Secret OWL Society: 2014

The Plan Do Review Printable Kit is Here!

With the release of this printable, I can check off a very important goal for me. For a while, I've wanted to create an actual kit of printables that could bring more clarity and focus into people's lives in a fun, pretty way and I've finally sat myself down and did it!

I wanted this kit to have a PLAN DO REVIEW theme because this is the secret to progress and improvement. Plan your activity, execute your plan, and then review how you performed. THEN, plan better, do better, and review better. You can't help but stay on an upward spiral if you live your life this way.

This kit is available at my Etsy store for only $10. That's 11 sheets of goodness for less that $1 per page! I hope you like it and I hope it helps you make 2015 a beautiful, amazing, wonderful year.

If the button above doesn't work, you can always click here >> get the PLAN DO REVIEW KIT

Free New Year Resolutions Printable

Could you do me a favour and please hover over the image above and "Pin It" to Pinterest so that more people can discover it? Thank you! *Doesn't work on mobile devices. :)

Around this time last year, I released this particular printable to help people set their goals for 2015 in a way that takes the pressure off and gets you to respond from your gut.

I started sharing it and then the magic started happening when Carrie Green of the Female Entrepreneur Association created this video around it:

Soooo many people came over to my little corner of the blogging world and downloaded the printable after that!

Now that the year is coming to an end, I've been hearing back from lots of people who are saying that many of their goals on this nifty little printable have come true!

Truly, the first step to achieving anything is harnessing the power that comes with writing down what it is that you want.

And that's why I've started making printables - to help more people write down more goals. If I can get you excited about filling in boxes with your wildest hopes and dreams, I've succeeded here. And as of today, well over 2000 people have downloaded this printable and done just that.

Don't wait to do this later. Before you know it, we'll be half-way through 2016! CLICK HERE to subscribe and receive the 2016 Resolutions Printable. I've updated it with a cute new look! :)

P.S. What do YOU want to "do more" of in 2016. Let me know in the comments. I'd love to hear from you!

5 Things to Try this Month: December

With 2015 just around the corner, we’ve put together a list of 5 things for you to try this month to close out this year and prepare for the year to come…

Click the following link to read my article over at the Female Entrepreneur Association: 5 Things to Try this Month: December

Make 2015 Awesome with this Simple Tip

If you've been a fan of this blog for any length of time, you know that I believe in taking time to reflect and think about your direction and how you're living your life. So far I've worked through a couple of workbooks that have helped me look at everything and I can feel the effects are working already on a subconscious level.

But do you want to know what is helping me the most? It's a tip I heard on a podcast months ago from Dan Miller, author of 48 Days to the Work You Love (hey, maybe that will be one of the books we read in the Secret OWL Society book club!). Dan talks about how at the end of every year, he looks at all the different projects and activities that take up his time, and he makes the decision to release 20% (I believe it's 20 percent, I'm not 100% sure, lol) of what's on his plate.

Now, the reason Dan does this is so that he can create room for higher level opportunities to come into his life as a result of making space for it and being intentional about it. When he talked about the amazing things he's been able to do this year as a result of doing less of something else, I was blown away.

Think about it. It makes too much sense. The reason why we get stuck is because we're holding onto things that take up all our time and energy so that there's no room for us to focus on anything else, anything better. There's a couple of quotes I love that relate to this:

When you hold on too tight on what's good, you miss out on what's great.

Where focus goes, energy flows.

What you focus on expands.

If you keep on doing the same thing, you're going to keep getting the same results. The challenge is this: you can't wait for that great, higher-level thing to show up before you let go of something you're doing now. You have to LET GO FIRST and that's the scary part. It's like hanging in mid-air with nothing under your feet. I've been there, done that. But once you do that, once you create that space in your life and in your MIND, you give something better a chance to rush in. And the other challenge is that what you need to let go of can be a perfectly good thing. It can be something you enjoy, something that makes good money. You just have to ask yourself, "Is this something I should keep doing?" We behave as if we need someone else's permission before we can make a change in our lives. Quit waiting.

Happy and successful people know how to move on to the next thing again and again and again. They know that many of the things that come into our lives are not meant to become a permanent part of our lives. They recognize when the season of a relationship, project, business, or job is over. Part of taking 100% responsibility for your life is making these kinds of decisions as soon as you become aware of the need to make them. Don't wait for outside circumstances to force you into a corner where you'd have no choice but to make a decision. Develop the ability to see where you want your life to be 1, 5, 10 years from now and ask yourself, "Is this use of my time the best use of my time now?"

Start valuing your time more because it's running out. Believe that you can always be doing something bigger and better than what you're doing right now - or at least something more in harmony with your values and your goals.

So, what do you know you need to let go of in order to MOVE ON and give yourself the time, energy and mental freedom to step into your potential next year? Figure it out now, make some decisions, get intentional, and GO FOR THE GREAT. We can do it!

The Secret to Attracting More Abundance into Your Life

The secret to a happy life? Gratitude.

The secret to more wealth? Gratitude.

The secret to no fear? Gratitude.

The secret to contentment? Gratitude.

The secret to abundance? Gratitude.

The secret to getting more of what you want? Gratitude.

I wrote a new post for the Female Entrepreneur Association this week about gratitude. It comes with a pretty powerful video. Click the following link to go and see: The Secret to Attracting More Abundance into Your Life

Do the Best You Can

I consider myself a pretty lucky girl to be able to write for the Female Entrepreneur Association. This week, I shared a video and article featuring Jim Rohn. It's pretty inspiring. You should go have a watch. :)

Do the Best You Can // Motivational Monday.

My Chat with Kristel from Coffee Break and Chocolate Cake

I loved doing this little interview with Kristel from Coffee Break and Chocolate Cake. She's a coffee-enthusiast like me and truly believes that you can change your life one coffee break at a time.

There's something magical about the practice of sitting down in a cafe with your favourite drink, all set to read, write, and dig deep into your values and dreams.

Unfortunately many people don't know where to start when it comes to writing down their thoughts in a constructive, life-changing way. So to help with this, Kristel created a unique 30 day program. When you sign up, you receive an email with a special exercise and a printable (!!!) every day for 30 days, helping you connect with your passion.

In the time that it takes you to drink your favourite latte on your coffee break, you can can get one step closer to a more passionate life. Click the button below to learn more:

And now for Kristel's story...

What does it mean to you to "take 100% responsibility for your life"?

To me, that means to take charge. And to do so, you have to understand yourself and listen to yourself. The best way to do that? In my opinion, to stop and reflect. Stop and ask yourself as often as possible: Is what I am doing right now bringing me any closer to my goals and the way I want to feel?

I change direction every once in a while. If I’ve had the nagging feeling that a small part of my life is not how it’s supposed to be, it takes me a few coffees and moments of reflection, but then the answer is suddenly very clear to me. You have to stop to take 100% responsibility of your life. It’s the only way to get to where you’re supposed to be.

What do you do when you need more clarity and focus?

I cancel all my appointments and I put myself first. My favourite place to find clarity and focus is in cute coffee shops. I love the atmosphere there and if there’s soothing music and I can sit by a window and watch people walk by, then it literally doesn't get any better than that.

After I’ve ordered a cappuccino (always extra hot) I sit down and I ask myself if I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. Often, if I’ve been too swallowed up in work for a while, I start feeling like “something’s wrong” and I need to stop. When I don’t know exactly where to start I ask myself very specific questions: what brings me joy? What inspires me? What do I LOVE to do and how can I make even more time for hat? What don’t I like doing and how can I reduce the time I spend on that? Who lifts me up and can I meet up with them asap?

What is your favorite book and why?

I’ve been swallowing literature since I was 7 and my parents’ bookshelf was the only library I had access to as a little girl. I even remember reading The Prophet by Khalil Gibran. How fun would it be to read his work today and see if and how it has shaped me!

But my favourite book is the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. As a young girl I found The Pilgrimage on my Mum’s book shelf. This opened up my world to Paulo Coelho and The Alchemist was equally mesmerizing to me. I could relate to the story and I could feel the magic. Magic is not something you come across often enough in this world.

How has personal development helped you in your journey?

Self development is my journey. I teach by learning and I learn by doing. I welcome everything that helps me shape into a more true version of myself with open arms. A book, a video, an exercise and even a piece of advice from a friend can trigger something that helps me understand myself, my actions and my reactions better.

Kristel Kayser

Coffee Break and Chocolate Cake

Free November Calendar Printable

Happy November! Write in your goals, try new ideas, & plan your month with this printable. As you can see, I've started to include a fun little section of things to do in my calendars. If you have any fun ideas of things to do for the Decemeber calendar, just comment below and let me know. If I include your idea, I'll be sure to give you credit!

Click the following link to download: November Calendar Printable

Why I always throw away my journals

The concept that stood out most to me in this video is when she said that the thing that we hold onto the most is often the very thing we need to let go of. I've stumbled on this practice myself in my own personal organizing. The most recent "big" thing I've let go of were my journals. I threw them all away. Yup. And it's something I do regularly.

I remember when I wrote a guest post on Miss Minimalist, I shared about how I throw away my journals. I got a lot of comments from people who were really intrigued by the idea. They started to contemplate what kind of de-cluttering action they could take with their own pile (or boxes!) of journals. The idea forced them to get honest with themselves and even admit that their old journal collection was starting to cause them anxiety. Just the thought of someone else reading what they wrote in privacy was unpleasant.

It's a personal decision in the end. For me, journals are a TOOL to help me grow and think things through. They represent a version of myself that I've outgrown. I don't want to identify with an old version of myself. I want to focus on the NEW. I don't want to "look back" over past experiences. I want to make NEW and BETTER experiences. Throwing away my journals is like an affirmation to myself - an affirmation that practically shouts, "IT'S TIME TO GET OUT THERE AND WRITE A NEW STORY."

I see so many people who talk so much about their past as if it's this wonderful, glorious thing and the best time they can ever expect to have. I don't want to fall into that thinking. In my world, THE BEST IS YET TO COME. My past has nothing on my future.

So it's kind of an interesting process - I write in a journal for my personal development and I throw them away for my personal development.

There's a romanticized idea of leaving your journals for "generations to come," but I don't want to be limited by that idea either. I don't want my journals to be my legacy. I want the stuff I create in THE WORLD and on THIS BLOG to be my legacy. If I have something worth sharing and teaching, it goes HERE on this blog in order to give value to the world NOW, not after I die.

So in the end, I think you just have to choose. You have to weigh the pros with the cons according to what your value system is I guess. Maybe if you really think your journal entries are worth passing on, then put it in an ebook and self-publish it, or start sharing them in a blog...what are you waiting for?

Free Paris-Inspired Week at a Glance Printable

Several years ago, I was fortunate enough to spend 3 incredible weeks in Paris on my own. I went to the Notre Dame Cathedral almost every day, ate fresh croissants, walked all over the place, went up the Eiffel Tower, stayed in a real-deal Parisian apartment, a beautiful hostel right on the river, a cozy attic bedroom...Right before I went to Paris, I sat down with a lady in Nice, France who was nice enough to take the time to walk me through a map of Paris and give me a list of things to do - a list that she compiled and refined over the course of visiting Paris over 40 times in her lifetime. I thought that was crazy - go to Paris 40 times!? But after I spent 3 weeks there myself and started to get to know certain areas - like the walk by the Seine - like the back of my hand, coming back to Paris 40 times didn't seem so crazy any more.

Are you a fan of Paris or France too?

Click the following link to download your Paris-inspired printable: Paris Week at a Glance Printable

Here are some pictures from my trip:

Free Printable: October Calendar

Hello October! Right now, we are getting ready for a typhoon that's about to hit Guam, so I knew I had to hurry up and create this for you before the internet disappears. Island life. :)

Hope you like it! I'm getting better at doing these every month so check back next month for your November calendar too!

To download the PDF, click the following link: October Calendar Printable

Create Your One Page Life Plan (w/ free printable!)

The other day, in my other mastermind group - Blogger Buddies - we were talking about how we kind of needed a boost to get refocused and moving again with our goals. I shared an idea that always works for me when things don't seem to be moving as they should. The problem is usually a lack of clarity around what we want the next phase of life to look like.

You see, we create the reality we have pictured in our mind and if all you can "see" is the present reality - or worse - the past reality, you're always going to be living in that and you're always going to feel stuck. So I came up with an exercise that is always good for getting unstuck and making the leap to the next step. (It has worked like magic for me - I don't know why I don't do it more often!)

SOS EXERCISE

1. Take a piece of paper and list the different areas of you life. This should include health, career, finances, relationships, etc.

2. Next to each area, write down what you want to see happen in that area within the next 90 days. (90 days is always a good time frame for creating dramatic changes).

3. On ONE sheet of paper, write out what your ideal life looks like as a whole 90 days from now - like a one page essay covering all the areas of your life. This is your ONE PAGE LIFE PLAN.

4. For the next 90 days, read your life plan every day. This is why it should only be one page long. Keep it in your Life Binder or wherever else you are guaranteed to come across it and read it.

To help you get excited about doing this, I made a printable for you! :) Click the following link to download the PDF:

My Ideal Life Printable.

How I combine my paper planner with this task management app...

I love paper planners. I love writing on paper, thinking on paper, and I believe that there is more power in writing down your goals than in typing up your goals.

However, that doesn't mean I have paper everywhere cluttering up my life. I'm a minimalist and I'm always on the lookout for digital tools and apps that can work well with my paper-based systems (like my Life Binder) and keep everything as organized as possible.

So I recently created this printable (pictured left) and it's been working really well for me and hopefully for everyone who has purchased it from me at my Etsy store (thank you so much). Today I'm digging in a little deeper on how to make this particular printable even more effective using a digital tool I just found called Todoist.

You see the parts of the printable that I've highlighted purple? This is where I record "My to-do's" and then whatever "Opportunities" happened that day along with the "Next Step".

Now, at the end of the week, I go back over the last 7 days of this printable and I transfer To Do tasks (that I still need to complete) and Opportunities (that I still need to take advantage of) over to Todoist.

Here are 4 reasons why I like Todoist more than other task management apps I've used:

1. Super simple and easy to use. This is a big deal for me.
2. I can organize my tasks into projects.
3. Lets me sort tasks by priority. YAY
4. I can make a task fall under another task within a project. This is so awesome because instead of looking at a long list of tasks wondering where to start, I can arrange the tasks in a way that wittles a project down to the smallest, first step.

I'm sure that there are other apps I've tried that have the same features, but this one really clicked with me and really helped me keep stuff from falling through the cracks. Plus I love how it helps me maximize my Ultimate Daily Planner printable in a really efficient, minimalistic way.

Do you have a task management app that works well for you? Share it with us in the comments. :)

My Week Printable

This style of a weekly planner is one of my favorites because of the routine tracking feature.

The act of sitting down and planning your days is essential to intentional living.

Tell your week how you want things to go! Develop good habits! Design your life!
The pen to your life is literally in your hands. :)

This printable is only available in my Etsy store. If you'd like to check it out, click the following link:
MY WEEK PRINTABLE.

One way to live with less stress...

A few years ago, I had an epiphany - a moment in which I became keenly aware that if I decided to take 100% responsibility for my life, I could then make my life what I want it to be.

And it's been working.

Taking 100% responsibility is a daily commitment. Sometimes it can feel like a wrestling match with yourself.

It's a challenge. But it's better to accept the challenge of taking 100% responsibility than to accept the stress that will invade your life the second you give even 1% of that responsibility away.

The second you do the latter, you are in the "blame zone." You are in the zone of thinking: "Well, my life is this way because this happened to me or so-and-so did this to me." When you think that way, you're stuck. You have no control over your life because you won't even exercise the power you have to control yourself.

The first step to taking 100% responsibility for your life is being able to stop and say:

"I am here right now because of my choices. I am here not because of what has happened to me, but because of how I responded to what has happened to me. And I can change where I am by changing my response to events/circumstances/problems/people/opportunities going forward."

So no matter what "happens to you," stop and think: "How can I take 100% responsibility for this? How am I going to respond? How can this make me a better person going forward?"

What do you think? Are there areas in your life where you feel stuck and stressed out? You might need to look more closely and see if you've let go of your hundred percent.

My Ultimate Daily Planner Printable

I feel like this printable has been 26 (my lifetime) years in the making. I designed this little planner page because I was frustrated with failing at the little stuff...because I know that the little stuff is what makes all the difference.

I wanted a planner that would keep certain aspects of my life from falling through the cracks. Aspects like health, being grateful, staying on top of my finances, and taking full advantage of all the big and little opportunities that come into my life on a daily basis.

I have tweaked this printable over and over and over. It looks pretty simple, but that's exactly why it's so powerful. Allow me to walk you through how this thing works...

How to use the Daily Planner Printable

write in the date and circle the day

I find it particularly helpful to be aware of both the date and the day because I am able to flip back to "last Monday" or "last Wednesday" without having to refer to a calendar to match up the date with the day first. This helps me look up recent activities quickly and gives me a solid sense for how my week went.

You never think: "What did I do on the 25th of August?"

You think: "What did I do last Monday?"

write in your top 3 priorities

This is where the magic happens. Keep the most important thing the most important thing. I know that it does not matter how much stuff I get done if I don't pay attention to what will make the BIGGEST difference. Sometimes the tasks that I write in this box seem small, but I'm able to connect the dots and see just how key they are to my progress in accomplishing my BIG goals and living my BEST life.

write in your schedule

This schedule box starts at 6am and ends after 9pm (leaving you 8 hours of sleep in between, well that's the ideal anyway). I love being able to map out my day right away without any lines. If something didn't happen as planned, I go back, scratch it out and rewrite it. I don't care if it looks messy. At the end of the day, I want an accurate record of what actually happened in case I need to go back and check.

record your health & fitness

Did you know that people who write down their meals, eat so much healthier than people who don't? In this area, I've covered all my bases for what I need to pay attention to in order to stay healthy and have energy. In the past, when I wouldn't keep track of my health habits, I ended having bad habits. And it's true, your greatest wealth is your health. It's really hard to "enjoy the journey" when you feel like "blah."

record your income and expenses for the day

This section has been my life-saver. I've struggled for so long trying to find an easy way to keep track of my day to day financial activity. This it it! At the end of the day, I write down what income I've received and where it came from (I have multiple streams of income) and I write down each expense. At the end of the week, on my "Update my budget" day, I take my planner pages from the past week and simply transfer the numbers to my monthly budget printables.

write your to-do list

I don't care for To Do lists that are a whole page long. If your to-do's can't fit on a post-it note, it's too much. The boxes where I check off my to-do's are particularly important because I rarely get everything done. So I use symbols that help me manage unfinished tasks.

check mark = complete

arrow = do tomorrow

x = no longer have to do it

write your "I did it!" list

Keeping an "I did it!" list is a powerful way to realize that YES, you accomplish sooo much each day! Every day we get stuff done, stuff that we might have never even added to our to do list. Like, maybe you had a crazy day and you didn't even get to your to-do list. Well, instead of beating yourself up about it, how about reflecting on the million things you actually did get done anyway?!

record opportunities and the action step you plan to take

Every day, opportunities come our way - big and small. It could be an email from somebody asking if you are interested in working together on a project. It could be that person you bumped into at a coffee shop who wants to refer your services to a friend. It could be a brilliant idea you had for your business. Stuff like this happens all the time to you and me. We design our lives with what we do with what we get. Every day, you get opportunities to move forward, to make tomorrow better than today, to actively craft your life. But if we don't have our eyes peeled, we miss them. I didn't just want to see opportunities, I wanted to hold myself accountable to identifying the next smallest action step necessary to take advantage of them. At the end of the week, I'll look back at this section on each sheet just to see if the opportunity is still important, if I took action, and what I should do next going forward into the new week. I build my life and businesses through this practice.

write in your gratitude

No matter what kind of a day you had, there is always something to be grateful for. A study showed that people who write down what they are grateful for at the end of the day, enjoy a much greater sense of well-being and happiness than people who don't.

When you focus on gratitude, your fears fade.

When you focus on gratitude, you live on the abundant side of life.

This printable is only available through my Etsy shop AND for a limited time, it comes with a free bonus.

I hope this printable has helped you as much as it's helped me!

It's my favorite feature of my Life Binder. :)

5 Things to Try this Month

Check out my article on 5 THINGS TO TRY THIS MONTH over at the Female Entrepreneur Association.

Why I use my Life Binder so much

When I first started keeping a Life Binder, I went through kind of a process where I had to figure out what its true value is in my life. Do you know what I mean? There were periods of time in the beginning when I wouldn't use it at all. But I always came back to it because I realized one very important thing:

My Life Binder is always reflecting my life back to me. And the amount of attention that I paid to my Life Binder equaled the amount of attention I was paying to my life.

So I knew that when my Life Binder was starting to get cluttered and cumbersome, then it was a signal that my life was already looking and feeling that way too. And I knew that as soon as I would make the time to sit down and get my binder in order, my life would come back to order as well.

The reason for this is simple. The Life Binder is just one awesome, well-rounded, perfectly adaptable LIFE PLANNING TOOL. The process of taking 100% responsibility for designing your life comes down to the decisions you make when you put pen to paper. You cannot consider yourself a designer based on what you have stored in your head.

Think about it, what do designers do as soon as they have an idea for something they want to create? They commit it paper. They grab a pencil. They sketch it out. They draw it out again and again and again until all the rough edges get smoothed out. They know that if they don't do this one simple, crucial step, then they have no way of taking the next step to creating their vision with confidence.

Putting pen to paper is the beginning of fulfilling your potential.

The same is true with your Life Binder. You are a designer - a Lifestyle Designer. And the act of sitting/thinking/writing/planning is even more vital in your case because you are not designing a dress, a cake, or a building. You are designing YOUR LIFE.

Doing this can be hard to get used to at first. So many people find it hard even to just design the day ahead of them. And as the quote goes, "People take more time planning out their vacation than they take to plan out their lives." Every time you sit down with your Life Binder, you are deciding to be better than that.

What do you think? Does your Life Binder reflect your life back to you?

Stephanie's Life Binder

When did you start using the Life Binder and what first turned you on to the concept?

I was browsing Pinterest one day, about a month or two ago, and came across a pin for the Life Binder. It caught my eye, so I took a look at your site...and fell in love! I thought it was amazing and didn't know why I hadn't thought of it myself, or found it sooner!

What is one way that the Life Binder has helped you?

It has helped me stay organized! I am no longer going through 12 different notebooks or looking through scattered papers and post-its. It is all in one place and easy to keep up with.

What categories have you divided your binder into?

My binder is in 8 categories.

1) Planner : keeping work schedule, doctor appointments, etc.

2) Finances : keep track of bills.

3) Make It Easy : keep grocery lists, cleaning routine, and my daily routine that I *try* to keep on top of.

4) Lists : things like books to read, movies to watch, bucket list...

5) Floral : anything from projects to flower meanings to what's in season.

6) Desire Map : from Danielle Laporte (daniellelaporte.com) and how I can follow that concept.

7) Veteran : (my husband is a Combat Vet) so anything about the VA, articles on PTSD, TBI, etc. goes here.

8) Faith : keep scriptures I love, prayer requests, random acts of kindness...

What advice do you have for other people starting their own Life Binder?

My advice is to figure out what categories suit you. Not everyone has the same things going on, so don't try to fit your life into someone else's index. Also realize that it takes awhile to make it "pretty". I have been working on mine for 2 months and it still needs a lot of work! But, it's at least organized, which in turn keeps me from going insane, and that's what counts!

How to Create Rituals and Routines (with Free Printables!)

Recently, I asked you guys what topic you would like for me to write about, and "Rituals and Routines" won by a landslide. Apparently this is a pain point for a lot of people. It certainly is for me and I think I've made some progress in rising above it.

In this post I'll happily share what I've learned so far. :)

One point I want to highlight first is that when I work on getting better at something, the question I ask myself CONSTANTLY through the process is, "How can I make this as simple as possible?"

I want you to remember to ask yourself this question too.

Because as Leonardo DaVinci said, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Good old Leo.

So, "Simplify, simplify. simplify!" Good old Thoreau.

ok, ok.

I'm going to share two (yes, only two) things that I do to make the practice of having a routine as SIMPLE and EFFECTIVE as possible.

Remember, true success comes out of making things simple, not complicated. So try not to dismiss these tips as being "too simple." That's the whole charm and magic of it!

By implementing these techniques, you can expect to:

craft a better to do list each day without having to think on it
have less decisions to make throughout the day (because you already made them once)
start your day off with a clean slate automatically
stop forgetting things, missing deadlines, letting things pile up
have a clear mind (ahhh, yes!)

I realize that everyone has different schedules, commitments, goals, focus areas, but have no fear! These tools I'm about to share with you can work for anyone. And remember, no matter how complicated you feel like your life is, the solution is always simple. Always.

Ok, let's get rolling!

When I wake up in the morning, I immediately go through my morning routine (pictured above). It's the same every day, so I know exactly what I need to do without even thinking about it. I keep this picture of it on my bedroom wall and look at it while I'm working through it, mentally checking off circles as I go along.

I'm basically "walking" my way through the circles...

Purse

- receipts taken out and placed in receipt jar

- restock materials I use in meetings

- check wallet to see that contents are in order

- car key is hooked on

Bed

- made

Shelf

- filing box is organized (any papers from yesterday needing to go in the right place?)

- dusted

- generally in order

Wardrobe

- clothes hung, folded, put away

Laundry

- wash if it's laundry day

Desk

- clear of anything that doesn't belong

- wipe away dust

- Life Binder ready to go

- everything in order, where it belongs

- plug in my iPhone and iPad

Toiletries

(make-up and stuff)

- put away (instead of strewn around)

Car

- take out trash, anything that doesn't belong

- make sure everything is generally neat and clean

_________________________________________

So what I've done here is I've identified all my BASES. These are areas where I "touch base" throughout the day. What I've found, is that when these areas are not clean and organized, it has a chaotic effect on my subconscious throughout the day.

Think about it, there is NO GOOD REASON to go through another day where...

- you're searching everywhere for your keys

- you can't find a business card or pen in your purse the second you need it

- your car looks and smells like you just don't care

- your clothes are on the floor - or worse - they're on your bed and you sleep on top of them because you never got around to folding them and putting them away

- you want to change your life but you can't even find the energy to make your bed?

- you take forever to get ready because you have to dig around for something to wear

Sounds harsh, but I'm just sharing what I had to tell myself. I had to realize what's really at stake when I let the simple, seemingly insignificant things slide. I realized that if I wanted to UPLEVEL my life, I had start from the foundation. I had to look at my core habits. Because how we do one thing is how we do everything. That last sentence is worth reading twice.

So I do these things in the morning because that's when I have the energy to do them and it helps me launch into my day. When everything is done, I'm then able to sit down and get to work or get in my car and go to work. There's no messing around. Everything is where it needs to be. I don't forget anything. I don't need to remember anything. I've set myself up to use my brain for more important things.

Your turn.

Identify what you want to use this printable for. You can use it for a morning routine, before school routine, before work, end of day...write down the name of the routine in the middle circle.

I currently only have the one I just described to you. I advise just starting with one.

Next, determine what areas/tasks will branch off of that routine. So maybe you want to establish a "Before Work Routine." The outer circles could cover the following:

- drink 16 oz water

- 10 minutes yoga

- clear desk

- turn on laptop

- eat a healthy breakfast

- make coffee

- plan the day

- read 15 minutes from inspirational book

Now, it shouldn't take you FOREVER to get through your 8 circles. It literally takes me 10-15 minutes to get through mine. This is because I did take 2-3 days to really clean, minimize, simplify, and organize my bases, so that all I do now is maintain order.

So, if your desk is crying out for a blocked out, focused period of time of decluttering and organizing, then don't add it to your routine until you get that part done. Otherwise, you'll wake up, look at your overflowing laundry or piled-high-and-deep desk...and you'll go right back to bed mentally.

Positive routines help you maintain momentum, but if you never got the ball rolling in the first place by taking the time to get things set up for success, then there's no momentum to maintain.

It's like having a goal to exercise early in the morning. If you wake up tomorrow at 5am and think you're going to automatically hop right to it, you'll roll over instead and hit snooze...right? BUT! If you go to sleep with your exercise clothes on, put your running shoes and water bottle by your bed, and have an accountability partner who you know is going to be outside waiting for you, then momentum is pretty easy to find.

(side note: I hate running, but it's a good example. I'm yoga/zumba girl.)

Okay, so I hope I explained well enough the how and why of the daily routine printable for you. But if you need more specific help, then leave your question in the comments. :)

Next!

Ok, I'll be honest, I'm not on top of my weekly routine yet. I just set it up last week and I'm still figuring out what works and what doesn't.

But I already feel SO much better knowing that I've identified all my core activities that keep my businesses and life rolling along. It feels good to get it all on one piece of paper.

Now, the secret to this is to refrain from filling up your weekly routine with any and every activity you can think of. You really have to sit down and ask yourself, "What activities absolutely MUST get done on a weekly basis?"

These are activities that are ESSENTIAL to your ability to maintain balance and progress in your life. Ultimate and perfect balance is not realistic, but if you KNOW that when you get X done on Y day, then A, B, and C flow better, then you really need to focus on the X and Y, right?

Ok, let me make this easier to understand.

So, every Tuesday, there is a farmer's market event in my village. Through trial and error, I have figured out that when I don't take the time to go to this market on this day and buy my fresh fruit and veggies for the week, then I never get around to grocery shopping or eating healthy. See?

Go to Farmer's Market on Tuesday = healthy, happy, easy

Don't go to Farmer's Market on Tuesday = unhealthy, unhappy, hard

So, on the top bar (light blue boxes), you're going to write in the different areas of your life. Now, see how the boxes are aligned with different days of the week? After you determine your priority activities, you need to write the activities under the appropriate areas of your life and across from the appropriate days.

You might end up messing up a few times as you hash it all out. And as time goes by, you'll find that you need to switch things around to make it all work and flow better.

The goal and benefit is that you're getting it all out of your head. You're giving yourself permission to not have to think about everything all of the time.

After you get this filled out (and please, don't think you need to fill every single box. That's not realistic), you will have the peace of mind of looking at this printable and knowing exactly what you need to do for the day.

For example, if it's Tuesday, you know that you're spending time on "Business & Finance" for your "Blog," editing articles for clients of your "Freelance Biz," and updating your "Personal Budget" for your "Life."

You're not worried about when you're going to get around to cleaning out your Gmail or do laundry (because that's for Friday) or when you're going to email invoices and receipts (because that's for Thursday). Today is Tuesday and you're focused on taking care of Tuesday.

Do you feel the bliss yet?

Keep this printable where you can see it daily. I keep mine above my computer desk.

If you have any further tips or questions, leave me a comment or you can email me personally at michellerohr@gmail.com. I love hearing from you and I hope this post has helped you make things easier and simpler in your quest to take 100% responsibility for your life.

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