Episode 17: A productive 2024 starts here!

00:00 Before we get going, I have an invitation for you. If you're ready to find out how much easier it becomes to get things done when you have Make It Happen Club in your life? The doors are open to new members right now and i would love for you to join us! So Make It Happen club is a calm quiet sanctuary where you get the clarity focus and motivation you need Hello and welcome to Unfrazzle with me Louise Miller. If you're a solo business owner and you have a big exciting vision and loads of ideas that you want to get out in the world but without drowning in a sea of overwhelm, then this is the podcast for you. Each week I'll be sharing bite-sized insights to help you stop faffing and stay focused so you can make your brilliant ideas happen and make a bigger impact in the world It's time to step away from the hustle and find a kinder more sustainable approach to productivity So grab yourself a cuppa and let's get started

01:30 Last week's episode of Unfrazzle was about tuning in to how you want to be feeling and the energy you want to bring to your January this year. And I avoided adding all the New Year, new-you vibes on purpose because to me paying attention to how you're feeling and being intentional with your actions is so much more important than starting the year feeling the pressure to make resolutions that... let's face it will probably be long forgotten by February And truth be told, I love this time of year. I really love that feeling of a clean slate and the opportunity to do things differently but that doesn't have to be about setting lofty expectations that have been influenced by what other people consider to be important instead it's about getting quiet taking time in that treehouse that i spoke about in episode 13 of this podcast to really tune into what's important

02:19 So that you can act in alignment with that. You see, if you want to be productive in 2024, you need to know what matters to you and the growth of your business and what doesn't? You need to know which strategies and activities and approaches are right for you and which aren't And a really great starting point for that is to get clear on your values To think about what lights you up and makes you want to run for the hills Spend some time reflecting on what feels natural and easy for you, and what feels like pulling teeth. And spending some time in the treehouse pondering those questions will allow you to build a picture of what truly matters to you. That picture will evolve and shift as you continue to pay attention and get curious. None of this is fixed it will shift and evolve and that's absolutely okay

03:06 But the most important thing is that you are being proactive in addressing the very first thing you need to do if you want to be more productive this year. Which is quite simply, to figure out what's important and what isn't because that is what will stop you from wasting time on busy work That's what going to ensure your giving your focus to activities that will really move the needle for you and for business this year And then once you've figured out what's important, you then get to set some intentions that will allow you to dedicate more of your time and energy to those things. I'm using the word intentions on purpose because to me that feels so much more sustainable than the word resolutions we've all experienced that sense of failure when we break a resolution and it's not nice

03:52 But you can't actually break an intention. It's always there for you, reminding you of what matters it's ready for you to recommit and pick it up again as many times as you need to over the course of the year so as you think about your intentions for the year ahead remember that this isn't just about your work it's about what you want your life to feel like as well What do you want to create space for? And what would you be happy to see the back of So to help you see what I'm getting at with this, iIm just going to share a few tips and examples that will help you have an on-purpose and productive year. First of all be really clear about what your actually going to do as part of your intention so for example one my intentions is to honour Screen Free Tuesday and that's because I want to spend less time glued to the screen but instead of saying something really vague like watch less TV

04:47 I've committed to Screen Free Tuesdays which means that after i finish work for the day my phone, my laptop and my TV are off limits and I need to find something else to do with my time. And you know because I love a list I have got a little menu of options of things I can do on Screen Free Tuesdays sometimes that might be You know, catching up with housework. But hopefully other times it'll be more like doing a jigsaw! Tom and I are listening to the Harry Potter audiobooks at the moment so we might do that together or play a game or you know get out for a walk all these sort of analog things that will help me to enjoy my Tuesday evenings without being glued to a screen

05:24 So the second tip for you is to remember as you write your intention that the aim is not perfection. I've set an intention to get outside every day but sometimes that won't be possible if the weather is particularly hideous, for example, I am more likely to want to stay under my blanket and there was no way I was leaving the house when Storm Henk was passing through last week causing absolute chaos And that's okay. I'm not going to beat myself up for not wanting to go outside in the middle of a storm, but the intention remains my aim is still to get outside every day and even if i don't manage it one day i'm not going to throw the whole thing out the window. I'll just pick it up again tomorrow this is not about perfection

06:02 And the final tip I want to share with you around this today is to come up with a fun or creative name for your intentions that actually makes you want to look at them, remind yourself what they are and want to honour them. An example of this... A few years ago i wrote a list of intentions that I rather loftily called My Manifesto For Intentional Living And that title might sound a bit silly, but it really worked for me. I love this idea of having a manifesto for myself and the intentional living is such a part of my core values that it really hooked me in and made me want to follow through But what you call yours your version of this whatever that looks like is entirely up to you. I'm just inviting you to use language that works for you You know I see this all the time with my private In It Together clients

06:49 They'll keep putting something off over and over again if they're seeing it in their calendar. And sometimes me just asking the question, well what could we call it that would actually make you want to do it? And coming up with a more fun more inviting name for a thing sounds really silly but it can sometimes make such a big difference so think about what language works for you If you enjoy following rules, you could call them rules. Or if you prefer something softer, you might want to think of this as your guide for an on-purpose year. You know just find what works for you the aim being that you're going to come up with a handful of intentions that can really serve as your anchor as you move through your year This is about creating those statements of intent that will remind you what's important so that you don't spend your time and energy on things that aren't

07:36 So if you want to be more on purpose, more productive this year I just encourage you to come up with your own manifesto. Your own set of rules for intentional living whatever you want to call it because getting clear on how you want to spend your time will make it so much easier to keep distractions at bay and stay focused. So I hope that helps and I look forward to seeing you again soon! Thank you for listening to Unfrazzle. Sharing is caring so if you loved this episode please share it on your socials or head over to Spotify, iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts and leave me a review! Not only will I be hugely grateful, your ratings and reviews will help others find this podcast so that even more people can make their ideas happen. Thanks so much and see you next time