productivity

Five simple reading strategies for busy women

Sarah · Aug 7, 2018 · Leave a Comment

As a working mom (or, really, all busy women), reading time is precious. I love to read, so it’s something I prioritize. It’s rare for any of us to have built-in lengthy blocks of time to read, but with some creativity, it’s possible to use “found time” to read every day.

Here are 5 sneaky yet simple ways to find time to read regularly:

1. Read while waiting in line.

How do we spend so much time waiting in lines? There’s the grocery store checkout line, the carpool line, the cafeteria line, waiting the pediatrician’s office, endless at the airport, and so many more.

Waiting in line is a brilliant time to get a page or two in. You’ll be surprised at how quickly those pages add up!

2. Read while walking

You know this people who walk around looking like total nerds with their nose in a book? That was totally me as a kid. This habit faded some as a young adult when I realized just how odd it looked (and started caring!). The rise of the smartphone and reading apps means that it’s now ridiculously easy to read while walking.

Since everyone is staring at their phone, it’s not weird. Nerds everywhere, rejoice! Granted, most of them may be watching YouTube videos and trolling Instagram instead of reading books. For better or worse, it’s now fully culturally acceptable to walk around with your eyes on your smartphone.

If you’re not into the nose-in-a-phone look, this is also a great time to read audiobooks.

Bonus! You get in steps and can feel good about ‘exercising’ while you read. I’ve taken more than one stroll around the neighborhood to exercise with a primary goal of getting some reading time in.

3. Read while your kids do their homework, play or nap.

While I love the Kindle app for out-and-about reading, nothing beats my kids seeing me reading a physical book. Back to that note about everyone having their eyes on a smartphone – like the rest of the world, my kids have no idea if I’m reading the finest literature or the worst fake news their is. I would rather model the importance of reading than the not-so-importance of staring at a phone.

Yes, family reading time often means endless Dr. Seuss read-alouds, but I can get in a few pages here and there while they are drawing, coloring, playing with legos or building forts (or, more likely, running around like wild men).

4. Read while driving.

But keep your eyes on the road! 🙂 Audiobooks are a wonder for general driving and commute-time reading. I prefer to listen to nonfiction, so this is a great way to get in books that I might not otherwise prioritize.

5. Read instead of watching TV.

This one should be a bit of a no-brainer. If you’re looking for more reading time, and spending any time watching TV, simply swap out TV time for reading time. My husband will often watch a show he’s interested in while I read a book. We can still spend time together, but each get to prioritize the entertainment more important to us.

At this point, you may be thinking, “Sarah, this is great and all, but I’m on a budget. Where do I find all these amazing books and audiobooks for cheap or free?”

Great question. Here’s how I do it:

How to affordably acquire ebooks and audiobooks

At the rate I read, the cost of books can add up quickly. Several years ago, after complaining commenting about how much my husband’s video games cost, I was quite shocked to discover that on a per-hour usage basis, buying books was more expensive than buying video games. In an effort at frugality, I read a whole bunch of terrible free ebooks before I wised up to the fact that there are much easier free and relatively cheap ways to acquire electronic reading material.

My current favorite ways to acquire ebooks and audiobooks are the public library, Scribd and Audible.

Not sure what Scribd or Audible are? Keep reading!

I use a combination of all three of these methods to read quality books on a regular basis. Here’s how:

Your local public library

It’s free! In a addition to physical books, most local libraries have fully embraced the ebook trend. I am able to go online and check out ebooks and audiobooks from a fairly large catalog of books. It’s rare that the library doesn’t own an electronic copy of something that I read.

I love using the library’s online reservation feature even for physical books. Since library trips are usually outings with my kids, it’s fantastic to be able to grab my own books from the hold shelf. Then we can quickly head to the kids section and avoid the inevitable running, shouting and “Mom, I’m bored” while I leisurely browse.

The one downside to library usage is that newer titles often have holds and the wait time can be fairly lengthy. I don’t often need to read any particular book immediately, but sometimes I’m impatient and don’t want to wait. In that case, I use one of the next options.

Scribd

Scribd is essentially a “Netflix for books and audiobooks.” Users pay a monthly subscription fee (currently $8.99) for unlimited access to the entire Scribd catalog of both ebooks and audiobooks. Scribd has a fairly large catalog of new and popular titles, as well as older titles.

When I first signed up for a free trial month of Scribd (Scribd offers a free 30 day trial to new subscribers *), I wasn’t sure if I’d read enough for the cost to be worth it or not. I’ve found that it’s proven well worth it and am currently a paying subscriber.

In the three months I’ve had Scribd, I’ve read 4 fiction books, 2 nonfiction books, listened to 2 nonfiction audiobooks, 7 kids audiobooks and the numbers are still going up. Of the ones I’ve checked, over half of those are books that the library either didn’t have or had a waitlist for.

One potential downside, depending on your reading habits, is that many titles are only stocked in either ebook or audiobook form. There are a number of non-fiction books that I was hoping to read in ebook form that Scribd only has as audiobooks. This is good for my commute time reading, but not good for when I want to see words on a page screen.

Audible

My husband signed up for an Audible membership last year and has exponentially increased the number of books he read. He’s read more non-fiction in the last year than I have, which is saying something! Audible has all the titles we’ve ever wanted to purchase, and often has deals for additional ‘credits’ at below market price.

Audible is more expensive than the library or Scribd, but by paying attention to credit price and taking advantage of deals and sales, it’s possible to be strategic and save money on a per-title basis compared to buying at full price. Additionally, the benefit of owning titles ‘forever’ vs a subscription-based model is a big appeal for some people (i.e. my husband).

Amazon

If all else fails, you can pay “full price” and buy your ebooks on Amazon. Some ebooks are cheaper than others, and Amazon has many daily Kindle deals. With patience, it’s possible to get what you’re looking for at a cheap price.

With these five reading strategies and four ways to find and get great books, what will you read next?

5 ways to finish strong

Sarah · Oct 9, 2017 · Leave a Comment

Our boys ran their first race recently – a one mile fun run.

They started out strong, and kept up the pace surprisingly well. Not so surprisingly, they both hit a point where they were tired and slowed down. The four year old may have even sat down on the grass at the side of the trail at one point.

Each time they slowed down, something motivated them to get up and keep going. And when they decided to go again, there was no hesitation. We were running again at an all out sprint.

This cycle continued a few more times until we neared the finish line.

One boy was so excited to see the end that he sprinted through the finish line.

The other, a fair distance behind by this point, slowed down and stopped about 10 feet before the finish line. There were plenty of spectators on the side of the finish line, and he wanted to stop and celebrate with them.

It’s October. We’re 75% through the year, entering the final quarter, and approaching the home stretch.

How have you run your race this year? Did you have a clear goal at the beginning? Did you start your year at a sprint? Or did you pace yourself?

What do you need to reset to cross the end of the year finish line strong?

At this stage in the year, it’s common to think, “Oh, it’s almost the end of the year. I should start thinking about next year’s goals and so I can get a jump start.”

While it’s not a bad plan to think ahead, don’t forget to finish this year strong.

12 weeks is a long time.

Will you finish strong? Have a seat and watch the rest of the world pass you by? Stop just short of the finish line?

If you’ve already taken a seat (oh, so easy to do!), what can you do today to pick yourself back up?

At our fun run, it took some encouragement, but my straggling runner crossed the finish line, and then we celebrated!

If you’ve stopped short of the finish line, what will motivate you to take those last few steps?

If you’re still going strong, congratulations!

Personally, I have a tendency to start out most goals and new endeavors at a complete sprint. I’m gong-ho, but don’t pace myself and quickly stall out.

I’ve learned some simple* tips to finish strong.

*Remember, simple doesn’t always mean easy. Sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to do.

Five ways to finish strong

1. Recommit to your goal.

Review your list of yearly goals and pick ONE. If you didn’t set a list of goals for the year, there’s no better time than now to create one.
(You can use this exercise to review all your goals for the year, but go through the entire exercise one goal at a time.)

In the most cliche example in the world, my goal is to lose 5 lbs. And while it’s cliche, I’m pretty sure that losing 5 lbs over the holidays should count on the same level as losing 15lbs any other time of the year, right?! I am a sucker for all things pumpkin, as well as all the seasonal sweets and treats.

2. Make your action steps effort driven, not outcome driven.

Once you’ve identified your goal, determine action steps that are effort driven, not outcome driven. While my goal is a weight-loss goal, my action steps are all going to be things I can control. “Lose weight” isn’t an action. “Stop eating dessert” is.

3. Identify what you need to stop doing.

How are you getting in your own way and preventing yourself from achieving this goal? What actions are you taking that are moving you away from your goal, or keeping you stalled?
In my weight loss example, I need to stop stress eating (so much harder to do than it is to write!) and to stop eating dessert near bedtime.

4. Identify what you need to continue doing.

What’s working now? Keep doing these things!
In my weight loss example, it’s buying healthy convenience foods so that I don’t get hangry.

5. Identify what you need to start doing.

What are you not doing currently that would make an impact toward your goal? Remember to keep these small and manageable action steps. Don’t go too big, too fast. Find small wins.
Back to the example, three things I am going to start doing are: packing a lunch, drinking tea first thing in the morning instead of coffee and doing quick, 7-minute workouts 3-5x per week.

Learning to intentionally slow down at the beginning, and focus on consistency of effort rather than volume of output has will dramatically increase your productivity, stress levels and satisfaction.

What action will you take today to finish strong?

How to create an action plan and get more done

Sarah · Mar 2, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Do you know how to create an action plan? Do you need to? Have you ever found yourself saying any of these things?

“It’s all in my head.”
“I forgot about that.”
“No one can do it except me.”
“I don’t know what to do next.”

Most of us have.

The most common conversation I have with colleagues, clients and friends about work revolves around figuring out exactly what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, and how it ranks relative to other priorities.

That’s why you need an Action Plan.

What is an Action Plan?

Thirty days is long enough to see results, and short enough to get the immediate gratification of checking boxes off a list. After you create an action plan and execute it, you can make time to reassess and create a new Action Plan. For many people, one of the items on the first 30-Day Action Plan includes creating a longer term Action Plan or more detailed project plans around specific products or services.

An Action Plan is a framework to achieve short-term goals with a view to long-term goals.

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How does an Action Plan help?

An Action Plan is more detailed than a list of goals, and broader than a project-specific plan.
Create an Action Plan and you’ll have a working document that can be edited and updated as needed. A plan should be a guideline, as business needs and priorities do change.
Create an Action Plan and provide shared accountability on progress for all members of the team.
Action Plans contain set due dates that are listed by item or section. Since all deadlines are in one place, it is easy to see at a glance if dates are realistic, too aggressive or overlap more than they should.
Create an Action Plan and see where you may need to put more (or less!) focus and time around a particular process, project or product.
An Action Plan is a framework that sets up success regardless of the type of work to be done.
Last, but certainly not least, a well-crafted Action Plan highlights tasks and projects that can be handed off to others, freeing you up to do what only you can do.

An Action Plan is a framework that sets up success regardless of the type of work to be done.

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It isn’t hard to create an action plan, but it can be a lot of work. Following the eight steps below to move from overwhelmed to action.

Pick your tool(s)
Big picture goals
Do a brain dump
Organize
Prioritize
Delegate, Delete – Or Shiny Object
Timeline
Work the plan

Let’s get started.

8 Steps to Create an Action Plan and Get More Done

Too much info all at once? Email me and request the steps as a a seven-day ecourse or a downloadable ebook.

1 – Pick Your Tools

The first task is to pick the tool you want to use to create your action plan. Don’t over think this, and definitely don’t feel like you have to use anything fancy. What are you most likely to actually use and follow through with?

Some common tools:

Pen and paper
Paper planner of some sort
Word document
Google doc
Evernote
A project management tool like Asana or Trello

Personally, I like something digital and have found the most success using either Evernote or a Google doc. The accessibility from anywhere (including my phone), is key to my success. But as my husband says, “I’ve never found a [tool] that works as well as a pen and paper.”

Find what works for you and use it. This probably isn’t the time for the learning curve of a new tools, so go with something familiar and comfortable.

A familiar and comfortable tool or system you’ll use is best.

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Whatever you’re going to use, get an account or blank document set up and ready to go. (See, it’s easy one step at a time. You can do this!)

2 – Identify Big Picture Goals

Before we dive into the details, take a step back and look at the big picture. It’s all to easy to lose the forest for the trees, and that’s precisely what we don’t want to happen.

What’s the biggest thing that’s weighing you down? What is the big goal that you’re working to accomplish?

What’s your primary goal for this action plan?
A new product launch?
A marketing plan?
General clarity to figure out what your goal is?

Take a few minutes and write down your big picture goal(s).

This isn’t a goal-setting course, and you can certainly continue even if you’re not clear on the big picture. If that’s you though, I would strongly advise including reviewing your business and setting an overall strategy and goals as part of your Action Plan.

Once you’ve got your goals written down, print them out and hang it up somewhere you will see and review daily. Mine can usually either be found my closet or the bulletin board at my desk. Keeping your goals top of mind will help keep you focused on the big picture and taking action in the right places.

Keep your goals top of mind to stay focused on the big picture and the right action.

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3 -The Great Brain Dump

Next we’re getting gritty. It’s time to do a brain dump.

A brain dump is as simple as it sounds. Pull up your chosen tool for capturing information. Take 10-15 (or longer) min and write down everything that’s on your mind.

Don’t worry about organizing, or even if it’s about your business. In fact, if you’re anything like me, you’ll probably have plenty of non-business-related things on your list as well.

It doesn’t matter if it’s big, small, overdue or a year out – get it all down on paper.

Don’t filter, don’t edit (that comes later!), just put it on paper (or screen).

Getting info out of your brain and captured somewhere safe is the best way to clear your mind clutter and start moving forward.

Get info out of your brain and actionable by doing a regular brain dump.

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Keep this document handy, and continue to add to it throughout the day (and the next few days) as you think of additional things. (And you will. It’s next to impossible to get it all down at once.)

You’ll also want to set a place to do a regular brain dump and incorporate it into your plan.

Having trouble getting started? Here are some common topics and triggers to get you going:

General business or job related
Email – review emails to see what you have outstanding or have been asked about
Project specific tasks
Deadlines
Deliverables
Goals
Events
Things that you’ve started but not finished
Financial tasks
Marketing tasks
Expectations from colleagues, clients, family and friends

4 – Organize & Categorize

Let’s get organized.

Review your list and group together common themes or types of actions. You’ll likely end up with an Action Plan that has three to five sub-sections or projects within the plan. Don’t worry if you’ve got more than that – we’ll talk about what to do with that next.

How should you organize? However makes the most sense to your brain. Typically, it’s by areas of business, it could be by timeline, or location it need to be done, etc.

How should you organize? However makes the most sense to your brain.

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A general small business Action Plan could include categories of Blogging, Social Media, Products, Services, Continuing Education.

Similarly, a plan could include: Marketing, Sales, Product Development, Operations, etc.

If it’s a product launch, you’ll have more overlap, but could look something like In-Person Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Other Marketing, Technical Setup.

Within each of those areas, start to organize further. You can organize by order things need to be done, amount of time a particular task will take, who should be doing it, or any other way that will make sense to you as you work your plan.

5 – Delegate, Delete – Or Shiny Object

Go back over your list. What shouldn’t YOU be doing? What can you delegate to someone else?
What could you delegate if you had a process mapped out for someone could take over? (If you’ve got anything here, add an action item to create a process so that you can delegate. The time spent upfront will save you an exponential amount of time in the future.)

What shouldn’t be on the list at all? Delete it. (Please. Liberally. Give yourself permission to NOT do things.)

If you’re having trouble deleting things off your list, create a Don’t Do List. This is as simple as it sounds – a list of things you WON’T do. You’re making a conscious decision that these are not priorities and won’t be worked on.

Create a Don’t Do List – A simple list of things you WON’T do.

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Create a Shiny Object List. Similar to the Don’t Do list, the Shiny Object List is a list of really cool things that you want to do someday, but right now are only distractions from the main goal. When in doubt, add something here. And then put it out of your mind. If the time ever comes where you are sitting twiddling your thumbs and looking for something to do, because you’ve accomplished everything on your Action Plan and have no pressing needs, this is a great place to look. And in your annual strategy review. Until then, stay away from anything and everything on this list.

6 – Prioritize

You’ve got a list. It’s organized. Now it’s time to prioritize.

What is essential to getting business done? If it doesn’t happen, your business will close up shop and you’ll be out of work. This is clearly the most important.
What’s going to move your business forward the most in the long run?
What’s immediate, but not necessarily going to make a big impact long term (hint: this is often a great area to delegate)
What’s not important at all? (Hopefully nothing – anything unimportant should already be on your Don’t Do List or your Shiny Object List)

7 – Timeline

Now that we’ve set goals, brain dumped our tasks, categorized and organized, delegated, deleted and prioritized, all that’s left is to set a timeline to your plan.

What needs to be done immediately?
Within the week?
Month?
Three months?
Longer?

If it’s three months or longer, consider separating this out into another list. While it’s important and essential to keep on the radar, this isn’t part of your immediate Action Plan. Save it in a safe place (using the same tools and systems you’ve already implemented). You don’t want to get distracted from the task at hand. Let’s keep our momentum focused on your immediate Action Plan and results.

8 – Work the plan

Set aside a specific time block to create an action plan within the next week. I recommend picking one of two approaches:

Do one step each day and have a completed plan in a week. Request the ecourse and you’ll get each step as a daily prompt.
Plan in a single day time block. You’ll probably need a 2-4 hour time block, depending on how much pre-work you have already done. This article or the PDF Action Plan Guide are great resources.

Create your plan.

Success formula: Create an action plan. Work the plan. Rinse and repeat.

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Congratulations, you took the time to create an action plan! Doesn’t it feel great?!

You’ve planned the work, now go work the plan. And then let me know how it goes!

Top 10 Ways to Do a Little Each Day

Sarah · Oct 4, 2015 · 2 Comments

Are you more likely to do a little each day, or work in less frequent longer blocks of time?

By doing a little bit each day, you can get a lot accomplished. We tend to overestimate how much we can accomplish in an hour or a week and underestimate how much we can accomplish in a month or a year, by doing just a little bit each day. – Gretchen Rubin

Here are 10 ways to do a little each day, and end up with a lot accomplished.

Set a timer for 15 minutes, and work on one task. Don’t stop to do anything else until the timer goes of.
Make a list of an entire project/task/etc, and break it down into the smallest chunks that you can. Use any minor block of time to do one task.
Use commercials during TV (don’t skip them!) to make two minutes of progress. What can be done in two minutes? Respond to an email, update your Facebook page, unload the dishwasher, empty and repack a purse or work bag, pick up the living room, etc.
Make a list of things you can do in 5-15 minute blocks of time, and where you can do them. Use those small chunks of time. For example, I can make a grocery list while waiting for a meeting to start, or waiting in line just about anywhere. (We use the app Our Groceries, which I love primarily for the fact that it automatically syncs between my phone and my husband’s phone. I’m sure we could accomplish the same thing with Evernote or another tool that’s not single use, but we’ve used this one for years and why change what isn’t broken, right?!)
Keep blank cards in your handbag and use snippets of time to write and send cards.
Review your list of goals or Action Plan daily. They are posted in a place you can read and review every day, right? This will keep you motivated to actively work toward your goals, and top of mind as you go throughout your day.
Set aside a day, or several hour chunk of time to plan out major projects.
Review your calendar and block out regular, consistent blocks of time to work on priority projects. The length of time matters less than the ability to be consistent with the time. Follow through with using the scheduled time blocks to work on the task at hand.
Pick one thing from your to-do list, or one thing that someone has asked you to do, and simply say no. Cross it off the list. Time saved!
Make a don’t do list. When everything is a priority, nothing is a priority. If you have a hard time saying no, like me, then having a pre-set list of things you won’t do can save time in both the decision making process as well as the activities themselves.

This post is part of 31 Timesaving Tools, Tips & Templates, read the rest of the series here.

productivity

Here are 5 sneaky yet simple ways to find time to read regularly:

1. Read while waiting in line.

2. Read while walking

3. Read while your kids do their homework, play or nap.

4. Read while driving.

5. Read instead of watching TV.

How to affordably acquire ebooks and audiobooks

Your local public library

Scribd

Audible

Amazon

Five ways to finish strong

1. Recommit to your goal.

2. Make your action steps effort driven, not outcome driven.

3. Identify what you need to stop doing.

4. Identify what you need to continue doing.

5. Identify what you need to start doing.

What is an Action Plan?

How does an Action Plan help?

8 Steps to Create an Action Plan and Get More Done

1 – Pick Your Tools

2 – Identify Big Picture Goals

3 -The Great Brain Dump

4 – Organize & Categorize

5 – Delegate, Delete – Or Shiny Object

6 – Prioritize

7 – Timeline

8 – Work the plan

Here are 10 ways to do a little each day, and end up with a lot accomplished.

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