Do you remember the time when the stars aligned and you had a pocket of time all to yourself?

While I cleaned up dinner last Sunday, hubby had his fantasy football draft and the kids decided to go to the gym instead of hanging out with me.

My Sundays are spent planning out my week, doing housework, and hanging out with my family. I was sad at first that the kiddos didn’t want to hang with me but I have a teenager and preteen so I shouldn’t be too surprised.

One of my favorite indulgences is to take a bath. Since it was the end of the day, I quickly filled the tub and grabbed a book. I’m currently reading Ditching the Dream by my friend Bethany Clemson.

I emerged from the tub feeling better than ever. Were there loads of housework that still needed to be done? Was I tempted to mindlessly scroll through videos of how other people clean their homes? Yes to both!

I chose the bath with clarity and purpose because I knew the gift of...

Life has seasons. I’ve written about this before.

Choosing the path of entrepreneurship leads to one hectic and exciting season: growing your business. However, if we are not careful, this can quickly lead to burnout.  The combination of coffee-fueled late nights and dragging yourself out of bed in the morning is a recipe for disaster.

Your caffeinated growth sprint may feel like an impossible task when you're piled with the duties of motherhood (or just life).

Here are some ideas for how to add more hours into your business that won’t push you into overwhelm.

Delegate House Duties

You can delegate other aspects of your life when work spreads you thin like butter on toast.  A good place to begin is to look at those who live under your roof.  

When I decided to go back to work, my husband (bless his heart) assumed laundry duties. Since he works from home, it's easy for him to throw in the wash while he's on a...

Goal-setting is a frenzy around the new year. Motivation is ramped up by a fresh start.

New beginnings don't have to wait until January 1st.

"Most of us have harbored a sense that beginnings are significant. Now

the science of timing has shown that they're even more powerful than

we suspected. Beginnings stay with us far longer than we know;

their elects linger to the end”

WHEN by Daniel Pink 

Pay Attention to Landmarks

As a child, my family moved from southern to northern California. On long weekends and holidays, we drove back and forth between the two.  A GIANT cattle ranch is halfway between the two (about 3.5 hours into the drive). Without even looking up from the movie I was watching, I could smell cows and feel excitement for getting to Grandma's.

Back to School is a landmark in time, just like the cattle ranch is a physical landmark. In an article published by the Wharton School, it was found that temporal landmarks, or distinct...

I'm staring at my keyboard right now. I need a failure story. I need a story about failure. I need a failure story.

In writing, there's something I learned from Anne Lemott in Bird by Bird called "the really shitty first draft." Basically, you have to get your ideas down on paper (hence the opening line). My time behind the keyboard became exponentially more proficient since I’ve grasped this concept.

Instead of worrying that I didn't have the right words, I just let my ideas flow out.  It’s ok if it’s not perfect. In fact, I expect some absolute garbage to pour out of me.  The faster I get the words all down, the sooner I can get to work on refining them into something I’m ok with publishing.

This is true in writing but the lessons in failure apply from everything from business to more personal pursuits. Let’s explore some of the reasons why you should fail FAST.

Failure Creates Motivation

I just took a trip down...

I often get asked, 'how can I be more productive?’

Thinking about this question, I realize that the answer could go in a million different directions.

It's a pretty vague question that leads to a lot more questions...productive at what? What resources do you have available? What makes this thing important to you?

In this article, I've kept the answers more theoretical (in keeping with the question). Basically, I've boiled it down to three principles.

Connect with Your Future Self

When I graduated from the University of Nevada Reno, my first job was in sales and marketing in the casino industry.  For a girl in her twenties, it was a fun gig and I moved up the ranks.  The next step was a Las Vegas job offer which I accepted immediately before suddenly having a change of heart.  I had always wanted a family, but I couldn't imagine raising them in Sin City.

I didn't know it at the time but I was protecting my future self. It's easy...

There is a real struggle at my house to empty the dishwasher. It's a kid's chore, but I find myself bracing myself every time I utter "empty the dishwasher."

A recent therapy session addressed this power struggle. One of the recommendations was to use a timer and make a game out of how fast you can empty the dishwasher.

I smiled because I instantly thought of the pomodoro technique. (Yep productivity nerd over here). Of course, why didn’t I think of that.  One of the advantages of pomodoro is gamification.  The race to beat the clock makes a boring task more fun.

What is the Pomodoro Technique

Pomodoro is a staple productivity technique for focus (and you’ve probably heard of it before) but before I get into more reasons why it works, here's a brief description of what it is…

In the late 1980s, Francesco Cirillo developed the Pomodoro Technique. It uses a kitchen timer to break work into intervals, typically 25 minutes in...

You can choose how you want to proceed! Your day begins when you awaken, and it can take two paths.

The first is that you head straight into the office with your morning coffee.  Your phone is blowing up with text messages from friends and clients. Right away, you start putting out fires: sending an email to a client who needs one, checking in with your dad to see how his doc appointment went yesterday, and confirming details with the contractor about to begin work on your kitchen remodel.

Next thing you know, it's 8 am and the kids are up and hungry. It's time to make breakfast, get everyone ready, and take the kids to camp. You're back in the office at 10am, and there are a flood of emails to wade through. In about an hour, you pull your head out of email to take your client's call, eat a quick lunch at your desk and finally get some time to work on your big project before you have to pick up the kids.

In the next scenario, you wake up and begin your...

Still unpacking the glittery outfits from a weekend in Vegas.

This was unlike any other Vegas trip I’ve ever been on.  Yes there were bright lights and late nights but during the day I was at a personal development conference to LEVEL UP.

I won’t get into all the details of the event, but I will say it was AMAZING!

In the personal development world, we are often asked to look at what is holding us back from reaching that next level of achievement…regardless of what you are trying to achieve.

One thing that always that comes up for me is perfectionism and after sitting in room full of others going through the same exercise, I know that I’m not alone.

Perfectionism Defined

Let’s start by defining perfectionism. For me it has always been allowing something to take way longer than it should (or possibly never even completing it) because I want every detail to be just right.

After spending some time researching the...

“Go to your happy place.”

Usually when you hear those words, it’s seconds before you have to endure some form of necessary torture.

In my mind, I escape to a hammock that hangs between two palm trees on a remote island in Bora Bora.  I have a rum blended beverage in my hand with a pink umbrella adorning the top. To my right is the crystal clear turquoise waters dotted by overwater bungalows and to my left is an infinity edged pool.

This idyllic scene is so real because I visited it on my honeymoon 18 years ago. Vacation memories provide mental escapes during times of stress but there are so many other reasons to not skip out on your vacation this summer.  Let's explore more.

Health

Chronic stress permeates modern life. Working full-time or caring for a family creates stress that builds up daily.  The daily stress needs to be managed, but for a BIG reset, we need to get away.

There’s scientific data to back...

The time is 9 a.m. on a Monday morning as I type this, and I know what I need to do when I sit down at my desk, because this is my writing block. In fact, most of my day goes like this since I chose to plan out my week in timeblocks.

You may have heard me profess my love for timeblocks before and I explain what they are right here.

Ready to take time blocking to the next level? Today I want to discuss some secrets to time blocking.

Time Blocking is Not for Everyone

Here is the first thing I’m going to do: I want to make sure if you should even bother reading this.

Do you consider yourself a classic creative? Many creatives don't want to be told what to do. They don't even want to tell themselves what to do. Being over-scheduled increases their stress level. 

Those of you who are not in charge of their own time, because you may work for someone who controls your time, or may be required to change direction quickly because of your job,...