“Why are you listening to that?” Michael questioned me.

It was a Clubhouse room about how to have difficult conversations. I was listening to find struggles my clients are dealing with so I can help them find solutions.

Here’s one I clipped:

“My question is, what if the person being inconsiderate of your time is higher on the hierarchy chain than you?”

That's a rough one.

The conversation then turned to sleep deprivation. Moms face this challenge all the time.

Today I don’t want to focus on all the reasons why moms feel overwhelmed. 

Let me just summarize by saying in the last year we’ve gone from dealing with a pandemic to explaining to our children the injustices of what’s happening in the Ukraine.

Let’s focus on addressing some questions that will move you closer to overjoy.

How do you recognize as a mom that you're overwhelmed?

I mentioned in here that...

I’ve been hacked!

Fortunately, I’ve been able to recover my Instagram account but now I’m cleaning up the mess the hacker left behind.  Ironically on the same day, the hacker struck I participated in a Clubhouse room led by

Stephanie Deininger alongside Katie Matusky, and our special guest Jana Osofsky to share out top tips

on how to stay organized on social media. We gave tips for both creators and regular users that can be utilized on different platforms. If you prefer to listen to the replay, CLICK HERE (it's a great way to follow along with our list and you don't have to download the app!). 

If you feel your social media is due for a little spring cleaning, here’s the list:

1. Create circular viralocity (Brendon Bruchard's term) create a longer piece of content on a weekly basis and break it into smaller chunks (like Jana mentioned) but then have those posts link back to your longer-form content which will hopefully...

Confession time: I’m a procrastinator.

This blog is the cornerstone of my business.  Every week I write to keep my business growing but I'm often stymied by inertia.

I begin my days with this work because I find it the hardest to do.

Still, somedays getting words typed onto a blank page can be like watching your kid suffer. EXCRUCIATING!

Many mornings I put it off because I’m crunched for time in the morning (despite my 5:30 am alarm). Other days, I have an idea that comes up while writing that I want to investigate further and lose myself to the research. Sometimes a sound outside my window will grab my attention and I will stare at nature instead of face my keyboard.

Regardless of how it hits, the result is fewer words on the page and minutes lost.

Sound familiar? 

I bet procrastination hits you differently depending on the moment. Let’s look at a few common types and a quick fix.

Types of...

Have you ever thought, I set my goal…now what?

Last week I attended Back to School night for my daughter’s high school. It was all done via zoom because….COVID. It struck me how few parents showed up.

As the teacher presented to parents how the semester is going to play out, my thought was what a great illustration of how to use systems to achieve a goal. I know productivity nerd over here.

Let me explain using Biology (because the teacher was kinda cute).

He started by laying out the “course objectives” (aka goals)

• Learn biology
• Become a critical thinker and problem solver
• The list went on but you get the point 

Next, he went into the materials, tests, homework, etc that will be expected throughout the year (his system for achieving the objectives above).  

I also loved the part where he pointed out all electronic devices must be OFF or they will be confiscated. This guy knew how to get...

Raise your hand if you’ve ever given up on a New Year’s resolution. If you could peer through my computer monitor, you would see me waving my hand in the air.

We’ve all done it but there’s something magical about a fresh start. A chance to clean the slate. This year instead of picking another New Year’s Resolution that you’re going to beat yourself up for failing in a few weeks.  Let’s focus on goals we can work towards in a way that’s healthy and realistic.

Why Set Goals

Let’s start with why your goals should be more than just a New Year’s tradition. Goals can be more than just a yearly resolve to lose those same 10 pounds. You can set goals in any area of life - business, health, or personal. You know this already of course.

First goals help you choose the right moves at the right times. Let’s use your business as an example here.  Say you’ve just launched your social...

It's the time of year when we're all a little behind on our to-do lists. With holiday parties, gift shopping, and decorating, it's hard not to fall into a frenzy! I’m excited to share with you my top tool and tips that will help you get your tasks done without feeling frazzled.

The Holiday Binder

I purchased this printable holiday planner from Etsy 2 years ago. It might seem like a lot, but it is my secret weapon for getting through the holidays. I'll admit, I don't use every single page. I print them out and clip them into my holiday binder.  I have a divider page for each holiday Halloween through New Year. I’ve also included a pencil case so when I carry this secret weapon around I’m prepared with post its, pens, and highlighters.

This planner is key for getting my house decorated. I take pictures where I place everything in my house so that when I bust out the big tubs of all my decorations, it's pretty easy for me to figure out where all the stuff...

It’s time for the truth, ladies. We all fail at something. We are not perfect and we never will be. The sooner you realize this, the happier you will be with your life! 

I'm going to let you in on a little secret - everyone fails sometimes! Everyone makes mistakes, but it's how we handle those failures that really matters. That's right; even me! So don't worry if you've failed before because I know that it happens to all of us. Remember - just dust yourself off and get back up again!

Let’s dive a bit deeper and look at the reasons you are setting yourself up for failure.

You Aren’t Taking Responsibility

When something goes wrong do you immediately react by pointing fingers? 

Next time let’s start by looking at what you could have done differently.  I’ll use my kids as a quick example.  This morning my daughter ratted out her brother for locking her out of the bathroom when she needed to be getting ready...

I don’t talk politics on this blog because it’s not relevant (and I don’t want to).  Today I’m going to dip my toe in for just a moment.  There’s currently a sit-in going on at my kids school.  It has to do with vaccinations and I have my opinions but again that doesn’t matter here.

This post is about overwhelm and right now I feel like the political environment of our country is overwhelming.  I never dealt with school protests as a kid. The weight of this as a mom feels heavy.

Our kids have gone through enough dealing with a global pandemic for the last year and a half. I long for the days where my kids biggest concern was what to wear to school.

Enough about politics. Let’s look at some other signs of overwhelm that have a less divisive source.

Not in your Zone

As entrepreneurs we are forced to wear many hats. You have to do it all (even that yucky accounting stuff you don’t...

The phone rang and it was a number I didn’t recognize.  I went against my instincts and answered it.  On the other end was a sweet voice asking me to volunteer for the freshman retreat for my daughter’s high school.  

“Yes” fell out of my mouth without thought but as soon as I hung up the phone I knew that I had crossed a boundary.  I had too much on my plate and was flooded with regret.

Has this ever happened to you?

Definition of Boundaries

Creating boundaries keeps you on the unbusy path. “What is a boundary?” you’re thinking. I like this definition by Brene Brown:

“Boundaries are not fake walls, not separation, they’re not division. They are respect for what’s ok and what’s not ok for me.”

In other words, it is an internal understanding that helps us love ourselves and each other better. Going back to my phone call example above, I knew I...

“I hear you like an angel on my shoulder”

Those words are the best compliment from a client. She hears my voice in her head when she wants to power through another day without taking time for herself.

I’m no angel but I do want to get inside your head to talk about accountability.

There’s that word...ACCOUNTABILITY. It’s thrown around a lot in the realms of personal productivity.  

In my opinion, it’s earned its place.  Here’s why:

It works!

Studies have shown if you publicly state a goal, you have a 65% chance of achievement. If you have someone holding you accountable to that goal, your odds increase to 95%.

Those are some good odds.

Despite the good bet, many people still don’t do it.  The reasons include

• It’s time-consuming
• There are no good accountability buddies
• The idea that you “have” to do something

The list can go on and on but let...