Get Stuff Done ~ Create a Two Minute List

June 15, 2018 By Deanna Piercy 4 Comments

Do you have a bunch of little tasks nagging at you? Do you tend to procrastinate on bigger projects because you have trouble finding large blocks of time? Do you have tiny areas of clutter that don’t seem too bad individually but collectively make your home look messy? I have the solution – create a “two minute list”.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Read more here.

If you are familiar with David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD) method, you have likely heard of the “two minute rule” – If something will take you two minutes or less, do it now. That’s all well and good for some things:

dealing with the daily mail
responding to an email that only needs a short answer
putting your plate and fork in the dishwasher after lunch
rinsing the toothpaste out of the sink after brushing your teeth
folding the blanket you were using after your television show is over

But the truth is that, for many of us, we could spend our entire day moving from one two-minute task to another and never get to any of our larger, and perhaps more important, projects.

That’s why I like to create a “Two Minute List”.

What is a two minute list?

A “Two Minute List” is simply a list of tasks that you estimate will take two minutes or less to complete. These might be little tasks you keep putting off for one reason or another. Or they could be the very first tiny step of a much larger project. Or maybe there’s a new habit you want to create, such as making your bed every morning. Anything is fair game for the “Two Minute List” as long as it doesn’t take much more than a couple of minutes.

Examples:

respond to an email
put away the shoes that have collected by the front door
empty all the wastebaskets
wipe off the kitchen windowsill
put the reusable grocery bags back in the car
tidy your underwear drawer
pay a bill
remove a few dead leaves from a houseplant – and water it if that’s why there are dead leaves!
replace a burned out light bulb
neatly stack the magazines on the coffee table and put a few in the recycling bin if they are out of date or you’ve already read them
check the main bathroom to make sure there is toilet paper on the roll and put out fresh towels if needed
write a quick thank you note
set a timer for 2 minutes and delete junk email as fast as you can
clean out your purse
start a load of laundry
delete a couple of apps you never use from your phone
shred a stack of papers

You get the idea.

There are several ways you can use a Two Minute List:

Make a new list each day with 3-10 items and then use those tiny pockets of time throughout the day to check off each item.
If you have older children or a willing spouse, create a list of 2-5 items for them to complete.
Take time to walk through your entire home and consider anything you’ve been putting off. Make a master list of two minute tasks.
Consider breaking larger projects into tiny parts. For instance, if your closet is a disaster you could tackle it in two minute chunks here and there. Put “remove five clothing items I no longer wear” on your list. Repeat as needed.
When you find yourself waiting for something, such as the tea kettle coming to a boil, try to knock out something from your list.
If you’re having one of “those days” where nothing seems to be getting done, take 10 minutes to complete 5 tasks. Then, if you didn’t have a to do list for the day, write down these 5 tasks, cross them off and leave the list in some prominent place in the hopes someone in your household sees it and thinks you’ve actually completed your day’s list.
If you find yourself on a lengthy phone call with a chatty friend or relative, see if you can complete a few two minute tasks. Make sure to choose something quiet, though. And of course, if the topic is serious devote your complete attention to your caller.
Make a list of things you can do on your phone when waiting away from home. Answer an email, update your apps, delete duplicate photos, place an order, start a packing list for an upcoming trip, etc.

Where to keep your Two Minute list:

Add them to your daily to-do list, whether you use a paper or digital list.
Write them on a sticky note and put them on the refrigerator. This is good if the Two Minute List is for the whole family.
Keep them on your phone. This can be really helpful if your list includes things that can be done away from home.
Write them in your regular planner. I currently have mine in my bullet journal.
Start a small notebook or journal just for Two Minute tasks. Cross items off as you do them and add more. It can be deeply satisfying to look back at a list of completed tasks.

Consider Creating a Two Minute List for Self Care

Drink a glass of water.
Do several jumping jacks or jog in place for two minutes.
Take your vitamins.
Do a short meditation or simply close your eyes and breathe deeply.
Write in a gratitude journal.
Listen to your favorite song.
Light a candle.
Rub your favorite scented lotion on your hands, massaging gently for a couple of minutes.
Read a favorite poem.
Put on some lipstick and your favorite perfume. Yes, even in the middle of the day at home when no one will see (or smell) you.

Why a Two Minute List Works

It utilizes little pockets of time we might otherwise waste scrolling Facebook.
It can help stave off procrastination.
When faced with a big project that seems overwhelming, seeing it as a series of tiny steps can help you get started.
It’s easier to get family members to help when the task only takes two minutes.
Completing a task, even a teeny tiny one, often builds momentum.

More…

40 Things You Can Do in One Minute or Less That Will Make Your Life That Much Better

You may also enjoy:

A Weekly Planning Session

How to Create a To-Do List

Time Management Tips For Homemakers

Make Over Your Mornings

Make Over Your Evenings

Getting My Life Together – Want to Join Me?

January 3, 2018 By Deanna Piercy 8 Comments

A new year always feels like a good time to get things in order, doesn’t it? As part of my focus on simplicity this year, I want to get rid of the excess in my home and organize the rest. I also want to simplify my daily and weekly schedules, so I can be productive without being stressed out all the time. Do either of these goals resonate with you? If so, you might want to join me over the next several weeks as I “get my life together”.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Read more here.

Home Organization

The blog, A Bowl Full of Lemons, is doing a 14 week home organization challenge. Here is what it’s all about:

The 7th annual 2018 Home Organization Challenge begins on Saturday, January 6th. This gives you a few more days to enjoy family and your kids, before they go back to school (or work). It also gives you time to pack away your holiday decorations and prepare yourself mentally for the challenge. Get ready for a labor of love. Over the next 14 weeks, we are going to turn our homes upside down and give them the attention they so desperately need. We will work our way through each room, purging and donating the things we no longer love or need. We will simplify each space and set up our homes for a successful New Year!

See that word I have highlighted? Simplify. That is exactly what I’m aiming for. Not minimalism, just simplicity. If you’d like to join me (and probably thousands of others), you can download the FREE printables here:

A Bowl Full of Lemons 2018 Home Organization Challenge

You can follow along and participate via the associated Facebook group, sign up for challenge emails (click link above for this), and watch the challenge YouTube videos. There is also an accompanying book:

The 2016 print version ships from Amazon in 1-2 months but there is a new version coming out in June. I think I’ll buy the Kindle version for now and wait until June for the new print version. You can still do the challenge without purchasing the book, however.

If you sign up for this challenge leave me a comment. If there are enough of my readers doing it I might come up with some way for us to encourage one another and be accountable for our progress.

Productivity

If you have followed me any length of time you likely know what a huge fan I am of Crystal Paine’s courses. I’ve purchased all of them and can personally vouch for their quality. I was SO excited when I heard she has a new one:

4 Weeks to a More Productive Life by Crystal Paine

When you sign up, you’ll get:

-Access to an Accountability/Mastermind Facebook Group with Crystal during the month of January
-4 one-hour LIVE coaching sessions with Crystal on Monday evenings at 8 p.m. CT (January 8, 15, 22, 29, 2018)
-A weekly followup email from Crystal with additional resources and encouragement to go along with that week’s coaching lesson
-Lifetime access to the recordings of the videos of the coaching sessions to re-watch or review
-Hands-on projects to complete each week to practically apply what you are learning

I’m going to be working through this one in my Facebook group, Make Over Your Life With Dee. Registration is only open through January 6th and if you purchase by January 4th it’s only $17.

So that’s what I’ll be up to in the next several weeks. In a few months I fully expect to have my house whipped into shape and be so productive I’ll be dangerous. Hey, a girl can hope, right? If either or both of these sound good to you, I’d love to have you join me. It’s always more fun to do these sort of things with friends!

Tying Up Loose Ends and Preparing For The New Year

December 28, 2017 By Deanna Piercy 7 Comments

A brand new year will soon be here, unblemished and full of promise. I always find that rather exciting. But before I turn that calendar page, I like to take a look back, reflect a bit and tie up some loose ends. I can then move forward with a clean slate, ready to fully embrace the new year.

“Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”

Anne of Green Gables

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Read more here.

Here is a list of things I like to do before the start of a new year:

1. Inbox Zero

Even though I know it won’t last, I love to begin the year with an empty inbox. I’ve been working on this and plan to finish up on Sunday afternoon. If necessary, I’ll move what’s left to a file and put a reminder in my phone to deal with it in a few days. Yeah, I know. But even if it’s largely symbolic, I want to see that empty inbox.

One thing I’m doing as I sort through emails is to unsubscribe from anything I don’t need. It’s too easy to simply keep deleting those newsletters I don’t have time to read but now is the time to be honest with myself and let them go.

If email threatens to overwhelm you, I highly recommend SaneBox. I signed up for the free 14-day trial and at the end of those two weeks I was hooked. SaneBox sorts your incoming emails into two categories, placing only the really important emails into your regular inbox. Everything else goes into a file called, SaneLater. You then receive a digest post which allows you to quickly deal with those less important emails. It’s truly brilliant and saves me hours every week. If you’d like to check it out, click here.

2. Clear Out My Feedly Account

I like the idea of starting the new year with no unread posts in Feedly (this is where I subscribe to and read blogs). I’m unfollowing those I don’t read regularly and yesterday I unfollowed over 50 blogs which haven’t posted in more than 6 months. I also have a Bloglovin’ account which I don’t really use. That’s something I may revisit at some point this coming year. When Google Reader was discontinued (let’s all pause for a moment of silence) I looked at several options for feed aggregators and at the time, I felt Feedly was the best option. In part, because their mobile app was much better than Bloglovin’s. That may no longer be the case. I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you read blogs via an aggregator, which do you use?

3. Finish a Couple of Books

I usually have a few books going at the same time. I only read one novel at a time but I often have one or more non-fiction books on hand to read when I have a few minutes here and there. It’s these non-fiction books I want to finish up before the end of the year. Here are the links in case you’re interested:

The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin

The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh

4. Send Thank You Notes

I like to get my Christmas thank you notes mailed before the end of the year. Here’s a little tip: Use the fronts of Christmas cards you received as thank you notes. Very carefully cut off the fronts and then use them as postcards. You’ll even save a bit on postage!

5. Return Or Exchange Gifts

Two of the items I ordered as gifts this year arrived damaged. One was from Amazon and I’ve already reported it and received a return label. David printed it at work today so I’ll be able to send it tomorrow. I still need to contact the other company which I’ll do first thing tomorrow. It’s good to get these things taken care of right away.

6. Catch Up On Bullet Journal

I got way behind on this in recent weeks. I have all my daily to-do sheets so I have the information needed to fill out my journal. I just need to set aside an hour or two to do it. I’m using a bullet journal in part so I’ll have a diary of sorts to look back on so that is why I want to catch up rather than simply starting again where I am.

7. Set Up My New Planner

In addition to my bullet journal, I also use a Happy Planner. I like having a month-at-a-glance section as well as weekly planning pages. When I’m on top of things, I sit down at the beginning of the month and write appointments, birthdays and other events on the monthly portion. Then on Sunday evenings or Monday mornings I plan my week.

I received the 2018 Happy Planner for Christmas and now I just need to get it all set up and ready to go!

8. Create a Gratitude List For the Past Year

I haven’t ever done this before but I plan to make a list of things that happened in the past year for which I’m grateful. I must admit that I haven’t been at all consistent about keeping a gratitude journal (although I hope to do better in the coming year!) so I think this will be good alternative.

9. Create a “Let Go Of” List

While I have much to be grateful for, there are a few things that are best left in the past. Regrets, broken relationships, disappointments. If there is honestly nothing I can do to “fix” the situation then it’s time to let it go. I’m going to write my list on a piece of paper and then toss it ceremoniously in the fireplace. Poof! Moving on…

10. Current Me vs. Future Me

I recently watched this video and love the idea.

11. Purchase New Calendars

Perhaps this sounds rather antiquated in this age of smart phones and Google calendars. However, I still buy a couple of wall calendars each year. I have one above my desk and another in the kitchen. I do put events and appointments on my Google calendar in my phone. But I still like to have a wall calendar handy so I can see the month at a glance without always having to pull out my phone.

I usually buy something Paris-related for my office and something retro for the kitchen. Here are the ones I chose this year:

Office (It was several dollars cheaper when I ordered mine.)

Kitchen (Unfortunately, this is no longer available so I’m glad I ordered early!)

12. Evaluate and Tweak My Morning and Evening Routines

I’ve posted about morning and evening routines. These are ever-evolving. A new season or a new year are good times to take a look at your routines and determine if they are still working for you. I’m thinking about adding a bubble bath to my evening routine.

If you need some help creating routines, I can’t say enough about how good Crystal Paine’s courses are:

Make Over Your Mornings

Make Over Your Evenings

13. Create a List of Goals for the New Year

I’ll talk more about this in another post but setting goals and intentions is an important part of my preparation for a new year. I like to set goals for each area of my life and then break them down into small steps.

14. Select My “Word” for the Coming Year

I love this idea of choosing a word to focus on for the year. Last year my word was “release” which you can read about here. I’ve chosen my word for 2018 and will write a post about it soon. If you do this, I’d love to hear what your word is for 2018.

One Word 365

And that is how I am wrapping up the old year and moving into the new. Do you do any of these things? Or do you have additional ideas for saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the new? I’d love to hear your thoughts so leave me a comment or send me an email if you prefer. I’m really excited about the coming year and look forward to providing more helpful content here on Life With Dee.

~~~~~

Scaling Back For Summer

May 9, 2017 By Deanna Piercy 3 Comments

Summer is fast approaching and a new season is often a good time to reevaluate our daily schedules and routines. I’ve decided I’ll be scaling back for summer, at least in some areas of my life.

Last week while on vacation in North Myrtle Beach, I read the book, Essentialism, by Greg McKeown. It’s been on my reading list since October when I included it as a one of the LWD Book Club selections. I took it with me and began reading on the plane. It was a timely choice for me.

I had worked like a maniac in the couple of weeks prior to vacation in order to be able to pretty much unplug for the week. I wrote blog posts and scheduled all my social media for my blog as well as our non-profit and an events group I administer on Facebook. That sentence makes it all sound easy but I spent hours and hours getting all of it done. It was worth it, though. I really needed the mental break from it all.

Getting off the hamster wheel and reading Essentialism gave me some much-needed clarity. I need to scale back a bit in some areas. Not forever, but for a season.

So here’s my plan:

For the next 3-4 months you’ll likely see fewer blog posts. I usually try to post Monday through Friday but I’m giving myself permission to cut back.
I’m going to be actively seeking guest posts. If you’d like to write for Life With Dee, now is your chance. Email me a proposal and I’ll seriously consider it as long as it is well-written and a good fit for my readers.
Instead of sending the LWD newsletter every Saturday, I’ll be cutting back to every other week. I spend anywhere from 3-6 hours on each newsletter so this alone will save me a significant amount of time.
Fewer posts on the Life With Dee Facebook page. I generally post every other hour from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. I spend a lot of time searching for interesting content to share, scheduling it and then reading and responding to all comments. I happen to love Facebook (usually) and enjoy this form of social media for my blog. However, it is pretty time-consuming.
Fewer “tweets”. Instead of trying to post at least 5 times per day on Twitter, I’m reducing that to somewhere between 1 and 3.
I try really hard to respond to every comment here on the blog, as well as Facebook. I also respond to all emails. None of that will change but I may be a little slower in my responses. I’m going to be setting aside specific times to respond rather than as soon as I happen to see a comment or receive an email.

What will I be doing with all this extra time? Here’s a partial list:

Working on a couple of writing projects
Gardening
Reading and researching
Hosting our 10th annual Happyland Music Festival in our backyard Memorial Day weekend (and recovering from it!)
Going on a few short getaways with David. We have tickets to see Chicago and The Doobie Brothers in Kansas City on our anniversary. David and I both have summer birthdays so we’ll likely take a short trip for each of those, as well.
Lots of events hosted by our non-profit including East End Eats (music, food trucks, kids activities) the first Thursday of each month, Music in the Park every Sunday evening, Momentum, and Ada Fest. And those are just the events we already know of.

So if you were concerned that I might be bored, put your worries aside.

What about you? Do you ever feel the need to scale back a bit? Do you change up your routines in the summer? Do you have any special plans? Leave me a comment or feel free to email me if you prefer.

~~~~~

Disclosure: This is an affiliate link. If you purchase via this link, I receive a small portion of the purchase price.
Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

From the Hardcover edition of “Essentialism“:

Have you ever felt the urge to declutter your work life?

Do you often find yourself stretched too thin?

Do you simultaneously feel overworked and underutilized?

Are you frequently busy but not productive?

Do you feel like your time is constantly being hijacked by other people’s agendas?

If you answered yes to any of these, the way out is the Way of the Essentialist.

The Way of the Essentialist isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s about getting only the right things done. It is not a time management strategy, or a productivity technique. It is a systematic discipline for discerning what is absolutely essential, then eliminating everything that is not, so we can make the highest possible contribution towards the things that really matter.

By forcing us to apply a more selective criteria for what is Essential, the disciplined pursuit of less empowers us to reclaim control of our own choices about where to spend our precious time and energy – instead of giving others the implicit permission to choose for us.

Essentialism is not one more thing – it’s a whole new way of doing everything. A must-read for any leader, manager, or individual who wants to do less, but better, and declutter and organize their own their lives, Essentialism is a movement whose time has come.

A Tree Hugger’s Productivity Hack

April 18, 2017 By Deanna Piercy 3 Comments

The internet is a wild and wonderful place. It’s also a huge distraction. I could easily spend hours a day reading and researching and following rabbit trails. However, I have work to do and I need to focus. I have recently discovered a productivity hack that is a huge help for me in achieving that focus.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

Forest: A Productivity Hack

I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts the other day, The Productive Woman, and Laura McClellan (podcast host) was interviewing Maria Dismondy . One of the questions she usually asks during interviews is what tools they use to stay productive. Maria Dismondy said she uses the Forest app and as she described it I knew this was right up my alley.

Forest app:

“Have you ever been addicted to your phone and just cannot put it down? Forest provides an interesting solution to beat your phone addiction. You can plant a seed in Forest. In the following time, this seed will gradually grow into a tree. However, if you cannot resist the temptation and leave this app to check Facebook or play a game, your tree will wither away. With this interesting mechanism, the sense of achievement and responsibility will drive our users to stay away from their phone with no pain.”

Features:

• A self-motivated and interesting way to help you beat phone addiction
• Stay focused and get more things done
• Turn your focused time into a lovely forest
• Manage your own tags and view the detailed statistics about how you allocate your time
• Compete with friends and users around the world
• Earn reward and unlock more tree species
• Track your focused time in Health App
• Plant real trees on the Earth and protect our environment

You may not know this about me but I consider myself a “tree hugger”. In fact, this is a picture of my personalized license plate:

Please ignore the tree fluff all over the car. It rained this morning!

The idea that by staying focused I can actually help plant real trees is highly motivating to me. Here’s how it works:

You select the amount of time you want to focus on a task (or simply avoid using your phone) and then get busy. If you try to use your phone for any other purpose you get a reminder but if you persist, your growing tree shrivels up and dies. Very simple.

So far I’ve just been using it while working but I want to begin using it during leisure times to help break the habit of taking “just a peek” at Facebook or email or any number of other phone apps. I’m trying to make more time for reading these days – real books, not just articles on my phone – and I think the Forest app will be helpful for that, as well.

What about you? Does this sound like something that would motivate you? Do you have other methods that help keep you focused? Or is your phone (or computer) not really a distraction for you? If that’s the case, you are my hero and perhaps you’ll teach me your ways, oh wise one. Leave me a comment and we’ll discuss.

Scroll down for a few productivity articles and books.

Articles:

This 90-Minute Morning Routine Will Make Your Workday More Productive

14 surprising morning routines of entrepreneurs and creatives

How to be Totally Present and Productive

Productivity books:

An Interview With The Productive Woman

January 31, 2017 By Deanna Piercy 2 Comments

Welcome to the first LWD interview! I plan to make this a monthly feature and am so pleased that Laura McClellan of The Productive Woman podcast graciously agreed to this interview.

I can’t recall how I first found Laura’s podcast but I do know I’ve been listening since the fall of 2015. Whenever I decide to listen to a podcast hers is the first I look for. I’m always delighted when I see there is a new episode. Laura is informative and truly a pleasure to listen to.

January’s theme here on LWD has been organization and productivity so it’s only fitting that on this last day of the month we learn a bit about my personal favorite resource for productivity information – The Productive Woman.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

LWD Interview: Laura McClellan, The Productive Woman

Note: I’ve added a few personal comments. One of these days perhaps I’ll be set up to do actual audio interviews and have a genuine conversation with my interviewees. But I didn’t want to allow the lack of that setup to hold me back now. So, without further ado, I give you The Productive Woman.

1. Please tell us a bit about your background and how you came to start your podcast, The Productive Woman.

I grew up in western Washington state, oldest of six kids. I met my husband in a music group when we were students at rival high schools. We married less than a year after graduation, and had our first child a couple years later.

Many years and several kids later we moved to New York so I could attend Cornell Law School. After graduation I started my law practice with a large firm in Dallas, Texas. Our five kids are grown, and we still live in north Texas.

I started my podcast in mid-2014. I was looking for something to do outside my law practice. I had discovered podcasts, which I listened to each day during my long commute to and from the office, and thought podcasting might be something I’d enjoy. I took an online podcasting course (Cliff Ravenscraft’s excellent Podcasting A to Z course) in December 2013 and a few months later launched The Productive Woman.

2. Have you always been interested in productivity and time management?

I actually have. Even clear back in junior high I enjoyed reading books about time management and organization, and entertained myself organizing my room. I’ve always loved creating checklists and charts, and as I got older got into planners and notebooks. Kind of geeky, but all the stuff I learned turned out to be a big help later in my life when I was managing a growing family and then going back to college and then law school.

Deanna: Ah, so I’m not the only weird kid who enjoyed organizing my room. 😉

3. What would you say are your greatest strengths in regards to productivity? Your greatest weakness?

I think I’m pretty organized. I have a knack for seeing how to break down a project into its component parts, organize the resources and tasks, and create a plan to get them done. I’m generally pretty efficient—I’ve had to be, managing a family and school and a busy career—and I actually enjoy finding ways to save time and create functional, organized, pleasant spaces.

On the other hand, I can waste time with the best of them. For one thing, can get totally sidetracked and carried away trying different tools and systems. I also constantly battle both perfectionist tendencies and impostor syndrome (the former being a common symptom of the latter).

4. What are some of your favorite productivity tools?

Oh, this could take me so long to answer. I could recommend specific products, but really the basic productivity tools are a calendar and a to-do list. I tend to favor digital tools that I can access from any of my devices (I’m an Apple fangirl), but when things get crazy I revert back to a plain old legal pad and mechanical pencil to create a working to-do list.

As far as specific tools I use, I rely heavily on the digital calendar on my iPhone. I like Calendars 5. I sync all my calendars through it: my work calendar, my personal calendar (which I share with my husband through iCal), and a separate iCal for The Productive Woman matters—planning future episodes, guest interviews, mastermind meetings, and coaching sessions.

My primary task manager is OmniFocus, a robust digital task manager that lets me enter and organize and view my projects and tasks in any way that makes sense to me. It’s Mac & iOS only, though, and since at the law office I have to use a Windows-based computer, I’ve tried a couple other digital task managers there. I love Nozbe, but currently I’m experimenting with Todoist. Either of those options lets me access my work projects and tasks both on my office computer and on my iOS devices, absolutely critical for me to be able to manage all my projects for clients.

Aside from the basics of calendar and task manager, I could not be productive without tools like Dropbox (where I store most documents I’m working on, including legal forms and documents, and share recordings of mastermind meetings, etc.) and Evernote (my external brain, where I store anything I need as a reference—receipts, research documents, running lists of podcast topic ideas, etc.).

For a more complete list of my favorite productivity tools, your readers are invited to download my “Productivity Toolbox” by going to The Productive Woman/favorite apps.

Deanna: I really encourage you to go download this helpful resource.

5. Your podcast tagline is “making a life that matters”. What does that mean in general and for you personally?

What a great question. What it means to make a life that matters is, I think, going to be different for every person. For me, it’s living a life in which I’m able to make a positive impact on the world around me—my family, my friends, my colleagues, and beyond. The fact is, we all have an impact on the people we come in contact with. I just want my impact to be a positive one. I think I’ll feel I’ve made a life that matters if I’ve made the world a better place, in however small a way, for the people who know me.

Deanna: I love this aspect of Laura’s podcast. She frequently reminds listeners that productivity for productivity’s sake is not the point. It is simply a means to help “make a life that matters” or as I say, “create a beautiful life”.

6. One of the questions you always ask your podcast guests is how they handle a day where things have gotten away from them. What about you? Do you have a specific way of getting back on track?

Way to turn the tables on me, Deanna!

When everything falls apart on me, when I’m overwhelmed and stressed out, I have a little protocol I follow. It’s most likely to happen at work, so it’s easiest to describe in that context, but the same process applies whether at the office or at home. First I stop, close my eyes, and breathe for a minute. Just a few deep, slow breaths in and out, to calm myself and slow my heart rate. Then I clear the decks—clear off my desk or workspace, get all the clutter out of sight, in a cupboard or box (I put a task on my to-do list to pull it out and deal with it after the crisis passes). Then I close all my screens, put aside my phone, etc., and sit down with a legal pad and pen or mechanical pencil, and quickly list everything that’s on my mind and making me crazy and distracted—every task I need to do, call I need to make, etc. I get them all out of my head and onto paper, where I can look at it all.

Then I take a short walk, maybe down to the kitchen to get a cup of tea, or outside for a minute if I can. When I get back, I look at the list, add anything else that has come to mind, and then read through the list and see what can be deleted or deferred (I’m just not going to do it now), what I can delegate to someone else, and what absolutely has to be done now, by me. Then I pause and close my eyes and do another minute of deep breathing. When I open my eyes, I pick one of the must-do tasks and simply get to work. When I finish that one, I take a short break and then pick another one.

That’s how I power through when things are stressing me out and I simply must get things done. Sometimes, though, when a day has fallen apart and I’m exhausted and no longer able to work effectively, I simply acknowledge that, accept that I’m human, and give myself permission to quit for the day, get into some comfy clothes (or my pajamas), grab a cup of tea or a snack, and curl up with a book or a Netflix movie . . . or just go to bed! Tomorrow is another day, as the great philosopher Scarlett O’Hara once said.

Deanna: I was hoping this is what Laura would share. She did a podcast on this back in September 2014 and it was one of the first I listened to when I discovered The Productive Woman in the fall of 2015. It inspired me to write this post, 9 Steps to Take Control of Your Day.

7. What is your number one piece of advice for someone who has decided that 2017 is the year she is going to “get organized”?

Hmm. Probably to take a moment to think about what that (“get organized”) means to you and why you want to do it. Having a clear vision for what you want to accomplish, and having a personally compelling reason for why it matters to you, are both absolutely necessary for success in any sort of endeavor. Once you have those, get a plan in place, and get started!

8. Can you recommend a couple of favorite books about productivity? What about websites or other podcasts?

There are a ton of books I love, but the two I recommend most these days are Greg McKeown’s Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less and Gary Keller’s The One Thing. Both have had a powerful impact on my thinking about what it means to be truly productive, and they’re a great place to start your reading about productivity.

Deanna: Essentialism was one of our October LWD book club selections. I must admit it is still sitting on my shelf unread. Soon, though!

There are so many excellent podcasts about productivity. I’ve always liked Erik Fisher’s Beyond the To-Do List and Mike Vardy’s Productivityist. One I’ve been binging on lately is Lisa Woodruff’s Organize 365 Podcast—a great one for that person we were talking about earlier who’s decided this is her year to “get organized.”

9. What is your favorite thing about podcasting?

I enjoy researching and preparing and recording the episodes, but my favorite thing has to be the people I’ve been privileged to meet because of the podcast. The podcasting community is extraordinarily generous and supportive of each other, and just generally a nice bunch of people. Most of all, my favorite thing is hearing from and communicating with the listeners. It never gets old to receive an email from a listener sharing a challenge she’s working on, and I love the conversations in the TPW Community Facebook group. It’s a privilege to get to be part of these women’s lives.

Deanna: I feel the same way about the interaction I have with LWD readers. It always makes me happy to see an email from a reader in my inbox or a comment on the blog or Facebook page.

10. Tell us a little bit about your mastermind groups and your Facebook community.

I launched the TPW Mastermind groups last year as a way to work more directly with TPW listeners. These are paid masterminds, so they’re comprised of women who are ready to invest their time, energy, and money in their own personal growth and their journey toward making a life that matters. Each group is very small—I accept only 5 women into each mastermind group, so each member gets sufficient support and input. We meet weekly for 12 weeks, via video conference on Zoom. The groups’ purpose is to provide each member with support, encouragement, ideas, and accountability with respect to her personal and professional goals. It’s been so awesome to see the things these women accomplish—and the relationships that develop. Some members of past groups have remained in contact, continued to support and encourage each other, and even been able to get together in person in some cases! Facilitating these mastermind groups might be one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.

The Facebook community is a closed group, for TPW listeners only (and only women), that I launched last year as a way for us to all communicate more. I love the podcast, but that’s just me talking. The Facebook community provides a way for listeners to ask questions, share ideas, support and encourage each other. It’s so fun for me to see how the community jumps in to answer each others’ questions, and I love being part of the conversations there.

Deanna: I love the TPW Facebook community group and someday I intend to join a mastermind group.

11. What’s on the horizon for you and The Productive Woman? Any new projects in the works?

Well, I of course plan to keep putting new episodes out there, hopefully providing content that’s helpful to the listeners. The Winter 2017 TPW Mastermind groups are in full swing, and new groups will be forming soon to start meeting in late April or early May. I’ll soon be opening up some time in my schedule for a few more one-on-one coaching clients. And I’m working on a goal-setting workbook that I hope to release later this year. Beyond that . . . we’ll see. I dream of one day putting together a TPW retreat, so that’s something I’m noodling on for maybe next year.

Deanna: A TPW Retreat! How exciting!

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I want to say a huge thank you to Laura McClellan for doing this interview with me. With a full-time law practice, podcast and mastermind groups, she is a very busy woman and I greatly appreciate her taking the time to answer a few questions for LWD readers.

If you aren’t already a listener, I encourage you to go check out The Productive Woman podcast. Here are a few of my personal favorite episodes to get you started:

Laura’s bio:

Laura McClellan is a lawyer, a writer, a productivity enthusiast, and a tech geek. Married for 37+ years to her high school sweetheart, with whom she’s raised five amazing kids, she’s passionate about encouraging women in their individual journeys as people, wives, mothers, citizens. Laura blogs occasionally at I Was Just Thinking . . . and Real Estate Law Blog and is working on her first novel. Connect with Laura on Twitter as @LauraMcMom.

Laura’s Links:

The Productive Woman website

Twitter

The Productive Woman Facebook page

The Productive Woman Community Facebook group

You might also enjoy these LWD posts:

9 Steps to Take Control of Your Day

7 Podcasts That Will Change Your Life

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

The One Thing by Gary Keller

A Weekly Planning Session

January 10, 2017 By Deanna Piercy 10 Comments

I promised you a month of posts about organization and time management and then sort of dropped off the map. Sorry about that! I’ve been battling a stubborn asthma attack since the end of December and just haven’t had the mental band width to write coherently. I finally gave in and started steroids last night and I’m better today.

So, let’s get started on all the organization stuff I promised! I’ve implemented a new routine here at Chez Piercy that I’m really excited about – a weekly planning session with David. It takes so little to make me happy – ha!

We started this Sunday afternoon and I was very pleased with how it went. Here’s how it works:

We each get a beverage of our choice. David opted for coffee with Coole Swan (like Bailey’s Irish Cream but better). I, of course, had my usual Earl Grey tea with milk and sugar.
We sat down at the kitchen table with our phones, my clipboard, and the week’s mail.
We went over our schedules for the coming week. He had two meetings and a business trip. I’ve got three meetings, choir rehearsal and a doctor appointment. We are trying a phone app called Cozi. We can each enter our meetings and appointments, color code them and then have access to each other’s schedules. I’ll let you know in a few weeks if we like this app.
We discussed our nonprofit foundation, HMA Foundation, and I made a list of tasks I need to do for it. We have an event coming up soon so there are several things I need to work on.
We decided on a date night. It would be nice if it could be the same night each week but our crazy schedules just don’t allow that. This week Thursday works best. I have a meeting that night which should be over by 7 p.m. He’ll meet me in town afterwards.
I decided on a menu for the week, taking into account our meetings, his travel schedule and our chosen date night.
Finally, we sorted the week’s mail. I recently bought the lidded container you see in the photo below. Whenever either of us picks up the mail we take a quick look for anything urgent (we pay bills online, most with auto-draft, so we rarely have bills in the mail), then toss the rest in this box. We sorted through it all together, making a pile for him to take to work to shred (we need a new one at home), filing and otherwise dealing with it all. I know that many organizers recommend immediately handling mail each day when you bring it inside but that just never has seemed to work for us. I’m hopeful that by setting aside time to deal with it together we can stay on top of it. I’ll keep you posted!

And that’s it. We both agreed that it felt good to have a handle on the upcoming week. We each have irons in a lot of fires so it’s important to make sure we keep one another up-to-date on what’s going on. The only thing I think I’d like to add to this planning session is music. Maybe I need to create a special playlist just for this.

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

What do you think? Do you do something like this? Or do you have another way you keep up with your family’s schedule? How do you handle the daily mail? Leave me a comment. I’m always looking for ways to fine-tune things.

And if you’re feeling rather overwhelmed, I highly recommend this course by Crystal Paine:

Note: I bought the box shown at Aldi for about $5. I tried to find something similar online for you but so far haven’t had any luck. Obviously you can use any container you like but this one is just the perfect size for us. Big enough to hold a week’s mail but not so big that we might be tempted to let things pile up longer. I’ll keep looking and if I find something similar I’ll add the link.

Clipboards (set of three)

Taming the Paper Tiger at Home

Home Organization Tear Outs

How to Create a To-Do List ~ Step by Step Guide

September 30, 2016 By Deanna Piercy 10 Comments

I might as well start with the painful truth. There is no way to get it “all done” unless you have very low standards and no goals, which I’m sure doesn’t apply to my readers. Still, we can’t let that cause us to simply throw in the towel and settle in for yet another Netflix marathon. The key to feeling at least a modest amount of satisfaction in our daily accomplishments is a well-crafted to-do list.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

How To Create a To-Do List

I know there are those who don’t make to-do lists but I honestly don’t understand how that works. They either have a much better memory or far less to do than I. But hey, if it works…

For the rest of us, though, a to-do list can make life a lot less stressful. I know that when that “OMG! I have so much to do!” thing is swirling around my head like a swarm of irritating gnats, simply sitting down with a pen and piece of paper to make a list can help calm the crazies. At least a little bit.

Here is my step-by-step guide to creating a to-do list:

Choose Your Format

There are paper-people and digital-people. I happen to be a paper-person, despite my general love of technology. I find something cathartic in the physical act of taking pen to paper. On the other hand, having your lists with you on your phone and other devices can certainly be handy. You just have to decide which works best for you.

If you prefer keeping your to-do list digitally, I’ve included a few popular list apps a bit further down in this post. There are many, many others. You may have to try a few until you find one you like.

For those of us who prefer paper, there are several methods. Even the old “back of an envelope” system can work if your daily lists are short and simple. However, since I’m all about “creating a beautiful life” I think there are better options.

There are pre-printed to-do lists available in notepad form. Simply tear off a sheet each day and write your list.
Use one of the many free, printable lists available online.
Create your own form online and print them. (I designed one many years ago but it didn’t transfer when I switched from a P.C. to a Mac)
Use a spiral bound notebook or a bullet journal.
Use an index card. These are cheap and easy to tuck in your purse or pocket.
Sticky notes. If your daily to-do list is short you can jot it on a sticky note and put it on your computer, refrigerator or some other place where you’ll see it.
Use a full-size piece of paper on a clipboard.

Consider Your Roles

When you sit down to create your list, consider the various roles you play. Mom, wife, employee, volunteer, etc. This will help you remember what you need to do. Your list may include such things as:

soccer practice or music lessons for kids
pick up husband’s dry cleaning
outline project at work
make phone calls for upcoming charity

Prioritize

If you’re like most of us, each day holds the possibility of more tasks than you’ll have time for. Or something unexpected comes up and all of a sudden you have less time than you thought you’d have.

That’s why it’s important to prioritize your list. There are a variety of ways to do this. Some people like to assign a priority number or letter to each item on their list. I write the most important items within each category at the top or maybe put a star by them. In addition to indicating priority within each category, I also will often pick the top three things I have to do for the day, no matter which category they are in. It doesn’t matter how you do it but by focusing on your priority items first, you’ll at least have the important things done if (when?) the day gets away from you for one reason or another.

A Balanced Life

Be sure to include time for yourself on your list. This might be time for a hobby, working on a personal goal or simply downtime. Be intentional about setting aside a little time for something just for you.

When to Make Your Daily List

It’s best to make your to-do list the night before. I like to sit down with a cup of tea, look over that day’s list and then create tomorrow’s. I can check with my husband and coordinate plans for the next day. I can take something from the freezer for the next day’s dinner. If I have a meeting or appointment of some type I can gather any materials I might need. Most importantly for me, I get things off my mind and onto paper before I go to bed. This is extremely important for insomniacs.

How I Make My List

I use the clipboard method, something I started doing back in the mid-90s when I was working as a hospice nurse. I needed something to write nursing notes on when in patient homes and a clipboard worked well. Over the years I’ve tried various methods but always come back to the clipboard.

The clipboard I’m using right now is aqua with white polka dots and I use lavender computer paper. It doesn’t cost any more to use a pretty color so why not?

I use a full sheet for each day. At the top I write “Create a Beautiful Life” which serves as a daily reminder. Under that I write the date. I then divide the page into sections:

Home (cleaning tasks, laundry, cooking)
Work (blog-related tasks, volunteer work, our music business)
Dinner (from the weekly menu I have already created)
To Go (appointments, errands, etc.)
To Buy (I jot down things as I think of them and later transfer to Any List, an app on my phone)
“Pour Moi” which is French for “For Me” (play the piano, afternoon tea, porch time, etc.)

Sometimes I have a group of related tasks which need to be done over the course of the week but not on any specific day. Instead of writing all of them every day, several days in a row, I will list them on a sticky note and then transfer that note each day until all are crossed off.

Tip: Take a picture of your list. If I am going to be away from home and have things on my list that I may want access to, I simply take a picture of my list with my phone. I then have it with me without taking my clipboard.

Resources

To Do List Apps

Cute To-Do List Notepads

Darling Clipboard/Padfolio

Free Printable To-Do Lists

What about you? Do you make a daily to-do list? If so, do you prefer digital or paper? I’m always looking for ways to improve my productivity systems so if you have any suggestions please leave me a comment.

Just for fun:

Make Over Your Life With Dee: A New Facebook Group

September 7, 2016 By Deanna Piercy Leave a Comment

I believe in the power of a good routine. And if you can elevate it to the level of ritual, all the better. We can all use a little help and encouragement so I’ve created a new Facebook group.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

I’ve written about morning and evening routines/rituals here on Life With Dee. As I continue to fine-tune these routines I find it helpful to read about the daily routines of others, especially people engaged in creative work.

This is one of my favorites:

I’ve also shared my absolute favorite resources for developing morning and evening routines – Crystal Paine’s online courses:

Make Over Your Mornings

Make Over Your Evenings

I have purchased these courses myself and worked through them (twice, for Make Over Your Mornings). As we all know, however, new routines can take time to develop and make into a habit. The beauty of these courses is the fact that you can do them as many times as you’d like.

I’m ready to make another pass at them and it occurred to me that it might be fun to work through them in a group setting. I tend to do better with a bit of accountability.

So I decided to create a Facebook group and invite Life With Dee readers to join me as I work through these courses. Not only will we go through the Make Over Your Mornings and Make Over Your Evenings courses, but we’ll also tackle Crystal Paine’s other course, Make Over Your Year.

I would love to have you join me in this new Facebook group:

Make Over Your Life With Dee

You may join the group at any time but we will begin the daily coursework on Monday, September 12th. We will begin with Make Over Your Morning. The group will serve as a source of encouragement and accountability, as well as a place to share information and helpful hints with one another.

To purchase any or all of the courses we will be covering in the Make Over Your Life With Dee group, click on the links below:

I hope to see you in this new Facebook group!

September: A New Beginning and an Updated Planner

August 30, 2016 By Deanna Piercy 3 Comments

It’s Back-to-School season and even though my children are grown, this time of year still feels like a new beginning. I think of September as sort of “January Light”. It’s a good time to evaluate progress on goals and adjust schedules and routines if needed.

Following the more laid-back months of summer, September feels like a good time to get back into a routine. This past week I’ve been working on fine-tuning my daily routines, housekeeping schedule and time management/productivity tools, including my planner.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

You may recall that I purchased a Happy Planner to use for this year:

This post contains affiliate links.

While I haven’t gotten into the whole decorating and extensive use of stickers thing, I have found it to be a good planner and enjoyable to use. I like seeing a whole month at once and then individual weeks following.

One thing that didn’t work very well for me, however, was having each day divided into Morning, Afternoon and Evening sections. Some people have fixed that issue by putting Washi tape over those divisions and renaming the sections to suit. That’s way more time than I want to spend, though.

That’s why I was very pleased to see that the 2016-2017 Botanical Garden version of the Happy Planner leaves those dividers blank. For me, it works better to use the sections for the following:

Home – Household tasks and meals
Work – Blog, our music promotion business and nonprofit, volunteer work
Scheduled tasks (appointments, meetings) and errands

I also really like the fact that this version has 2016 and 2017 year-at-a-glance pages in the front. Sometimes it’s helpful to be able to take a look at the year as a whole.

Of course, I was also rather smitten with the beautiful cover:

This is an 18 month planner which starts in July. My other one goes through December so I had two options. Either stick with the old one for the rest of the year, starting the new one in January, or jump right in with the new one now. Guess which option I chose?

I couldn’t wait to start using this beautiful new version but I also had a plan for the old one. First, I switched out the rings on the new planner for the larger expander version:

This allows me to add extra pages and other items to my planner. I recently purchased the following:

Fitness Planner Extension

Home Planner

Planner Pocket Folders

In order to fit them in my old planner I had removed half a year’s worth of pages. But with the expander rings everything fits just fine. I moved the fitness and home planners, as well as half of the pocket folders to the new planner.

What did I do with the old planner? I’m now using it for our music business. I write all the events we schedule in the planner. At some point I may assign a different color to each band and use the corresponding pen color when scheduling in the planner. Fortunately I’ll be able to buy extension packs when the year is up. These are undated so I can use this planner indefinitely.

With the planner components in place I have been working on my routines, schedules and fitness tracking. At the front of my planner is a sheet on which I’ve written the steps of my Morning Ritual which you can read about here:

I’m using the Fitness Planner pages to track my food, exercise and water intake.

I’ve been working on a housekeeping schedule which I’ll share more about tomorrow so be sure to watch for that. I’ll also be sharing a couple of phone apps I’m trying.

The great thing about the Happy Planner is that it is highly customizable and there are so many fun accessories. Here are just a few:

Paper Punch

Stickers

Storage Case (I have this and it’s adorable!)

Recipe Planner

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This is not a sponsored post and all opinions are my own. It does, however, contain affiliate links. If you purchase via one of these links I receive a small portion of the price at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee.

There are several ways you can use a Two Minute List:

Where to keep your Two Minute list:

Consider Creating a Two Minute List for Self Care

Why a Two Minute List Works

Home Organization

Productivity

Here is a list of things I like to do before the start of a new year:

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So here’s my plan:

What will I be doing with all this extra time? Here’s a partial list:

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Forest: A Productivity Hack

Forest app:

Features:

Articles:

Productivity books:

LWD Interview: Laura McClellan, The Productive Woman

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Laura’s bio:

How To Create a To-Do List

Choose Your Format

Consider Your Roles

Prioritize

A Balanced Life

When to Make Your Daily List

How I Make My List

Resources

To Do List Apps

Read more here:

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