Final Friday's Finds for October 2020

In the United States, we are approximately 4 days from the polls closing in the 2020 Elections, and, y'all, many of us are truly struggling to focus on anything else. However, there are so many priorities still happening for home, work, community and self-care. For this final Friday's fab finds, here are a handful of what's currently helping me focus on what matters most and pursue my many passions.

For years, I've been a coffee drinker; yet, when Berri of The Flo Academy started teaching me about why I needed to be drinking organic raspberry leaf tea, I started giving tea more of a chance. I have been thoroughly impressed with Black Momma Teas, having enjoyed every sip of spearmint, peach apricot & fruit, white peach, caramel peach with coconut, English breakfast, mango and detox flavors. Better yet, as Black Momma also offers vodkas, my purchases support Vanessa Braxton, the first African-American, female owner and operator of a Nationally Distributed Vodka in the United States. I love a purchase with a purpose. 

Everyday Neutral Mask Lanyards from Courtney Frye of The Painted Pearl have been the answer to the issue we never imagined before 2020. If you worry about laying your mask down somewhere unsanitary when you take a sip to drink or stop for a snack, these handmade creations are the perfect way to have that mask easily accessible and safe while hanging from your neck. Since studies have shown slipping your mask down to your neck is highly unsafe, this offers an alternative to keep you healthy and productive. Each well-made strand measures roughly 30" in length and features light-weight wooden beads with hints of matte gold and neutral blush tones, making it sure to compliment anything in your wardrobe. Plus, easy-to-use lobster claws are used to secure your mask, ensuring this lanyard can have a life after the pandemic as a necklace.

I am a huge fan of containing similar items together in bags. For example, in my purse, there's a smaller bag for writing utensils, there's a smaller bag for medical items, like Band-aids, a travel size NEOSPORIN as well as a small bottle of Tylenol, and there's a smaller bag for tech tools, like charging cords, plugs and earbuds. During this time of protecting ourselves from COVID-19, I stumbled upon The Pure Bag's ZipPockets, finding a quality layer of added protection. Made of marine-grade, healthcare-quality vinyl, they offer durable, antibacterial protection and are available in a plethora of fun colors, like Jungle Leaf, Pool and Tangerine. An embedded silver component provides a natural, environmentally-friendly barrier against odor and stain-causing bacteria. Moreover, both the exterior and interior look good while feeling great.

As the letters on certain keys for my MacBook Pro had started disappearing from my keyboard, I think it's safe to deduce that I'm using my computer too much these days, but that doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Thus, I ordered a MOSISO Keyboard Cover, and I've been super pleased with its look as well as its feel. After opening the packaging, all I had to do was lay the cover across my existing keyboard, and, voila, my keys were restored. Made with premium, engineering-grade, durable, non-toxic silicone, the keyboard cover is ultra thin and makes typing surprising easy while still be simple to remove or reapply as needed. It protects my MacBook keyboard against dust, liquid spills, key wear, contaminates and more.

The acne caused by regularly wearing a mask or holding your chin while on a Zoom call is truly tough to battle, but I'm getting help from ZitSticka's KILLA kit. First, you wipe the area with a CLEANA swab that's soaked in exfoliating, de-stressing ingredients; then, you affix the KILLA zit patch, which is powered by tiny microdarts that self-dissolve overnight to flood the epicenter of an early-stage zit with targeted ingredients, clearing the acne before it gets real bad. These little circles move my face toward clarity so much more quickly than anything else I've ever found. It's like magic but fueled by scientific advancements.

I’d love to know what you’re currently using, loving and finding can bring you a little comfort amidst the stress and hectivity of life. Add a comment here or email me, and maybe I’ll give your suggestion a try for an upcoming “Final Friday’s Fab Finds” post. Or do you have any feedback on prior months' fab finds that you've tried? Plus, as an update for those following along, I'm shocked to say that my Marble Queen Pothos purchased from The Zen Succulent back in June is still alive. Take care, folks, staying safe and sane amidst all that we're facing!

Final Friday's Finds for September 2020

It's my favorite month! Autumn has arrived, and it's an ideal time to complete your Census, enjoy a football game, go apple picking, decorate pumpkins for your porch, jump-start holiday shopping, splurge on a pair of boots or educate yourself for the upcoming elections. For this final Friday's fab finds, here are a handful of what's currently helping me focus on what matters most and pursue my many passions.

With screen time having increased by at least 30% worldwide, 65% of

American adults are reporting symptoms of digital eye strain, much of which is attributed to our overexposure to blue light emitted by our technological devices. Did you know that blue light emitted by screens can penetrate all the way to your retina, damaging vision and causing eye strain? Ophthalmologist-approved Eye Just blue light blocking screens are scientifically proven to reduce digital eyestrain and protect one's eyes, skin and sleep from harmful blue light effects. The screens include bacteria blocker, are scratch proof and prevent smudges. There are options for your iPhone, iPad and laptop alike. 

Shift is the desktop app for streamlining your accounts, apps and workflows. Instead of logging in and out of various different email, chat, task management and collaborative workspace applications, simply connect them through your one Shift account, and work faster with browsing across all accounts' details. With Shift, you'll have one login to toggle between all of your Gmail, Outlook, Office 365, WhatsApp, Slack, Messenger and more apps, customizing which notifications make the most sense for your specific work needs. 

Mosquitos love me. I have no idea why, but, whenever I'm outside, they target my

skin for all sorts of bug bites. This summer, I discovered the Bug Bite Thing, and it's been amazing. This suction tool extracts the insect saliva and venom from under the skin to help alleviate itching, stinging and swelling. Removing the irritant makes the body stop producing the reaction causing uncomfortable symptoms, truly eliminating the problem. No creams, chemicals, ointments or anything but literally sucking the irritant out from under the skin. Created by a mom on a mission to alleviate her child's hurting, this product is backed by women entrepreneurs and making a positive impact worldwide.

Conscious Coconut Oil is Certified USDA Organic, is Fair Trade Certified™️, is cold pressed, comes in sustainable packaging and serves a higher purpose by donating to Feeding America with every purchase. Plus, the uses for coconut oil seem endless, including moisturizing skin, protecting hair from damage, improving wound healing, serving as a carrier for essential oils, removing stains, making wood furniture shine, soothing sunburnt skin, removing makeup and relieving chapped lips.

I’d love to know what you’re currently using, loving and finding can bring you a little comfort amidst the hectivity of life. Add a comment here or email me, and maybe I’ll give your suggestion a try for an upcoming “Final Friday’s Fab Finds” post. Or do you have any feedback on prior months' fab finds that you've tried? Take care!

Final Friday's Fab Finds for August 2020

As we're over two-thirds of the way through the summer of 2020, the world around us seems both like an opportunity for growth, change and betterment as well as a hamster wheel of Groundhog Days in the middle of so much craziness that we can't control... Amidst the mental and emotional overwhelm, it's vital to fill our toolboxes with what will best boost productivity and help us cultivate the lives we want. For this final Friday's fab finds, here are a handful of the lovely things currently helping me focus in on what matters most and enthusiastically pursue my many passions.

Back in July, my to-do list included the goal to "master face skincare routine", and my efforts at this uncovered a true gem. I've been using True Botanicals' Pure Radiance Oil, and I absolutely love it. All of their products are certified nontoxic and sustainably made as well as vegan and cruelty-free; plus, there's a quiz on their homepage to help figure out exactly which products will best meet one's face skincare needs. As explained on their website, the "face oils deliver nutrients and antioxidants deep into skin, for healing from the inside out." I use the Clear option to treat and prevent acne while minimizing the effects of aging, but all the face oils provide great, clarifying moisturizers that balance skin, which is vital for smooth, hydrated and healthy skin.

As many folks are getting out and about more while wearing a face mask, waiting 6' apart and washing hands as often as possible, there's a continuing need for hand sanitizer. Back when it was nearly impossible to find hand sanitizer on store shelves, I went searching for an option that wouldn't dry my hands out so badly, and I discovered By Humankind's Kindfill™️ Hand Sanitizer refill, which is such a necessary assist these days. This moisturizing, alcohol-based hand sanitizer comes in a large, 8-ounce bottle that is designed to refill your travel-size plastic bottles, and it's surprising cost-effective. The gel formula consists of 65% alcohol, offers Eucalyptus or Grapefruit options that include essential oils and smells (and feels) so much better than other sanitizers I've experienced.


Verb Energy Bars are made with organic green tea, providing as much caffeine as an espresso with only 90 calories. They use exclusively gluten-free, vegan ingredients that are in most folks' kitchens, each bar is small enough to stash in a desk drawer or the pocket of your purse without worrying about anything melting, and you can test them out with a starter kit of Maple Blueberry, Coconut Chai, Salted Peanut Butter and Simply Cocoa. I truly enjoy the Coconut Chai version and appreciate how easy they make getting refills via texts.

Watermelon is a summertime fixture and one of my favorite foods. Even as I have certainly been enjoying my fair share of fresh-cut watermelon slices, I've become a big fan of cold-pressed watermelon juice, whether that's from WTRMLN WTR® or Tsamma Juice. It's easy to keep a bottle handy while working from home, especially with how it's deliciously hydrating via natural electrolytes from watermelon. Every bottle of Tsamma contains over one and a half pounds of Frey Farms' watermelons, cold-pressed, gently pasteurized and cold-packed to protect essential nutrients. Both companies market that their juices include L-Citrulline + Lycopene. These options for watermelon juice are both tasty and healthy, which is a major win-win, especially with all that vitamin C to help me stay well amidst a global pandemic.

I’d love to know what you’re currently using, loving and finding can bring you a little comfort amidst the hectivity of life. Add a comment here or email me, and maybe I’ll give your suggestion a try for an upcoming “Final Friday’s Fab Finds” post. Or do you have any feedback on prior months' fab finds that you've tried? Take care, y’all!

Final Friday's Fab Finds for July 2020

As the temperatures are rising now that we're over a month into summer and yet another hurricane is heading our way, there's still so much happening around us: the COVID-19 global pandemic continues, America's economy just had its worst quarter on record, our communities work toward racial justices, and we all try to balance commitments while focusing on getting done what matters most. Amidst the mental and emotional overwhelm, it's vital to fill our toolboxes with what will best boost productivity and help us cultivate the lives we want. For this final Friday's fab finds, here are a handful of the lovely things I currently can't live without.

While many air purifiers simply collect pollutants on filters where they can multiply and release back into the air, Molekule air purifiers are different. They actually destroy the pollutants instead, and, having added them to my home, I can really feel the difference in my home's air quality. As someone with both seasonal allergies and asthma, I normally have greater symptoms throughout the spring and into summer as well as autumn, but I've really experienced relief since bringing the Molekule air purifiers into my home, using two of the Air versions to make sure I'm covered. Plus, I have to admit that they've provided a little reassurance during the COVID-19 global pandemic, keeping out some of the world's viruses and VOCs to help me breathe easier.

One of my favorite spots for amazing coffee in the Triangle area of North Carolina is Jubala Coffee, and, as a response to the COVID-19 global pandemic and folks not being okay with sitting in a coffee shop, they added the option of ordering Jubala's own Batch Iced Latte, which is 64 ounces of latte based on your preference for flavor and milk. Built on its relationships with coffee communities from which the coffee is sourced, Jubala has a deep dedication to the farmers and partnering with them to provide a top quality product. Every cup is fresh, offers a flavorful taste, supports the local community and has the world's greater good in mind throughout the entire production process. Better yet, there are two locations from which to choose so you can swing by whichever shop is more convenient to you.

As the world is taking 2020 to reflect on what matters most, there is great fluctuation and evolution in the routines that have been developing for me as well as my clients. I have found the Streaks Productivity App to be super powerful in turning behaviors into habits for routines that better enable us to get done what matters most. The app allows for choosing up to 12 tasks that you want to turn into daily habits, like exercising, meditating, drinking a certain amount of water, writing out that for which you are grateful, eating a vegetable, writing a personalized note or calling a friend. Each day that you complete a task, your streak is extended. Streaks is available for iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and Mac so you can update your progress via any device, easily tracking your results to stay motivated.

No list of fab finds for July 2020 could be complete without the Hamilton film. If you've not seen this yet, make time this weekend to access it from Disney+. You won't regret the two hours and 40 minutes invested in watching the movie. It is no exaggeration when Lin Manuel Miranda explains that "This is a story about America then, told by America now", and it's a must-see for for hope or inspiration. "Hamilton" blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway to convey the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton in a manner that is unlike anything I've seen before. Watching this explains how our country's founding fathers had a vision for a more perfect union, making Independence Day the start of our never-ending efforts at continuous improvement as we move eternally towards that idealistic vision.

As an update from last month's fab finds, I'm continuing my way through Michelle Obama's Becoming, thoroughly engrossed by her delivery of each and every story. Plus, the good news is that my Marble Queen Pothos from The Zen Succulent is still alive, which is quite the achievement. Did you get a chance to try any of my recommendations?

I’d love to know what you’re currently using, loving and finding can bring you a little comfort amidst the hectivity of life. Add a comment here or email me, and maybe I’ll give your suggestion a try for an upcoming “Final Friday’s Fab Finds” post. Take care, y’all!

Seeking Simplicity?

National Simplicity Day

National Simplicity Day is observed every year on July 12th, honoring the life, work and philosophies of Henry David Thoreau, who advocated for living a simple life via poetry, in his books and as a transcendentalist.

In our modern-day world, life is complicated by so much: the pings and dings of technology, the clutter amidst our calendars and to-do lists alike, the avalanche of communications received via email, calls, texts, social media, snail mail, technology and mainstream media... The list goes on and on. Yet, amidst our current pandemic, I see so many refocusing on their truest priorities, people taking time to reconnect with loved ones while actually slowing down a bit, new routines being turned into necessary habits as well as an emphasis on listening to what our minds, bodies and spirits truly need.

Whether you think of "simplicity" in terms of being plain, natural or easy to understand, I believe this National Simplicity Day is an ideal time to really align our actions with what matters most to us, including the personal mission, vision, core values and life desired to cultivate for each of us. How will you choose to let go of life's complications to make room in each day's 1,440 minutes for what's most important to you?

Some ideas for slowing down and living deliberately include the following:

• Think deeply about what matters most to you.
• Put things on your calendar that align with your priorities and the life you want.
• Adopt a new attitude by being deliberate in how your time is invested.
• Expend as much energy to reflect, live in the moment and appreciate life as you schedule for when to get things done.
• Shift your focus from "all the things" to what you can actually control.
• Utilize Do, Decide When, Delegate and Delete from Eisenhower's Matrix so your resources go toward what only you can do first.

Where will you choose to start in your efforts to celebrate National Simplicity Day?

Final Friday's Fab Finds for June 2020

While wrapping up the first half of 2020, can you believe all that has occurred? We're in the throes of the COVID-19 global pandemic, protests are ongoing as we call for justice and equality in the Black Lives Matter movement, articles of impeachment were approved, Australian bushfires ran rampant, Kobe Bryant died, the Iowa caucus broke down in chaos, Harvey Weinstein was found guilty in a case that helped fuel the #MeToo movement, the nation is struggling with how to safely educate the next generation amidst a novel coronavirus, there are regular developments in the current election cycle, and over 40 million Americans have filed for unemployment. 

When disruption strikes, small businesses feel the impact faster and harder than anyone else with the effects lasting much longer afterward. With that in mind, I’m continuing my “Final Friday’s Fab Finds” series with options that emphasize both the need to support small businesses via shopping local as well as a desire to amplify Black voices. Hopefully, you'll find these sources of hope, inspiration and greater productivity in cultivating the life you want to live. 

Although American Son started as a play on Broadway, it was made into a Netflix film starring Kerry Washington, Steven Pasquale, Jeremy Jordan and Eugene Lee that is phenomenal. The story plays out in real time over 90 minutes. As time passes, tension mounts in a Florida police station as an estranged, interracial couple awaits news regarding their missing, teenage son, and the dialogue is amazingly moving. You feel like you're there with the couple, sitting on the edge of your seat. 

As so many of us have experienced big shifts in life amidst the current global pandemic, there are lots of people adopting new routines, realigning priorities and really focusing on who we want to be as well as what lives we truly want to cultivate. The world is not the same as a few months ago, we may go through a few different iterations before we get to a “new normal”, and there is so much in this evolution that impacts our abilities to be productive. In the spirit of evolving, I began digging into the book Becoming by Michelle Obama, and I’m absolutely loving her approach to answering “What’s your journey of becoming?” I’ve been enjoying her reading of the book on Audible, and there’s so much inspiration in the life she’s leading, filled with meaning and accomplishment.

In my efforts to be more active in being anti-racist, I have been working to amplify the voices of those Black experts in our communities, and I stumbled across Berrion Berry, who is a PMS and Period Educator based out of Florida. Y’all, I feel like I’ve found such a kindred spirit! Berri is an Enneagram 8w7 who self describes as someone who will challenge but inspire you; plus, she has 3 brothers and lost her father to lung cancer. So many similarities, and I am learning tons from this amazing rock star. Berri expertly explains how a woman’s menstrual cycle is set-up to help optimize her abilities for ideation, creation, execution and evaluation, helping me utilize my menstrual cycle as a tool for boosting productivity. Brilliant!

Finally, succulents and house plants are having a moment right now, and I’m well aware of the value plants bring to one’s home based off the stories from my dear friend Kelly, who has over 200 plants at her house. I was overjoyed to learn about Megan George, owner of The ZEN Succulent, who is just as bright and joyful as her welcoming garden center. I have absolutely no green thumb, but I wanted to support local by adding a living thing into my space so I ordered two pothos plants from The ZEN Succulent. These appear to be exceptionally resilient, even with my low maintenance requirement, and I really like the Marble Queen Pothos that I purchased. Stay tuned for how long I can keep this plant alive.

I’d love to know what you’re currently using, loving and finding can bring you a little comfort amidst the hectivity of life. Add a comment here or email me, and maybe I’ll give your suggestion a try for an upcoming “Final Friday’s Fab Finds” post. Take care, y’all!

Final Friday's Fab Finds for May 2020

As we wrap up this month, it feels like we continue an emotional rollercoaster ride: fear, anxiety, excitement, stress, hopefulness, hopelessness and so much more. For each of us, there are daily challenges. Yet, I’m cautiously optimistic that we’re each finding sources of comfort to help us stay safe and sane.

When disruption strikes, small businesses feel the impact faster and harder than anyone else with the effects lasting much longer afterward. With that in mind, I’m kicking off this new “Final Friday’s Fab Finds” series with a few options from small businesses that have been helping me find comfort while trying to maintain my sanity amidst all the efforts to be smart and safe.

Fragrances from candles can be both calming and energizing so I keep finding myself lighting one atop my desk while I’m working from home. My current favorite is Sweet Grace, which is the signature scent for The Flourish Market’s candles. There are numerous candleholder styles from which to choose, making it possible to find something for any space’s needs, and the fragrance lasts well after the candle’s flame is extinguished, meaning the benefits go on longer.

I splurge on my mental well-being by getting a weekly flower delivery, and I love each week’s creation by North Raleigh Florist. They know I’m a huge fan of sunflowers so they incorporate that happy flower whenever possible. Each week’s arrangement is designed to fit on my home office desk, adds something natural to my workspace and puts a smile on my face as I settle into work. Such happiness!

With all that’s happening in the world, my thoughts need an outlet, and I can talk through things to only a certain extent. Research shows that humans are more exposed to critical thinking when writing by hand instead of typing, which is why I find myself being pulled toward journaling on paper. The May Book from May Designs provides an ideal solution, allowing me to choose a fun, colorful cover, pick the size that I prefer, personalize the cover text and customize the inside paper design. It pairs well with a nice, gel pen.

Finally, as many of us are getting overloaded with back-to-back-to-back video conferences, I find myself sending more and more snail mail. The cards made by Emily McDowell seem to say exactly the right thing in a fun, colorful way, and I’m hoping they send a ray of sunshine to each of my friends’ mailboxes. She covers everything from empathy to gratitude to congratulations to a simple “happy birthday” in a witty way with fun artwork, and her creations pair perfectly with this season of unpredictability and contact changes.

I’d love to know what you’re currently using, loving and finding can bring you a little comfort. Add a comment here or email me, and maybe I’ll give your suggestion a try for an upcoming “Final Friday’s Fab Finds” post. Take care, y’all!

4 Ways to Integrate Life's Various Elements for Greater Success

Whether you're rebounding from vacation mode, barreling into new routines with back-to-school season, building a side hustle into something more, increasing the intensity of a countdown to a big event this fall, racing from the office to a nonprofit meeting or simply squeezing all you can into these last almost 4 weeks of the summer season, my client's words about the value of work-life integration ring true.

People often refer to work-life balance; yet, I believe work-life integration is more realistic. In thinking about "balance", I see a scale or seesaw, forcing a perception of costs needed for success, and I don't believe my "work" competes with my "life". Instead, the various elements regularly complement each other, each one adding value to the others with the ongoing mix of priorities. Although balance would be static, life is certainly not, and successful productivity requires flexible, fluid solutions to address one's ever-changing priorities for work, home, community or society and the realm of self-care for mind, body and spirit. As the various elements are layers on top of each other, the emphasis needed for each element continually fluctuates, and each layer enhances the others, making the sum greater than any part.

Here are ways to get starting putting work-life integration into effect for the results you desire:

1️⃣Account for your priorities in all elements of life via your one, individualized game plan on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.

2️⃣Aim for activities that accomplish wins (or improved performance) in multiple elements of life at the same time, like brainstorming a big pitch for work or listening to an audiobook at the same time as walking your dog.

3️⃣Acknowledge how the resources around you can help, like creating an organized workspace, outsourcing what needs to be done but not necessarily by you and utilizing any applicable technology tools that are available.

4️⃣Audit how you invest time regularly, making sure your activities align with your goals for greater success as well as less burnout.

Known as the Wharton Work/Life Integration Project, Stew Friedman's research at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania focuses on the interactions between all the elements encompassed in life, empowering each of us to be real, whole and innovative by integrating all elements to make each better.

The above from Joyce Chen of La Marca Prosecco gets to the heart of why work-life integration better enables crafting the lives we want to live. "I hate that 'balance' word. The reality is: It's a rhythm. We're in rhythms where it's high and it's low, it's high and it's low. And I think, in those rhythms, it's ok to let some things go for a little bit, and maybe you get back to it later."

As productivity is about efficiently working to effectively achieve results desired for all elements of life, the most powerful tools in the toolbox of highly successful individuals have been found to include flexibility, streamlining, resourcefulness and a focus on outcomes over the specific activities we "should" be doing.

What tools do you put to work for crafting the life you want to live, fueling what results you want, moving you towards achieving your priority goals and truly helping you organize for success?

Ways to Keep Productivity Soaring Throughout the Summer Season

With the hours of daylight super long this time of year, it's the perfect time to take steps toward boosting productivity as you enjoy this sensational season...

List out your goals. It's only by knowing what you want to accomplish that you can best integrate all elements of your life for your greatest fulfillment and summer productivity. Therefore, take a few moments to jot down all your must-do activities, projects and tasks for this season. Think of it like a bucket list but take into account your goals for work, home, society as well as your self-care via mind, body and spirit. Once everything is culled into one place, it'll be so much easier to assign time for each and work through your checklist.

Calendar the craziness! Line up calendars for the months of July, August and September on your wall so you can see everything at a glance. These might be wall-hanging paper or dry-erase calendars; the key is to have all three months visible at once. Then, add vacation details for you and your team members, holiday celebrations, impending deadlines and personal or family commitments, including swim meets and camp registrations alike. Include all elements of your life, considering a different color for each bucket. When you know what is coming, you can more proactively invest your time in achieving all of your desired results for each area of life and address "all the things" that matter most for the life you want to craft to achieve your highest priorities.

Establish your non-negotiables from the get-go. As summer schedules tend to become a little more erratic than normal, you and your team need to know which items have less flexibility than others. For me, I absolutely must maintain my weekly strategy session and daily wrap-up, but the good habits that keep each individual on track productively will vary from person to person. Do you expect your team members to have certain hours during which they always work in the office rather than operate remotely? Is there an expectation for how team members should request vacation time or notify the rest of the team about a hiccup related to impending deadlines, which can be especially vital with varying schedules for summer vacations? This would be a good time to communicate leadership's expectations to everyone. Be as clear, concise and transparent as you can. Then, when looking at your personal commitments, which can't be shifted as they help you energize, stay centered and maintain some semblance of sanity? Make sure those are highlighted on the calendars you've hung on your wall and communicate their importance to those who can help you keep them scheduled. Is it getting outside daily or going to the pool? Maybe it's a daily yoga session or movement? Whatever you need, be sure to ask for and commit to those fuel sources.

Focus your efforts on individual activities or tasks, not projects. It's not possible to check a project off your to-do list in one sitting. "Plan a party" is not a single action item; instead, there are many actions that make up that project. As you are mapping out the next three months, take time to break larger goals into smaller, bite-sized action items that can be completed as individual tasks. Make sure these are actions that move you forward with regards to goals in the areas of your life that matter most, avoiding the "shoulds" so you focus on your priorities. Start each task with a verb so as to fuel action, break each task down to as simple of a function as possible, estimate how long each action item will take to complete so you readily know those tasks taking 10 or 30 minutes, and assign a deadline for each task's completion. It is only in the instances that we assign a "when" for each "what" to be accomplished that we get more done so move your "someday" tasks to a specific date and time. Your future self will thank you for this emphasis on crafting the life you want to live.

Invest some time to reflect inward. With erratic schedules during summer, many companies have fewer meetings that would otherwise be held at normal intervals; this can be the ideal time to review and reset some of your organization's key elements. When was the last time your team updated its mission, vision, values, goals, processes and workspace organization? If it has been awhile, block out time during the dog days of summer to look them over, adjust as needed and, thereby, boost productivity for what really matters most. Maybe you'll want to freshen up clients' experiences, update what messages you are conveying across all mediums and put yourself in the client's shoes. Further, this can be an ideal time for a personal audit, where you assess what you have learned and achieved thus far this year, what priorities need attention in the coming months and what "someday" actions need to be scheduled so they move from to-do to done. Do your goals for work, home, community or self-care need to be adjusted, and how can you realign your actions to focus on achieving each?

Make time for fun and frivolity. If you block out time to truly enjoy the season, you'll be less distracted by what you are missing when you are focusing intently on getting things done. Brainstorm what cool things you can do to dive into summer enjoyment; then, once you've blocked off time for those activities, your mind will be less likely to drift from working towards wondering when you'll actually be able to celebrate summer fun. Plus, when you are taking time to enjoy all this season offers, you can truly take a break from everything else since you've planned for when those other goals will be addressed, boosting productivity overall.

What steps can you take today to get the ball rolling? With whom can you partner to hold each other accountable in creating your plan and, then, following through on that plan, even as things might need to be tweaked and your flexibility might get tested?

Visualize Your Ideal Life to Make It Happen

The fundamentals of productivity build upon one another... You clarify what matters most, utilize those priorities to create a game plan for proactively addressing the week, utilize a daily wrap-up to stay on track and, yet, sometimes, still miss out on attaining your loftiest of goals. The missing link might have more to do with visualization of your goals than the tactics you use to get through each day.

Have you ever heard the saying that "Seeing is believing"? As the Huffington Post explains, "Before we can believe in a goal, we first must have an idea of what it looks like... This is where visualization comes in, which is simply a technique for creating a mental image of a future event." It is through visualizing our experience of desired results that we can see, feel, smell, taste and hear all that success offers, fueling even greater emotional drive to meet goals.

One of the most successful methods is outcome visualization, where you create a detailed mental image of the desired outcome using all of your senses, putting yourself in the situation of achieving your goal to envision every little detail. This could be drawings, words, diagrams or a vision board, but the key is dig into the details as you create a visual representation of that outcome.

Another of the most successful methods is process visualization, where you envision each of the actions necessary to achieve the outcome you want, focusing on exactly how to complete each steps needed to achieve your goal rather than the end result.

At the end of this year, how will you have spent your days? What will be your gross revenue? How many of what types of clients will have hired you? What new things will you have tried or what helpful habits will you have developed? What did you stop doing?

Write out your answers; then, determine exactly what needs to occur to make your vision a reality. What resources do you need to procure? What partnerships do you need to initiate? What marketing efforts do you need to schedule? What sort of training do you need to acquire? With whom do you need to interact more?

Need help? Try Jack Canfield's step-by-step to get started.

What is your vision for your ideal life? What needs to occur to make that vision a reality? Share your experience with these visualization techniques and share your successes.

Delegate and Automate to Get More Done

Tasks are thrown at us each day via calls, emails, meeting conversations, texts and people stopping by our office. With our limited time, it often feels as if there are never enough minutes to get it all done; yet, our inability do it all on our own does not eliminate the never-ending to-do list. Until cloning becomes a realistic option or we can get our Inspector Gadget tools, we need alternative solutions.

When evaluating tasks requesting your attention, think this way:

1. Does this task need to be completed at all? If not, can it be deleted, totally removing it from my to-do list?
2. If the task must be done, does it need to be done immediately? If not, to when can it be deferred?
3. Does this task require my unique skill set? If not, can someone else learn from doing it or does someone else have a skill set that will get it done better, more thoroughly or more quickly? To whom can it be delegated?

In any instance where a task can be completed by someone or something else, you open up time in your schedule to allocate towards getting something done that only you can accomplish.

Resources for delegation are not limited to existing member of your team, whether those at your company, members of your household or volunteers on a committee you chair. There are endless options for delegating the different types of tasks on your to-do list: Errand Girl, Fancy Hands, Fiverr, GigSalad, Guru, Metro's Other Woman, Moonlighting, Outsourcely, Red Butler, Sweeps, Task Rabbit, Thumbtack, Upwork, 99Designs. Likewise, consider delegating the task of grocery shopping to options such as Instacart, Shipt or Amazon Prime Now. Or think about how personal assistants can help, like Amazon Alexa, Cortana, EasilyDo, Google Home or Siri.

Automation is a form of delegation where you delegate to technology and can massively expand how much you get done concurrently. Set what rules apply to your needs in automation tools like IFTTT, Podbox, Zapier and social media managers like Buffer, Edgar, Falcon Social, Hootsuite, SocialOomph and Sprout Social. These "set it and forget it" solutions fulfill your desire to do two things at once while not hiring a human-being to help.

What are some tasks on your to-do list that could benefit from deleting, deferring or delegating? Which of the aforementioned tools might be a positive addition to your productivity toolbox?

Learn How and When to Say No

In clarifying our priorities, it is paramount to acknowledge how limited our most valuable resource truly is. Each day offers only 1,440 minutes, and each of those minutes can be invested no more than once. If you spend time doing something, you can't get those minutes back for doing anything else; your return on time invested needs to fuel your passions or move you closer to attaining your loftiest goals.

Saying "yes" to doing one thing is inherently saying "no" to doing something else, which means the opposite is true, too... Saying "no" to activities that don't really excite us is imperative for making time to do what matters most. Yet, for the many of us who enthusiastically pursue many different passions, learning how and when to say no might be the most difficult lesson possible.

When figuring out how to make saying no work best for your specific needs in boosting productivity, keep the following in mind:

• Think of all that's possible. Consider what you would do if you could rather than what you feel like you should do. As Americans, we tend to should all over ourselves, whether from peer pressure or from within, and, as adults, our shoulds can become barriers. It is our most basic need, craving, ideal, calling or passion that we must make time for doing, which is very different from caving into what we should do. Instead of saying "should", try "could" and, then, choose the possible path that reflects your own priorities and the fire within you.

• Listen to your gut. Often, our bodies know what we really want to do. We might suppress the pull in that direction because it would involve challenges or conflict with others; yet, we're better off if we don't ignore the wisdom of our bodies. When we try to silence the messages from our guts, it can frequently lead to stress-induced health problems, like diminished immunities that make us more susceptible to viral infections. If you feel stress at the thought of saying yes, go with no; alternatively, if you are excited about both yes and no, go with the option that elicits stronger feelings of excitement.

• Take what time you need to decide. If you don't feel passionately either way when immediately asked, take time to think. Maybe it's a few minutes; maybe it's a few days. Your needs will vary over time so sit with the available options to see what works best for you at that point in life. Reflect on your options, research the pros and cons of each, seek advice and let your gut marinate on how each option best resonates with you. When you are committing your time to doing something, you want to make sure you like the commitment and have the time available to do it as well as you'd like it done.

• Saying no doesn't require being mean. As the majority of communication comes from non-verbals, try to pair declining an invitation with a smile or, at least, a warm, welcoming expression on your face. Then, choose your words wisely. Start with a positive statement, like "I would love to..."; include a transition word, like "but" or "however". If possible, end with a bit of rationale as to why not taking advantage of the opportunity being presented is actually better for you, your goals and your current bandwidth. If what you are declining is a request for help, substitute that with an explanation of how another alternative would be more helpful for that person or organization. For example, when relatives invite themselves to your home over the holidays, you can respond by saying, "It would be great to see you, but it is hard on my body to have guests stay over; plus, there is a nearby hotel with excellent service who can make your stay extra special. It will make having dinners together even more meaningful and enjoyable." Saying no with grace and authority is a win-win for everyone!

• Utilize "no" as a tool for staying on track. When you simplify commitments, minimize meetings, add in buffers and create white space on your calendar, you are able to give your best to what earns a spot in your schedule and focus more on what matters most. Create a weekly strategy to address your priorities; then, use that game plan to ward off time stealers and others' priorities. Knowing where you're headed helps in getting there, and saying no to detractors makes the pathway to success run more efficiently, making you more productive.

What is your criteria for saying no versus yes? What tactics have you found most helpful in telling someone no?

Invest in Self Care to Fuel Your Energy Reserves

In a society that is constantly focused on doing more, it is increasingly easy for our energy to become depleted and we get burnt out. It is imperative to act deliberately to take care of our mental, emotional and physical health via self-care practices which replenish our energy reserves. Only when we build up what we have within can we fuel our desired results.

As part of the Simple Change team, I am well aware of how diminishing or replenished energy impacts my productivity; however, like you, I often feel the pain of how challenging it can be to improve my energy level. There's a big difference between knowing you need to take care of yourself to have the energy needed for getting things done versus taking action to boost those energy reserves, right? Although each of us has unique requirements for ways to best boost energy, here are some ideas you can easily implement immediately for better boosting productivity through greater energy reserves:

• Listen to music. Maybe you prefer something upbeat. Maybe you prefer something calming. Maybe it's more about the beat of the bass. Get singing or humming or dancing to it.

• Create a vision board. Add something with vivid color or energetic imagery, conveying excitement and movement.

• Connect with those who matter to you. Sometimes, it can be in person, but, if not, consider a video chat, phone call, text message or sharing something on social media.

• Get moving. Take a brisk walk, especially if you can get out in nature. Physical activity oxygenates blood cells while breathing outdoor air while absorbing vitamin D is invigorating.

• Count your blessings. Gratitude is so powerful; taking time to document appreciation for what we have, who we are with and what lessons we've learned along the way fuels desire for more while energizing our belief that we can get things done.

• Laugh out loud. Find something you've done recently that was funny or watch online videos that you find humorous. Choose something that gets you giggling from down in your gut.

• Eat well. Healthy foods fuel our energy, especially with increased amounts of magnesium and antioxidants. 

• Stay hydrated. Keep a reusable water bottle with you at all times and drink from it frequently, especially when you start to feel your mind drifting or need to re-energize.

• Focus on something you have to look forward to in the near future. Whether you are planning for an upcoming vacation or bought tickets to a special event, that feeling of anticipation and excitement will be a great energy boost.

• Meditate. Sitting quietly and being intentional with your breathing will bring oxygen to each individual cell. Apps like Calm, Headspace, Buddhify, Simply Being as well as Stop, Breathe & Think make it easier to get started.

What kinds of things have you found help energize you? Are you feeling a little low on your energy reserves? If so, which of these can you give a try right now?

Jump-Start Each Day with a Powerful Morning Routine

How you start each day dictates how you'll live it. If you begin with a sluggish approach, it's likely you'll never be able to accomplish all you'd like; on the other hand, starting strategically lays the foundation for greater productivity and enhanced success. Set a morning routine that builds up your energy, keeps you happy and smooths your way out the door with time to spare, assembling enough positive vibes to fuel the results you desire all throughout the day.

Incorporate these steps within your morning routine so you can jump-start each day for the best possible output:

• Remove unnecessary actions from your morning routine. Do you really need to empty the dishwasher or pick-up your children's toys? If the task is not getting you closer to walking out the door, at what time can it be scheduled for doing later?

• Streamline your processes for getting ready. Is there a breakfast option which is easier to prepare that you can have daily without thinking about it? Might you be able to simplify styling your hair or how you apply make-up? Are there toiletry products you can use to accomplish multiple functions?

• Use hacks to boost your energy from the start. What can you do to get up and get moving immediately upon waking up? Would there be any early workout you could start, should you try the 7 Minute Workout app or do you have a friend to meet for Zumba first-thing? Do you have an upbeat playlist in your music that you could incorporate in your morning routine? Beyond that, drinking a tall glass of water with a squeeze of lemon juice will certainly improve your morning energy level.

• Choose which task management approach works better for you. As an elephant is eaten one bite at a time, it's imperative to break projects into smaller, more manageable action items, starting each of these on your to-do list with a specific verb. Then, you can choose to "swallow the frog", where you start with the most difficult task first, or you can adopt the philosophy that "activity breeds activity", where you start with a simpler task to get moving on getting things done.

• Know from the get-go which are today's must-do tasks. It is more realistic to start each day with a to-do list of 3 - 5 items that must get done that day, whether those are appointments or tasks. If that list is not readily available, you'll waste time determining what to do when; therefore, make sure that list is front and center upon entering your workspace.

How do you regularly start your day? Which of the aforementioned best practices can you incorporate within your morning routine to promote greater success?

Regularly Perform a Time Audit for Optimum Output

Productivity is efficiently working at effectively achieving desired results, and there are so many thoughts about how to best boost productivity. People often refer to work-life balance as a viable option; yet, in thinking about "balance", I see a seesaw, forcing a perception of costs needed for success. I don't believe my work competes with my life, seeing how they regularly complement each other instead. Further, although balance would be static, life is certainly not and requires fluid solutions to address one's ever-changing priorities for the various layers of work, home, community or society and the private realm of mind, body and spirit, known as work-life integration.

As Stephen R. Covey explains, "The sum is greater than the parts... When it comes to organizing your life, nothing happens in isolation. As you take an active role in planning your days, weeks and months, the choices you make influence each aspect of your life, multiplying and amplifying your results". It is when all elements of life work in harmony that we are more effective in attaining our goals; the return on time invested in one element can enhance results experienced from investing time elsewhere, like how skills garnered from leading a volunteer committee can transfer to running a household more efficiently or parenting teenage children.

Whereas operating with harmony between how we invest our time and what matters most amplifies success, misalignment between one's actions and one's goals, priorities or values causes burnout. Achieving this necessary alignment gets complicated as our priorities fluctuate daily, weekly, monthly... Some days will need a greater investment of time in work while others should focus more on community or home, requiring fluidity to shift between work, home, community or society and the private realm of mind, body and spirit as needed. Without regular reflection, there is often a discrepancy between the way we spend our time and how our time should be invested to achieve what outcomes we most want or need. Encourage harmony while discouraging misalignment by regularly completing a time audit to verify each action is in agreement with what matters most.

A time audit is an assessment that can be done at whatever interval is necessary, making it the best tool for looking at exactly how our time is being used to better understand where our time is going and evaluate whether using any minutes in a different way would more quickly move us toward more efficiently attaining our goals. This can be completed by keeping a log of how each minute is used, whether paper or electronic, and, then, taking time to reflect upon what the log says regarding how our time is being used and verifying that it's how we'd really like to spend our time, highlighting time wasted versus time invested.

How do you monitor the ways you're investing your time? How often do you examine that investment to make sure your actions align with your goals, priorities and values? How will you utilize a time audit to amplify your success?

Stay on Track with a Daily Wrap-Up

Are you familiar with the quote "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry"? This is a common experience for people as they strive to boost productivity. The week starts with a plan, something shifts, and that initial plan seems to no longer fit. Maybe a client has an urgent, unexpected issue arise and needs your time to get the situation resolved. Or a team member calls in sick, leaving you to cover the tasks that can't fall through the cracks. Perhaps one of your employees needs direction to meet a deadline, pulling you away from your must-do list to answer questions.

There are two ways to respond: either feel like the week is lost or make adjustments to get back on track. I find daily adjustments enable achieving my priority goals and fuel my desired results.

Completed at the end of each day, the following checklist enables the necessary adjustments and better empowers staying on track:

• Communications - Get end-of-day updates from appropriate team members, touching bases to drive awareness and get everyone on the same page; think outside the box to include all team members, like employees, subcontractors, vendors, family members, roommates, volunteer committee members and more. Touch bases with new and returning "hot prospects" to increase your awareness of what is happening while keeping you in the other folks' awareness. Verify you're up-to-date processing received emails and following up on voice mail.

• Tasks - Review your must-do list from the day that's ending and look over the next day's anticipated to-do list. Are all important tasks included that need attention to meet impending deadlines? If something wasn't completed today, determine at what point in the next few days time can be allocated for completing those carryover tasks. It is realistic to plan for fulfilling 3-5 actions on any given date, and knowing beforehand which are your must-do items for the next day will allow you to hit the ground running when you return to work.

• Time Commitments - Evaluate your schedule for the next day and verify that you are prepared for everything scheduled. If you are not prepared, when will that preparation occur? Does your calendar include buffers and time to get where is needed?

• Space - Whether you're in 4 walls, an open office space, a vehicle or working from a bag, tidy up your workspace. File new items and put that day's work back into each item's home, creating a blank slate for the next day. Make sure what you need for the next day's activities is ready and accessible.

• Successes - We live in a do, do, do society, meaning we don't necessarily take time to reflect on meeting the goals for which we strive. Instead, each day, celebrate all you've accomplished in the day that's ending. If you got out of bed, you accomplished something, and acknowledging that is motivating. Stop the monotony of simply getting things done, and acknowledge what you've successfully completed to encourage continued productivity. Make sure you take time to celebrate daily successes, no matter how large or small.

• Gratitude - As there is a vast amount of research regarding the many ways gratitude improves productivity, use the power of gratitude to drive your daily productivity. End each day with gratitude, and denote that for which you are grateful each day. Don't stop with simply thinking of that for which you are grateful; actually say it out loud or document in a gratitude list at least 1 thing for which you feel grateful every day.

What is your experience? Do you take time at the end of each day to properly wrap-up the day that's ending as well as plan for the next day? What successes can you share from practicing this habit? On the flip side, what issues have arisen when you've been unable to regroup daily and end each day getting back on track? What aspects of this checklist can you start implementing today?