Business Functional Planning Online Business

How to Create a Strategic Project Plan

Hello My Charmed Ones!

Last week I showed you how I create the plan for a new month to make sure I move my goals forward, but I kinda just breezed by two key elements that go into making that plan.

First, is my goal setting process and the second is my project planning process. I’m going to show you my project planning process in a video in just a moment but first let me catch you up on the goal setting part.

At the start of the year, I have an in-depth process I work through to set my goals for the year and to break those goals down into specific smaller objectives. During this process I choose up to three objectives to assign to each month and lay them out for reference on a dedicated insert in my planner.

So, before the year begins I have a skeleton overview of what I am focused on for any given month. In the monthly planning video, you saw me pull my objectives from the inserts they are mapped on, and transfer those to my monthly calendar spread. 

That is the first part of my yearly planning process, the actual goal and objective setting. If you want to learn and replicate my process for goal setting, I have it broken out in the You Got This workbook and also in the New year goal setting master class inside the Productivity and Planning Master Mind membership. Next, is project planning.

For some of my objectives it is necessary for me to break the objective down into smaller action steps on a project plan. I don’t make a project plan for every single objective anymore. I did at one point, but I found it was overkill for some objectives and types of projects I do repeatedly and know the steps for by heart. 

Let me give you an example.

For January, I didn’t need to create a project plan for any of my objectives but I finished all three. I had to create the master class for my membership, which sounds like a project but I just create a slideshow, handout and inserts so it’s three formulaic pieces that I don’t find helpful to list on a project plan. Since this objective wasn’t turned into a project plan, instead the tasks were written out directly on the monthly master task list for January.

Same applies to the second objective, updating my email welcome sequence. That objective simply required me to read over and rewrite three emails. If I wanted to be particular and break that work into many more pieces I guess I could have. I think we can break anything into minute tasks to track, but for me that strategy isn’t necessary.

I will say, between you and I, I see influencers all the time in the planning community, showing how they break down goals into smaller tasks and often I think it’s overkill just to have more things to check off their to do lists. If having more tasks listed to track inspires and motivates you to get the work done, by all means, please do that. Or if you aren’t someone who knows how to reach an objective by heart, and needs steps broken down for reference and tracking, please, don’t skip out on making project plans because they can be an excellent tool for accountability.

I just know for me, that if I over complicate a project with too many tasks, it overwhelms me and I might fear starting it. Instead, just thinking that I have like two or three things to do for an objective actually gets me started and if I have a few extra tasks that pop up while working on the objective, that’s fine because I have the momentum built up of starting. But that is me. Clearly, I’m a projective person who knows how to manage my time and accomplish many objectives and goals in a year, so do not hold yourself to my standards if you aren’t at that level of confidence and self accountability to your work yet! You will get there if you follow my methods and planning philosophy, just trust the process!

Finally, just to round out my January examples, the final objective was a promotional sale in my shop. That objective didn’t need a project plan, I map promotions into a campaign builder insert from the CEO Strategy Planner to track the posts that go out to share the promotion. 

So now that you can see I don’t project plan every objective, let’s talk about how I project plan for the objectives that do need it! 

I actually have two styles of project planning inserts I use, one is my standard project planning worksheet that comes bundled with the Master Planner or Project Planning Bundle in my shop. The other insert is my Strategic Planning Insert from the CEO Strategy Planner.

Today I am going to show you how I use the strategic insert as I map out an objective that belongs to June. Why are we project planning an objective for June so early? Because I actually need to start talking about this objective now to make sure everything goes smoothly in June. 

The objective is to create a Planner Insert Design course. I’ve been asked about doing a class like this for years and I’m finally creating it! So this class will launch in June, if you want to get more information about the class, I’ll leave a link where you can get on the wait list and be the first to learn about it when it’s available but for now, let’s map out this objective onto the insert.

Watch How I Create a Strategic Project Plan in the video below.

DON’T FORGET

For the month of February, I have a 20% OFF Code for the Planning Inserts and Tools in my shop. Use the code FEB2021 at checkout in TheCharmedShop.com to get the discount!

I hope this information has been helpful for you in understanding better how to create a strategic project plan and how I break down a goal into individual tasks.

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,

Functional Planning

How to Plan + Organize Your Month to Achieve Your Goals!

Hello My Charmed Ones!

Today, I want to show you how to plan and organize your month to achieve your goals. Specifically, I want to walk you through my monthly functional planning routine, which is the routine I use to create a big picture view of my month, understand and set reasonable expectations for what I am going to accomplish and ensure that I am moving my goals and objectives forward. This routine is not how I plan out my weeks or my days specifically- those are completely different parts of my routine with their own process and intentions. For me, the monthly routine is where I get a chance to align with my goals and ensure process is being made on them.

First, I’d like to explain the inserts I use for this process. I am currently using the Month on 2 Pages inserts that come bundled with the Master Plan System. You can purchase these inserts a la carte as well. Although these inserts are called Month on 2 Pages, it would really be more accurate to call them Month on 4 pages because there are two full spreads, 4 total pages thatI I use to write out my monthly plans. The first spread is the dated 2 page calendar, and then second spread is the Monthly Master Task List and Monthly Tracker.

Now let’s talk about how to plan and organize your month to achieve your goals!

The first thing you need to know about planning your month, especially if you have goals you are aiming to hit, is that you need to have your goals broken into objectives ahead of time. At the start of the year, I set my goals, I break them into objectives, and I map those objectives out in my project planning sheets and with my CEO Strategy Planner inserts. So walking into any month I always know what I am going to be working on as long as I don’t need to change my plans. Click here to learn my entire goal setting process.

Now, I might not create the complete project plan for each objective at the start of the year- I prefer to do that as necessary at the start of the month. So if any of my objectives require a project plan, I will create one at the start of the month so I know all the tasks I need to accomplish for an objective, and then I transfer them to my Monthly Master Task List. Instead of keeping a complete list of all the things I know I need to do, I keep my lists broken out by month so I am only looking at the tasks that belong to that month.

So here you can see, this Monthly Task List is everything I expect to do in February. Does that mean, it’s every single thing I will do and nothing not on this list will get done? No, of course I know things pop up throughout the month, but for now, walking into the month, these are all the tasks I know I need to focus on if I want to accomplish my goals!

Once this list is populated, the second thing I do in my monthly planning process is to populate my monthly calendar. 

On my monthly calendar, I will mark off important dates and scheduled tasks I have across the month. This by no means will be an exhaustive list of every single scheduled task I have, because there is not enough room in the boxes for me to list every call, errand or appointment, but if it’s something important, or a key element of a day, I have it scheduled in.

So you can see, I schedule things like giving my dogs their meds, holidays, birthdays, I put when credit card payments are due. You’ll see I don’t love to decorate in my planner but I do like these little page flag stickers to help me highlight a day in my calendar. I make those flags myself with my silhouette machine. 

My monthly calendar is also where I put my editorial calendar for my content, and marketing information for my business. I post content onto one of my platforms everyday, and I have that schedule marked off, and then as I populate content ideas I write them in and highlight them so I remember what I need to post each day. Most of my content is processed in bulk. I write all my blog posts on one day, I create my Instagram posts for the week in one day, so that is why the editorial calendar itself isn’t fully populated yet. I will write in the posts when I create them and I use a content brainstorm insert from the CEO Strategy Planner to list out all my content ideas. I have gone through periods where I would outline all the content for my editorial calendar at the start of the month, but I would often switch up posts and come up with even better ideas at the last minute so the plan would change. It’s easier to just have the skeleton right now for me and then populate the posts as I solidify the content. 

With the calendar populated, the next thing I do is transfer my top 3 monthly priorities to my monthly calendar page. I use the lined note section on the bottom of the spread for that so I know what the 3 most important projects are for my month. This is an example of what I mentioned before, that I have my goals and objectives broken out for the year ahead of time, and during this yearly goal planning, I assign 3 tasks to each month to be my focus. This system has served me well, helped me to properly plan out what I am working on when, and ensures I complete my objectives and goals for the year.

Next, I use the notes column at the start of each week on my monthly calendar to allocate tasks from my monthly master task list to my monthly calendar to ensure that I have time set aside for when I will be doing the work I said I wanted to do. This practice is great for setting reasonable expectations for ourselves because without this little step, it’s easy for me to push off tasks or just put too many tasks on my to do list and then get overwhelmed and fail to complete my objectives. So this helps me balance my workload for sure.

The final part of my monthly planning process is to populate my monthly tracker.

As part of the Master Plan system you get a monthly tracker that you can use to track whatever you please. I actually like to use it to track habits, tasks and my income in one place. You can see, I can write in the habit in the largest column, there are 7 columns for the days of the week, and I can leave space in the rows for the number of weeks in the month. I put the date of each Monday in the left side column when I lay out the tracker this way. Then I make an area for Income, I can track the weekly income in my shop, then the total income from a few of my main income sources. This tracker page is great because you can lay it out a number of different ways and track many different things.

That is everything I wanted to teach you about my monthly planning process and how I create monthly plans that help me achieve my goals. This process even makes planning my weeks and days easier because I’ve laid out a lot of information in just the calendar spread alone. This really is a great monthly spread. If you’re monthly calendar doesn’t give you this much space on such a relatively small piece of paper- this is half letter paper- It may definitely be time to upgrade your planner to the Master Plan System. 

For the month of February I have a special discount code to share with you that will give you 20% any Productivity Tools and insert in my shop. The code is FEB2021 and it expires at the close of February so if you have not found planner peace yet or have a system of inserts that make planning a daily routine for success, purchase your copy of the Master Plan System TODAY!

Watch the Video

Wishing you a productive week!

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

3 PLANNER INSERTS FOR YEARLY TASK MANAGEMENT

Hello My Charmed Ones!

Let’s have a chat about task management.

As it is currently the middle of January, now is the perfect time to lay out known tasks for the year and create systems to manage new tasks efficiently so that no task gets let behind… at least none of the most important tasks. 

When it comes to task management, I recognize that task lists are usually the default mode for organization of tasks, but making long lists of things to do is not really the best way to efficiently organize. Here the old trope rings true- there is always more to do in a day than we can actually get done- and unfortunately task lists don’t help us prioritize our workload the best. Prioritization is key when it comes to task management because if we cannot do it all each and every day, it’s important that we know which tasks are the most important so we can take care to manage our time around the completion of essential work.

Instead of the common task list, I prefer to use some specific inserts that are in and of themselves systems for time and task management. Meaning, that by using a specific insert, you have given yourself a system for organizing, prioritizing and focusing in on your essential work.

I am going to share with you three such time and task management inserts now, and explain what I use each for and how it creates a system for task management while integrating nicely into my overall planning system.

Task Management Insert #1: Forward Planning Insert

The forward planning insert is great for tracking key dates and reminders for tasks, events and project due dates each month. Birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, other events and vacations are easily mapped out on this insert below the month that they pertain to. You can highlight and color code dates on the mini monthly calendars and then list the date and event or task in the lined section below. If you track important dates for a partner’s or child’s schedule, this insert is also a great place to compile that information. This insert creates a simple system for organizing date specific reference information that can help you with monthly, weekly, and daily planning because it’s great to be able to see a big picture overview of your year.

Task Management Insert #2: Reoccurring Task List | Yearly Task Planner

For tasks we do on a monthly basis, using a reoccurring task list like the Yearly Task Planner gives you the ability to list a task that repeats monthly, and then check off when that a task has been completed for that month. This insert is great for tracking monthly payments, plus work, chores and habits that we touch on a monthly basis. For additional tracking, instead of simply checking off the box for a month when the item is complete, I like to write in the day of the month I completed it so I have that information for future reference. This insert creates a system that almost queues up repeated tasks for your monthly planning without you having to remember them each month or go back through your past months planning pages to find repeat items. For example, when I sit down to plan my month, I reference this list to ensure I am scheduling in when I will complete each task into my month, and knowing which day I was able to complete the task the prior month helps me to schedule it better for my current month. 

Task Management Insert #3: Monthly Task List

One of the key tenets of my Functional Planning philosophy is to keep your task lists broken down by month so you are only looking at the tasks that are due in the short term. This helps you to remain clear on your priorities without being distracted by tasks that belong to another month. Keep monthly projects and any tasks you know are due in a specific month listed on this insert for a foolproof system of capturing tasks and allocating them to specific months of the year. This prevents the overwhelm that often comes from keeping all your tasks on one list that make it seem like you have an endless to do list that must be completed immediately. Then when you are doing your daily planning, you can take tasks from the list for the month and schedule them to get done that month. 

So, those are three planner inserts I use for year-long task management and organization. If you happen to like these inserts and want to snag them for your planner and functional planning system, then become a member of my Productivity + Planning Master Mind for instant access to these and many other exclusive planner inserts that are only available to my inner circle. 

I hope to see you inside the Master Mind soon!

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,