I’ve talked about delegation before. 

It’s a ninja move to get unbusy but many of you don’t have anyone to delegate to...so today I introduce you to my friend Jono who will educate you on the ninja delegation move: outsourcing.

Jono Petrohilos is the 2020 Australian Fitness Educator of The Year and Founder of The Course Creator Community.

Take it away Jono.

I remember when I created my first ever eBook. I was a Group Fitness Instructor at the time and was teaching 2-3 fitness classes a night, earning give or take $100 a night. I wanted to create an eBook of workout ideas that I could sell to other Group Fitness Instructors to save them time and give them new ideas.

So I opened up Microsoft Word, wrote down every workout I knew (something like 50-60 workouts that were all really good)! There was one problem though. The eBook looked like a Microsoft Word document. It was boring. I knew if I was going to sell it, I...

It’s Tuesday morning after a 3 day weekend.  There’s an anxious knot in the pit of my stomach for the short week ahead.

Part of life balance is taking the time to soak in those LOONG 3 day weekends but fit my work into a shortened week.  Time to lean heavy on my calendar.

“What gets scheduled gets done” Michael Hyatt

This is important during any week but even more important today.  

Here’s a breakdown of my calendar process.

1. For me it starts with my personal yearly review.  I spend time reconnecting with my life plan.  
2. Next I set goals for the year that connect to the plan and commit those goals to a quarter during my year. There are times when goals have to roll from one quarter to the next but that’s a post for another day.
3. Finally I take those quarterly goals and break them into weekly tasks that are put into my calendar.  
4. I review my calendar each day to make...

Do you wonder how you’ll ever find the time to work on your big project? You’re ready to be more than just a Mom.

You’re not going to believe this but there’s a tool to find time for whatever it is that you want in your life.  It’s simple but not always easy.

It’s called the Ideal Week. It’s a downloadable template that will move your life from reactive to proactive.  It’s your life.  OWN IT!

The purpose is to find an intersection between your dreams and your realities.

Here’s what mine looks like today.

Steps to Create Your Own

1. Do a brain dump of everything that is and you would like to have in your schedule. Include all your tasks and habits.
2. Print out the template and use a pencil to time-block in all the actionable items (I make a lot of edits along the way)
3. Recheck for happiness.  This is your ideal week, so make sure the week you have planned out makes you smile. Yes that...

I have a confession.

I used to pretend to sleep in on the weekends and instead use the extra time lounging in bed to check emails.  Who does that?  

My sweet hubby would always get up with the kids.  Sacrificing his sleep so I could catch up on mine.  I was always the one to get up with them during the week.

Looking back on it now, it’s ridiculous.  What a crazy way to spend the time I should have been recharging?  And the even crazier part...I was a full-time mom.

My family saw the value of a well-rested mommy.  “Getting caught up on emails” not so much.  Clearly, I had trouble asking for time alone.

This seems to be such a woman thing.  We are so worried about putting everyone else first.

Let’s stop it.  Here are some ways to find the alone time you need.

Ask For It

Yep.  It’s really that simple. 

Because sometimes you don’t really...

I just said NO!

A good friend called and asked me to serve on the board of a charity. It’s a charity I happily give my time and money to, but I still said NO. I felt terrible, but this is a HUGE improvement. I used to lose sleep over these sorts of NOs. Or worse, say yes when I knew it wasn’t the right choice.

I’m a recovering people-pleaser.

People-pleasing is a disease. It makes everyone around you feel better, but in the end, the person who ends up suffering is you.

Definition of People-Pleaser

According to Miriam Webster, people pleaser has two definitions:

someone or something that pleases or wants to please people

 

a person who has an emotional need to please others often at the expense of his or her own needs or desires

The first definition sounds pleasant, but it usually leads to the second.

Even Taylor Swift is a Victim

Have you seen Taylor Swift’s documentary “Miss Americana?” It’s a...

You know that friend that has it all together.  AND she’s always beaming.  You look at her and think, “that’s a level of happy I just can’t reach.”  

Or is it?

What if I told you that a little time spent with your calendar could improve your happiness?

Yes, even if you aren’t a planner.

Before I get into the details, let’s define happiness.  Happy is a feel-good word. Another way to look at this is emotional health.  

Not everyone is happy all the time.  Even Mr. Rogers had his bad days.  

He helped kids identify their feelings.  Take the lyrics to this song of his for example:

What do you do? Do you punch a bag?

Do you pound some clay or some dough?

Do you round up friends for a game of tag?

Or see how fast you go?

Mr. Rogers was onto something.  It’s how we handle the darker emotions that’s the true sign of our...

Note the word PLAN, not Schedule in the headline.

The difference is subtle but significant.

Your schedule is an execution of your plan.

Beware of your schedule filling up with little thought.  That free email marketing you’re signed up for tomorrow.  Is that working towards your most important goal?

Planning takes more effort.  You need to protect your time.  Not give it away.

Plan Your Day

Taking a few minutes at the end of each day will ensure you spend more time in planning mode.

Review your day.  Open your calendar, whether it’s paper or digital.  This is where you review what’s on your schedule.  Take the time to prepare for meetings or appointments.  Is there a spirit day in your son’s class?  Pull out the outfit tonight before you tuck him in.

Chose your top 3 priorities for tomorrow.  This is the planning part.  Don’t start working off an endless to-do list.  You need to prioritize...

My phone lit up again at 3:33 am.  I set it to do not disturb, but somehow my mom’s spirit sent me a message in the middle of the night.  As I type these words, I realize how crazy this sounds, but I’m not sure how else to explain it.

When mom passed away a year ago the 3 am wake-up calls began.  At first, the wake-up call came often, but today it doesn’t happen so much.

Taking an awkward step deeper into the spirit world, I’ll share that the 3 is a significant number. My mom left behind 3 of us in our immediate family.  It’s my reminder to carry on her legacy of holding the 3 of us together.

Don’t worry.  I’m not turning this piece into a discussion of mediums and tarot cards (although those fascinate me at Halloween parties).

Today I’m pondering legacy and the seasons of life.  These became very real to me when I had to say goodbye to mom.  Each stage presents unique opportunities and challenges if...

How to Family Meal Plan and Enjoy It

Last week things were tense in my house over taco meat.

Yep, taco meat.

It wasn’t just any taco meat.  It was the frozen taco meat I had prepared weeks ago so I could take a night off from cooking.  A frozen meal from an evening of double cooking is something worth fighting for... who’s with me here?

Hubby had pulled it out to make lunch for the kids on a random Thursday.  Bonus points for helping with lunch, but when I walked into the kitchen to see taco meat sizzling, I saw red. I’m territorial over my freezer meals.

Ok, I agree I need to be more flexible (working on it).  

There are about a million things I’d rather be doing than meal planning and grocery shopping.  BUT, I believe the taste and quality of what we eat in important.  So I have a system to get it done quickly and painlessly.

Hoping it will help you.

My Meal Plan Process

On Monday nights, we always eat leftovers.  (Or...

Your alarm goes off, you stumble to the bathroom, and what do you do next?

Nothing for me before coffee!

What is it for you?

The act of making coffee (or insert your thing here) is a habit.  I could do it blindfolded.

Dump out yesterday’s grinds, fill up the water tank, tap the new grinds into a fresh filter, and push start without even thinking. It’s hard-wired into your brain. 

What if you could create any habit that’s as effortless as brewing coffee?  Yep, even daily exercise.

Today I’m not going to delve into how to create a habit.  James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, is the guy to go see to dive deep on this one.  

Let’s look at tracking habits because it’s the secret sauce to keeping a good habit:

Making Good Habits Stick

• Secure your motivation.  Think about the last time you tried to diet.  If your motivation was to lose weight it probably failed.  However, if you wanted to lose...