Category Archives: Organization

Day 15: Rolling 365 Life Planning

15 Saturday Dec 2018

Posted by in Inspiration, Life's Lessons, LifePlanning, Organization, stress, Writing Topics

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I have experienced a common trait amongst successful people.

They all plan out their life.

And they don’t do it in December as part of their new year’s resolutions .

They do it on a rolling 365 day schedule.

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They plan when they are going to spend time traveling. See friends. Experience new things. They plan work commitments, of course, and exercise goals. Bucket list items. They plan everything!

Their life inevitably never turns out exactly as planned, but that is not the point.

The point is …

If we don’t know where we are going, how are we going to get there?

So this is not only my encouragement, but also my invitation — for you to look at your goals on a consistent basis.

So what does consistent look like?

Well, we know it is more than once or twice a year.  And I think it’s more than one a month. So I would venture to say that a weekly review will likely yield the best results. It will make you acutely aware of the choices you’re making every day in between.

I had lunch with an incredibly accomplished woman the other day who shared “I put everything on my calendar. If I am planning a vacation and then something comes up, then it’s a decision I have to make as to whether or not I give up my vacation. But without it on the calendar, someone else is controlling my schedule.” BTW – thank you, Jodi, for the incredible opportunity to meet Kathleen – I learned so much!

Look at what you want and where you want to be, and instead of being mindful of it on an annual basis, view it on a rolling 365 day calendar.

Start with planning out your next 12 months and then each month, fill in the next month. Then look at it weekly and keep getting more granular about what you need to do or change in order to achieve your goals.

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And remember to celebrate all of the wins along the way!

Day 13: The Art of the Vacation

13 Thursday Dec 2018

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Today we wrapped up my Canadian Women’s Network 2nd cohort program. I’m grateful for everyone that participated and gave of their time and expertise, and I’m humbled by the women that joined me for four days in the Valley — thank you.

One big take away from the week came yesterday when one of the roundtable mentors asked the group “Do you take structured time off”?

And the dialogue that followed was hilarious …

Founders: Like, how do you mean?

Mentor: As in a vacation.

Founders: Gasp! Laughter. Confusion.

Mentor: It helps you be more creative and productive.

Founders: Hum. … can you define, vacation?

Mentor:  Two to three weeks away.  From work.  Totally unplugged. No email. Let someone else on your team step up and show you they can lead when you’re not there. As in not working or checking in with the team.

… and we went ’round and ’round trying to understand what this concept meant and for a few of us (me included), we also tried to find justification for not taking a ‘vacation’ or somehow getting approval that a ‘weekend away’ or ‘checking emails in the mornings’ counted.

And it turns out, it doesn’t.

Now, not everyone struggles with this question, but for those of us that do, I invite you to dream about a vacation.  An actual 2-3 week time period where you unplug. Where would you go? What would bring you joy? Who on your team would lead while you’re away? Are they ready for the responsibility so that you can leave and feel like your business is in good hands? If not, how quickly can you prepare them?

When you allow yourself to dream, your body starts to physically feel different. It starts to relax. So not only should we all have an actual vacation in 2019, we should think about it often and reap the benefits of simply thinking about it and how it’s going to feel once we’re on it!

 

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Productivity (and Procrastination)

12 Wednesday Mar 2014

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This topic is full of metaphors because I haven’t posted for almost a month and I can either blame it on being productive or pure procrastination.

Either way I’ll take a vowel for $100 and move on to the point.

In today’s world, everyone is busy. And I mean everyone. Well, practically everyone. My retired parents are not busy, but they should be! I believe that laziness begets laziness and sometimes there is a very fine line between being busy and being productive … and procrastination can have a lot to do with both.

Here are a few resources and suggestions to help out those that are so are far behind, they think they are ahead:

TaskRabbit.com – A great resource to find someone to help you with anything from virtual advice on how to start a Blog – which sites are better than others or perhaps troubleshoot why your photos are not loading probably … to picking up your dry-cleaning … to installing an Ikea unit that would otherwise take you a full day (and perhaps the whole bottle of wine). I’ve been using TaskRabbit for a few years now and they’ve helped me out of many binds, especially when I’ve had deadlines.

Fivrr.com – the world’s largest marketplace for services, and all for $5. I haven’t tried it myself but friends of mine have and well, it’s $5 for anything you need that they can help you with, so … why not?!

Netted.net –  the unmissable daily email introducing you to the best sites, apps, and connected products that make life better. Yes it’s one more email, which I am not a fan of these days, but it’s one that is a quick read and if it’s something useful, it will save you time and bring you joy in the long run. Win-win, right?!

Unsubscribe Daily – this isn’t a website but my suggestion to keep your inbox down to a manageable size, full of things that are either important to you or enhance your life. Every day for the next month analyze your daily inbox and click “Unsubscribe” to all of the emails that are either junk, not useful, a pain in the butt or simply not relevant to your life right now. You can always add them back later guys, if you really miss them. But chances are you won’t and you’ll gain double digit minutes, if not longer, each and every day because you won’t spend time reading any portion of them, or worse, have to wade through and delete them before finding the real gems in your inbox.

Do Three Things – Whenever you feel procrastination poking its unnecessary head into your life, make a list of three things that you absolutely need to get done and then … you guessed it … do those three things. By the time you’ve reached item #3 you’ll be on a roll and procrastination will be warded off for another day. Trust me .. this really works. Note of caution – don’t write down “Save the planet” or “Write my first novel” as your three things … pick achievable goals. “Paint the house” can certainly be number five or six on the list.

And with that … I’m off to have a productive day! … I shall not procrastinate it a moment longer!

Oh … and if you have suggestions on great resources for making your day more productive please share them by leaving a comment.

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Need to Get “Unstuck”?

16 Thursday Jan 2014

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I’m not sure why finding the free Unstuck iPad App surprises me but I guess even with today’s rapid technological advances and interest in the latest flavors of things like SnapChat and Jelly … finding an App that “helps” you just sort of blew my mind.

Unstuck (and I quote from their website) “is a new in-the-moment approach to personal growth for anyone who wants to live better every day. Combining personalized digital tools with tips and know-how from a community of other people facing stuck moments, Unstuck makes it easy to get on-demand coaching whenever you need it.”

Now isn’t that pretty cool?! Think about it … who HASN’T been “stuck” at some point in their life … helpless relationship, unfulfilling job, unhappy roommate, unreasonable requests from children …. So it’s perfect!

And I have to admit .. I tried it on for size, and it’s way cooler than I expected.

unstuck logoSo now .. when you’re like “err … can’t seem to ‘blank’ today” … reach for the Unstuck App and find a solution! … instead of fretting about the problem …

Personal Board of Directors

14 Tuesday Jan 2014

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A few years back I came across this idea about a Personal Board of Directors. I have run nonprofit organizations in the past and have sat on a few Boards over the years so I am familiar with the roles that board members play. I also know the amazing talent that they bring to help with the success of the organization. And this is a really great concept to apply to your personal life! Here is how:

Think about two categories:

1st Category – The people that you have in your life right now that add value or happiness. Like the hair dresser who always makes you feel like a princess when you leave her salon! Or the friend that you can count on to always pick up your kids from school if you’re running late. Create a list of other “rocks” that you have in your life right now.

2nd Category – The talents that you need or want to have in your life but they are missing at the moment. It could be a really great tax accountant because every year you freak out in January just thinking about April 15th. Or maybe it’s time for a new stylist or other beauty care specialist. Make a list of who or what is missing.

Now combine the two categories and list out who is already on your personal Board of Directors (but you might not have called them that until now), and who you can add in for the missing positions. Feel free to actually write out a list and keep it somewhere that you can refer back to from time to time – to either calm you down in a moment of crisis, or to change up or make additions or subtractions.

Depending upon what is going in your life, your personal Board will look different for everyone. If you’re a working mom you’ll have friends, family and other parents that make up the village it takes to raise a family. If you’re single then you will want people surrounding you that help create the life experiences that you’re interested in at this time. Here are some of the roles that I have had, or have currently, on my personal Board of Directors to give you some food for thought.

Running Friend and Running Group – Because I’m a big runner I am blessed to have a group of friends with whom I can catch a run with almost any day of the week. Some of the people within the group I know I can personally count on for a 20-mile training run or to cheer me on at the finish line. This group of friends are my rock more often than not.

Best Friend – Of course we all need someone that will answer our phone call whether it is 12 pm or 2 am … that friend that will always listen, never judge and tell you “this too shall pass”. She/he might also be the one that will meet you out for a glass of wine or shot of tequila when it’s been “one of those kind of days”. This person is critical to my sanity, and thankfully I do have a few of them.

Accountant – Even though I am an Accountant by education and hold a CMA designation, I still need and want the advice of someone who is practicing it on a daily basis. Yes I have to pay him a few hundred dollars for filling in forms that I could do myself – but he calms my nerves just knowing that he’s doing it correctly and my job is only to provide him with the details – he’ll take care of the rest. That is priceless for me.

Beauty Peeps – While I am by no means a fashionista, or spend a tonne of time on the esthetics of myself, I do have a hair stylist and spoil myself with massages and facials and such on a somewhat regular basis. Someone told me once that we listen diligently to the “change oil” reminder on our cars and see our mechanic when needed yet we ignore all signs of taking care of ourselves. So I have my several people or places I go when I sense the proverbial “change oil” reminder coming on.

Mentor / Coach / Therapist – Some people consider it weak to work with a therapist, but personally I feel we ALL need a therapist of some form in our lives. So whatever advice you seek – be it a career mentor, life coach or good ole fashion therapist – I’ve had them surround me for decades now, and I trust that this role will always be filled on my own personal Board.

So who do you have? Who is missing? What or who do you need in your life right now to calm you down, inspire you, or give you a good ole kick in the pants? Please share any creative roles that you’ve come up with or that work for you. And good luck with the recruitment for your own personal Board of Directors!