Have you ever noticed how you feel at certain times of the day compared to other times of the day.
Or maybe you have times of the day where you are more productive or have more clarity.
You may not have realized but how you feel, how productive you are, or when you are thinking most clearly – is directly related to your energy levels.
Considering this, you might know exactly when your high energy time of the day is. I’m definitely a morning person – and love to get things done in the morning.
But not all days are the same. On occasion, I may wake up feeling like my energy is off. But even on those days I still want to be productive or have ideas that I want to execute on – I just can’t get to it (like there is a disconnect between my willpower and my ambition!)
When this happens, it’s important to acknowledge that energy, instead of attempting to force yourself to work through it. So creating routines to help you work efficiently during different energy levels can make a world of a difference.
What I love about this idea, is that you can still feel accomplished at the times when you don’t want to accomplish anything. This is a great system to put in place for yourself so you can get out of your head and execute.
I’ve created an AM routine list based on energy levels (and will definitely develop another for PM routines).
Hopefully this will inspire you to take a look at how you can optimize how you work through your energy levels.
It’s been 3 days of “back to remote” learning. 3 days too long!
Sending good vibes to all the parents who are finding themselves in the 3rd lockdown (which means doing everything all of the time).
With that said – I’ve got a few things to share 1) an amazing new cookie recipe and 2) a few things that are keeping me focused.
I’ll start with what’s keeping me focused:
My morning routine! Meditate & Journal – helps to get my mind right and even if the days goes to sh!t, at least I took some time to set up my mindset
A daily walk: I try and go in the morning but if meetings don’t allow for it, I get my dose of vitamin D and forrest vibes in the mid afternoon
Daily workout: Whether it’s a fully body releasing stretch or a heavy lift day, workouts are a way to increase movement in my day after sitting at my own work desk or hunched over a JK’s desk
Prioritizing a personal goal: whether it’s reading for 10 minutes, making some art or making progress on a project – making time for myself makes me feel good
And for the days when even the above doesn’t work, we will always have a great cookie ;)
Sharing a new recipe I tried: Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie (because sometimes making cookies does WONDERS for the soul)
One of our favourite ways to abandon our self control is to justify our sins of the present moment with planned virtues of the future. For example, research shows that simply planning on exercising later, can increase the likelihood not eating healthy right now. This way of thinking not only reeks of moral licensing, but also introduces another critical flaw into the mix. The assumption that we will somehow make a different decision in the future, then we do today. (ie: today I will skip my workout, but tomorrow I will double up or today I will binge my favourite TV shows, but then I wont watch anymore for the rest of the week.)
We simply give our future selves too much credit. Counting on them to do whatever we can’t bring ourselves to do right now. We are too quick to assume we’ll be more enthusiastic, energetic, willful, diligent, motivated, brave, morally strong in a couple of days, weeks or months.
Such optimism could be okay, if we knew we could actually follow through on it all. And we both know thats now how it goes. When the future finally arrives, the nobel idealized version of ourselves – is nowhere to be found. And the demands we face aren’t nearly as easily as we told our selves they would be. What to do then? Put it all off again of course, hoping that our saviour will rescue us next time.
This type of thinking simply burdens our future self with impossible load of tasks and responsibilities.
The last few weeks have been have been strange for me in terms of direction and focus. Something must be said for following your inner knowing…because I find myself returning to thoughts I’ve always had about my purpose and my work, which to me means – that I’m still on a journey (and I just got side tracked – again lol).
Readjusting my aperture is what I call it (photographer here, and that play on words was absolutely necessary). I know that I’ll be constantly reminded of what I am meant to do so long as I’m not doing it. Kind of like you’ll keep receiving the same lessons until you finally get the message #ThankYouUniverse!
adjusting my aperture
I think it’s okay to lose your way or to get distracted because I’m a firm believer that you’ll always hear a voice and be nudged back on to your path. So I think it’s important to lean into that voice and let that nudge guide you.
This post will also serve as is a reminder to myself that I’m still in progress. (And hey if you need it – take this as your sign too).
So in the spirit of having the right mindset and getting myself to realign to my goals and reprioritize what’s going on in my life, I’m sharing 21 reminders from 2021.
Important to note: this list is evergreen – these reminders apply to ALL areas of your life. Purpose, Career, Healthy Lifestyle, Productivity, Good Habits, Social Life, Personal Projects, Building a Business…seriously I could go on!
What we need to take away is that it’s always about the journey, that we can always re-adjust our focus and that it’s totally OK to start again.
Everything we experience, will come in peaks and valleys
When you think you’ve been buried, you’ve actually been planted so get ready to bloom
Success is rarely achieved over night
The fact that you are trying, is in and of itself hard
When you need to plan something or find that you aren’t balanced – try the 3 bucket principle
You’ll never be the same woman again, so celebrate with her everyday
Breath and be grateful (every hour if necessary, which sometimes it is necessary)
Make art, it soothes the soul
Don’t put your energy into only one thing because if that one thing goes sideways you’ll feel lost
Never expect your first draft to be the best version
Balance is key
If it was that easy, everyone would be doing it.
Good things take time (instant gratification is something we need to break free of)
Enjoy your success, Learn from Failure – and remember anything can happen
Never let the internet fool you (everyone has a chapter they won’t read out lout, and some have a chapter they will never even write)
When in doubt, go for a walk in nature
Always appreciate the therapeutic power of putting pen to paper and letting everything out
Find ways to learn, especially when things seem out of your control
Pomodoro timer as a productivity hack for the win
When you fail to plan you plan to fail: Goals for the year, milestones for the quarters, activities for the months, tasks for the day
I’m here to interrupt your double vaxxed/tired mom summer with the news that – there are 115 days left until 2022.
Yep, One Hundred Fifteen Days.
I was definitely feeling like I was hitting a wall in terms of my goals. That’s not to say I haven’t had a winning few months I just feel like I was losing focus and slowing down. And I don’t want to do that.
So I started vision boarding for the last quarter of the year, and I mean WHY NOT?
These are my goals and I need to find my motivation. Sometimes adding pen to paper (or picture to board) can help revitalize and re-engerize me. But I also have to remind myself that creating a vision board is just the first step. I then have to come up with actionable steps by month/week to get those goals accomplished. I’m going with the OKRs (being specific and having multiple key results can really drive it home for me).
My point to this whole post is that you DON’T need to wait till MONDAY or the START of the MONTH or the the NEW YEAR. (Although if that is your thing, September is a great month to get back to it!)
Another thing we (well me and you, the collective we) need to get better at is sharing our goals. I’m a little torn on sharing progress (sometimes it makes more sense to keep your head down/disappear while you get sh!t done). But something has to be said about putting your big dreams out into the universe (sounds woo woo because it is, IYKYK)!
So here it is, my Q4 vision board ++ some tips about getting back on track with your goals!
Goal Setting: It’s important to know what you want to accomplish
Plan your year, months, weeks and days. Goals without a plan is a wish!
Get enough: sleep, exercise, meditate, drink more water, eat what your body needs journal and find time to relax
Be grateful: Always looking at future goals can cause fear, anxiety and stress. Practicing gratitude can balance that
Be disciplined: resist the urge to snack, check social media or skip a workout. Focus on your activity at hand – that’s how progress is made
Get to the other side of consistency: whether you see great results or no results – everything is in the hard work
Invest in yourself: Read books, seek mentors and growth opportunities. You don’t have to figure it out on your own. Find someone who has what you are trying to achieve and learn from them
Keep coming back to these principals when you feel stuck or even every day to make sure you stay on track.
I know I’m not the first but to anyone who can challenge the norms, unlearn what hinders them and try something new (like wearing a sari with pants) knows that being the most unique version of yourself is above everything!
I’ve learned that getting out of your comfort zone and finding ways to improve yourself iskey. Here are some ways to do that everyday:
Practice Gratitude Everyday
Digital Detox 2 hrs Before Bed (if you can’t do it every day, start with Mondays)
Personally Greet Everyone You Meet (by name, appropriate pronouns and with respect)
Talk Positively to Yourself
Do Something for Someone Else Once a Day (without expecting anything in return)
