I’m Michelle Ward, aka The When I Grow Up Coach!

I’ve personally helped almost 200 creative people devise the career they think they can’t have – or discover it

to begin with! A certified life coach by the

International Coach Academy, a musical theater actress with my BFA

from NYU/Tisch, and a Corporate America escapee, I’ve served as an expert source and contributor for Newsweek, Forbes, & Psychology

Today, as well as leading workshops and seminars at SXSW & the Etsy

Success Symposium. I could be found coachin’, bloggin’ &

givin’ away free stuff atwhenigrowupcoach.com.

I’m Justine Tal Goldberg, owner ofWriteByNight and an award-winning

writer & editor of both fiction & nonfiction.

My short stories have appeared in Anomalous Press, Whiskey Island,

Fringe Magazine, and other publications. My journalistic work

has appeared in Publishing Perspectives, Austin Monthly, and the

Texas Observer, among others. I hold an M.F.A. in creative writing, and have provided writing instruction

at Vassar College and Emerson College.

WriteByNight is dedicated to helping writers of all experience levels

achieve their creative potential & literary goals.

5 WAYS TO STICK WITH YOUR GOALS (BECAUSE RESOLUTIONS NEVER WORK)

Originally published on Jane Has a Job on January 25th 2010; written by Michelle Ward

Do me a favor: Don’t look at the date. Now don’t think about the resolutions you’ve already broken. Don’t think about how you haven’t revamped your resume, or went to that networking event (or even looked for a networking event to attend), or emailed the friend who has a friend in the industry you wanna break into, or ordered new business cards with the URL of your new portfolio site. No, I said don’t think about it.

OK, I know, you thought about it. And you’re probably beating yourself up right now about how it hasn’t happened yet. I know, I do it too! Last year I had just one resolution: to stop biting my nails. Here it is one year later and… I’m still biting my nails (and I’m a life coach!).

The good news? Resolutions rarely work for anyone, so it’s not just you. What if we did away with the resolutions–just let them go, guilt-free? OK, OK, you might still want to update your resume or design new business cards, and that’s great. But let’s banish the word “resolutions” and use a new word instead: “goals.” Or “intentions.” Or “projects.” Or “Things To Do To Add To My Awesomeness.” Really, anything but “resolutions” is an improvement.

Now that we did away with that fear-inducing, unrealistic word, how do we make our goals/intentions/awesomeness stick? How can we make sure that we follow through? Here are some ideas:

Take baby steps. If I had to credit one single thing to The Secret of My Success (namely, quitting my day job after 2 years & 7 months, during which I got my life coach certification & built up my business / safety net), it would be baby steps. Because I concentrated on doing something every day, I ended up

covering way more ground in way less time than if I waited for a free afternoon or when inspiration struck. So, break your goal down into said baby steps by determining the smallest, tiniest step you can take right now. And the next. And the next. And the – you get my drift. You can even use my Goal Game to help you. Work within those steps, and yes, even 15 minutes counts. I have a client that knows she can only commit to working in 15 minute increments, and for just 15 minutes a day. After a week, though, she’s put almost 2 hours behind her project, which is certainly not chump change! She often does more work than that, but when she does, it’s the icing on the cake.

Experiment. What works for your bestie or your Mom or your spouse won’t necessarily work for you. I’ve yet to find a time management program that I want to marry, and as a Renaissance Soul, I’ve embraced the fact that I work best in 45 minute increments before I have to move on to the next thing (which is hardly seen as “the norm” in traditional society). Every single one of my clients has had to find their own process, and they do that by trying something new for a short amount of time and then tweaking it ‘til they can write their personal roadmap to the finish line. If you want to start by figuring out when you’re most productive, this Productivity Heatmap will help you do just that.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew. What is worse than dumping a big project on your lap and giving yourself a week to do it, or writing a page of To Dos in your calendar with the expectation of them being done in a day’s time? These are not hypothetical questions. The answer to both is, “Nothing. Nothing at all is worse than that.” As tough as it is for overachievers like us (You mean I can’t have a full-time job & a healthy marriage & the amount of sleep a human needs & spend every other waking moment on my Etsy shop?), I beg, I plead, I implore (yes, implore!) you to be realistic. Why not limit your To Do list to a maximum of 2 tasks each day? Worse comes to worse, you have extra time and steal a To Do from the next day, or (gasp!) take yourself up on some down time. Best comes to best, you still get your work done while not beating yourself up and making your head explode. Exploding heads are seriously not good.

Bribery isn’t just for little kids and gangsters. One of my clients decided that she would have studio time at the same time every day – right after dinner. She was used to plopping herself in front of the TV for hours until bedtime, but now, she uses her TV time as a reward for going into the studio and working, even for “just” 30 minutes. Besides looking forward to her reward before she even starts her work, she’s made it a habit, and now going into her studio is just what she does after dinner each night. It’s automatic.

Be nice to yourself. Seriously. Your work doesn’t have to be torture. In fact, if it is, then maybe it’s time to reassess what you’re doing (although that’s another post for another time). If you find you’re dreading a part of your process, how can you make it as painless as possible? A client of mine hates hates hates (hates hates) ironing, yet she knows that she has to do it in order to make her cloth napkins. When we were working together and she got to that part of the project, she stalled, and we focused on trying to make ironing somewhat enjoyable. She remembered that she had a few episodes of “The Next Design Star”, her favorite show, waiting to be watched on her DVR, and committed to ironing while getting caught up in the competition. The next week, she had more room on her DVR and a crisp, wrinkle-free piece of fabric. She’ll never iron and want to shoot herself in her face again!

Do me another favor: look at the date. Mark it down. Write down your goals/intentions/awesomeness in a simple bullet pointed list, and post it somewhere that you’ll see it every day. Now smile, knowing that you’ll never break another resolution again (the fact that you won’t make one to begin with will stay in this room).

THE ABANDONMENT ASSESSMENT

Forget it.It’s over.I can’t do it.I surrender.(waves white flag)

And the creative career coach says:“Stop it already, ‘k? You’ve worked so hard (I know ya have – don’t

try to argue with me), and this might not be the end of the road.

Don’t make me sing that Boyz II Men song. You’re not ready yet. Oh

sure, you might decide to take whatever you’re working on in

another direction or abandon it completely, but don’t jump the gun.

Answer these questions first!”

What do I like about this idea/project?

What don’t I like about this idea/project?

What would make this idea/project more appealing (i.e. a new format)?

And the creative career coach says: “I looooove when my clients tell me

they’re equally nervous and excited, or when I experience that for

myself. If you’re excited without the nerves, you’re probably about

to do something fun, but it’s not something to grow on. If you’re

nervous without the excitement, it’s probably The Uh-Oh Feeling

and you should run the other way. But when the nerves/ excitement

are both there in near-equal portions, you know you’re on the right

track!”

Where am I on The Nerves vs. Excitement Scale?

What exactly am I afraid of/frustrate with?

Would I regret abandoning this idea/project completely?

Is this something I still want to explore in some capacity? If so, how much time/energy do I want to give it?

Do I want to revisit this at another point in time? (If so, mark a date in

your calendar a month from now and switch gears. Then, on that

date, reassess again how you’d work best and don’t feel guilty about

taking that writing piece entirely off your plate.)

DOABLE DREAM DAYPLANNERIf you had a genie grant you three wishes, would at least one of ‘em be, “More time, please (I beg you, for all that is holy, pleeeeeeease!)”? I sometimes feel the same way, but I also know that if the genie granted me that wish, I’d take the extra time & still wish for more! If you feel the same, it might be because you either have too much on your plate, or you’re procrastinating with what you need/want to do, or you’re not saying “no”, or you’re getting distracted or – oh look! “Glee” is on! – um, all of the above. In this exercise, we’re going to see how Time doesn’t have to be a trap!

Let’s start by getting down everything that’s currently on your plate in both commitments (work, these sessions, your weekly girl’s night, etc) & leisure (TV time, family meals, etc) in the left column below. The middle column is for approximately the amount that task takes in your life, while the right hand column is for you to mark whether it’s a want or a need (or both!). If you need more room, just keep tabbing when you get to the end of the chart.

TASK APPROX TIME/WK NEED OR WANT

Use the chart below to write down new things that you’ve been wanting to do/try/tackle, as well as anything from the chart above that you want to rev up, or do more of. Please banish from your brain the Vampire that whispers, “You can’t do all that!” or “Inconceivable!” That Vampire nor the evil guy from The Princess Bride is welcome here.

And yes, get it all down – everything that’s clouding your brain or dancing in your head. Brain dump away!

TASKS I’M THINKING OF / WANNA / FEEL THE NEED TO DO

You’re scared that I’m gonna make you prioritize, aren’t you? I know that prioritizing your needs/wants/tasks is one of the toughest things to do as a grown-up, but I’m here to say that you won’t have to necessarily pick just one to move forward with, leaving the others to die a horrible death (isn’t that what we think happens to ‘em unless we do it the second we think of it)? So take the pressure off & figure out what you want to make time for right now (not next year or next month or even next week!) based on how much you want to do it. That’s right – we’re prioritizing based on anticipated fun & ease. Who said being a grown-up has to be hard & boring?

So, let’s figure this out in the most painless way possible. Let’s dream about your most perfect week, but base it in realism. Yes, even though we’re calling it the “perfect week”, you’ll need to include your day job, or any other tasks in the first chart that are marked with a Need. Of course, if you think you can bring the time commitment down with these particular tasks (i.e. have your Mom babysit at least one afternoon/week so you’re not watching the baby every time she’s not sleeping), then you can include that in the dream schedule.

I’ll start with an example from my own Doable Dream Day:

MONDAYTIME TASK12a-7:30a Sleep7:30-8:45a Get ready to run in the park & then do it!8:45-9:45a Shower, coffee, Judge Judy, dressed9:45-11a Email / HootSuite11a-12p Client session12-1p Lunch in the park with a book1-2p Write copy for new e-book in the park2-3p Write blog post3-4p Business building exercises4-5p Session5-6p Answer emails6-7p Write new exercise for group coaching session7-8p Dinner with Luke8-9p Session9-10:30p Watch TV 10:30-11:30p Have a “picnic” in the bedroom with music & read my book /

the Times from Sunday / blogs11:30p-12a Get ready for bed & hit the hay!

For me, each day will look different because not only do the times/dates of my sessions change, but I can fill my “off” time with whatever tasks/projects I want! Now remember, as you fill out your dream week schedule, think of it as just that – no Vampires in your way! It’s really about discovering & honoring what the “perfect” amount of Me Time is for you, or the “perfect” amount of creativity time, or the “perfect” amount of family time. And don’t stress that I’m going to make you follow this schedule, ‘cause I’m not (unless you want to, of course).

No don’t forget, you’re still you – living where you live, being as young (I won’t say old!) as you are now, making the money you make & being responsible for/to the people that you’re responsible for/to. As much as I love dreaming about owning a beach house & spending every afternoon eating cheese & drinking wine overlooking the water, I have to put that aside for this particular exercise. Thankfully, I’m in the park overlooking Brooklyn hipsters, so I’m not too far off.

OK, here we go!

DOABLE DREAM DAY: MONDAYTIME TASK

DOABLE DREAM DAY: TUESDAYTIME TASK

DOABLE DREAM DAY: WEDNESDAYTIME TASK

DOABLE DREAM DAY: THURSDAYTIME TASK

DOABLE DREAM DAY: FRIDAYTIME TASK

DOABLE DREAM DAY: SATURDAYTIME TASK

DOABLE DREAM DAY: SUNDAYTIME TASK

Hopefully, by really scheduling out your Doable Dream Days in super detail, you’re realized what you absolutely, positively want to make time for or how much TV you want to give up. Write down what you learned:

I’m not gonna pretend that I know how you ensure that something’s gonna get done, because we’re all different in how we block our time, honor our commitments, & actually follow through with what we say we’re gonna do. Based on what you wrote above, write down what you’re going to have to do to make it happen, whether it’s take certain things off your plate or actually schedule time in your calendar or follow your Doable Dream DayPlanner to the tee for at least a day or two:

Remember, for everything that you say “No” to, you’re making room for a “Yes”. Anything less & that “Yes” will turn into a “Maybe” or a “Kinda Sorta” or an “Almost.” Own that “yes” by acknowledging what’s important to you right now, on this day, at this time. Remember, you don’t have to make excuses or have this new commitment be a forever thing. You might even want to make a note to reassess every few weeks by redoing this exercise & seeing what’s changed.

Next week we’ll delve into the procrastination piece that seems to play such a big fat role in why, well, these new commitments just don’t come to fruition, no matter how much of your heart lies within them. Until then, keep your eyes open to the ways that you could make your Doable Dream Days a reality.

And let me know if you find any affordable beach houses along the way, will ya?

THE GOAL GAME!

(said in annoyingly cheerful announcer voice): “What if there was a fun,

creative, super-awesome way to make your goals specific & achievable? What

if this fun, creative, super-awesome way was built like a game, complete with

“prizes” (yes, “prizes” plural!) & a huge celebration at the end? Well stop

wondering “What if….” & start The Goal Game!”

Yeah, yeah, cheese-tastic, I know – but better than anything hippy-dippy where I

tell you to go look at crystals or constellations for the answer! Seriously, for a

creative soul like you, I know that setting goals & turning it into an “action plan” is

probably tough. By making it into a game - & bribing yourself along the way –

you’ll have a clear picture of what needs to happen (& when) in order to be

crowned the winner!

You might’ve head of SMART Goals, which is basically a cute acronym to make

a goal specific, measurable, attainable, realistic & timely. I like that, but thought

there were some equally-important elements missing (& a cuter acronym to

find). So, I created CHUTZPAH Goals:

C is for Celebration. I know it seems silly putting it as the first step, but if you can

set what the celebration will be at the finish line, it’ll help you stay focused to run

the race.

H is for Honesty. Be honest with yourself: Can this goal be accomplished? Is it too

big? For example, a 44-year-old woman with 2 years of government experience

in a state with half a million people should not say “I want to be Vice President.”

(clears throat)

U is for Unique. You have to make sure that this goal is yours & yours alone. Not

your brother’s, not your boss’, not your wife’s. Yours.

T is for Timely. You need a start date, an end date, and a date for the milestones

in between. I’ve recently discovered that the main thing I need to accomplish a

goal is a deadline. Give yourself one.

Z is for Zest. Yeah, I know, “zest” is a weird one. But it didn’t seem to be when I

looked up the definition and found it to mean “anything added to impact flavor,

enhance one’s appreciation; liveliness or energy; animating spirit.” I had zest for

writing a “boring” research paper because I picked a topic that interested me,

and would benefit me as a coach. That made the goal of “finish research

paper” into something fun and not a chore.

P is for Precise. You need to be specific about choosing your goal. “I want to lose

weight” has a lot less holding power than “I’m going to lose 10 pounds by

running 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week for 4 weeks.”

A is for Assessable. It’s easy to measure if you jogged in the park for 2 miles on 3

separate days this week, but “I want to start exercising again” can be measured

by Jack. Jack Squat, that is.

H is for Honor. This is where you put the Celebration into practice, by Honoring

your win and getting that massage / going to that nice restaurant / spending the

day in your pjs / whatever you decided was going to be your celebration for

reaching that goal.

So now that you got some CHUTZPAH, let’s make this more interactive. Take the

space below to declare your goal (doesn’t that sound official?) & answer the

following questions:

MY GOAL IS TO:

1. What will this goal cost you - literally & figuratively - to achieve? Think of

money, time & energy. What do you need to commit to?

2. Can you add this to your schedule without feeling overwhelmed? If not, what

will need to be sacrificed to achieve this goal? Is it worthwhile?

3. What will you gain by achieving this goal?

4. Think of how strict/loose you want your deadlines to be. What can you

realistically manage? Again, think of your time, money, & energy. Setting yourself

up with a breakneck speed is only setting yourself up for failure!

5. Make an extra-special celebration at the point in the goal game that you

usually give up. Is it at the beginning, after the idea is fleshed out, the time is on

the calendar & the supplies are bought? Then bribe yourself to move forward to

doing instead of planning. Is it in the middle, when you have spent seemingly

endless hours on your goal without the tangible results (yet)? Then celebrate with

something relaxing & rejuvenating before going into the home stretch! And don't

forget to make the end celebration - after you're done - be the sweetest of them

all! Remember, it doesn't have to be timely or costly - but it does need to feel

special! What will your mid-celebrations (they’re called “prizes” in the game) &

your Big Celebration be?

6. Write down who you can go for help. Who will support you during this process?

Share with them what they can do to cheer you on.

Now let’s revise your goal a bit. Fill in the blanks below using the following key:

(1) insert goal here

(2) insert date here

(3) insert name of cheerleaders here

(4) insert 2 prizes & celebration bribe here

(5) insert fun stuff here, like writing a paper on a topic you love

(6) insert an activity of a unit of time here, like Wed night bowling

My goal is to (1)_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________ by (2)__________________.

I can rely on (3)_______________________________________________________________

to support me & I will bribe myself with (4)___________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________.

I’m going to add some zest by (5)_____________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________. I will have to

sacrifice (6) __________________________________________________________________

to make it happen, but it’ll be worth it!

Now let’s take a moment to make your action steps. I find it easiest to start from

the bottom – the completion of the goal - & work backwards, but you can do it

however you damn well please. I ain’t the boss of you!

ACTION STEPS FOR THE GOAL OF:

1:

2:

3:

PRIZE!:

4:

5:

PRIZE!:

6:

7:

CELEBRATION!:

If you find yourself with more than 7 action steps, see how you can group some

together to make it fit. I can only make so many squares on the board, people.

Now it’s game time (& you thought that annoyingly cheerful announcer was a

liar)! Use the board on the following page to fill in your steps & their due dates.

Print it out as many times as you need – no dice necessary!

Don’t forget theCHUTZPAH!cHUTZPAH

elebration. Bribingyourself is awesome.

onesty. Be honest withwhat can be achieved.

nique. This is not yoMama’s goal.

imely. Due dates are yourfriend.

est. If it inspires jazz hands,you’re on the right track.

recise. Timing iseverything.

ssessable. Know whenyou’ve rocked it!!

onor. Savor the win by really celebrating!

MY GOAL :

MY PRIZE! MY PRIZE! (could it be to enjoy some garlic fries?)

START HERE!START HERE!Give a cheer!

When you’re doneyou’ll have a beer!

STEP 1 (is really fun):

DUE DATE:

STEP 2 (is up to you!):

DUE DATE:

STEP 3 (is great as can be!):

DUE DATE:

STEP 4 (open that door!):

DUE DATE:

STEP 5 (don’t you feel alive?!):

DUE DATE:

STEP 7 (it’s just like heaven!):

DUE DATE:

STEP 6 (are you getting your fix?!):

DUE DATE:

MY PRIZE! MY PRIZE! (Do you want some brand new ties?)

CELEBRATION!CELEBRATION!(tell the entire nation!)

You’re done! Ain’t it fun?You are Super #1!

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HOW HEATMAPPING YOUR PRODUCTIVITY CAN MAKE YOU MORE PRODUCTIVE

Originally published on Mar 21 2008, written by Charlie Gilkey

I’ve been a bit bottlenecked recently with some of my posts. I’ve been stewing

over A Special Theory of Productivity and trying to figure out the best way to

present it. Meanwhile, another post that I’m working on also needs some

preliminary explanation. This post is related to both of those.

I’m a huge fan of heat maps, and here recently I’ve started to think about

productivity in terms of heat maps, as well. The above picture is a heat map of

my daily productive capacity.

Productive capacity is different than what you’re actually producing. The way I

think about it is that it’s the amount of productivity that you’re capable of in a

given amount of time. Of course, many different things affect your ability to be

productive, so there’s frequently a bit of difference between productive capacity

and productivity.

It seems that productive capacity is all of the enabling dimensions listed in A

General Theory of Productivity except for ideal time. I’ll be working more with

how to figure out ideal time in future posts.

I’ll give a quick legend to decipher colors, although most of it should be obvious

for people familiar with heat maps:

Red: This is where productive capacity is the highest. All systems are operational

and ready for the captain to give the signal to go to warp speed. This is where I

get all of my creative heavy lifting done. I call this level the “nova” stage (from

“supernova”) because it’s really hot and intense, and it’s also something quick to

say to my wife so that she knows what’s going on with me (I get really, really

frustrated by trifling issues during novas, since I am acutely aware of what else I

could be doing).

Orange: This level of productive capacity is the waystation between creative

awesomeness and merely puttering along. A lot of work can get done here, but

you’ll be somewhat aware that you’re working.

Yellow: This level of capacity is the idle status. Some productive work can be

done, but it’s not going to be high-level, lose-track-of-time type of productivity.

Green: At this level, I’m spending more energy trying to keep working than

actually doing the work itself. Creativity, motivation, or focus is pretty much gone.

Gray: Hopefully I’m asleep at this level. Unfortunately, all too often I’m still trying

to get something done or can’t sleep because some idea is teasing me.

So, you may be wondering why I decided to present this on a modified clock face

rather than the standard columnar way that we normally present time. First, the

“heat” of heatmaps is normally mapped over something the way it actually

appears. For instance, website heatmaps display the relevant information over

the way the site is presented to the reader. More importantly, though, I like to

think about time in its natural, circular state, since I get a better overview of the

relatedness of yesterday’s activities to my state today. Lastly, it takes up less

space to get the information across once you understand the paradigm.

A few other other presentation notes. I use twenty-four hour time for convenience

and so that there’s no need for two clocks. I only use four colors because it

captures all of the information I need and keeps me from quibbling about whether

something’s red-orange, orange, or red. Gray is used instead of black because

it’s easier to see and black is too often associated with death or some really,

really bad state.

There’s a good deal of usefulness from thinking about your day in this way. It

helps answer the following questions:

1. Why do I have more productive capacity at some times than others?

You’ll notice on the heatmap above that from 08-11 and 14-16, I go nova. Then

towards meal times I start to downshift. One obvious reason for this is that I get

hungry and my blood sugar drops. A second, less obvious reason this happens is

that I can only sustain peak focus for about three hours before I lose it.

A lot of the same reasons explain why I’m not good for a whole lot after 1600 (4

pm for those not familiar with 24 time). If it’s been a good, productive day, I’ve

burned myself out by that point.

2. How can I move from one level to the next?

The heatmap above is my (more or less) natural rhythm. With a little caffeine,

food, and space, it’s what my day will generally look like. But I’ve often wondered

what I can do to move myself from a lower level of productivity to the next.

What I’ve noticed is that I usually can only shift up one level. For instance, I can’t

get myself to go from yellow to red, although I can easily go from red to yellow.

(Apparently productive capacity is like heat: it goes from hot to cold pretty easily,

but it takes a lot more effort to go from cold to hot.) But, moving from yellow to

orange is a pretty good increase in productivity, so even making that change is

worthwhile.

I’ll discuss the specifics of this in a future post, but I’ll give a quick example. The

block from 1100-1400 (11 am to 2 pm) is the block that is the most malleable

block of time but it’s often the second most important part of the day (after the

morning) since what happens during that block determines how the rest of my

day will go. I have a few relatively simple methods for shifting that block up:

1. Eat a healthy, balanced breakfast – usually oatmeal w/raisins, yogurt, a

banana, some protein (generally eggs), juice, and 8-16 oz of water.

2. Drink roughly 8 oz of water an hour.

3. Coordinate with my wife so that she knows I’ll not be up for going out for

lunch and will probably just grab something quick.

4. Don’t check email, turn the phone on silent, and leave the phone in another

room. (I’ve written about this here).

5. Eat that quick lunch–take no more than 30 mins for prep, eating, and cleanup.

6. Stretch or walk for about five-ten minutes.

7. Get back to work. Do not check email or your phone messages during

lunch.

8. Continue to drink 8 oz of water an hour.

I told you it was relatively simple, didn’t I? It works because it preempts all of the

things that make me naturally downshift.

The good breakfast keeps energy levels high. The water does two things. First, it

makes you think better. Second, it makes sure you take a break every hour or so,

so you stretch, rest your eyes, and have a mini-break at regular intervals.

The coordination with Angela lets her know that I’m going nova and removes that

wasted 30-45 minutes when we’re both trying to figure out what the other is doing

for lunch. The quick lunch ensures you don’t disengage from what you’re doing.

Not checking email and phone removes a lot of distractions and opens up a lot of

psychic RAM. Having the phone in the other room removes it from my view and

keeps me from even thinking about it.

I’ll warn you that if you do this, you may not be good for a whole lot of work

afterward, unless you’ve got much more mental fortitude than I do. Just make

sure you do the right things during that block so that you’ll feel rewarded for what

you’ve done.

The plus side, though, is that I often do an entire week’s worth of work in those

six hours, so I can spend the rest of the time, all things being equal, on other

pursuits. Like writing absurdly long blog posts.

3. How should I plan my day?

Knowing your rhythm allows you to plan the right tasks for the right times. I think

a lot of personal planners miss this and people look at all chunks of time as being

equal. All chunks of time are not equal! I can get more done from 0800-1000

on most days than I can from 1600-2000, even though the latter block has twice

as much time.

As can probably figure out, I try to put my writing in the morning blocks, since I

know that I can go nova during those periods. I may do some editing, planning,

or networking during the orange blocks, and I try to check email and other low

horsepower stuff from 1600-1700.

Leveraging my day like that ensures that I’m not up at 0200 in the morning trying

to work and creating a product that I’ll spend more time editing the next morning.

It does that in two very powerful ways: 1) I’m normally very satisfied with what I

completed that day, as I know I couldn’t have done any more than I did, and 2)

I’m exhausted by 2200 (10 pm) or so, and if I’m thinking clearly, I know I’m going

into a phase in which the time would be better spent sleeping.

4. It explains why I get so pissed when I wake up late

If I wake up past 0930 any day I’m grumpy for a long, long time because I know

that the best, productive block of time is done. I’ll be at half-capacity, and I’ve got

way too much that I’d like to do for that.

So I’ll try to work late that day, go to bed at 0445 (I’m not kidding), wake up late

(1000ish) the next day, get pissed, go to bed at 0330, wake up late the next day

(1100ish), and not be good for anything because I haven’t been sleeping, eating,

and drinking like I should. Luckily, I’ll generally be so exhausted by the third day

that I sleep well and can start the right rhythm over again. But doing that loses

me four nova blocks during that three day period, and those blocks are far too

valuable to squander that way.

Heatmapping your productivity is a great way to get a grip on figuring out how to

be more productive and how to plan your days. As as we learned from G.I.

Joe,knowing is half the battle!

I’ve included a blank heatmap in case you want to go through this exercise

yourself. It may take a few days of recording for you to find your natural rhythm.

Get out your highlighters and markers!

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Productivity Heatmap Date:_____________

Notes:

© 2008 Charles Gilkey www.productiveflourishing.com

MY BIG BRAINDUMP

This is the place where I set a timer for 5 minutes and dump out everything that’s invading my head –

and I mean everything.

No censoring.No prioritizing.

No “should” or “enoughs.”

I’m getting it all out there on the next page.This can be a Big Braindump of Ideas, and/or Tasks,

and/or Things To Discover. No matter, though. It all counts, and anything goes.

First: the left column, with what the task/idea that’s in my head until there’s nothing left to write.

Then: giving an Excitement rating to each task/idea, with 1 being “Kill Me” and 10 being “Just try to stop

me.”

Finally: giving an Easy rating to each task/idea in the right-hand column, with 1 being “I could do it in my

sleep” and 10 being “I’d rather run a marathon.”

Timer set?

And….go.

TASK/IDEA EXCITEMENT-

OMETER

EASE-

OMETER

TASK/IDEA EXCITEMENT-

OMETER

EASE-

OMETER

MY BOISTEROUS BRIBERY LIST

These are the things I can give myself that will make me both happy and motivated. They don’t even need to be big things! They can be small ones, like:

! buying some stargazer lilies & keeping them near my door! soaking in a bubble bath with a cold glass of wine and a good book! savoring a piece of dark chocolate! turning off the phone and watching a DVD! making a marathon of my favorite guilty pleasure shows from my DVR

with a fresh bowl of popcorn ! sitting in the park with the Sunday Times, an iced coffee, and the man I

love! if it's warm, grabbing a chaise lounge and reading or writing outside! if it's cold, bundling up and heading outside to stargaze until I can't feel my

fingers! spending the entire day in my pjs! taking a power nap! sleep the morning/early afternoon away sans alarm! treating myself to a mani/pedi at a spa! indulging in an apple cider donut or salted caramel ice cream without a

smidge of guilt ! shopping for a new outfit from a store that’s not a "discount" one! brewing a cup of fancy loose tea! reading a book in my favorite chair – the one with the view! buying a new album I've been wanting! taking a walk on the beach around sunset! having a beach day! making a movie date, even if it’s with myself ! making a coffee/drink/dinner/brunch date with a friend! going on a dinner date with my love! buying a fiction/humor book! buying something from my wishlist on Pinterest! taking a yoga or dance class ! go dancing with my ladies! singing! writing in my journal! seeing a $10 comedy show! devouring what’s it my Google Reader!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not to say I don’t have Big Bribes in mind! Ooh, I can already think of:! seeing a Broadway show ! eating at a fancy schmancy restaurant I've been dying to try! buying myself something over $100 that I need but haven't let myself

purchase (yet!)! getting a massage/facial/body scrub (or all three!)! renting a beach house! staying in the fanciest hotel in my town for a night! making over my office! going overseas! signing up for a new class/conference! having a lobster dinner!

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I’m really gonna make sure to keep these lists updated, and use ‘em with the Goal Game so I can determine my Bribe before I even do the task. And I’m not even worried about becoming a mobster!

MY INSPIRATION STATION

Oh, what can I do when I’m all tapped out?When I’m wilting and sagging like an out-of-water trout?What can I do to turn on the lights,And get those ideas blazing like a million stars in the night?

Well, I could talk a walk and get movin’.I could put on my favorite album and get to groovin’!I could go to the nearest museum - that’ll really make me Carpe Diem!

Ooh, I could also sit in my favorite park,Or go to the water and try to spot a shark!I could relax in a bath surrounded my bubblesand forget about all of my worries and my troubles.

I could go get a ticket for that comedy show,Or go to the kitchen and knead some pizza dough.I could go drive over to the beach - a whole day like that ain’t outta reach!

The things above could work for any human,But what’s listed below has worked for me - it’s been proven!

PERFECTIONIST PAUSE PROCESS

As writers, we’re usually lumped together under the “lazy artist” stereotype that causes me to write rants like this. However, I’ve found - both in myself and the near-200 Creatives I’ve worked with (writers and otherwise) that we’re anything but! We work our tails off, sacrifice personal time (and our wellness/relationships!) for our art, and take great pride in what we produce. But sometimes we cross that line, not stopping until our project is “good enough” or - gasp! - “perfect!” While I agree that it’s not a bad thing to aim to produce great work, I think you can agree that this Perfectionism streak is usually more of a hindrance than a help!

First off, let’s tackle one of my least favorite words: “enough” (ooh, I’m getting back into rant mode!). When you aim to make something “good enough” or worry about it being “good enough”...do you even know what it means? Write down your definition of “enough” or “perfection” - however general or detailed - below:

Now get down what’s beneficial in thinking in this way. There’s gotta be something that’s helpful about it, right? What’s good about aiming for “enough”?

Let’s flip that coin and write why it’s a hindrance. How is perfection stopping you?

Now let’s look at the gray area. Is there a compromise that can live here, so that you’re still proud of your work but you’re not putting up your own perfectionism roadblock? What would that look like?

Do you know when you’ve gone over into perfectionism hell? One of my clients says she hears herself say, “Enough is enough already, lady!” How will you know that you’ve crossed the line?

What are the specific things you can do in order to stop that Perfectionism Vampire from stopping you putting out your amazeballs writing into the world? For me, I only let myself proofread/edit twice, and then I send it to my assistant to proofread/give me feedback on. Once she’s done, it’s done - no more going back and forth unless there’s a glaring error. What could be an action item that’s your cue to knock it off with the perfectionism already?

And there ya have it - your personal Perfectionist Pause Process (yes, I needed to squeeze another “p” in there. That’s what she said). Feel free to put a visual reminder of your action item or what-happens-when-you’ve-crossed-into-perfectionism-hell in your writing area, so you can pay attention and punch perfectionism in it’s smug little face. Knock out!

“The Renaissance Soul”: The Book Review!

Are you a Renaissance Soul? To find out, answer the following questions with a “Yes” or a “No”:

1. Do you find a lot of different things interesting/worthwhile?2. When you really understand how something works, where it fits, &/or how

to do it, do you lose interest?3. Do you hate that there’s an expectation for just one answer to the

question, “What do you want to do when you grow up?”4. Do you find it almost impossible to describe what you’re going to be doing

in 5 years in singular?5. Do you have a tough time choosing?

6. After a year or two at working in one place, do you get the itch to move on?

Answered “Yes” to at least 4 of these questions? Then you’re a Renaissance Soul – just like me & a ton of other Creatives!I give The Renassiance Soul: Life Design for People with Too Many Passions to Pick Just One by Margaret Lobenstine an A+ and a smiley face sticker. It was so refreshing to finally find someone who accepts – no, encourages! – those with many passions to incorporate them all into their life on their own terms. That’s one of the foundations of my coaching practice, so I obviously ate this book right up, and subsequently have recommended it to almost every one of my creative clients.

Ms. Lobenstine starts the book off by acknowledging the fact, from the time we’re young, most of us have had the message of “get a stable, steady, singular job” drilled into our heads over & over & over again by our parents, our teachers, our mentors & even our friends. It’s the norm, the status quo, the end all & be all to a “successful” life. Even if you come from a family that supports hoofing it to Broadway or opening a virtual store to sell the dog sweaters you knit, there’s usually still a voice in our ear telling us to find “something to fall back on” or to “find a plan & stick with it.” The consensus is that you’ll be a failure if you decide to split your focus, or you don’t pursue one straight path. But what if the dog sweater knitter was also a great art teacher? Or loved yoga? Or had a super green thumb? Should she, because she decided to open her own Etsy shop, cut off the other passions in her life? Or should she close up shop & pursue the passion that would provide the biggest, most stable income?The author says, “No”, & to that I say, “Amen”! But what rocks is that she doesn’t say it in an idealistic way – thus encouraging this particular woman to be a dog sweater knitter/art teacher/yogi/botanist all at the same damn time. Instead, she leads you through exercises to see what you might want to enjoy as a hobby and what you might want to pursue for financial value. She offers time management suggestions, like picking only four Focal Points so you don’t get overwhelmed or scattered or bored. She explores many different career options for Creative Souls, like an umbrella job that encompasses your many interests, or two jobs that can be pursued simultaneously but compliment each other. Possible roadblocks are acknowledged (perfectionism anyone?) & then knocked down. There are also exercises for you to differentiate your values to the ones that have been bestowed on you, to set your intentions, to figure out your Focal Points & manage your schedule, etc.Think you might be a Renaissance Soul like me? Take the full quiz here & read a follow- up article by the author here. You can also read the first chapter of the book here & purchase the book here. I also absolutely recommend Renaissance Business by Emilie Wapnick – and her corresponding site, Puttylike – for lots of “multipotentialite” (her term for “Renaissance Soul”) love, encouragement, discussions and support.

YOUR WIN BOOK:WHAT IT IS, WHY IT ROCKS, & HOW TO MAKE IT YOUR OWN

Originally published on my blog in February 2011

My former client, April‘s, Win Book. Ain’t it adorable?!

At the end of my Etsy Success Symposium workshop, I offhandedly mentioned a Win Book, and if anyone wanted to know what it was they could simply ask. I did mean to talk all about it during the presentation, but despite my over-preparation, I was running oh, 10-15 minutes later than I thought I’d run & had to cut that part to not go over my time. Thankfully, I got quite a few tweets & emails asking what a Win Book is – and I’m so glad I did! I heart Win Books (and torture at least half of my clients into starting one) and I’m happy to tell you all about it here.

A Win Book is a place where you store all the compliments you received about your product/service/work (whether you have your own biz or not), everything you’ve been thanked for regarding your product/service/work, and all the things that come your way that give you the Warm Fuzzies. There’s no right spot for your Win Book – it could be a notebook; a document or folder on your computer; or even a program like Evernote, which I use to copy & paste lovely emails and blog comments into a Good Stuff folder I can easily access. What’s important is that the Win Book be a space that beckons to you to read and write in it, from it’s sparkly cover (like my client April made above) to its amazeballs name (if Win Book is too boring for ya, you can call it Warm Fuzzies, My Book of Awesome, Book of Awesomeness, or My Key to Being a Millionaire).

By having a catch-all for the awesomeness that’s been bestowed to you (& you’ve bestowed onto yourself), not only will you be able to build up your confidence about what you’re doing and the quality of your work, but it’s a tangible thing to take out when you feel like, um, you suck (yes, I have those days too). You’ll be able to have a specific place to go and remember the customer who left you feedback in your Etsy shop about how the earrings she bought from you were her Mom’s favorite gift, or how you got asked to write a column on your favorite blog based on the portfolio samples you painstakingly put together. It’s a way to build on the question, “How do I rock people’s socks?“ and really see what makes you awesome, what makes you you, what your uniquity consists of and how it evolves.

Your Win Book is also the place that shows you what’s working, since common threads and a-ha! moments tend to emerge when things are in one place as opposed to scattered all over. You might not be able to see that you’ve been complimented five times on the softness of the sweaters you knit, but when you put those compliments in one place – whether they were emailed to you or said to you at a craft fair – it becomes a lightbulb moment. If you know that’s what your customers are taking away, the wheels might start turning as to how to convey the softness of the sweaters pre-purchase, and/or you might decide to add that to your elevator pitch. Without the Win Book, you might not have realized that “softness” was such a common compliment, and it might’ve passed ya by. How sad would that be?!

Some of my clients get stuck on what “counts” as A Win, and to that I say: Don’t discount the small stuff! You can decide that anything you did that day that helped move your business forward counts as a Win. Yup, even if it’s “just” writing a blog post or “just” making one set of earrings. Those are Wins just as much as “Got my first wholesale order!” is a Win. So The Win Book can come

from you and what you’re proud of accomplishing just as much as it comes from others.

The key to an amazeballs Win Book is threefold:• It needs to beckon you to write in it, and often! So, make it pretty and

name it boldly and never keep it much further than an arm’s reach away.• You must must must must must (must must!) not be shy or humble within

the pages (real or virtual) of a Win Book. If you are, the whole thing goes kaput – it’s worthless. It might feel weird for a while tootin’ your own horn, but know that this is the safest of spaces – nobody else will read what’s there unless you hand it over to ‘em (or, ya know, keep it somewhere public like a blog).

• Count the small stuff! If you wait until a win is “good enough” to include, you’ll be waiting for way too long. To start, challenge yourself to write at least one thing in the Win Book daily for at least a week. Like I mentioned earlier, you can list your accomplishment(s) for the day or – if it’s not too too scary – you can ask your friends for a Reverse Intervention (a term I lovingly stole from Laurie Veasey’s workshop) and ask them for positive feedback on your work! You can ask them to write what they find awesome, or what inspires them, or what they admire/are attracted to (in case “why do you like my stuff?” is too daunting a question!). The responses will start your Win Book off on the right foot!

So get out your salt-and-pepper notebook and a sparkle pen, or head over to the blank journal you bought that was so pretty you never wrote in it, or open a new document and write MY BOOK OF AWESOME in the boldest, brightest font ya got. Either way, just make sure ya start it, and keep it up. A Win Book is just a Book without those Wins!

THE ENDBUT NOT FOR YOU.

GO FORTH & KICK SOME ROADBLOCK BUTT!

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