Get a desk and a chair, set yourself up an area of your bedroom or home to be your office. I am lucky enough to have a dedicated room in my home that I use as my office space and I feel drastically more productive when I work from it. Make sure to add personality and decor to your office or workspace as well by adding inspirational artwork to your walls, keeping a supply of stationery and office supplies on hand and of course, having all the necessary office gadgets you need to get your work done like a printer, fax machine etc. Now, although you may have a defined office space, I also find it helpful from time to time to get yourself out of your space and work from another location. In non-covid times, that would mean take your laptop and some paperwork and head over to a local cafe or library to get some work done at a remote location. With covid, however, I think we need to get a little more creative. I have some alternate spots in my home that I use as my occasional office (including my bed) and I know for a change of scenery some people have taken to working inside their cars from a more scenic location near their homes. So, even in social distancing, we can still switch it up when need be.

Engage in a morning routine: For a long time I woke up, got out of bed and went straight to work in my office. Since I didn’t have to get ready to go into the office, I thought there was no reason for me to establish a morning routine, but I find that having a morning routine and getting dressed and ready in the morning is a major boost to my productivity. Although no one sees me when I work from home except my family, I find that I actually get more done on the days where I actually wake up, put on a cute but comfortable outfit and do my hair and makeup just a bit! The ritual of getting ready establishes a sense of accountability for me that really helps me to stay focused and productive during the day.

Connect with other remote workers: To combat the isolation that comes from being a remote worker, I highly recommend connecting with other remote workers to create a support system. These workers could be other home based employees as your company, or friends and family members that also work from home. I think it’s a great practice to have an instant messaging application open on your computer and connected with these individuals so that throughout the day you have people to talk to. You can even schedule lunch dates to meet up with a friend during your lunch hour or have a Skype date during lunch time with another virtual co-worker!

Another great way to stay connected with other at-home workers is by joining an accountability group like the Productivity + Planning Mastermind. We chat daily via Slack, have regular accountability check-ins and I host two live calls a month. It’s like having some virtual co-workers and friends at the same time!

Set a consistent work schedule: Another issue I have is that since I work from home, I end up working at all hours of the day and night. Usually I do this when I haven’t felt particularly productive all day and feel like I need to make up for my laziness by working well into the night to complete a project or tasks, but it is a terrible practice that I highly suggest avoiding. To combat this, I think it’s important to set a work schedule for yourself. Set your start time, breaks, lunch and end time for the day and try to stick to it. It will be hard at first, but if you can set yourself alarms to remind you to start and stop working that may help you build the habit.

Define an end of day routine: Like your morning routine when you get up to go to work, I realized that as an at home worker part of the puzzle I was missing was also an end of day routine. When I worked in an office I had this end of day routine where I would stop working on my projects, organize any in-progress information for the next day, clean up my workspace, and then shut down my computer before I left. As an at home worker, I think it’s very important to establish an end of day routine like this that works for your own situation. It will help you prepare your mind to shut off from work for the day, and leave your space ready for you to pick up and get back at it again in the morning!

I hope these tips gave you some inspiration and ideas for how you can be more productive when working from home.

Being a home based worker isn’t always as easy and care free as you might think so if you are an office based worker that is considering transitioning to home based, I highly suggest giving this some thought before making the leap and establishing good habits from day one that will make your transition easier!

Of course, let me know if any of these tips helped you or if you have any more tips to share with the community!

xoxo,

Alexis-Signature
Productivity

5 Productive Work From Home Lunch Break Ideas

Hello My Charmed Ones!

Today, I want to share 5 Productive Work From Home Lunch Break Ideas with you all.

We are about to commemorate one year in our global pandemic lockdown, and at this point, most of us have become much more skilled at working from home. If you were one of the many employees who shifted to a work from home life-style for the first time, I know the last year for you hasn’t been easy. I can only imagine the adjustment you had to go through and I know many of you still don’t feel as productive as usual working from home.

As someone who has worked from home for years running my own business, I know I certainly went through a transition like this myself. The biggest challenge I struggled with, that I think many of you can relate to, was taking breaks. When you work in an office, it’s a little easier to convince yourself to take a break I think because you feel like you are in a work environment and so taking 30 minutes to an hour in the middle of the day for your lunch break to relax and perhaps take care of your own personal work seems more acceptable. But when you work from home, at least for me, you can feel like you don’t need to take a break because you are already home. But then of course, lack of clear break time exhausts us mentally, and makes it even easier for us to work overtime.

Something that has helped me establish more Work Life Balance since working for myself is the idea of taking a productive lunch break.

Yes, being at home steps away from my kitchen means I have easy access to food and snacks, so maybe I’m not always hungry during my lunch break, so I have found other productive things to do during my lunch break that make me feel like I am using it wisely, while also using it to decompress and take a true break from work.

Here are my 5 Productive Work From Home Lunch Break Ideas!

1. Listen to a 15-30 minute guided meditation

Nothing helps me reset my productivity quite like a guided meditation. For those who are new to the practice of meditating, using a guided track makes it easier to relax and focus because you are paying attention to the directions you are being given. If you struggle to meditate on your own, try a guided track and see if you enjoy that. Not only does meditating have a wonderful ability to re-energize our minds but truthfully, a guided meditation track is also something you can do while you are eating your lunch or doing other productive activities during your break. Don’t think you always have to be sitting down quietly with your eyes closed to be meditating, because there are many different ways to put our minds in a meditative state. Maybe you just don’t want to be driving or doing anything too complicated or dangerous while listening to the track, however!

2. Read or listen to a book on tape

Members of my community often ask me how they can fit in new habits they are interested in like reading, and I think using your break time as a dedicated time for something like reading is a great idea. Reading or listening to a book on tape is a great way to relax and rest your mind, shifting your focus away from work. So, if you want to start reading more regularly, try doing so as part of your work from home lunch break!

3. Watch an inspirational or entertaining YouTube Video

I have spoken before about how I enjoy using incentives like watching a YouTube video as a reward for being productive at work and avoid procrastination. You could certainly use this as a lunch break strategy where you get a mid-day break to do something fun you enjoy like watching a Video. Now, I do think it’s best for these videos to either be inspirational or entertaining because if you can get a jolt of motivation or some laughter in your day, that is going to be a boost to your productivity!

4. Add some new inspiration to your vision board

For me, my vision board isn’t just something I create at the start of the year and stick to, it’s a living breathing work of inspiration that I like to currently update. So, spending some time searching for images online or quotes you can print out and add to your vision board is a great, relaxing and inspiring way to spend a lunch break.

5. Write out affirmations

If you have some affirmations you are trying to use to reprogram your mind, spending a little time during your lunch break writing them each out several times is a easy bit of mindset work you can do to be productive. I like to write my affirmations out 3 x 3, so three affirmations written out three times. Do whatever works for you, but make sure while you are writing out the affirmations, that you feel the feelings of that affirmation being your truth. That is the best way to get those affirmations plugged into our brain quickly!

So, I hope you enjoyed these 5 Productive Work From Home Lunch Break Ideas. I would love to hear which idea you are going to start implementing so please leave me a comment and tell me about it!

Best productivity wishes!

xoxo,



Functional Planning Productivity

How to Set Your Top 3 Daily Tasks

Hello My Charmed Ones!

If you have been following me for a while, you have likely heard me talk about one of my major productivity and planning strategies, the Top 3 List.

The Top 3 List is a list of 3 prioritized daily tasks that you need to focus on for the day. Many women in my community come to me, asking how they can get a handle on their never ending to-do list, how they can find focus to ensure they are completing the most important tasks, and how they can make the time to work on their own personal goals alongside tasks for work, home or family life. The Top 3 list is a productivity and planning strategy that I believe addresses all three of those situations. This strategy is so impactful, in fact, that I intentionally design a Daily Top 3 List into all of my Functional Planning Inserts.

It’s a basic fact of life that for most of us in a day, to borrow a line from Elton John, “there is more to do than can ever be done.” Most of us have never ending, ever growing to do lists and when you try to organize your day by your to-do list alone, you will find that tasks are an infinite source of work that can easily drain your energy and take over the precious time you have in a day.

If you are working off this never ending list each and everyday, I can confidently say, I know that there are things you are NOT getting done off that list. And I would bet that some of the things you push off for the next day end up being priority tasks that really should have been completed today.

So, by taking the focus off your complete to-do list and instead pulling just three tasks from it to prioritize for the day, you will begin to see that by choosing those three tasks strategically, you will ensure you are always getting the most important work on your list done.

There is also a fundamental principle of productivity known as the Pareto Principle or 80/20 Rule. It states that just 20% of our actions create 80% of our results. That means that 20% of the things we do in a day are leading to the majority of our outcomes. So, truly, there are some tasks that are just higher impact for our days than others, and the Top 3 list gives us an opportunity each day to zero in on those few tasks that will truly yield the most results for us.

So, it would benefit all of us to start using the Daily Top 3 List as a jumping off point for our daily work. By no means does the Top 3 List mean you ONLY complete three things each day, instead these are just the tasks that really need to be prioritized.

Sounds easy, right? Choose three tasks every day and get them done, simple enough!

Well, not quite.

I will say that although this strategy is simple in theory, it’s not as easy as it seems in practice because it requires us to be very good at prioritizing. It’s not enough to choose any three tasks, this strategy only works when we choose the right 3 tasks.

I consider the ability to prioritize our tasks a mental muscle that we need to flex in order to develop it to its potential.

When you get started setting your Daily Top 3, I promise you, you are going to make some mistakes. You will list out tasks that aren’t actually priorities, you will think something is a priority but then realize your error half way through the day, and you are going to accidentally put projects on your Top 3 instead of tasks (very common.)

But, the more you use this strategy, day in and day out, you are going to improve. You will start setting a better Top 3 List and it’s going to bring you to a completely new level of productivity, focus and achievement when you start getting done the important tasks and letting go of the non-essentials.

So, to help you create a better Top 3 List, I have a few tips or prompts for you to consider when you sit down at your planner each day.

Tip #1: If you could only do 3 things today, which would make the day feel like a success? These might be tasks you are afraid to tackle but know you will feel so good when they are complete. Or these are tasks with impending due dates, or that need to be done before something else that is also important can be accomplished.

Tip #2: Choose tasks that aren’t part of the daily routine you always do. You don’t need to prioritize things that are everyday no-brainers for you because you will likely have some form of self-discipline that kicks in to ensure you get those things done anyway.

Tip #3: Choose 3 individual tasks NOT projects. A project is a collection of multiple steps or tasks that need to be accomplished, and if you put a project on your top 3, it’s going to take much more time and effort for you to complete and will undermine the effectiveness of this strategy.

I hope this post and these tips helps you to start using this simple but powerful planning and productivity strategy in your own life daily. If you are using a planner or inserts that do not give you the dedicated space to list out your Top 3 each day, I highly recommend you check out my Master Plan System of inserts. As I mentioned earlier, all of the Functional Planning Inserts I design, including those in the Master Plan System include a dedicated space for this essential planning and productivity strategy because it truly is a game changer that will upgrade the way you work each day.

Remember, for the month of February I have a discount code FEB2021 for 20% OFF all the planning inserts and tools in TheCharmedShop.com!

xoxo,

Mindset Personal Development Productivity

Do we all have the same 24 hours in a day?

A few weeks ago, one of my master mind sisters in the Productivity + Planning Master Mind asked for my opinion on an image she had seen on Instagram. I will post the image here for you to read, but essentially, it was a tweet from the Author Shailja Patel explaining her belief that the concept “We all have the same 24 hours” is nonsense due to income inequality. I thought this was an interesting item to comment on and I provided the following feedback to the group. After our conversation, it was suggested that my response was so poignant that I should share it in a post for my wider community. The following was my response, I have reformatted it to flow better in this post:

This is where I agree with this post- there are people who are systematically underserved in our world, for which doing everyday things takes much more time and effort.

People who cannot afford a car or ride share services, and have to take public transport places.

People who live in areas where grocery stores are further from their homes, so they rely on corner stores where food is marked up in price.

People who cannot afford childcare and don’t have a reliable system of friends or family around them to help with that, so they have to take less desirable jobs with more flexible work schedules and often lower pay.

This is a real issue and it makes life a struggle for them.

Communities of color suffer from this the most.

But I still don’t love this post, because it is comparing those communities on one extreme of the productivity spectrum to those on the other, and it’s leaving out “the middle class”.

I like to use the phrase “we all have the same 24 hours in a day” because on a basic level, it’s true and there are examples of people from every point on the privilege (or non-privilege) scale that do buckle down, do the work, stay focused and become a success (whatever that means for them).

There are plenty of people who come from families of wealth who blow their money, are completely unproductive and end up on the streets as well.

That’s what I don’t like about the post. It’s comparing two extremes and almost giving people with enough resources a built in excuse as to why they don’t have to achieve their goals if they have some barrier that they judge in their way.

When it comes to the “middle class” many of us have enough resources at our disposal to move towards our goals and dreams, if we choose to see them and take advantage of them, and yet, plenty of us aren’t reaching our potential.

What it comes down to for me is mindset.

I know that until systems are devised to help the underserved, it’s always going to be more difficult for a majority of people in those situations to move out of those circumstances, but if you look at this from a mindset perspective, if one person in a bad situation decides they are going to do whatever it takes to go after their dreams, then I know they will make it.

The same thing is true of a middle class mother, the same thing is true of a billionaires daughter.

The only difference between them to me, is that it’s much easier for someone who has endless resources at their disposal to believe they can achieve what they want and go after it.

The middle class mother has less resources, but still plenty of opportunity if she would see it.

The poor high school drop out has even less resources and opportunity, but can still make any dream happen if they are willing to shift their mindset to believe and do the work.

One of the most common productivity conundrums I see is “I know what I need to do, I have made the plan and I have the time, but when the time comes, I don’t do what I know I should do to achieve my goal. How do I fix this?”

The answer is mindset.

In that situation, if you know what you want to achieve and have a plan and even have some time to move it forward, if you are NOT taking action, it’s because of something in your mindset. A limiting belief. And you will never do the work, no matter how good the plan is or how much time you give yourself, until you remove that block and shift your mindset.

The factor I think we all often forget when it comes to achieving goals is that, multiple people can have the same goal and take completely different routes to achieve it. That’s what having the same 24 hours in a day means to me. Not that we are all going to execute the same strategy to reach the goal, or that we all need to be on level playing ground to make our goals happen. Instead, it’s understanding that we all have our unique place in the world where we are right now, and still we can all reach the same destination if we choose to take action and believe we are capable and worthy of our objective.

Until we acknowledge that mindset is the deciding factor in success, we are always going to be focused on the wrong elements, leaving more people of means reaching their potential than those with less, and a heck of a lot of people with “enough” believing they aren’t enough.

So, what do you think? Leave me a comment below and share your thoughts.

xoxo,

Business Office

7 Essential Tools for Business In Bed

Hello my Charmed Ones!

We are getting close to the one year mark of our world-wide shelter in place orders and I don’t know about you, but I have been needing a change in my home office situation.

So, instead of working from my office at a desk- I kid you not- I have reverted back to working from my bed a few days a week and I have been really loving it.

Of course, for the sake of your productivity and mental health, working from your bed is probably not the best choice for an ongoing daily habit, but I will say, it’s kind of fun and great for those days when you need to get stuff done behind the computer screen and really want to have grace with yourself.

This setup might not be for everyone, but if you have the right kind of work to do and the right mindset around this, it really can work.

It all started for me about a week ago when the shine of the New Year wore off (as it always does) and I was feeling very caged into my current routine. Wake up, get ready, sit in office, do work… was getting to be too monotonous for me. BUT I had work to do and a business to run, so out of sheer laziness I grabbed my laptop and brought it right back to bed with me.

My initial goal was simply to indulge my laziness while getting a few essential tasks completed. I told myself “finish your top three and you can be lazy and lie in bed the rest of the day guilt-free.” So, I sat in bed with my laptop and unexpectedly completed my tasks in almost no time at all. Propped up by pillows and still wearing the oversized t-shirt I had slept in, all the mental resistance to my work faded away and I found clarity. It felt so good and so freeing to just give myself permission to stay in bed to work, and so I worked from my bed most of that week. It was the grace I needed that week to keep myself feeling sane and in control.

So, I’ve taken to calling this home office setup Business In Bed- highly imaginative, I know! But I put together a little roundup of tools that made my Business In Bed experience even more convenient for me and I wanted to share the inspiration with you all!

7 Essential Tools for Business In Bed

  1. Lapdesk: https://amzn.to/39eQ5Bu
  2. Blue Light Blocking Glasses: https://amzn.to/3olir1g
  3. Work Timer: https://amzn.to/3iKBMro
  4. Tumbler: https://amzn.to/2MlllFZ
  5. Slippers: https://amzn.to/3iMTL0I
  6. Roomba: https://amzn.to/3c4BlqO
  7. Apple Airpods Max: https://amzn.to/3iIVwvN

I hope this post gave you some inspiration for your new favorite work space! Let me know in the comments how you have been switching it up as you shelter in place and work from home.

xoxo,

Functional Planning Metaphysics Personal Development Productivity

How to Journal: 7 Strategies for Productivity, Manifestation & Self-Therapy

Hello my Charmed Ones!

If you have been curious about journaling, today I have some great information to share with you. In this post, I will explain:

  • Why you should start journaling
  • Strategies to consider for journaling
  • Tools to use when beginning your practice
  • Building the habit of daily (or regular) journaling

Why you should start journaling

There are plenty of reasons why someone would want to journal, and if you are reading this I assume you are trying to get some inspiration for yourself or you already know why you want to start in some form. I think it’s very important when you start a practice and regular habit like journaling that you know what you intend to get out of the experience. When you have that personal reason why or your intention for it set, it makes it much easier for you to decide the strategy you want to use, stick to the practice and remain accountable to it.

Documented Benefits of Journaling

  • Mental clarity
  • Improve your Productivity
  • Reduced Stress and anxiety
  • Increased Happiness
  • Identify and overcome limiting beliefs
  • Reprogram your mindset
  • Self-therapy and reflection for self-awareness
  • Manifestation of goals

Okay, now that you know why you want to journal, let’s discuss the common strategies that you can use to do so. I have seven to share with you and I want to make it clear that you can choose one or more of these types to use at once. I myself often switch between these different strategies of journaling often or I tend to do more than one in a single journaling session. 

Strategies to consider for journaling

  1. Brain-dump – write down all the things your holding in your mind to organize and prioritize them.
  2. Stream of consciousness writing – just writing out all your thoughts feelings emotions to release your thoughts and self reflect. See morning pages from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.
  3. Gratitude journaling – list out gratitude, good to set your mindset as it’s documented to make you 10% happier.
  4. Journal prompts – guided journaling for self reflection, great for people who get overwhelmed at the thought of having to fill a blank page.
  5. Affirmations – repeatedly writing out affirmations. Stick to 1-3 as to not overwhelm yourself.
  6. Scripting – writing out how you want your day to go for the purpose of manifesting it.
  7. Future writing – journaling as yourself but at a future date in time after some goal or achievement has been met and chronical everything that happened to bring you to that point

Tools to use when beginning your practice

For the most part you can get started journaling with just some blank note paper or even a note taking app on your phone or computer. There is some data that supports writing by hand rather than typing but that is really for specific benefits of stress reduction. So, what you intend to get out of your journaling is key to know when choosing the tools to use.

As an example, a notebook like the Stalogy Editor’s Series gives you a years worth of undated pages to really do any of the journaling strategies we discussed already.

For myself, personally, I get a little intimidated by a completely blank page with no structure or guidance so over the years as I’ve been journaling for various reasons, I’ve designed different inserts for journaling to accompany my planner.

Building the habit of daily (or regular) journaling

The final piece of the journaling equation is to actually build the habit. Now, it’s up to you to decide if you need journaling to be a daily practice, a weekly practice or just something you do sporadically when you need it. This links back to your why, and ultimately is your choice. You can’t mess up journaling and there are no rules that say you have to journal a specific amount of times or at a specific time of day to get benefit from it.

Is journaling a habit that the more you do, the more you improve… of course! But I want to remind you not to turn the idealization of a perfect journaling practice that is going to change your life forever, into an expectation that you struggle to meet and then end up beating yourself up about. As you get started with journaling, I’d advise you to invest in the tools that make you excited, and then set a reasonable schedule for journaling. Some people prefer journaling in the morning, some in the evening. I aim for the morning but when I forget I have no problem doing a midday reset or even a bed time journaling session.

Start slow, maybe one day a week. And then after a few weeks, build up to two days and so on. There is no reason to overwhelm yourself! Use journaling as a tool for your self improvement. And remember the affirmation I gave you last week what I decide gets to be the path for me this is definitely true of journaling!

Watch the video

I hope this information has been helpful for you in determining how to begin your own journaling practice. In the comments I would love to hear about which strategies you are interested in trying for yourself!

xoxo,

Functional Planning Productivity

What action are you taking on your goals this week?

I have a very important question for you to consider…

What actions are you planning to do this week to move your goals forward?

Seriously… do you know the specific actions you are going to take this week to move your goals closer to completion and have you set aside the time to make them happen?

I know I do!

The action steps for my goals are clearly listed out in my planner and weeks ago when I set my goals I allocated time to complete them into my weekly schedule.

That is how I ensure my goals come to fruition.

I set the goals, I break them down into actionable tasks and I schedule those tasks into my planner to take the guess work out of whether or not my goals will be met.

All I have to do is show up to do the work in the allotted time and voila, goals accomplished!

Simple right?

Well, I know it’s easy for me to say it’s simple, because I have the right tools to ensure I am setting my goals properly, breaking them down into action plans appropriately and using a planner that gives me the space I need to prioritize these key tasks.

What are those tools?

The 2021 Master Plan System + The You Got This! Strategic Goal Setting and Planning Guide.

You Got This! provides the framework to set the right objectives for my goals and creates a system for helping me strategically break down each objective into a simple action plan.

Then, the Master Plan System is the place I list out all those actions and schedule them into the appropriate times for me to work on them.

These two tools are a match made in goal getting heaven!

DON’T OWN THE 2021 MASTER PLAN SYSTEM AND YOU GOT THIS YET?

No problem!

Now, through the end of January, when you purchase both the 2021 Master Plan System of your choice + You Got This, you will receive 30% OFF with an instant discount code 2021GoalPlan.

This means all you have to do to secure a 30% discount on BOTH these amazing tools is to add them to your cart and the discount is automatically applied when you visit your cart and proceed to checkout.

So, go ahead and CLICK HERE to choose the 2021 Master Plan System that is right for you,

AND then CLICK HERE to add You Got This to your cart as well!

Make your purchase now because this offer expires soon and I rarely ever make an offer this good on TWO of my best selling products at once!

Offer expires January 31st at 11:59 PM EST

I can’t wait to hear about all the goals you achieve in 2021 using these two amazing productivity and goal setting tools!

xoxo,

Functional Planning Metaphysics Productivity

She Who Makes the Plan Knows the Future

She Who Makes the Plan Knows the Future

There is a quote I love attributed to Abraham Lincoln that says “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

I whole heartedly agree.

As someone who does enjoy dabbling with forms of divination like tarot and the I-Ching, I understand that practically speaking we all have a significant measure of control over certain aspects of the future, particularly our own.

This is yet another line where planning and productivity intersect with metaphysical principles. 

I believe that if you set goals, create a plan, and get your mind, heart and actions in alignment with that plan, you will have written the future for yourself.

So, here are some simple tools you can use to act on this principle.

→ Daily Prompts + Affirmations for Making a Plan that Comes True

📖 Planning Prompts 🗓

🖋 What is your intention for today?

🖋 Which goals are you taking action to move forward today?

🖋 What scheduled tasks or appointments do you have for the day?

🖋 What are the 3 most important tasks that need to be accomplished today?

🖋 How do you want to spend your down time today?

🔮 Affirmations 🔮

🗝 What I decide gets to be the path for me

🗝 I can take it slow and still accomplish it all

🗝 Everyday I take steps that manifest my goals

🗝 What I focus on expands

🗝 I am the creator of my own destiny

Now, to help put these daily planning prompts into practice, I have designed a very special day on two page planning insert for the members of the Productivity + Planning Master Mind Membership. As you can see from the image above, the right facing page of the insert includes space for you to address each of the daily planning prompts; intention, top 3, goals, schedule and down time. The left facing page, which is the back of the daily planning page, is then allocated for journaling. This full lined page is perfect for manifestation journaling, listing your gratitude, scripting your day and setting your vibe with your affirmations. If you’d like to get your hands on this exclusive design, enroll in the Master Mind Membership today!

Watch the video

Let me know in the comments which affirmation resonates most with you!

xoxo,

Functional Planning organization Productivity

5 Key Dates to Schedule In Your Planner for a Productive + Organized Year

Hello my Charmed Ones!

Today, I wanted to share with you 5 Key Dates to Schedule into Your Planner Right Now for a more Productive and Organized Year Ahead!

Since we are halfway thru January already, I recommend making sure you have these dates clearly marked off in your planner as soon as possible to avoid any overwhelm or complications later in the year.

1. Birthdays + Anniversaries

First, and this is an easy one, go ahead and make sure you have the birthdays and anniversaries for people you celebrate in your planner as soon as possible. I know this is a simple one, however, with covid I’m sure many of us will be mailing cards or gifts again this year as opposed to celebrating face to face and that requires some extra lead time that you might not normally take into account for celebrations. This is such a simple thing, but I’m sure for the loved ones you are celebrating it will be that much more meaningful that you sent your cards or gifts to arrive in time for their special day, so take this as just a gentle reminder of an easy thing to do to spread happiness during a difficult time.

2. Doctor’s Appointments

Second are doctors appointments, specifically annual checkups or well visits. Covid has put a strain on many doctors offices, so scheduling out those annual visits now is going to be crucial to ensure you fit in those important health appointments and that you get seen in a timely manner. I know last year I didn’t do this and when I went to schedule my annual exams I ended up having to wait several weeks to get in to see my doctors, so avoid that hassle this year, call and schedule those appointments as soon as possible and get the dates locked into your planner.

3. Vacation Time

Third is your vacation time, another great thing to have scheduled out now in January to avoid issues later this year. Some of you, I’m sure, need to get your vacation time approved by a manager, so getting those requests in now avoids any scheduling conflicts that might happen later in the year. I’m always surprised to see the statistics on how many Americans do not use all of their paid vacation time during the year, and I want to make sure you take the time you are owed because you work hard and you definitely need the break. If you are like me and work for yourself, take some time and map out the days you want to take off. I’m going to try to take some vacation time on a quarterly basis as opposed to what do now, which is not schedule any vacation and then just take a bunch of time off when I burn out at some point during the year. I think scheduling time off might work better for me productively and I hope it does for you as well.

4. Scheduled Maintenance

Fourth, think about scheduled maintenance you might need to have done on your home, vehicles or appliances and get those dates in your planner and any necessary appointments scheduled. Again, don’t just wait until you’re closer to the approximate maintenance date to get those things scheduled because with covid we have no clue how backed up maintenance workers are going to be. Better to have the foresight now and get it scheduled in your planner.

5. Due Dates for Projects

Fifth and finally, make sure to schedule the due dates for projects- this could be work and personal projects, whatever pertains to you, but that is something I am making sure I have clearly scheduled into my planner. I’ll take the due dates from my project plans, especially ones that pertain to my annual goals, and make sure they are clearly tracked in my planner. I’m going to even take those a step further and schedule reminder dates like 1 week and 1 month until a project is due based on it’s size. Whatever you can do to keep those projects on the top of your mind the better. Time moves so fast, especially in quarantine so its easy to loose sense of time and urgency and this is a way we can combat that for ourselves and be a little more organized and productive this year!

Watch this video on the 5 Key Dates to Schedule In Your Planner

Also, if you are interested in learning more about planning your year and improving your productivity, I welcome you to join my Productivity + Planning Master Mind. February’s master class is on the topic of functional planning and it will be filled with tips for managing your tasks and time.

I hope this information helps you plan a more productive and organized year. I would love to hear from you in the comments and know what other tasks for the year you like to plan out ahead of time?

xoxo,

Functional Planning Personal Development Productivity

How to Set Better Goals, Organize Your Tasks + Get More Done!

I’d like to ask you a question…

Are you excited about today?

✔︎ You have a plan laid for what you need to do, where you need to be and know by the end of the day all the most important things in your life will be taken care of.

✔︎ You feel like your life is together. Like the successful, productive and organized person you know you are.

✔︎ You’re not worried about anything, you’re not rushing to get things done or thinking about skipping meals or your personal tasks to make sure you get urgent priorities for others accomplished.

✔︎ You’re not putting out fires at work or at home, everything is under control and moving according to plan.

I truly hope this is how you are feeling today!

My students have these kinds of days often and I love hearing them talk about them because I know they feel in control of their lives and their is no greater feeling than that!

But for most of them, days like this were few and far between before they started working with me and my productivity resources.

• Their lives felt rushed.

• They had little time for themselves.

• They often fell asleep and woke up with a sense of exhaustion and overwhelm.

That is seriously no way to live, not when I know that just a few simple tools, strategies and skills can begin to transform your life in a matter of hours.

That’s right, I said hours! Because there are resources that you can access and implement immediately that can drastically change your productivity and release that sense of overwhelm.

Once the overwhelm is out of the way, you can ease yourself into a new way of living, a better way of living, by aligning your daily actions intentionally with your priorities and goals.

You, too, can wake up feeling refreshed, with a sense of purpose and direction, knowing that you have a solid plan in place for your day, and the knowledge and stamina to hurdle obstacles throughout your day.

If this is how you would like to feel in your own life, you owe it to yourself, your family, your job, your community, and anyone else that relies on you to show up and do your best work everyday, to invest in the resources that will make you an inspired, motivated, and productive person!

If you are ready to get started on this new path, I recommend you begin by purchasing your copy of YOU GOT THIS! The Goal Setting and Planning Workbook.

YOU GOT THIS guides you through 132 pages of real world productivity lessons, 16 instructive and enlightening activities, and 18 step-by-step worksheets to help you:

✔︎ Get clear on your priorities: Stop feeling like you’ve got your head on a swivel jumping from priority to priority working exhaustively but not making any significant progress for your efforts.

✔︎ Set achievable goals: Start putting your attention on strategic goals with action plans so clear you can practically feel the final result.

✔︎ Organize and simplify your life: Feel the relief that comes from systematizing mundane tasks, and enjoy the time you’ve earned back for efficiently managing your life.

Remember, if you are struggling to fight overwhelm, poor habits, and the downward spiral of anxiety caused by them…

NOTHING CHANGES IF NOTHING CHANGES!

You need to take action and make a change if you want things to change in your life. I promise you, no matter what your situation, there is a better, more productive way to live and through learning and implementing my key strategies, you can feel relief in a matter of hours, you can create a plan in a matter of days, and you can see concrete results in a matter of weeks!

What are you waiting for? Make TODAY a very productive day for you and purchase your copy of YOU GOT THIS now!

xoxo,