Career & Business Coaching Blog.
Inspiration and tips for multi-passionate creatives & entrepreneurs.
Miracle (morning) routines that actually work
There are two things in the world I love more than anything else (well, almost): learning and experimenting. In my pursuit of figuring out what a soul inspired life might look like, growing into my best, happiest and most productive self often requires using myself as a guinea pig. Today included.
One of the nuts I’ve been trying to crack for a while now is HABITS. How they’re formed, the things we can do to uncover them and – most importantly – how we can change the ones that work against us for better ones.
Something else that I’m absolutely convinced of obsessed about is how we systematically overestimate what we can accomplish in the short term, yet underestimate what we can accomplish over longer periods of time. This fascinates me because it’s rooted in the complex way we operate as humans.
Imagine you want to write a book. You know – rationally – that if you spend one hour a day writing you’ll have a book (self-)published within a year FOR SURE. The thing is, there’s a little voice inside you (or a big one, depending on who’s talking) that keeps telling you a year is way too long. Eventually she convinces you to turn your book dream into a six-month plan (if you’re lucky). What started as an easy, soulful *less-than-a-page-a-day* kind of deal has now magically doubled in pressure and daily required effort. Although it FEELS easier (faster, more doable) to write a book in six months rather than a year, the chances of success aren’t better.
I know, I know. You’d expect me to say that the chances of success are lower, right? Well… yes, in a way. But not exactly. If you give yourself a year to write a book, what works in your favor also works against you: TIME.
This brings me to the third (and final) ingredient of today’s conundrums: the compound effect, aka the theory that your REALITY is the result of your daily choices, behavior, and actions.
This is important. Why?
Because if you give yourself a year to write a book (for a stronger punch line: replace with personal dream of choice) but you’re skipping writing hour three times a week… guess what? It won’t get done.
Slip up once and you can get back on the saddle. Slip up twice and it gets tougher. Do it three times in a row and that book idea probably goes back into the procrastination fridge for a while.
If that’s you (and that is SO ME, by the way) I want you to know you’re not alone.
Nobody taught me about any of this stuff, and I *bet* nobody taught you either (would have been great but, hey, there where so many useless other things to learn first). We’ve been conditioned to fail right from the start by not learning how habits really work. And how to make them work for us.
Because the thing is, there’s a big difference between our unconscious habits and what we can consciously do with them: the MIRACLE ROUTINES we can create to bypass, and change them.
Perhaps you’re familiar with Hal Elrod’s Miracle Morning. A daily routine that has you wake up earlier to do what the author calls “SAVERS”: silence, affirmations, visualizations, exercise, reading, scribing. That last one simply means journaling but, according to the author, it didn’t make such a nice acronym. There’s a huge community of people adhering to this practice (more than 170000 of them on Facebook alone). And for good reason.
Small actions repeated over time create the most amazing results.
Actions put together into a specific sequence repeated at regular intervals turn into a routine. Daily routines are easiest to remember and keep up. That’s why creating routines for yourself is so powerful – and creates miraculous results!
Long before I came across Hal Elrod’s book, I was already convinced of the power of routines. In fact, due to my HSP nature, routines is something I always had. Whenever I learned how to do something, the most efficient way I could find to do it would easily turn into a routine for me. Although this can make me a little inflexible at times (hmm) it’s also been an incredible asset both in my private and professional life. Having routines help me
save time,
remember what I have to do,
know what to focus on,
keep at it over time,
build habits (!),
improve my productivity,
slowly become a joyful, courageous, free version of myself.
The real juicy part of routines comes from creating them in such a way that they not only make you benefit from the compound effect, but positively influence your subconscious mind at the same time.
To illustrate what I mean, here’s my morning routine (what I consider a great mix of action-oriented and mindset improving steps):
Transcendental meditation
Journaling
Visualisation
Writing down my goals
Affirmations
Reviewing my to-dos for the day and getting started with the first one
I have no exercise in this routine because – ta-da! – I have another routine for that. I use the Pomodoro technique when I work, and use my 25-minute breaks to squeeze movement into my day.
Now, these routines work well for me because I have a home office and no kids. I understand things might be different for you, and having a morning program like mine might not be possible. But that’s not to say that you can’t have any routines set in place. In fact, I strongly *suggest* that you do.
Even just one thing – repeated every day – will have a tremendous effect over a longer period of time. I’ve used this technique for years now to teach myself new skills: piano, writing, photography, drawing, even computer programming. (I know, it’s the multi-passionate in me, I can’t help myself).
My point is: you can do this too! If you’re up to it, here’s what I’d love you to do.
Think about what you want accomplish for yourself. Less stress? Better self-care? Writing a book? More clients? Learning to play the piano? Getting back in shape? Whatever it is, think about one step that will help you to get there. Now vow to yourself that you’ll do it every day (morning, noons, nights… it doesn’t matter when) for the next 90 days.
The results will BLOW YOU AWAY.
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How to get unstuck and get started now
“It’s only too late if you don’t start now”. Wise words that I love and cherish, spoken by my idol Barbara Sher, grandmother to all scanners as she calls them us: the multi-passionate creatives, creative generalists, multipotentialites…
For us especially, but for anyone else with big ideas and goals too, making sure we get to live our dreams – passions, interests – is absolutely necessary for our happiness – and sanity.
I’ve touched on the importance of having a plan before. Because, yes, a dream that isn’t planned out is nothing more than a wish. The same goes for today’s tip. As long as you don’t *start* to do something to achieve your dream, you’re stuck in the ideas realm. That’s why – once you’ve set your mind to accomplish a goal – you must start immediately. And I mean that LITERALLY – as in now.
I’ve found that the quicker you set out to do something – anything – to work towards a particular goal, the easier it becomes to anchor that goal into your life, and to turn taking action on it into a habit.
And that’s precisely what we want.
The achievement of a goal is the compounded effect of (sometimes very small) actions taken over (sometimes very long periods of) time. The actions might differ greatly depending on the dream you’re trying to achieve. But the dreams all share at least one thing: to get to the finish line you need to get started. This single action might *go without saying* but it’s the biggest dream killer I know, and probably one of the most important actions you can take in trying to achieve your goals.
That’s why – to dream bigger – you need to start now.
From my own experience, and from working with so many clients on figuring out the way to their dreams, I know how dangerous failing to start can be for your dreams. For years I kept *thinking* about all the things I wanted to do: play piano, write, draw, create new projects and businesses, make things… Guess how many dreams came true during that time? A grand total of ZERO.
It’s only when I decided to do something with those dreams that my life took on a completely different shape. My biggest regret? Not to have done it sooner.
Does this mean you have to hurry to achieve your goals? Nope. Not at all. In fact, I’m a strong advocate of taking things slowly. But failing to start is not the same as taking your time to accomplish something. Not taking that first step means not doing anything at all. And that, as I hope you got by now, will get you nowhere.
How to start now?
Pick an action you can get started with immediately
All dreams have actions that require nothing more than for you to do them. If not, we would never be able to achieve anything because we would never be able to get started. For most dreams there’s some research you can do, or someone to talk to who knows more about what you want to achieve than you. Perhaps it’s a book you could read, or something to buy or put together. Whatever it is, there’s ALWAYS something you can start with immediately.
Do it now
Texting someone or doing a quick search online will take no more than a few minutes, so there’s really never an excuse not to do it. Think about your goal and come up with one thing that you can start with immediately. Once you know what it is, do it. Now.
Schedule your next work session in your calendar
After you’re done with the previous step you can – of course – continue with the next action. If you’re like me you’ll probably be enjoying ticking off some of those todos from your list, so please feel free to do so for as long as you like! Whether you keep going or not, however, make sure to schedule your next work session in your calendar. This will make sure that you continue to work towards your goal, and keep taking action.
Pretty easy, right? So many of us think of dreams as daunting mountains that we’ll never be able to climb when the only thing we *really* need to do is to take that first step. Then another. And another.
If you want more tips to get unstuck, I’ve got great news for you! This tip is part of a series, you can find all entries here.
How to say “no” without feeling guilty
I get a lot of emails from people who want to partner with me or have *irresistible* offers for me. They’ve got THE app that will quadruple my productivity or the system that will boost my website traffic into the millions. Usually I dismiss those emails (because you know what… you don’t have to reply to unsolicited email… no really, you DON’T) but sometimes the pitch will be *really* good, or the way the email is put together shows someone with a brain actually sat down behind a keyboard to write it. In that case, I might reply. Like I did last week, when I got an email from an airline magazine offering me a once in a lifetime deal to have my work featured in their upcoming onboard edition.
I was intrigued (not in the least by the outdated information they had about my business, which goes to show that there’s more that triggers me besides great pitches) so I decided to give it a shot.
Long story short, last Friday my phone rang. It was the airline magazine people. Quickly I realized the great deal was in fact an emergency cover-up on the side of the magazine, who had lost one of their advertisers last minute.
My business could be featured in the magazine instead. But to make it work I needed to act fast and provide a suitable ad by the end of the weekend, pay a (ahem) exceptionally discounted fee, change copy on my website, and be on stand-by all Monday for changes that would – most probably – be requested. Of course, all this without any certainty of return on my investment.
All in all not such a great deal after all.
With all the ifs above, and because I profoundly dislike last minute marketing (hello marketing plan) I told the friendly magazine representative that I wasn’t interested, at least not until the fee was so low that I couldn’t pass on the opportunity. I shared with her how disruptive this opportunity was for me, how I’d have to pay premium to my designer to work on such short notice, kiss relax and recreation my weekend plans goodbye, rearrange my marketing budget to squeeze in a magazine. All of which without knowing if it will result in any tangible business. After a short pause she took a breath and thanked me. Told me that she understood where I was coming from and wished she could give me a better rate. Since she couldn’t though, we said goodbye and left it at that.
I’m mentioning this experience because it’s a great example of how I’ve learned to say “no” in an authentic way, and how effective such clarity and honesty can be.
When you think of it, most requests are usually a “no” or a “yes”, but rarely a “maybe”. Even so, we turn most of our “nos” into delayed “yeses” floating around for way too long as “maybes”. Why? We don’t want to disappoint, we’re afraid we won’t be liked, or we haven’t learned how to do it properly (that’s most of us by the way).
The truth is: dancing around a “no” takes so much more time and effort than offering a gracious one immediately. It’s really not that hard. No, REALLY, it isn’t.
You can say something like:
Thank you so much for thinking of me, but right now I’m focusing on X so I won’t have time to do Y for the next Z.
I love the idea but I’m currently going all in on this new project I’m working on, so I’ll have to pass.
I’m so honoured you’ve thought of me, but I promised myself I wouldn’t take on any more work for now, so I won’t be able to help you. I can give you some referrals instead if that would help.
This sounds like a great opportunity but it doesn’t fit in the plan I’ve created for myself. I do know someone who might be just what you’ve been looking for, shall I introduce you?
Saying “no” doesn’t need to take long, be difficult, or put anybody off. All you need to do is be clear and honest about your situation, and explain why you cannot go in on the request.
That’s all.
Once you’ve mastered the art of saying “no” graciously, it will become one of your biggest allies in protecting your time so you can focus on what that really matters to you: your dreams and nobody else’s.
PS: If saying “no” is somewhat tricky for you, I’ve put together a free soulful productivity challenge that might be just what you need. In it I share everything I know about how to do your best work in a way that flows and feels easy. Including how to set boundaries and protect your time so you can do the things you really want to do. Click here to learn more (and sign-up :)).
10 best planners for college students and young professionals
With the end of August in sight, I can’t help but reflect on where I am in my life and business right now. Don’t mistake the calm that emanates from my words for composure. While I might look all put together on the outside, as I’m writing these words my inner goal-crushing Amazon is frantically eyeballing my goals list and gasping for air at the thought of EVERYTHING we still want to accomplish this year. (Sounds familiar?)
The truth of it is: whether you’re going to college, getting started in your first job or decided to start your own business… this time in your life is the ideal time to take stock of what you’ve done so far – and get organized.
To help you get started (or going again), I’ve put together this list of Top 10 Best Planners for College Students and Young Professionals. Each of them is a personal favorite of mine, and most of them have exciting new features each year! Enjoy and break a leg (I mean, smash those goals will ya!).
The Clever Fox Planner is a miraculous little A5 all-in-one planner. You can use it as an agenda, daily, weekly and monthly planner, as a gratitude journal and even as a goal-setting tool. I’ve been using my Clever Fox Planner for a while now and I love it’s versatility. According to its designers – a team of five passionate online entrepreneurs – this planner is the solution for anyone looking to boost their productivity and hit their goals while becoming the best version of themselves at the same time (hello habit tracking!).
Vitaly, one of the creators of this unique planner, explains:
We tried out several productivity planners on the market, and although they were great, we knew something was missing. Either they were only for 3 or 6 months (we wanted 12), either they lacked some very important features (such as a habit tracker or yearly goal focus section), or they did not have enough space for notes, to-dos or goals. In the end, we couldn’t find what we were looking for, so we decided to create it for ourselves. That’s how The Clever Fox Planner was born.
The Clever Fox Planners has many featured I’m looking for in a planner. One of the most *clever* ones is its unmarked calendar that allows you to start with the planner any day of the year. But that’s not all. Each weekly overview comes with a habit tracking section, to-do list, main goal and priorities overview. There’s even room to reflect on your week’s wins and lessons learned.
The planner doubles as a goal-setting tool. In its first pages you’ll find a section for gratitude and self-awareness, a page to add your daily rituals and affirmations, a double-sided spread to create a vision board. The planner also included a double spread for your life and business goals followed by an overview page to list your five most important goals of the year, and a mind map section. Yes, all that!
But that’s not all. Even bullet journal fans (and note takers and list makers like moi) will find something to love about The Clever Fox Planner. The last part of the planner (a considerable portion believe me) is composed of dotted pages. All the room you need to let your creativity run wild and bullet journal, keep notes, organize your thoughts, track ideas and so much more. A must-try for any planner lover if you ask me!
The Simplified Planner is one of my all-time favorite planners. It’s a planner that makes you happy just by looking at it. With it’s six beautiful and joyful designs, this planner is the perfect companion to organize your life, your work and make things simpler in the process.
Emily Ley, mother-of-three and founder of The Simplified Planner, is a firm believer that simple is best. In this always-on-busy-world we live in, Simplified stands on the idea that there is more to life than overwhelm. Its mission is to inspire and empower women with the tools they need to simplify their lives so they create space for what really matters.
The Simplified Planner comes in a daily and weekly edition. They both cover 12 months. The daily planner has one day per page and shared weekend pages and features luxurious paper and a gold wire-o binding. The weekly edition has one week per two-page spread and features a book-bound, lay-flat binding. This makes the weekly edition slightly smaller in size and easier to write in (I use ring-bound planners but often find it’s hard to write close to the rings. But that might be just me and how I write :)). Both editions are finished with a beautiful hard cover with gold foil details and protective gold corners.
Besides the weekly or daily pages the planner comes with full month views and space for your schedule, to-dos, notes and meal planning. Colorful stickers and a pocket inside the front cover tops it all off. Not to mention the elegant box the planners come in or the monthly “planning tips” that you’ll get from Emily via email with each purchase. A simple yet complete planner for anyone looking to simplify their life.
Are you one of those creative, multi-passionate types (like moi) that enjoy lots of options, and – if possible – a little DIY in the process?
If so, you will LOVE the Erin Condren Life Planner. There are plenty of planner manufacturers out there that offer customizable options. None of them to the extend of this planner. The Life Planner is full of tools to help you plan out a successful year, and to help you set goals, figure out what you truly want and take charge of your life.
As I mentioned before, what makes the Erin Condren Life Planner (even more) awesome is how you can customize your planner to make it unique for you:
Interior color: you have the choice between neutral or colorful interior.
Cover: you’re free to pick a cover (in fact that’s how the whole customization process starts) or interchange your covers by purchasing different beautiful laminated ones and change them depending on your mood. You can also choose between having your name printed on your planner or two lines of text of your choosing. I mean, does it ever get better than this?
Layout: you can choose between vertical, horizontal or hourly weekly layouts.
Calendar: the Life Planner comes with three different calendar options. Two 12-month options. From June to July if you’re looking for an academic planner or from January to December if you’re looking for a standard one. The cool thing is that you have a third option, and in my opinion one of the most awesome features of any planner I’ve ever seen! You can order the January to December version including the remaining months from your time of purchase until January 1st. Isn’t this AMAZING? Often I decided against buying a planner because I couldn’t start using it right away (right?!). This option takes care of that issue completely!
Coil color: you have a choice between platinum, gold, rose gold (my favorite :)) and black.
The Life Planner comes with a goal-setting spread and weekly spreads for each week of the month. An entire week is spread across two pages (from Monday to Sunday) and each day features a lined section. At the back of the planner you’ll find a notes sections with lines, dots, coloring book pages. The 4 sheets of stickers are great to customize your planner even more, and make sure important events and to-dos stand out.
All of this makes the Erin Condren Life Planner the DIY planner by excellence, and super fun to put together. It’s also easy to use, extremely functional, and absolutely beautiful and unique at the same time!
The Conquer Kit by Natalie MacNeal is A Creative Business Planner for Women Entrepreneurs. A newcomer in my planner lists, but one that has definitely deserved its spot! On the back cover of the planner, Natalie MacNeil states that The Conquer Kit is a *canvas for your dreams and goals*. I have to say… it sort of is.
When I started using the planner I followed along the recommendation to “sketch, scribble, collage, and write all over its pages” (and had so much fun doing it!). And yes, by the end of it, I was left with a strong business plan AND the strategies to put them into action.
The thing about The Conquer Kit (uhm) is that it is NOT – in fact – a planner.
If you’re working on building a business (or if you have an idea or project in mind), The Conquer Kit is the workbook you need *before* you start using your planner.
Through eight clearly defined and actionable steps you’ll go from ideation to business creation. Natalie has thought of EVERYTHING (in a very her kind of way) to guide you to tap into your creative genius, build a strong foundation, create heart-centric product and marketing plans, put together your A-team, envision the bigger picture, map your next steps, and ultimately bring your dream business to life.
I use The Conquer Kit (or at least sections of it) on a somewhat ongoing basis. I go back to it for clarity, or work through the steps again when I have a new project or goal in mind. I find new golden nuggets every time!
#5 She Plans
Another newcomer in this back to school planner list. She Plans is one of my latest finds, and I’ve deeply fallen in LOVE! Ashley Staum, owner of She Plans and the designer of its minimal looking planners, notebooks, and print & plan printables, started designing planners late one evening while in grad school. She explains:
In order to avoid studying for a few hours I decided that I *needed* to design my own planner to stay on top of everything that was on my plate. I fell in love with the process of designing that first planner and continued to make my own planners each semester and later began making planners for co-workers who glanced over in meetings and were a bit envious of what they saw.
In early 2013, Ashley took the leap and began selling digital planners and later physical versions. Her designs have grown and changed over the years, morphed into different layouts, each designed towards a different way of planning.
Her focus for this year is to grow her Print & Plan line of simple print-at-home planning tools. And those are the ones I’m so absolutely smitten with! Again it’s the customization that does it for me.
In the Print & Plan line you have a selection of covers, and daily, weekly and monthly printables to choose from. The add-ons include perpetual calendars, notes, gritted and dotted pages, project planning and to-do lists. All editions of the Print & Plan line planners come with worksheets at the front of the planner to help you create your Focus Goals for the year ahead as well as monthly goal tracking pages to help you set deadlines and plan your weekly action items.
A back to school planner top 10 list wouldn’t be complete without my friend Michelle’s Ultimate Life Binder. Through her Secret OWL Society (don’t you just love that name?) she’s already inspired thousands of people to take 100% responsibility for their life.
When I met Michelle she told me that the Ultimate Life Binder helped her to systematically elevate herself and her life. She’s now at the 4th revised (extended) version of the binder and has sold more than 2500 copies all over the world!
The Ultimate Life Binder is probably the most complete planner out there. Michelle has literally thought about EVERYTHING. And I mean – everything!
A yearly calendar overview, top-3 goals of the year overview, monthly glances and two-page and one-page monthly overviews.
Prompts to help you focus on a weekly and daily basis on what’s most important to you.
Everything you need to stay on track with your goals, including a project planner and mind-map.
Handy daily pages with space for to-dos and to reflect on how you want to feel, what you’ll do to take care of yourself, and what you absolutely need.
A specific section to record your achievements (so important!).
Prompts to identify your key habits, and daily success habits tracking.
Everything you need to stay on top of social media and your blog: a schedule, strategy plan, editorial calendar and post planner.
Fun lists for books you want to read, things you want to buy, courses you’re taking but also more practical overviews like password sheets to record your online passwords for safekeeping, goal breakdown worksheets, budgeting tools, and even travel planning sheets.
What’s so cool about the Ultimate Life Binder is that Michelle’s binder addresses the important life and business stuff, even when it’s not that sexy. Like tracking your financials, or getting clear on the habits you need to build (or change) in order to be successful.
So if you’re looking for the more complete planner, with a different and more intuitive focus than traditional ones, it’s definitely worth checking out!
#7 Inkwell LiveWell 360 Planner
The Inkwell Press LiveWell Planner is an all-time favorite planner of mine. This year celebrates the 5th edition of the liveWELL Planner. And it features some amazing changes for its 2019 planner edition: the brand-new liveWELL 360™ system.
This disc planning system allows you to customize your planner to make it perfect for you. The fun starts with four covers to choose from, including two vegan options that I absolutely love! After that you can select your style: daily, weekly (flex or classic), monthly or goal-setting (my favorite option) and whether or not you want tabs. Add-ons can be purchased to customize your planner even more or as standalone planners. The options are:
Goal Setting Planner
Project Planner
Meal Planner
50 pages of dotted or gritted notes
What I love most about the Inkwell LiveWell Planner is its focus on goal setting and productivity. When you buy this planner you become part of something greater: a community of like-minded planner lovers who want to achieve their goals. Productivity courses, a podcast, blog and YouTube channel all accompany this planner to make sure you get and stay on track making this planner an all-in-one productivity solution.
#8 Day Designer
The Day Designer is a real work of art. Ever since I discovered this planner a few years ago I’ve been amazed at how attractive it is, and practical! It’s beautiful, intuitive, and has so much space for everything! There is a wide selection of contemporary cover designs to choose from. My favorites include the Jungle Out There (flamingo lovers unite!), Antigua, and Brushed Confetti. But the classic remains the Black Stripe. I mean, how can you say no to a black, white, and gold combo?!
Whitney English – designer and creator of the Day Designer – believes that a well-designed day is a well-lived life. I couldn’t agree more. As a minimalist and essentialist I believe that the more intentional we live our life, the happier we are.
The first pages of the Day Designer hold different worksheets, each designed to help you find out what really matters to you and what your personal skills, values, vision, passions, and strengths are. Yes, it’s absolutely essential to have clarity in order to achieve your goals!
In the daily planner edition, each day has its own separate page, except for Saturday and Sunday, which share one page. Each weekday, from Monday through Friday, has an hourly schedule from 5am to 9pm (great for early birds!), space to add your top 3 tasks of the day, an inspiring quote, dinner planning, a spot to record daily gratitude, notes and more. What I particularly like about the daily page is the space reserved for your daily to-do. Most planners don’t leave a lot of space to add to-dos (and let’s be honest, it’s important not to have to many of those on our daily list) but I love having room to scribble down things on the spot, or a list of things I have to remember.
This planner is an effective tool to help you organize your goals, ideas, tasks, days, thoughts and life!
#9 Danielle LaPorte’s Desire Map Planner
Danielle LaPorte’s Desire Map Planner and Program are one of my favorite productivity tools out there because the focus is so different. With Danielle LaPorte it all starts with how you want to feel. Once you’re clear on that, she helps you put a strategy together to achieve that feeling – and the goals that go with it. The program and planner not only helps you plan your to-do list, but also inspires you to think about and discover the feelings that make you happy. This is soulful planning at its best, and in my book a core piece of setting goals successfully!
The Desire Map Planner is the perfect option if you want more soul in your life (and goals). The planner starts from your desires and feelings, so you can keep track of what’s most important to you. It will help you stay on track, take better care of yourself, focus on your mindset, explore creative ideas, and feel grateful throughout the year!
I wanted to finish this list with a planner with a totally different approach still. That’s why I decided on The Freedom Journal. The promise of this planner is to guide you in the accomplishment of your #1 goal in 100 days.
The Freedom Journal is a goal-setting, productivity and accountability tool all at once. John Lee Dumas, the creator of The Freedom Journal, has interviewed over 2000 successful entrepreneurs and has created a unique step-by-step process that will guide you in setting and accomplishing your #1 goal in 100 days. What I like about it is the Agile approach, a methodology I was trained in as a project manager and that works wonders to complete projects in the most efficient way possible. Imagine doing that with your goals? That’s the promise of this planner!
When you order a copy of this planner you get access to an exclusive planner community on Facebook. You also get the audio book, mobile app and fillable PDF version of the planner for free. Worth getting your hands dirty if you ask me!
That’s it for this back to college or kill it at that first job list. I hope you enjoyed this post, and that it helped you to choose the planner that is perfect for you. Now it’s your turn. Do you use a daily or monthly planner? What’s your favorite, and why? In the comments below, share your #1 planner pick, how you plan and organize your days or anything else productivity you’d like to share with me. I’d really love to know!
Is low self-esteem sabotaging your business?
CONFIDENCE. A ten-letter word that holds so much power. The most important sales tool you’ll ever have or need. Precisely why it’s so important to cultivate, and be aware of it. And why so many creative and passionate entrepreneurs struggle financially.
The reason is, anyone can feel when you don’t *really* believe in yourself – I mean when you feel like an awkward little duckling in a big pond of voracious alligators – and that often puts people off.
I’ve always known this to be true. In fact, when I first started out as a freelance project manager in 1998, confidence (and a pair of heels) was all I had. I call it confidence now, but looking back I’d say it was mostly naiveté. Not knowing what I was getting myself into (building a business is freakin’ hard) and with absolutely no clue about the MOUNTAIN of things I actually didn’t know anything about. Add a dash of ambition, and a cup of perfectionism and people-pleasing into the mix and you’ve got yourself a workable mix – at least when it comes to landing projects.
Clients responded well to that initial enthusiasm. I was just slightly ahead of the curve with my knowledge of the emerging Internet and my self-taught web development skills. So they hired me. For one project at first, then repeatedly. Projects and business was coming in.
As time went on my knowledge of the work I was doing improved. I gained more and better skills (bye bye Dreamweaver!) and was in charge of increasingly complex projects. After a few years spent trying things out (read: getting totally lost in business land after a few wrong turns) I eventually started my own web agency. I approached it with that same passion, and enthusiasm.
Quickly a list of repeat clients was born.
I’m not going into the details of the type of clients I was attracting, or the promises I was making them – I wasn’t the best judge of budget versus scope back then. That’s for another post (said while writing potential jaw dropping title down in editorial blog planner).
What I want to talk about today is how exhaling confidence was the only tool I had when I started out, and how it allowed me to make money and start a business.
In those early days, whenever I wasn’t confident (didn’t believe in the idea, didn’t understand it, or wasn’t sure I wanted to work with the client) I usually wouldn’t sell. Afterwards I had this nagging feeling that I’d somehow “sabotaged” myself, that I’d not given it my best shot. I was right.
I wouldn’t sell because I wouldn’t fully engage. I wouldn’t show the extend of my capabilities because I wasn’t passionate, because I wouldn’t take the lead during the meeting. Potential clients would doubt my skills, and whether or not I could handle their project. The important lesson here is: it was ME doing it. I was playing the wrong cards unconsciously – but on purpose.
When I became a career coach and business consultant the same principle still held true (well duh!).
In the beginning I didn’t feel confident calling myself a coach. I didn’t have a lot of experience, and the coaching sphere felt really overwhelming. So when I did speak of it, the words that came out of my mouth sounded more like an apology than an enthusiastic claim to greatness. In every single one of those cases I got back what I was sending out: a lack of enthusiasm to work with me, aka absolutely nothing. A few months in, and many failed attempts at trying to land a client this way I decided something had to change. I’d made a commitment to become a coach, I’d studied hard for it, had done all the work. I might as well be PROUD of it.
The next time I spoke to a potential client, I didn’t try to sell her anything. Instead I told her about all the changes my pro bono clients had achieved, the new careers they had transitioned into, the projects they had started. I spoke honestly and with passion, and started dreaming with her about the things she could do and that I could help her achieve. She signed up ON THE SPOT.
Moral of the story? Sales require confidence.
If you don’t believe in yourself and the products or services you offer, you can still make a buck or two, but sell consistently and in a way that feels good? I sincerely doubt it.
The solution? (wouldn’t wanna leave you hanging on a cliff :))
Practice – as often as you can. With all the enthusiasm you’ve got to offer. Fake it till you make it if you have to.
Investigate your self-worth: perhaps you need a little confidence boost (there’s plenty of books out there that can help with that like this one, and this one, and this one).
Don’t sell what you don’t believe in (it doesn’t work anyway). If you’re not sure what you believe in, get clear on your values.
Take a (free) sales course (again plenty of good options available, but I particularly like this 25 Days to 100K one – thanks Ash for being such a star!)
Learn from your mistakes. Keep a “lessons learned” list by your bedside.
Learn from you wins. Keep those on the same list.
Never stop growing: try something different every day, join a mastermind, go to a sales seminar, or just talk to people.
Hire a coach
But most importantly: BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.
You’ve got this, I promise! Selling doesn’t need to be all eek and yikes. The more confident you’ll get that you have THE solution for a client, the better the process will feel (to both of you). So don’t sell yourself short – pun totally intended – but instead grow that confidence muscle, relax, have a drink and watch as your sales finally take off.
How to get the most out of your day planner
I was having a chat with a friend last Friday when she mentioned to me how hard it is for her to stay on track with her goals. It’s a “right brain thing” she told me, I’m build this way and I only thrive in chaos. She continued by telling me that – like everyone else – she has a planner, and write things in it. And that’s precisely the issue: she just writes things in it. She doesn’t use it.
That’s why I decided to call this tip “Make the most out of your planner” instead of buy a planner, invest in a planner, or even have a planner. Those are all really great things that you need in order to USE your planner, but that’s also really where the greatness stops.
I used to be a planner hoarder. (Still am, to be honest)
Every time I came across a planner that I loved, either because of its color (pink, please), bling (you had me at sparkle) or content (give me those pages darlin’!), I’d buy it. Once home I’d put it on top of the pile of other wonderful planners I’d “invested” in. Sometimes – if they were bubble wrapped – they would stay that way for weeks, months, sometimes even the entire year.
Planners were really unhappy around me.
I never gave them the love they deserved, and the attention they needed. Instead, come every Sunday night, I would *think* about prepping for the week ahead and writing all the amazing things down that I was going to achieve, but then the TV called, or a friend, or both.
Before I knew it, it was bedtime. Ah well, I’d do it tomorrow or next week. It didn’t really matter – so I told myself – I had the planner. Uhum – I had PLENTY of them. I wasn’t making any decent progress on my goals, so what was the deal though?
The truth is, a gazillion planners won’t change anything.
If you want to achieve your goals you need to USE your planner – not just look at it, however pretty it may be (starts to sweat knowing she’ll need to part with most of her sparkling babies soon).
Left brain or right brain, we can all use a planner. Yes it’s certainly true it comes easier to some than others. But that’s just more reason to do it. It helps you organize your thoughts, and get clear on what it is you need to work on. When I started using one – for something more than keeping grocery lists that is – everything changed. I got more done in less time, i was able to stay focused on my daily tasks better, and because of this shift I wasn’t losing sight of my big dreams and goals anymore – a chronic illness I’d been battling for years without success.
What follows are three of my best tips when it comes to using a planner, taking right from the tranchees where little guinea pig called moi tried and tested them out first. (You’re welcome :))
How to use a planner?
Take time to plan things out
If you want to take full advantage of your planner, you’ll need to take time to plan things out, and write them down in it. There’s simply no way around it. For your planner to be an effective goal-slaying companion, you need to give it the right stuff to eat: tasks. Planners are crazy about those little finger-licking sweets. They can eat them by the thousand. The more you feed it to them, the happier they get. But the problem is, planners count on YOU to get them. So make a habit of sitting down with your planner once a week (or every other regular interval that works for you) and write out the tasks you’ll take on together in the next period (that would be a week for me, but could vary depending on your chosen interval).
Keep your planner on your desk
Writing down tasks in your planner is only half the job. Once they’re in there, you’ve got to review them, focus on them, and make them happen. That’s why I love to keep my planner on my desk. I open it to today’s date and work my way through the tasks I’ve set. When I’m done with one, I cross it out (greatest feeling in the world). When possible I start with the big, important ones and work my way down to the smaller, easier ones. So make sure to check in with your planner every day and keep it on your desk.
Don’t be afraid to experiment
Every year I publish a round-up of my favourite planners. I do this because I’m always on the lookout for the ultimate planner – the one that will be absolutely PERFECT for me. That planner, unfortunately, doesn’t exist yet (I’m still working on putting it together), so what I’ve learned to do instead is to experiment, and tweak my planner so that it works best for me. If you’re planner doesn’t have a habit tracker for instance, why not add it in yourself? Or if you need a space for gratitude, why not use sticky notes? Whatever it is you’re missing in your planner, there’s always a way to add it in. Remember that you’re planner is supposed to work for you, not the other way around.
If you want more tips to get unstuck, I’ve got great news for you! This tip is part of a series, you can find all entries here.
How Nadine started her own communication and copywriting agency
I met Nadine at a business retreat I attended a few months back. We sat across of each other during a workshop session where we had to reflect on our goals and the future of the projects we were working on. Pretty quickly, Nadine and I started talking. Her bubbly nature was so inviting, and her advice so honest and valuable that I needed to learn more about her, and how she got to be such a delightful wordsmith (you know me). Here’s how she did it.
What was your big dream, and what inspired you to go after it?
My big dream was to start my own communication advise and copywriting agency. I’d been helping a lot of people for free with copywriting when one of them told me I could send in the bill for the work I had done for his company. That’s when a light bulb went on. Until then, I thought I was just helping out (like I did with so many – too many – people) for free. But after that the Orange Typewriter was born.
Did you always have this dream?
Nope. My dad had his own printing business for many years. And as a kid I witnessed how my dad was always working. Then, the last ten years of his career worrying about money. Add to it that I loved the corporate international world I was working in, and there was nothing telling me I would ever start my own business.
What was one of the first thing you did to get you started?
Incorporate my business – making it official – by signing up at the Chamber of Commerce. And drink champagne afterwards. Talk enthusiastically about what I did – which helped spread the word. Talk to two entrepreneurs I knew about starting your own business. Design my logo – Which made it real :).
What were the biggest challenges you faced in working toward achieving your dream?
Confidence to just do. Taking that first step. Corporate is one thing, having your own business feels much more personal. So failing business to me would feel like failing as a person, as I saw how it was for my dad.
I also had to let go of control: I left corporate because I choose to take care of my kids of which one is dealing with autism and the other has juvenile arthritis. It was a really good decision which I would take again, but it did make me an overly concerned tiger mom. Always there, always taking care. Now that they are teenagers we all have to learn that they can stand on their own two feet.
What do you wish you would have done differently? What would you warn others about?
Be clear to clients what they can ask for what price. In the beginning I definitely under charged. So my advice is: remember that you’re worth it. Giving freebies, or a lot of none chargeable hours (which the clients often don’t even know about) doesn’t make you more valuable to them. They care about getting the solution they’re looking for, not the gifts and specials you offer them in silence along the way.
Would you say you’ve achieved your big dream yet?
Yes. I successfully started my own business. It’s about a year old now, and it was an amazing year. Getting clients I didn’t even think I could ever work for. I thought way too small! Can I still grow? Is there still a bigger dream out there for me? Yes, for sure! But wow did I achieve so much already.
What do you think helped you achieve it?
Enthusiasm and professionalism. Enthusiasm to my clients, enthusiasm in my communication and in the meantime delivering bad ass texts my clients need to grow.
What’s the best advice you have for others who want to follow their big dreams?
Just start! Every great run, every great business, every adventure started with one step, one action.
Me doing great, shining in my business is also better for my family. Yes it’s true I’m not there with them all the time. And my two kids had to get used to it. But when I am home, I’m happy – singing – dancing – taking them on adventures. My growth makes them grow as well. They are so proud of me. There is a reason I registered my business on the birthday of my daughter, hoping to show them that you can always start a new dream (even when you’re 40). It’s important to remember this, especially as women who often think about and care for everybody except themselves.
More about Nadine – theorangetypewriter.nl
Nadine graduated from the School of Journalism & Design in 1998, and was an Art Director for Reed Business Information from 1998 until 2003, when she moved to Germany and got kids. Since 2016, Nadine is specializing in International Business Communication and Communication Strategy for small business owners.
You can find out more about Nadine through her website at theorangetypewriter.nl or on Instagram @nadinevanlierop.
Nadine’s favorite quote:
Let’s go on an adventure! (Free translation from Bilbo Baggins – The Hobbit: I am going on an adventure!)
Nadine’s big dream for the world:
Appreciate and enjoy each other’s differences, each other’s cultures. It’s an asset that we are so diverse. Not a threat.
If you want more inspiring stories, I’ve got great news for you! This story is part of an interview series, you can find all entries here.
