To help you set yourself up for success in the new year and teach you how to Work Smarter, Not Harder, I have assembled the ULTIMATE PRODUCTIVITY RESOURCE GUIDE filled with 40+ productivity videos, blog posts, books, downloads and MORE!
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR GUIDE TODAY!
With 2017 around the corner, I thought this would be a perfect time to introduce you to some wonderful 2017 Printable Calendars if you are still looking for ways to organize your year!
2017 Calendar Dashboard
Grab this FREE Printable 2017 Calendar Overview for your planner, desk or wall!
2017 Planner Calendar Stickers
2017 Calendar Journaling Cards
2017 Planner Yearly Tracker
2017 Planner Yearly Overview
Perfect for forward planning in your planner or on your desk!
Calendar Tech Wallpapers
Enjoy!
5 PRODUCTIVE HABITS FOR THE NEW YEAR
Last week I shared an AMAZING LIST of 100 Life Changing Actions to Turn into Habits, and now I want to share the habits and strategies that I will be challenging myself to take on in the New Year! When it comes to creating habits, there are many options to choose from, but it really comes down to what you are trying to accomplish and which habits will be able to support you as you make progress on your goals. I also believe that when it comes to selecting habits to change or build, you shouldn’t strive to work on too many at once. In fact, I think it’s best to try things one at a time- trust me, making one small habit change is enough to throw off your entire routine so giving it your complete focus and attention is a best practice.
Habit: Make the bed once you get out of it!
How the habit supports the goal:
(1) Making your bed in the morning is an easy way to start your day productively and motivate yourself to do more. I’m hoping that committing to this during the week will motivate me to want to get more done in my mornings.
(2) Since I work from home, staying in bed or going back for a nap in the afternoon is a serious temptation, but when you make your bed it becomes harder for you to give in because you put effort into making sure your bed looked nice and you don’t want to undo that work, right? That’s the idea!
Habit: Finish 1 book a month
How the habit supports the goal
(1) I am not someone who has a hard time going through books, but I do tend to read in spurts so one month I could read 4 books and another I may start 1-2 and never finish any. So for 2017 I want to challenge myself to finish at least one book a month so I am consistently exposing myself to new content and ideas.
(2) Reading is probably the #1 way I learn anything! Of course, I like to enjoy books via Audible.com and listen instead of read. This helps me absorb more information and understand content better. http://bit.ly/audible2free
Habit: Perform 1 Self Care activity per day
How the habit supports the goal
(1) I tend to work pretty intensely during the day. I may not always put in 8 hours, but I may accomplish 8 hours worth of work in 4. This leaves my brain mentally exhausted at the end of the day and usually, if I have a lot going on that I’m juggling, stress creeps up on me. Taking time out of each day specifically to do something relaxing for me, is a way I can combat this so I don’t get overwhelmed as often as I currently do.
(2) Making yourself your number 1 priority is a great habit to get into. There are not many things I do every single day, but by doing something for me everyday, I will support this mindset and develop boundaries with other priorities and tasks.
Habit: Journaling
How the habit supports the goal
(1) I am not someone who has a great record of memory keeping, however, with certain life changes (turning 30 and purchasing my first home) I’ve been wanting more and more to find a way to keep track of memories ongoing. I think the easiest way for me to start doing this consistently may be simply writing about my day in a journal.
(2) This year I tested the waters with journaling and although I wasn’t completely consistent, I was able to record some important events from my year that I can now look back on. To a great extent as well, my monthly blog post Entrepreneurial is my way of documenting my business life regularly, and I am very glad I started that this year and have those posts to look over!
Habit: Write things down
How the habit supports the goal
(1) I know this may seem very similar to my last goal/habit but it’s a little different. Learning to stop relying on your memory and start writing down details is a hard process. I have come pretty far with this habit already, but I still find myself forgetting things all the time. Tasks, ideas, plans, etc. It’s very frustrating and to combat this I must start writing everything down!
(2) They say you learn better when you write something down, just that one small act helps to improve your cognition. So, I’ve pulled out a desk pad to leave out and even when I am doing passive things like talking on the phone or watching tv or a video, I try to doodle or take notes!
What habits are you planning to implement in the New Year? I’d love to hear about them in the comments, and if you are not sure what habits you may want to change or add to your life, check out my post on those 100 habits for some ideas and inspiration!
Blog Smarter, Not Harder {FREE eBook & Blogging Quick Start Course}
Have you been thinking about starting a blog but aren’t sure if it’s the right platform for you, or how you will create a name for yourself in the highly competitive and saturated blogging market? Blogging is a excellent way to grow your brand online, but their are essential things you need to know if you want to ensure your effort yields influence!
After over 8 years of blogging, I’ve definitely learned a thing or two to help you start your blogging journey on successful footing! That’s why I have created this Blog Smarter, Not Harder FREE eBook and 10 Day Online Course. In Blog Smarter, Not Harder you will learn how and what you need to get a blog started, how to come up with interesting blog posts and digital content, and how to grow a readership and traffic to your blog!
If you are ready to get started, click here to head on over to TheCharmedShop.com and enroll in this FREE resource TODAY!
100 Life Changing Actions to Turn into Habits
They say if you control your habits, you control your life! So, I’ve been collecting and refining a list of actions or activities that I think are essential for us to master and turn into habits in our lives. They are broken down into ten major areas or categories of life that cover nearly every situation. I don’t expect anyone to turn all 100 into habits in life, certainly not every action applies to every person, but if you’re looking to improve your life in any of these ten areas, there will be a habit to master that I’m sure you don’t have down yet! I hope this inspires you to make little changes in your life that add up to big things!
1. Drink half you weight in ounces of water (150lbs > 75oz)
2. Serve yourself slightly smaller portions at meal time
3. Take any opportunity to walk
4. Wash your hands after you finish in the bathroom
5. Meal Plan
6. Eat home cooked meals most of the week
7. Stretch in bed before you exit
8. Never skip your annual health exams
9. Brush your teeth everyday
10. Wear seasonally appropriate clothing
11. Say please and thank you
12. Hold the door for strangers
13. Talk to members of your immediate family weekly and extended family regularly
14. Interact with your friends on social media
15. Send loved ones birthday cards in the mail
16. Send thank you cards for the gifts you receive
17. Set a regular date night with your significant other
18. Be the first to apologize and the first to forgive
19. Accept the fact that not everyone is going to like you
20. Kill ‘em with kindness
21. Create a simple morning routine
22. Create a simple evening routine
23. Spent time visualizing your goals while you are in the shower
24. Create your own personal empowerment Mantra
25. Spend at least one evening a week on self care
26. Set your alarm 15 minutes earlier
27. Never go to bed before removing your makeup
28. Never go to bed before removing your jewelry
29. Say YES to experiences that scare you
30. Say NO to experiences that do not serve you
31. Spend time in quiet reflection daily
32. Accept your limitations
33. Surrender your sense of control
34. Have integrity in all that you do
35. Have grace with yourself and others
36. Seek to find the activities and people that light you up
37. Be generous with others
38. Let go of your ego
39. Ask for forgiveness
40. Always believe in the impossible
41. Use a planner
42. Batch your work
43. Set your top 3 priorities each day
44. Silence your phone and notifications while you work
45. Write everything down
46. Get down to inbox zero on a weekly basis
47. Block out time for important tasks
48. Be clear on your priorities
49. Accept that you won’t always get everything done
50. Never be afraid to ask for help
51. Find a mentor
52. Find someone to mentor
53. Dress for the job you want, not the job you have
54. Accept responsibility for your mistakes immediately
55. Take criticism with grace
56. Work hard even when your boss isn’t watching
57. Turn off from work when you get home
58. Volunteer for new opportunities and challenges
59. Make your voice heard in meetings
60. Always ask for what you’re worth
61. Read one book a month
62. Keep a journal
63. Cook for pleasure
64. Find a physical hobby
65. Plan one no-tech evening a week
66. Limit your screen time
67. Spend time outside in nature often
68. Keep a list of things you’d like to try in your free time
69. Explore your city
70. Spend more time creating than consuming
71. Make your bed as soon as you wake
72. Never let a wet towel touch the floor
73. Never let dishes sit in the sink
74. Keep money organized in your wallet
75. Clean out your bag at the end of the day
76. Establish a home care routine
77. Discard damaged clothing
78. Keep your contacts up to date
79. Discard and replace expired products
80. Don’t treat your vehicle like a storage unit
81. Find a charity to contribute to regularly
82. Donate your old clothing
83. Pay for the coffee of a person behind you in line
84. Follow local news
85. Be friendly towards your neighbors
86. Practice safe driving
87. Support local small businesses
88. Greet your mail carriers by name
89. Bring reusable shopping bags to the grocery store
90. Be kind to everyone you meet
91. Carry cash and change with you
92. Pay off your credit card balance each month
93. Spend less than you earn
94. Save at least 10% of everything you make
95. Start a retirement account and contribute to it monthly
96. Pay your bills on time
97. Don’t open credit accounts at every store you visit
98. Set up dedicated savings accounts for major purchases
99. Put extra money towards paying down debt
100. Check your bank balances and card statements weekly
What actions on this list do you plan to work on for your own personal development? I’d love to hear about your plan in the comments!
My Business Planning Process for a Successful New Year
If you run an business online or offline, or intend to start one in 2017, now is the time to start business planning for the new year. I realize that for most people, the idea of business planning can be pretty daunting, and I have to admit, when it comes to my personal planning philosophy, I never like to make planning a stressful or complicated task. So today I want to outline for you my streamlined process for business planning with 5 steps you can take to get your plans mapped out and get a strong start to 2017!
So, if you are staring this process before the new year hits, you want to make sure to capture important information for how your business did this year in order to understand what steps need to be taken in the new year for success. Although you may not have complete full year data at this point, you can begin to collect key information to start the analysis and then fill in the blanks after the year ends. Key information you want to collect and review would be sales data, revenue information, content/traffic numbers, and follower growth. If you are not already tracking your social media statistics to get an understanding of your follower growth, make sure to start asap! I have a video on the topic you can check out here, that will teach you a simple process for tracking your statistics and analyzing them to help you grow your following.
Based on the information and analysis in step 1, you will want to set goals for where you want your business to be in the new year using the same key factors. Set goals for your sales, revenue, content/traffic, and list growth, as well as any new products or offerings you plan to work on in the year to come. If you need additional guidance to help you analyze your current year data and set the right goals for the new year, here is a business planning video I made last year that walks you through my exact process. Block out about an hour and a half for this video, and even more time to collect and process the data! Although this process is streamlined, it’s not necessarily quick, so give yourself a nice block of time to complete this essential business task and I guarantee you will see better results in the new year just from taking this time to focus!
When it comes to choosing a planner to keep your life and business organized, I think you need to go with what works for you! I use my Charmed Life Planner, and you can see how it is currently set up here, but whatever you choose, I think it’s important that your planner include some key items:
Systems are just a fancy way of saying a codified process for how you operate and accomplish specific business tasks. Systems are important because they save you time when you have your process worked out and don’t have to make it up as you go each time you complete a business task AND they come in handy if you bring on help for your business because you can easily hand off the system to your worker and they know exactly what needs to be done with little oversight from you. Here are some common business areas that you should have a system in place for, and I suggest downloading my free Online Business Incompletions Trigger List to help you think about where you can implement systems throughout your business:
Did you ever wonder why so many important business figures and successful people are often associated with different productivity or personal development habits? It’s because they know that the secret to success doesn’t necessarily lie in your business plan- it’s all about managing your own personal development so you can operate at a higher level! Personal development as a category is a huge topic, so I won’t overwhelm you with a vast number of resources, but instead I want to leave you with two easy personality tests that I think every online business owner should take in order to better understand their strengths and weaknesses. The first is the Myers Briggs Type Test. This test helps you understand your dominant predispositions and from understanding these and your Myers Briggs Personality Type you can understand yourself at a higher level and take action to work on issues or challenges that your personality type faces to make you a more successful individual. In case you are curious, my Myers Briggs Type is ENFJ which means I am an extrovert, that uses my intuition and feelings to judge situations. I wrote a blog post all about the Myers Briggs Test that you can read here to get a link to a great free resource to take the test and get additional information to understand your personality type. The second test I recommend is the Fascination Personality Test developed by Sally Hogshead. This test is geared towards business owners and anyone developing a brand online. It essentially pinpoints different dominant communication styles that people use to attract others to them and their brands. My Fascination Personality Archetype is called the Victor, which means I communicate primarily with prestige and use power as my secondary advantage. Now with both these tests, It’s important to take your time answering the questions, don’t overthink things, but make sure your answers are as accurate to reality as possible because its not about what you “wish” you were like, it’s about understanding your true nature, personality wise, so you can find a clear path to develop yourself to where you want to be.
I hope this process has given you some ideas for steps you can take right now to set your business up for success in the new year. Of course, these are not the only ways you can prep your business, so if you have other suggestions, let me know about them in the comments below. Also, feel free to check out my YouTube video on this topic if you are interested. I’ll leave it linked above.
Jumpstart Your Goal Setting for the New Year
I’m often asked about the secret to my success. Why I’m so productive, how I get so much done, why I was able to make myself successful when the odds are stacked against me (and you, the odds are unfortunately stacked against all of us)? It’s hard to pinpoint what I do that makes me different, but after talking to so many of the members in my community, I’ve learned that I have some systems in place in my life that I stick to and use as tools to guide me towards the success I seek. One of those systems is Goal Setting!
Every year come December I begin the process of goal setting for the year ahead. It’s a pretty simple process really, that has evolved over the years for me. I started by just keeping a list of “New Years Resolutions” as many of us do! Then, after realizing that I rarely completed many of the tasks on the list, I switched up my methodology and created action steps that would help me achieve the goal. My processed has refined over the years and turned into a complete goal setting/project planning process where I literally map out everything I’d like to achieve for the year on a timeline and keep project plans handy to ensure I’m making progress. I know this may sound like I have the contents of my days prescheduled for a year in advance, but that’s really not my style. I use a framework for deciding, breaking down and managing my goals that is simple, logical, and fits directly into my planner, which is the best part, really!
Eventually, I codified my process. First, for my own memory since this is an annual undertaking, and second, to share my process in an easily digestible form with the rest of my community. What resulted is known as YOU GOT THIS: A Strategic Goal Setting and Planning Guide to Help You Achieve Your Goals and Organize Your Life! It’s a PDF Workbook you can purchase from my shop RIGHT NOW and work through over the next few days and weeks to prepare yourself for a successful year ahead. It’s a streamlined 31 pages in length with 9 worksheets/checklists to apply the lessons in the book to your goals and life, PLUS I include a very handy Resource Guide with extra links to additional educational tools and planning supplies that I recommend for anyone who is truly looking to go deep to ensure a successful year!
So, if you haven’t picked up your digital copy of the workbook yet, click here to get started and feel free to check out this video I made introducing the workbook! If you already own YOU GOT THIS, I’d love to hear your thoughts about it in the comments. I’ve heard nothing buy good things so far from this best selling productivity tool, and I’d love to hear how it worked out for you!
Entrepreneurial: I’ll Rise Like the Break of Dawn
I know I have mentioned more than a few times that when it comes to writing my blog posts, I tend to batch the work and write my content at least a week ahead of time, but when it comes to this blog post, my monthly entrepreneurial journal entry, I try to hold off on writing this until the end of the month. So, I’m writing this the day before the post goes live- this is as close to living on the edge that I like to come with my blog, but let me tell you, living on the edge is something I did ALOT in November! In so many ways, this month felt like a metamorphosis for me. I actually don’t understand how the person sitting here at the computer right now typing this post is the same person who woke up on November 1st thinking this was going to be the same old same old type of month for me. If I had to select a theme song for November, it would be Let It Go from Frozen, because like the beloved snow queen Elsa, I let a lot of sh*t go this month!
1. Let myself get distracted: November was a very transformative month for me and as soon as I realized that I had a lot of work to do to reach the other side in one piece, I turned on hermit mode and kept myself lazer focused on the tasks in front of me. I definitely didn’t lock myself in a room all month to avoid distractions, but I gave myself permission to delete or silence the apps, alerts, and even people that often take up too much of my mental energy. Truthfully, it felt like one of the most selfish things I have ever done, but it was too freeing to let other things slip away and just focus on myself. I seriously need to do this more often!
2. Let Fear hold me back: I tend to be the type of person who hates disappointing others and fears letting people down, but I overcame a lot of fear this month to do the things I knew had to be done. I almost feel a little ruthless with some of the decisions I made this month, some of the people I blocked and some of the projects I dropped, but I just mentally blocked out the fear.
3. Give a F*ck: I apologize for being so crass with this one, but vulgarity seems to be the best way for me to sum this up! I still can’t believe some of the things I did this month to make it to the finish line. It wasn’t that I did anything bad, I just did things and made choices I have never experienced before and it was completely liberating to me and my business. Looking back at the month, I almost feel like I was a little too reckless at times, but even now, seeing how things turned out, I feel like I needed to be a little reckless and I’m curious about how things could have turned out if I had been even more reckless! It really was a major change for me when you keep in mind that I’m normally so deliberate and buttoned up.
1. Ran two promotions (simultaneously): This idea was a little nuts, required a lot of work and preparation on my part, but it completely paid off. So, I ran two promotions that overlapped; one for my Online Business Bundle as part of that Free Workshop I hosted mid-month, and one for my Annual Holiday Sale in my shop that ended yesterday. Because of this decision, I had my best month EVER in the shop… and that was BEFORE the second promotion even started! Financially speaking, I exceeded all kinds of goals I had set for my business, not just in November, but also for 2016 as a whole! After a period of months where I felt like my business had stagnated after my summer off and my move, it was like my business was in full acceleration and forgot to hit the brakes. Of course, I’m now curious to see how I parlay this success into December, but any way I cut it, this year is a major win for me no matter what happens next month!
2. Closed a Facebook Group: Remember how I said this month’s theme song would be Let it go? Well, my #CharmedBiz Collective Facebook Group was one of the things that I let go this month. For a long time I felt like this group didn’t shape up the way I had intended it, and it was completely my own fault. But after spending months trying to keep it alive in one way or another, I finally decided to cut off the dead weight so I could move on with a lighter load. I’m so thankful for this opportunity because now I don’t need to spend mental energy and precious time worrying about the future of the group- it wasn’t working, so I let it go, and now I can pour my energy into bigger and better things.
3. Celebrated my success: Because of the great success I had in the shop this month, I gave myself permission to celebrate my milestone with a big purchase. Something I have been wanting for a while, but was always a little concerned about buying because of the expense and the lack of necessity. This was one of those reckless moments, but I said F it, did what I wanted and I’m really happy I did. Life is short, we should ALL get in the habit of celebrating our success and milestones while we have the chance!
1. Let it go (and set boundaries!): I definitely have a hard time letting go, but I managed to conquer this fear and let go of nearly everything that wasn’t serving me this month. I feel like I have emotionally, spiritually and physically cleaned house, and it’s one of those amazing feelings where I don’t regret a single thing, and in fact, want to find more things to let go of! By letting go of that which did not serve me in the past, I was able to clear out space for wonderful new things to come into my life. It’s funny how that works! I let go of a lot of random stuff holding me back and I was bestowed a wonderful gift. The universe strives for balance, if you are carrying around too much, it doesn’t want to give you more than you can handle. You need to unpack what you don’t need before you can get all the shiny new stuff the universe wants you to have instead. And in order to keep myself from picking back up anything I let go of this month, I also needed to make sure to erect some boundaries for myself. Boundaries are a new concept for me as well this month- I tend not to use them, but going forward, much of the work I know I need to complete for myself and my own personal development revolves around setting boundaries so I do not let myself acquire too much baggage that doesn’t serve me in the future.
2. Trust the process: I’ve said this before, but trusting the process is a lesson I am constantly learning. We can’t see the future, so making decisions, taking risks, acting recklessly, it all feels uncomfortable. But I have seen time and time again that when I show up and do the work, it all pays off. Even if I do the work and it doesn’t result in success, I always get something important from it. I need to stop playing it safe all the time, and trust the process more, because I know what works for my life and my business, and the more I can focus on doing the work that matters, the more I’ll be rewarded in the end.
3. Luck results when preparation meets opportunity: To sum up this whole month and the big picture lessons I’ve learned, I am reminded of this quote. “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” If you are looking at my life and my business and thinking “she’s just lucky” you seriously misunderstand what it takes to create success in your own life and business. Although this blog post and those like it are my attempt to pull back the curtain so others can get a glimpse at what it takes to be successful in online business, make no mistake that you do not see it all, especially the hours of hard work that go into making my successes a reality. Tweeting, vlogging, and sharing on Instagram are the things I do when I am not heads down with my eyes glued to my work. There is no such thing as luck, we all get exactly what we work for in one form or another.
I hope this rather irreverent installment of my monthly entrepreneurial journal has inspired you to let some things go in your own life and business, and to create a plan to move forward and collect all the rewards that are waiting for you on the other side of that sacrifice! For me, this month has been so transformative and absolutely freeing. So, I’m sure I can expect some challenges to come next month as I adjust and strive to enforce the changes I’ve made this month. I’d love to hear how your month went and what lessons you picked up along the way, so please make sure to share those in the comments below or let me know how my experience this month has inspired you to act!
If you haven’t been over to The Charmed Shop lately, things have gotten a bit of a frosty makeover for the holidays to celebrate the BIGGEST Annual Sale in the Shop! Today is Cyber Monday, which means it’s the last day of the sale and the last chance to take advantage of some of my awesome sale specials and extra discount codes!
Of course, up until now, the discount codes have only been shared with my subscribers, but I don’t want to leave my loyal blog readers out in the cold either, so if you are interested in purchasing something to help you work smarter, not harder in the new year, here are the codes for some extra discounts to the already discounted prices in the shop!
Keep in mind that these codes and the extra sale savings EXPIRE at Midnight Eastern Time tonight! So if you want to get your hands on my Printable Charmed Life Planner, my Best Selling Goal Setting Workbook YOU GOT THIS, or a Productivity Master Class, head on over to The Charmed Shop NOW!
Thanks to EVERYONE who has already purchased during this year’s Holiday Sale! This has been by far the most successful sale in The Charmed Shop to date, and thanks to your generous love and support, I have even more resources to invest into my business for 2017! So you can look forward to bigger and better things for your productivity in the New Year with the help of yours truly. Keep your eyes peeled for a very special project I am working on in December to get YOU more involved with the future of my channel and business- I’ll be sending an email out very soon about that!
Hello My Charmed Ones!
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of Year! Holiday Season! And I have a few Tech and Planner Freebies to share with you to help kick December and the last leg of 2016 off right! Click here to get your Planner Freebies, the 31 Days of Merriment & Cheer Monthly Task List as well as your December 2016 Dashboard. Both are available in A5 and Personal Filofax equivalents from The Charmed Shop!
Don’t forget your Tech Wallpapers as well! I have a nice seasonal design for you that is a little bit different than the other designs this year, but I just love it, don’t you? Download yours here on The Charmed Shop!
I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving if you are in the US and you know I love when I see your photos on Instagram sharing how you are using and loving your monthly freebies, so make sure to use #CharmedGTD if you post a picture on Instagram or Twitter, and feel free to tag me @MissTrenchcoat as well so I can see you photos and give them a big heart ♥