Category: Organization

Categories
Balance Boundaries Get Organized More time in my day Organization prioritize Time strategies

What’s your biggest challenge as an entrepreneur?

Time Management – Sleep

“What’s your biggest challenge as an entrepreneur?”

This question was asked recently in one of my groups. I was looking at the responses, and what I was noticing was there was a very large percentage of answers having to do with time management, focus, consistency, and believing in ourselves.

Some of the responses were….

  • Balancing family time and business time;
  • Just plain old time management;
  • Managing my own time, not enough time in the day, 
  • Getting rest; I never sleep.  

For this article, I am focusing  on time management: sleep because several people brought up SLEEP in their responses. In this series, time management for the distracted entrepreneur, this week we are  in the health layer. Next week I’m going to move up to the environment layer, and today I’m going to stay in the health layer with a focus on sleep.

Many times I hear: “ I want to get more things done in my day.” When I’m coaching people, whether it be in my Discover Your Greatness through the Productivity Success Cake program, or high level one-to-one, what ends up happening is an “unpeeling.”  We peel back the layers of what is going on. So for example if my client wants to get up earlier….we have to start with bedtime.

Get a slice of your Productivity Success Cake here

Now you can see that time management in the day actually begins the night before. Since we are talking about the night before, we want to talk about Sleep. So today, that’s why I want to focus on Sleep. 

I’d like to leave you with a practical tip and a thought provoking question. First, the question.

If I say I’d like to go to bed by 10:30 PM, for example, what’s preventing that? And usually the answer is “things that are important” to you. So maybe you are spending time with loved ones watching TV or maybe you are doing projects late at night because it is light out later. Whatever it is, you value THAT THING in the moment over getting to bed. 

Now for the practical tip.

You can do this with an Android, or with an iPhone. If you take that home button on the right hand side, and you do three clicks, you get a red tone to your screen, and that red tone blocks out the blue light.

The blue light keeps us awake at night. It lights up a certain part of our brain that doesn’t allow us to rest. So if you are  looking to get more sleep, focus on sleep for the next week or two…the SLEEP slice of your cake.

Try it, and, if you’re having trouble with it, you can always send me an email.  You can also join the UnScatterMe Facebook Community and say, Hey, I’m having trouble with the sleep slice. Does anybody want to  join in with me and we can support one another? 

We are all in this together…. baking our cakes! If you are REALLY  interested in getting faster, consistent results, please know that there is an opportunity coming up to go even DEEPER into the cake process so you can truly level your life up beyond what you might have imagined.

So, if you are wondering “how do I really get more support with this?”

Mark your calendars for the 5th of September, because we are going to be doing Time management for the Distracted Entrepreneur in a workshop format from 11:00 to 1:00 Eastern. There is a fee for this meaty opportunity. And half goes to my favorite charity!

I will be putting the link in the comments below and you will  want to sign up for that and you can start now. So start with your sleep. Try out the red light idea, and let me know your results!

If sleep is not your issue, try something else on the health layer of that cake, and see how you do.

Start with a strong foundation of health, so that I can help you with your time management. See you Sept 5!

Book your space on the Time Management Workshop here

Categories
Goal Setting Growth More time in my day Organization Planning Positive Thinking Time strategies

Counterintuitive thoughts that will change overthinking and dancing with overwhelm

Let’s get back to Whelm!

It’s summer of 2023 and…we’re back! There’s essentially no (that I can see) leftover pandemic-shut-down things that affect us. Hooray! We have a lot of pent up desire to do a lot of things, and especially to have a lot of fun. I want that for you: to have a lot of fun! I want you to enjoy your summer, enjoy your life, and to do the things that really matter to you – and to be the person that you really want to be. However, sometimes because we want to do all these things, we can over commit and then we dance with overwhelm.I love dancing, and I don’t love dancing with overwhelm. How about yourself?

Today we are focusing on avoiding overcommitting and dancing with overwhelm in the context of creating a summer that you want.

Now that it’s July, here are some tips for a No Overcommit Summer.

  1. Remember that you get to decide to have the summer that you want. You are allowed to believe that you have all the time you need. My mantra: “What if I had all the time I need?” can be shared freely! From that mindset and from that perspective, I think automatically we’re more grounded. When we’re more grounded, we make far more rational decisions. We make decisions from our gut, from our heart and from our soul, and not from a place of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and feeling as though we have to commit to everything.  
  2. Be grounded with lists. Making sure you’re grounded means different things to different people. It may mean creating a ‘not-to-do’ list. It may mean creating a ‘nice to-do’ list. The other day, I did that:  I wrote down what I wanted to do for the week, and as I was doing this I realized I could pull out a “nice” (not necessary) list. So I made a line at the bottom of my to-do list and created the Nice To Do list. This was so empowering!

Continue reading or watch the video

  1. Be grounded with Sleep. When you look at your schedule, make sure the first thing you do is say, “okay, this is my sleep time”. That sleep time could be different in the summer, and you still need sleep, right? 
  2. Be grounded with Focus time. Ask yourself “when am I best?” or “When am I at my best focus?” Make sure you’re clear about that. 
  3. Be grounded with deciding: One overarching thing to remember about being grounded is being totally at peace with deciding. You may know about the five step UNSCATTER process starting with 1) Decide; 2) Discern; 3) Discover; 4)Practice; and 5)Celebrate. That first step, DECIDE, is in RED because it’s a really big deal!  In my group programs, that ‘decide’ is in a big red ball. In fact, if you go to my website, I’ve got an entire 10 page guide to help you DECIDE (just enter your name and email). When we keep our options open because we’re “not sure” and there’s too many options and too many ideas, and we are thinking to ourselves “maybe I’ll make this plan, but maybe I’ll cancel, or maybe I’ll make these reservations and maybe I’ll cancel, or maybe I’ll buy something and then I have to return it” that is so much scatter and so much energy wasted.  However, if you just take a moment, get grounded, and then make a decision from that grounded place, you can avoid all that back and forth and get a ton of time back. You get a lot closer to the truth: you have all the time you need (see tip number one!)

BONUS TIP: When you’re looking at your calendar and you schedule your vacations, you schedule your sleep, you schedule things that you’re already completely committed to, and one final thing. Go deep into your value system and say “what is my most outlandish desire?” Find a place in your schedule for THAT!

In fact, I did that yesterday. I had this outlandish desire that -in truth -I didn’t believe I could actually get. I would like a whole weekend completely and totally to myself, where I had no phone calls, no friends, no family members, no work, just absolutely, positively, for me and no else but me to do as much or as little as I want to. I have scheduled that, and it is the third weekend in September. I can’t even believe I’ve done it, but I have. So that is my most outlandish desire.

I wonder- what is yours? Let me know. What is your most outlandish desire that you’re almost afraid to say out loud? I’m going to have you say it and or type it below. And then- as a bonus – put it on your calendar. It took me 15 minutes to try to find this one weekend. It wasn’t easy. I’m a busy person, and I am so excited that I found this because the truth is that you have all the time that you need overcommitting, committing and dancing with overwhelm is a habit that you can break. 

Have fun and stay in Whelm!

Warmly,

Carol

PS:  I will see you again in two weeks.  I’m on vacation starting Monday, July 3rd. My next blog/video will be sent out on Sunday July 16.

Categories
Get Organized Goal Setting More time in my day Organization Positive Thinking Productivity Time strategies

 4 practical tips for blocking out your time mindfully this summer

An easy way to focus and get things done

We are officially past the summer solstice, which in the Northern hemisphere is the longest day of the year. It is timely, therefore, to put our attention on the summertime; this season is very short and very precious here in the Northeast US.

On Monday, June 19th (which is Juneteenth in the United States: a holiday to mark the abolishment of slavery) I ran a  workshop to expand the Time Management in Summer for the Distracted Entrepreneur topic. In this article, I’ll highlight an important, practical, and immediately actionable portion of that workshop: 4 practical tips for blocking out your time mindfully.

  1. Step One:  Get a blank calendar – an old school one with squares – something you can print (like this).  Next, get several colored pencils.  Pick a color. Color in date squares for items to which you’ve already committed. For example, anything on the weekend that you’ve already committed to, any holidays you’ve committed to, your work schedule etc.  Get those all blocked out. What’s left is the time that you have to work with. Doing this visually is really powerful because you can see how much time you have left in a given month. We really just have a little more than two months as early September is culturally “autumn.”
  1. Step Two: Pick your top 3  desires this summer by category.  Sample categories: beach, work, children, fun, planning. You may start with more, and pick the top 3 categories.

Continue reading or watch the video below.

  1. Step Three: Pay special attention to the category that you wrote down in third place.  Why?  That third category is the one that you really need to place your focus on. Most likely, it lights you up the most and the one that you dismiss the most, or the one that’s perhaps the most important for your health and wellbeing. Examples of the third category might be: self care, gardening, or program creation. For that third category, create actionable items. Using the example of self care, actionable items could be ‘move every day’ or ‘make sure your body is eating organic and fresh’ or ‘allow yourself small joys like special cups of coffee’ 
  2. Step Four: Add the bullet pointed action items into your calendar. Use a new color for this. If you put it on your calendar and do not take action on it, don’t give up. Talk to a friend, talk to your coach,  talk to or DM me and say, “oh my gosh, how can I get this on the calendar AND pay attention to it?”

Repeat step 4 for each category and place it on the calendar.

There you have it: 4 steps to mapping out your summer mindfully. 

Bonus tip: allow white space. White space is time where you’re not planning anything because that white space gives you that ‘stare out the window’ time and that ‘stare out the window’ time is in fact your creative time. You are in fact blocking out creative time, but also block out some white space time because that white space time gets your mind flowing freely and it gets your creativity big. And it also helps you feel really grounded – and you can’t do any of this stuff very well without being grounded. 

If you want a lot more of this, I am running a summer program. You can start July 20 and you must sign up by June 29. Imagine:   your summer is not waste, it does not go through your fingertips, and you wake up on Labor Day (if you’re in the United States) and you feel like “I did it!”. 

That’s how I want you to feel. Let’s do this!

Categories
Decluttering Get Organized Organization

3 Steps to Clear the Clutter

In our last blog, we looked at how to set about making the switch from chaotic to de-cluttered and in this second blog, we’re going to take those ideas one step further.

We are all products of our environment.

The first point to understand is that the environments we create for ourselves reflect our physical, mental, as well as emotional selves.  As our lives become more muddled, so we become less energetic and less efficient.  Have you ever felt like you should clean the house/tidy the back yard or attack the laundry mountain, then talked yourself down because it’s such a mammoth task… and it will take so long…and suddenly, you just don’t have the energy to sort it? Sure, we’ve all done it at some point. Now, if we leave that chore for another day, we’re just compounding the problem (Spoiler alert: There is no such thing as a laundry fairy) But, actually, were we to start the chore, it wouldn’t take half as long as we predicted, and its accomplishment would increase our energy, vitality and happiness.

The 5-Minute Rule

As we have discussed previously, a small change is better than no change at all and you’d be surprised how a dedicated five minutes at the end of your working day can make all the difference.  Instead of rushing for the door at 5.30pm, block out five minutes to review your day’s productivity, tick off any tasks that have been completed and transfer any for review or action the next day.  Having a “clean desk policy” where you leave your desk clear at the end of the day can have a wonderous effect on your mental health and feelings of efficiency.  No more anxiety over what you have in store tomorrow at the office, now you know exactly where you need to be and what you need to do.  Your desk is a serene oasis of calm (at least at the start and end of the day!)  

Clear is Kind

The final step is to simplify. Over time, surrounding ourselves with clutter, either physical, mental or emotional can slow us down and make us feel drained. Instead, simplify procedures.  Simplify activities.  Simplify every aspect of your life as much a possible.  By removing the “clutter” of everyday activity, by focusing on the core of any activity and not the paraphernalia that surrounds it, you can attack any task with vigor and get to grips with it, without feeling exhausted before you even start!  Strip down what you are dealing with to its’ barest form and decide the steps to take in order to achieve success.

Over the course of these two blogs, we have discovered that the process of de-cluttering and clearing chaos involves as much clearing of the mind as it does physical action.  Change can be yours in just a few simple steps and a revitalized, energetic and organized you is just waiting around the corner.  Let me know how you do!

—-

Like this? You’ll love the Club!

Try on the Lunchtime Club (monthly virtual coaching group) on us for 30 days FREE!

  • Quick answers to your current dilemmas…in real time. Don’t know what to ask? No worries, we have a new HOT theme each month.
  • The solution to the #1 issue for Entrepreneurs: Collaboration! You can Collaborate with like-minded individuals for additional support…in real time AND outside of the group. Did anyone say accountability partner?
  • And even more goodies: You get MUCH more than live calls once a month! You get unlimited Access to past and new group session recordings – to enhance your learning and growing OUTSIDE of our monthly calls.

Curious? Learn more about this low cost, low commitment, high results, high energy program:

  • Click here if you have not worked with us before
  • Click here if you have been a client of ours in the last 12 months

Let’s get you more focused, organized, and productive than you have EVER been!

Let’s see what might happen if you dare to just “read the blogs” to taking the steps to get you to where you want to go, but perhaps have not dared to…. until now.

I’ll be there! I can’t wait to meet you.

Categories
Decluttering Get Organized Organization Planning Positive Thinking

From Scattered To Serene – How to change the habits of a lifetime

Some people are chronically disorganized.  For them, life pretty much resembles the college dorm of years gone, except now, instead of laundry littering the floor, dirty plates and study books, it’s their kids’ “stuff”, work papers and, oh wait…the laundry is still there. Please know that “neat” does NOT equal “organized.” But there is definitely some cross-over.

There comes a time when disorganization will catch up with you. In business, that late payment because you lost the payment slip could have disastrous effects.  That missed meeting could have been a great new contract, and in your personal life you might never get another chance to make those particular memories.

But, while a certain amount of disorganization can be kind of “cute”, if you live your entire life in this manner, you could be stifling any kind of growth, whether business or personal.

But, fear not!  Here are my 3 top tips to reining the chaos in and being the paragon of serenity (at least some of the time, at least)

1. Get to the root of the problem.

Before you stock pile sticky notes and download a multitude of apps, you need to ask yourself, “Why?”  Why are you disorganized?  What has triggered this situation?  It could be something from your childhood – perhaps your parents lived life in this manner, or it could be the influence of a partner, or ex-partner, years ago.  Examinining the root cause of habitual behaviour that does not serve you is invaluable. For some, it may be that you procrastinate as a result of feeling overwhelmed.  In some cases, when we feel like there are just too many options open, or too many tasks requiring our attention, it is easier to do nothing than it is to tackle them head on. Once you have understood your particular trigger, you can look at ways of “re-booting” that belief or behavior.

2. Surround yourself with organized people.

It’s so much harder to go against the grain when you surround yourself with super-organized types.  Believe me, their habits will start to rub off on you! As you see them easily locate their credit card statement and you know you’d still be shuffling papers frantically searching for yours, so you begin to see how much easier life could be.  These “neat ninjas” can also be a really great resource for you, too.  Ask that co-worker for her tips on managing your emails or call in a favor and get help with sorting your closet. 

3. Declutter to De-Stress.

Have you ever had to use brute force to close that closet drawer or to fit another coat hanger in? Do you really need to keep every single work of art Junior did in first grade? Be accountable for all your clutter and make a commitment to de-clutter every three months.  Donate, destroy and recycle your way to a clutter-free environment.  “I might need that one day” is not a good enough reason to keep something.  Be ruthless – if it’s not there, it can’t clutter.  Allow yourself one box of sentimental stuff – you’ll have fun deciding which items get to go in the box and you’ll know exactly where those precious memories are when you want to revisit them.  Once you have cleared the decks, make sure everything left has a place and is kept in that place. 

Finally, while it’s great to be organized, remember to be kind to yourself.  This kind of change can be intimidating and just a little bit overwhelming.  Don’t beat yourself up because you’re not perfect; cut yourself a break!  Even a small change can be a positive move in the right direction and if you follow these tips, the new, organized version of yourself could be closer than you think.

In my next blog, we will be looking at further practical steps to get you that de-cluttered mindset.  So, stay tuned!

—–

Like this? You’ll love the Club!

Try on the Lunchtime Club (monthly virtual coaching group) on us for 30 days FREE!

  • Quick answers to your current dilemmas…in real time. Don’t know what to ask? No worries, we have a new HOT theme each month.
  • The solution to the #1 issue for Entrepreneurs: Collaboration! You can Collaborate with like-minded individuals for additional support…in real time AND outside of the group. Did anyone say accountability partner?
  • And even more goodies: You get MUCH more than live calls once a month! You get unlimited Access to past and new group session recordings – to enhance your learning and growing OUTSIDE of our monthly calls.

Curious? Learn more about this low cost, low commitment, high results, high energy program:

  • Click here if you have not worked with us before
  • Click here if you have been a client of ours in the last 12 months

Let’s get you more focused, organized, and productive than you have EVER been!

Let’s see what might happen if you dare to just “read the blogs” to taking the steps to get you to where you want to go, but perhaps have not dared to…. until now.

I’ll be there! I can’t wait to meet you.


Categories
Balance Goal Setting Organization Positive Thinking Wellness

Why your understanding of balance is wrong

What does life-balance mean to you?  Not necessarily the theory, but in practical terms?  Is it committing to, and maintaining that New Year’s fitness routine alongside running a house, a job, the family, or is it something more?

You see, “balance” means different things to each of us. There is no right or wrong answer, no one way of achieving it and, sometimes, we get so engrossed in the concept of balance that actually achieving it becomes a no-go. We beat ourselves up because we perceive that the scales of life are just not balancing out and this sets us on that oh-so-familiar hamster wheel of discontent.

So, firstly, let’s take a look at 4 top tips for managing a balanced lifestyle.

1. Look After You

Are you the person to whom everyone turns in a crisis?  Are you the family’s “Go-To” during their times of need? If yes, then that’s an awful lot of extra emotional “weight” being lumped on your shoulders.  I’m not suggesting that you tell everyone to go find someone else to shoulder the burden, no.  But, in order to maintain any sort of balance, we have to look after number one first.  Your body needs rest, exercise and healthy food.  Sure, all of that. But, it’s important to take time to focus on your needs and make sure you’re ticking over just fine before you focus on other people.  It’s really okay to do what it takes to protect yourself from any negative energy or emotions coming your way.  After all, how can you help others if you can’t help yourself?

2. Organization is Key

Being organized, and that includes mentally, too, allows your brain the flexibility to cope with any stress or disruption more easily.  Plan that important “time-out” and make room for the things you enjoy.  The key to life balance here is minimizing stress as far as possible.

3. Goals Work

How great does it feel when you can check something off your list as done and dusted?  It doesn’t matter which area of your life, there’s sure to be a goal you can set.  The successful attainment of a goal goes a long way to maintaining a healthy and positive mindset, improving your mood and helping that balance, too.

4. The Right Food = The Best Balance

Yep, it’s a no-brainer, yet the fence that a lot of us fall at.  Ensuring you maintain your “five-a-day” will go a long way to helping that positive mental attitude, helping brain function and, ultimately keeping you on the road to success.

So, there you have it.  Four simple steps to maintaining balance in your life.  By trying to include these four rules into your life, you will reduce stress, improve your general health, boost your energy and probably be an altogether nicer person to be around.  Isn’t that worth a re-balance?

Don’t forget to check back for my next blog, where we will be looking at some real game-changing, counter-intuitive thoughts that will change your notion of balance.

__

Like this? You’ll love the Club!

Try on the Lunchtime Club (monthly virtual coaching group) on us for 30 days FREE!

  • Quick answers to your current dilemmas…in real time. Don’t know what to ask? No worries, we have a new HOT theme each month.
  • The solution to the #1 issue for Entrepreneurs: Collaboration! You can Collaborate with like-minded individuals for additional support…in real time AND outside of the group. Did anyone say accountability partner?
  • And even more goodies: You get MUCH more than live calls once a month! You get unlimited Access to past and new group session recordings – to enhance your learning and growing OUTSIDE of our monthly calls.  

Curious? Learn more about this low cost, low commitment, high results, high energy program:

  • Click here if you have not worked with us before
  • Click here if you have been a client of ours in the last 12 months

Let’s get you more focused, organized, and productive than you have EVER been!

Let’s see what might happen if you dare to just “read the blogs” to taking the steps to get you to where you want to go, but perhaps have not dared to…. until now.

I’ll be there! I can’t wait to meet you.

  • © 2024
  • Productivity Success Cake