Productivity Tips for Work & Life

Welcome to The In Between Podcast. I'm Astrid.

And I'm Alexis. And we're 2 best friends on a journey to living a fun, intentional life.

We know it's easier to share on a season of life once it's behind you, but what about when you're in the middle of the growth, confusion, and decision-making?

This lifestyle podcast is for the everyday gal who loves to travel, talk about business, relationships, fashion, and everything in between. Hello, hello. Welcome back to The In Between Pod. I'm so excited for this episode. It's Alexis, one half of the pod.

And it's Astrid, the other half of the pod.

And, um, I love that we're recording different time zones, different countries, but like the energy is palpable.

Oh yeah, we're, we're in sync here. We're always in sync. Different continents, always in sync.

Forever in sync. It is like, what time is it here? It's 4:30. I'm currently in Rome and what a journey. I have one more, I have like 4, 5 more days in Europe and then back to the States I go. And I have mixed feelings, my friend, mixed feelings. Oh my gosh.

Your trip has looked absolutely amazing. And I love how much you've been able to experience different things. Like, you haven't gone for just 5 weeks in one place, which would still, I'm sure, be wonderful. But you jumping back and forth to different places. You also did like a girls trip and then you had work and then Matthew joined you and you guys are basically like in a honeymoon phase. It's just amazing. I love it.

I know. I'm like, I'm going to— I want to cultivate all the different vibes in one trip. That's a good point. Um, yeah, it's been amazing. And you know, like the Instagram versus reality moments where it's like you get the content and then there's always this like backstory or maybe like things aren't really as fun as they seem or like, you know.

Yeah.

I will tell you that like this whole trip has been so positive and so fun that like everything I've shared has honestly been like the truth. Does that make sense? Like I have been on, I have been on trips before where that hasn't always been the case. And it's like, it feels, it feels kind of weird to like post fun things whenever like you're not really having a good time.

For sure. You only tag the location. You don't make any commentary. Yeah.

Or just emojis. Emojis and tag the location. Nope. But I'm having a great time, honey.

Good, good. What do you feel like has made the difference in this trip that you feel like your reality truly matches what you're posting to social media?

Yeah, good question. I have been cultivating carefree energy this whole trip, and because I'm a very, like, I don't know, Type A-ish, I don't know, like Type B, I don't know, but like, I—

Healthy mix.

Yeah, healthy mix in between an A and a B. I feel like to, to boil it down, I usually operate out of a very like succinct energy. Like it's sometimes stressful and like I can get, I can get nervous if things aren't going my way or whatever, like in business or in life.

Mm-hmm.

And I wanted to take this trip where there's a lot out of your control. Um, there's a lot of things that are up in the air, no matter how planned you have your, your vacation or your, mm-hmm, your remote trip, there's always these unvariable things. And I wanted to walk into this trip with this mentality of like, how can we just like harness carefree energy?

Yes.

And that has honestly been like a big unlocking mindset for me. And now I wanna take that back to my business and take that back to my work and like my life. Like I just want to be more carefree and be able to hold things So much more loosely.

Yeah.

And just have more fun. Like, I'm, I like having fun and I feel like I try to cultivate fun in a lot of what I do. Mm-hmm. But I think just like holding things at lower stakes and not putting so much pressure on a situation or whatever it is to be perfect. Yeah. And just like letting it happen has been like my mantra the last 5 weeks.

Yeah. I love that. I also feel like it's one of those things where you can plan for a trip, plan certain things, and like you said, in life, but the reality is just different. It's always going to be different. And whenever we're stuck on our version of what's supposed to happen rather than embracing what actually is, is where we become dissatisfied. And so when we're able to plan and then be like, Okay, and now I'm letting it go. I'm just going to be present. I'm going to embrace what happens. I'm going to be curious about who's around me. I'm going to soak in the sun and look at the colors. And all these little things that really make you savor each experience is just amazing. And I love that for you. And I feel like that's such a good lesson because so many of us have those expectations, especially when traveling. You're like, I'm going to get The content, the photo, the things you see on TikTok, the song, whatever. And when you're able to truly just be and the other stuff is just a byproduct, I feel like that's a game changer.

I completely agree. And it is like I have expectations. This is another mental shift is I no longer have expectations for things that I cannot control. So it's like the only thing I can control is my own mindset, my own behavior, my own actions. trip, it's like I have not had expectations for a city, for an experience, for a person, for anything.

Yes.

And I feel like the only expectations and standards I have are for myself.

Yeah.

And that has been another like shift to make things more fun and more like, I don't know, it's not that I don't want something to be like it is in, in the movies, right? Like, sure. I'm in Rome. Lizzie McGuire, come on. I don't actually— I love that movie. The first night, last night was our first night in Rome and I came home and Matthew and I watched it.

Yes. It's like the ultimate movie. I know.

And there were so many times where last night he and I would be like, we went there, we saw that.

And it was so exciting.

I love it. All that to say, just like shifting your own expectations and, and holding things loosely has been a big, a big fun element of this trip that I've been experimenting How fun. How fun.

I'll add one more thing to that too, and which is this could definitely be just a podcast on its own.

We have lots of mini podcasts within the podcast.

We under-promise and over-deliver. Absolutely, queen.

Yes, we do.

Um, the one thing too, I think, is when you're able— when you're traveling with somebody else, whether it's a partner or a friend, and really being able to release any expectations of how they need to behave and how they need to experience is so huge. In 2020, early 2020, I took a trip, beautiful location, and who I was with was not having a good time, not enjoying it, and they were working through their own mental things. And at that point, I was maybe about 8 months into therapy or so. And so I took a mental step back and I was like, okay, Astrid, this moment in time, you're never going to get it back. You're not going to be and watch this sunset and be in this location again in the same scenario. So are you going to sit here and be mad that they're not experiencing this how you want them to, or are you going to just experience it yourself? And so I just let it go and I just focus on soaking in the view, soaking in the ocean, reading my book, et cetera. Because the truth is, we're humans and whoever it is that we're traveling Mm-hmm. with is going through their own stuff too. But we can't be frustrated that our experience was quote unquote ruined by somebody else when really it was our responsibility to manage our own emotions and expectations as well.

100%. No, that's so mature. You're so mature.

I'm trying to be clap happy mode because I can see it in your eyes.

Matthew made me a very strong Americano before this episode. Oh, and I actually— yeah, he's, he's a gem. And I have calls until— I have calls after this for like another 4 or 5 hours. Oh my God, this is just the beginning, honey.

Oh, I am kicking you off.

I know, that's actually why I planned this podcast where I did in my day, because it gives me so much energy. Aw, I love you. I love you. Okay. What are you in between right now?

All right. I feel like right now, and this kind of goes hand in hand with the topic that we're going to chat about today, I think I'm in between who I am right now, which has grown through a lot of things, and where I want to be. And so realizing that The dreams and visions and things that I want for my life, or that I feel like God has put on my life, will require a different version of— not a different version, but a more disciplined version of myself. And so I need to really set myself up in all the different areas of my life to be that person. So I feel like in each of those areas, I have grown and I am at a good spot. But now it's almost like the next level and the next step. And so mentally, that has been so hard. And I have been very focused on my habits and very focused on my routines, even more so the last 2 weeks that I've been home. And I've just noticed the mental toll it can take to push through and be like, okay, And instead of just getting through my workout and doing, say, 3 sets of whatever it might be, I'm pushing through one more set more for the sake of my mentality of being like, I can do hard things. I can push more than what I think that I can. And there's been times where I've just gotten so teary-eyed and there's like all these emotions of frustration and everything that's going on inside of I'm releasing my past self of comfort, of Okay, but I've worked already to this point and pushing to that next level. And so I think showing up and those physical habits and pushing more is helping my like mental state for when I show up for work and other areas of my life to push through even more and say, no, like this is— I'm working for that higher version of myself and we're going to push through. But man, like going through those limiting beliefs. And really facing yourself and being honest about why you feel that way, or who told you that you weren't good enough, or that you weren't talented enough, or that you aren't athletic enough, or whatever it might be. It's really hard. So that's kind of where I'm at. I'm sticking to my routines. I'm setting things up before I even have 2 seconds to double think about it. But when I'm actually executing, there's so much that's going on in my mind that I'm having to power Not power through, I'm having to process through.

Wow. It sounds like you're really unlocking a lot of layers of what's next. It sounds like you have a really clear vision of where you're headed. And it's like now the behavior, the discipline, the mindset is preparing itself for the vision to actually come true, right? Because that's the thing about, oh, I have this big vision for my life. I have these big goals, these big dreams. And then at some point, like, we almost have to rise up to meet where that, you know, dream or vision is. And it sounds like that's exactly what you're doing. That's really exciting. Very, very inspiring to hear that. Oh, thank you.

Thank you. Yeah, I think sometimes we just see the highlight reel, you know, of people that we admire and then realizing like, man, what did they have to do to get to where they're at right now? Or even another reason why I love podcasts and listening to podcasts of people that I admire is because you hear the mental struggles that they go through where they're at now too. And so when we realize like that struggle doesn't go away when you quote unquote conquer certain things, the struggle just gets amplified. So this is a time to really build those great habits, those great mental toughness things that are going to carry you through that next level. But to get there and not break, you need to build that right now. I feel like that's sometimes what happens when people quote unquote become famous from one night to another. They weren't prepared long enough for that. Whenever you have that slow build, you're able to mentally prepare for that. And so, yeah. So I think like, and it's not just with work. I think just me thinking of my future self and my family and like what I want to do now and like, okay, if I want to, you know, be this person in my family group, like then I need to schedule more time with my family and actually make that a priority in my schedule. Like, All these different layers of it. So I'm excited, but it is hard to work through our mindset and what we think we do or don't deserve. I could literally talk about that for a whole podcast, but there's a lot of stuff happening there. So what are you in between?

That's exciting, friend. And I was even feeling my own stuff come up as you were talking through that, which is really interesting. I'm like, oh crap. Um, man, I'm in between a lot mentally. I think if I could, if I could summarize it, it would be what's next.

Mm.

And I think that I'm approaching 30 next year, early next year, and I'm in this really sweet place in my career. Um, my business is doing okay. It's probably not where I want it to be. And still got that goal for the book and still got that goal for this and that goal for that. And I, I think I'm in this interesting place. I found this trip to be very motivating to me.

Mm-hmm.

I feel like I'm able to create and push out content and connect with people In like a whole new energetic way that I found to be very challenging before this trip. I think because I've been on social since 20— I've been creating content online since like 2014. I think that I kind of was in a bit of a rut with it all.

Mm-hmm.

And now I feel really clear on like how I wanna create. But there is this sense of like, okay, what's next? And a bit of planning that needs to happen.

Mm-hmm.

Um, and so I'm excited. I, you know, I've got my business coach. We took a month off while I've been abroad because I want to be able to implement things that I am like doing coaching on. But we hit the ground running in September and like September and October are going to be really amazing months. And I can feel that. Mm-hmm. But I'm kind of in between like, okay, I'm like coming off of this vacation. And I'm like, okay, now we're getting back into work mode and we're feeling this whole new sense of creativity. Now what do we do with that? And like just wanting to steward it well and wanting to like be able to flip it into something exciting and productive, which is great that we're talking about productivity hacks after I, my, my productivity's been all over the place the last couple weeks.

Um, I've been very productive in laying in the sun.

I have been very productive at looking hot. But like, I'm kidding, but also, but it's just been so fun to dress up. And like, I definitely want to talk about this on another pod, but yeah, I'm kind of in this like weird coming off of vacation back into the real world and figuring out, you know, what those next steps are and, and What that next big push is for me.

What am I trying to accomplish?

I love that.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's amazing. Especially because I think sometimes as creatives who are multi-passionate, we can tend to, again, get multi-passionate with multiple projects and then we get overwhelmed and then we get this freeze mode of, well, what do I even need to move forward with? There's so many things I'm passionate about and then all these things unravel. And being able to take a step back, travel, let that creativity flow, no pressure, is what has unlocked things for you. And that's amazing. And that's why I think they mention a lot of how as creatives and just CEOs in general, Donald Miller talks about this, um, we're supposed to take so much more downtime than we do. And that's when the best ideas come. He's like, think about it. When you shower, when you're taking a shower, that's usually when your best ideas come because you're not distracted because you don't have a phone, you don't have anything else. You only have one focus there. And he's like, I take— I think he takes out one month and he's like, every time I've taken a one month, I've come back with ideas that have just completely changed my business and I didn't even try to. And that's just so fascinating for me because we tend to just think that if we work and work and work more, Then that's really what's going to make things unlock for us.

Yeah, that's a good point. And I do think between my full-time job and my coaching business and everything that I'm trying to build, I don't think I have taken enough breaks. And I'm talking creative breaks, breaks not just like, oh, I have the weekend, let's go on a fun beach trip or let's go Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, not, not like little breaks, but like big breaks. And this vacation, this time in Europe has just felt like the perfect aspect of what I needed. So I'm really excited. Everyone just book your ticket to Europe and just find yourself here and then go home and build amazing things.

So what you're saying is our companies, if you're an entrepreneur, you got to take a 1-month retreat to Europe and it's tax deductible because you're going to come back with those ideas that are I love that.

Yes, let's do that. You and me.

Not me justifying everything. I love it.

Well, yeah, let's do it. Let's dive in.

You ready to dive in?

I'm ready.

You look stoked.

I am so excited. We're talking about productivity today, and it's really interesting because when I look at, like, you know, we can see how many downloads each episode And one of our top episodes is about habits and like the rhythms that we've created in our lives. And I think that might be why you leaned towards like, let's talk about productivity because you want to give the people what they want. And also Astrid is an analytics girly. And so we're like, we need to, we need to come back through with the, with the productivity hacks for our queens that are listening. And kings. We do not discriminate. You know, this podcast is for you guys.

I'm dead.

Oh my gosh. Wow. That was a good old Santa Claus laugh. Did you say Santa Claus?

Yeah, I did. Oh my gosh. I'm laughing because you read me like a book. Now me looking at our analytics literally every morning as part of my morning routine at work, and I'm like, man, this episode just keeps getting more and more downloads. Um, so definitely why I brought it up. But also, I, I'm just kind of in that season. And also I've just, um, I think from my background too, of having like working full-time in the corporate world and running my business full-time. for 5 years, doing both of those for 5 years, I just really had to hone in on my habits. And so that's just always been a thing where I'm like, if I want to have these things in my life, I have to manage my time well. I have to be very intentional about it. And so, yeah, I'm excited to dive in.

Me too.

Okay, let's talk about High level, what do you think about whenever somebody mentions productivity habits or productivity? Yeah.

I'm immediately bored.

Okay.

I think because here's why. My first job out of college, I worked for an amazing guy who was all about productivity and self-discipline. And I think that there for a while, Like having read so much about productivity and like being deep in like that world for a while, kind of the self-help world, I think that there's a lot that they get right and a lot that they don't. And I think that whenever I hear productivity and like productivity hacks, it just feels very like, sometimes it can feel very cold. Like, hey, are we, are we leaving room? For like reality and real life here. Like, so, so true. And like mental health and, um, even like weeks where I'm on my period. Like, I know that weeks that I am on my cycle, like, that I'm gonna have lower energy and therefore I'm probably gonna get less done because my, my body's being taxed.

Mm-hmm.

So I think like I, when I'm bringing, I made a list of like personal productivity things and work productivity things. I think that's the context in which I'm giving this advice today is like, I'm, I'm taking into context like this is real life, but these are just like rhythms and things that work for me to make my life easier. And I think when I can like do the mental work and the language shift to like productivity means to me, like, how can I harness energy and like make this easier for myself? That's what productivity is to me. What about you? I really went around the block there with that one.

No, that was so good. I also think one thing that I love about productivity talks is what you just mentioned. I think that there's so many tools in the toolbox and ultimately you have to choose which ones work best for you and know that perhaps the tools that worked for you in one season aren't the same tools that are going to work for you in a different season. So, you know, Astrid in college is definitely not the same habits that I need right now. And maybe if we have any moms listening, like, I'm sure the productivity tips that you used before being a mom are so different to the ones that you use now. And so being able to kind of like keep this as a flowing state is so important. And just seasons of life, like there's seasons where we're healing and things just need to be softer and we're focused more on those routines that support maybe our nervous system and all these different maybe post-traumatic situations. And then there's seasons of building and creating and moving the business forward. And so you got to be like focused and like every single time block, you know, figure it out. But then knowing that this is not sustainable long term. And so that's kind of where I'm at is The seasons or the habits for productivity, quote unquote. However, we may define productivity. I feel like that's another thing too. It's like, what do you define as productive? In one season just isn't working now, and that's perfectly fine. So right now I'm in a season of building, creating, and so I'm trying to be very focused, very intentional about my work, outsourcing, etc., and my mindset. But I know come like January, that's kind of my productivity is going to be more restful, more nourishing my mind and my body again after such a busy season and kind of ebb and flowing from there.

Yeah, I completely agree. It's figuring out what season you're in and taking into account, um, what it is that you are working through mentally, what it is that you're trying to accomplish. who you're supporting to. Like, that's another element too. Um, like even leading up to buying a house, like a lot of our mental energy was like we were finishing the renovation on our first rental property and we were saving and prepping and planning to buy a house. And like any, any extra energy I had that wasn't focused on work or like with my clients was focused on that. And like, once I got done with that, it felt like this massive thing off my list that then I was like able to free up the mental capacity to like, okay, I literally the week, the week after we moved into our new house in Texas, I was like, all right, I think I want to pick up the book idea again.

Mm-hmm.

And like, but it's, it's like recognizing that sometimes so many things, um, they end up kind of conflicting with each other. And just figuring out like what, what really needs your energy right now and being able to discern like, this isn't a no, this is just a not right now. And I think that's another element of like being productive is recognizing like the difference between the two. Um, but yeah, do you want to dig into personal or work productivity first?

Um, let's do Let's do work first. I feel like personal is going to be— both are going to be great, I'm sure, but let's do work first. Okay.

Do you want me to go first?

Yeah.

You braced. I was like, do you want me to go? Okay. When it comes— the first one for me, and I think this will trickle down into the rest of my productivity tips, Is the filter in which I look at productivity, especially with work, is the spectrum between urgent and important. So if something is important but not urgent, it doesn't make it at the top of my list. If something is urgent and important, then it would say yes, this this definitely is at the top of my list. If it's just urgent and not important, then I'm asking myself, why is it urgent? Whose urgency is it? Is it actually someone else's urgency, or is it someone else's lack of planning?

Yep.

Or is it my lack of plan? Like, what about this is so urgent but that actually doesn't hit the important quadrant? So when I'm looking at my tasks, I always like to look at, okay, I'm starting my day. What is urgent and important? And that's what that is at the top of my list and then everything else working itself down the list for the day is like the urgency is going down. The importance is still there, but the urgency is decreasing on my task list. You know, and I start with the most urgent thing of the day is how I like, how I like to approach work.

Yeah, that's so good because I feel like there's so many things that are important and then there's times where it's You know, you have a team member maybe being like, hey, I need this by the end of the day today. And it's like, okay, well, you just reached out to me at noon and you need this by the end of the day today. I'm going to try my absolute best. But if you also had this other urgent project, then being able to set some boundaries and be like, hey, I'm going to do my absolute best to help you out, but I have this other project also due by the end of the day today that I need to get through. And I love that you brought up the fact of, is it their lack of planning? Is it my lack of planning? And at the end of the day, are we going to go ahead and come together on this? Or how can I help you out while still remaining focused? Because if not, it's going to create even more anxiety on your end of not getting your stuff done too.

Exactly. Yeah, it's, it is, it's approaching things with a lens of like, being logical about tasks too. And I think that when you are able to do that, you can take a little bit of the emotion out of it. So things that are going to feel scary or like, oh, this project is looming, like I'm nervous about it. Well, it's urgent though. And so regardless of how I feel about it, it's urgent and it's important and I need to do it.

Yeah.

And I think that can sometimes help me get over the mental blocks of like, Oh, it's this like big part of this project. I need to work on it, but I just wanna procrastinate. It's like, no, it's hitting these 2 boxes. Like we've gotta get it done. And that logic part of my brain kind of helps the, the feeling side of my brain kind of chill out a little bit.

Yeah.

And then once, once I dig into the work, it's never nearly as scary or as intimidating or as overwhelming as I think it's gonna be, right? My brain, my brain just loves to do those mental gymnastics.

Oh, 100%. That honestly happens to me more than I can count. And I feel like lately I've been taking on more contracts and projects that have really been so exciting, but also challenging me mentally, almost in my self-image type of things where I— it's almost like, oh, this is too good to be true. And part of me wants to self-sabotage, if that makes sense. And then the other part of me is like, no, I am like, you know, qualified enough for this. This is perfectly fine. This is totally something you can do. And once I get through it, once I do it, I'm like, this is awesome. I loved creating it. They're super happy with it. And now I'm like in a much better space. But I went through that the past 2 weeks where I was like, man, my anxiety was through the roof. I procrastinated on it because I was scared of the work and scared that I wasn't going to be good enough or do a good job and I wouldn't have any ideas. And then When I went actually into it, I got it done in an hour. It was totally fine. And one thing that I love about this conversation too, or what you just mentioned, is if you're an entrepreneur and you're not working with a team, I think the important urgency factor also comes into what is moving your business forward, or that vision side of things versus the admin side of things that are still very important. You got to take care of your customers, you got to plan, you got to do all that stuff. But that is maintenance on the business. It's not moving things forward. So being able to prioritize on what's important and urgent and not just pushing those other things all the way down just because there's no one waiting on you to get that done. You're truly on your own.

Right. Yeah. No one's, no one's texting you or sending you a message in Slack being like, where's this? Right. Yeah. It's just you. Yes. Yeah. What if, so that was mine, like the urgent and important kind of matrix. And actually, if you Google the urgent and important matrix, you'll actually see a chart pop up where you can kind of mentally go through. I work on this with some of my clients as well. Um, when they're trying, they're feeling overwhelmed or they're overthinking what they need to do at work or on their businesses, like being able to draw that little matrix out and then be able to fit in tasks in each one can really kind of help build the practice of figuring out what's most important and that can help you be, um, more productive. So what about you?

Yeah, so I'm about to geek out here.

Let's do it. I have a feeling you will. I have a feeling that you're going to talk about some technology.

Yes. I love it.

Okay.

I know. I love it too. Okay. So I live by 4 different apps, which is one is Asana, which is a project management tool. Another one is Notion, which it's kind of for organizing notes. And you can also project manage on there, but I personally use it more to write out all my ideas. And then there is the Google Calendar, of course, that I live by and a few other things for my business. So I definitely use a CRM in my side of the business that automates a lot of things for me. So that helps a ton with productivity. It helps have focused email client or client emails. So when I go to Gmail, I— that is the least priority of my entire day. But the first priority—

Priority of my entire life is my email. I love it.

But in my CRM, that is within the first hour of every business day. I'm looking through any messages from clients and responding to them right away. So I work through all of those. But basically what I do is, here's the thing, I don't tend to have the best memory. And I realized that when I was in college. And I don't know if it's just because I've always kind of tackled so many things at once, or if it's genuinely that I don't have the best memory. But one thing that that pushed me to do is I take lots of notes on everything. And anytime someone asks me for anything that they need or I have to do in my business, I add it to my Asana, which is my project management tool. And so I use that because that way I know there is something online that is catching everything that I need to get done, anything that a client has asked me to do, and then I assign it to a specific date as well. And so I pretty much have everything on there. Now, to some that can feel overwhelming, but what I do is that I then prioritize and kind of use what you mentioned of like urgent, important, et cetera, to plan out the next day. I list it from the top to the bottom, but if I were to zoom out, my entire month is set there. So there's certain things that are not urgent or important. So I might set it for a week out that I know I'm going to get done. Done, but it does not need to happen right now. And so once I have that list created of everything that's from important all the way down to not as important for the day specifically, um, I will then go to Google Calendar and I will create specific time blocks to actually get those things done. And so in that Google Calendar, I have both my personal things that I want to get done and work things. So from my morning routine all the way down to, um, my nighttime routine, I mix it all in, and that way everything has a time slot. If there are some, you know, really big projects that overwhelm me when I show up to that list, I am not letting it get in the way of my mind. I am just focusing on that one next project that's on my blocked list and then, uh, or blocked out calendar. And then I go on airplane mode and then I push myself to get that done at that point in time. And so basically that's how I use all of them. And then Notion is more what I use to create, have ideas, manage everything. So for example, if I'm working with a marketing client and I have a time block to create a marketing identity for them, then I'll go to Notion and that's where I break out what that whole project is going to look like, all the ideas, etc., and write everything there. So those are the main, I guess, apps that I love to use and it just helps me have so much peace knowing that there's something that is catching all my ideas, everything that I'm needing to get done. And then also I automate some things. So things that— one thing that I love about Asana is you can create a workflow. So for example, for me with weddings, I can go ahead and have a workflow of once I shoot, I, you know, do the sneak peeks and I download and I back up and all these things happen the exact same way every single time. And so instead of creating that task every single time for every wedding, I just have a template for it. So it saves me time and it makes sure that nothing Is forgotten. So yeah, I'll stop there for now.

I need to— yeah, you've inspired me. I need to do more of this. I definitely— I mean, I use Asana at work. Like, Circle uses Asana. We use Notion. We're like heavy Notion users. I also use Notion for all of my client notes with my coaching clients. Like, I love Notion big time. So I do think like being able to lean on tech and automation to help you be more productive and use it as a tool instead of like being overwhelmed by it. Once you set something up, usually you don't have to set it up again.

Mm-hmm.

And that's the thing is like helping you save time. Um, something else that helps me be more productive in, in, in like a working space is my environment. And so I think it's like being, being tuned in with your energy and figuring out like, okay, I see that my most urgent task this week is to sit down and write a bunch of copy for this upcoming launch at work. All right. So I know that I do my best kind of creative work when I'm in a coffee shop. Okay. So when am I going to schedule a 2.5-hour work date with myself at a coffee shop so I can sit down I can have an amazing like coffee or matcha, have my headphones in with my ambient Brain.fm. It's another productivity thing. I absolutely love Brain.fm. Um, it's incredible. Uh, I would say like if you listen to the focus playlist, um, or like lo-fi playlist on Spotify and you like it, Brain.fm is better. It's like a step above and you get like lulled in. To like flow.

It's amazing.

It's, it's ambient noise that it like connects with your brainwaves.

Okay.

Yeah. And yeah, it's called Brain.fm. So it's like specific noise at different levels and different frequencies that like syncs in with your brain. And yeah, I don't even— I can't explain the science behind it. Go read, just go to brain.fm.

Um, you're like, I know it works.

Go, go to their homepage. Okay. But I love that. But being able to like put on my music and write, and I think it's important to know which environments you get the best work done in. And yeah, I mean, obviously whenever I'm on client calls, I know if I'm teaching a workshop for work or I'm on client calls, I know I want to be at my desk. I want 2 monitors. I want my, my Bluetooth keyboard and my mouse. I want quiet. I want everything set up so that all I, all I have to do, all I get to do is just focus on the, the person that I'm talking to. And so just like even that, okay, I know that I'm not going to work best in this kind of environment. So environment definitely matters, uh, to your productivity. And I think being able to experiment and play around a little bit can kind of help you figure out which environment works best For whatever task or urgent thing that you're working on.

I love that you brought that up, um, especially because I think sometimes we're conditioned to, to like, we have to be at a desk the entire time to get certain things done and in your home office. And the truth is that we're humans and especially if you're in the creative field or honestly in any field, there's creativity that needs to be involved in problem solving. And so what is that environment that best will create that creativity in you and make you most productive? And funny thing that you brought that up because last week I was working on a marketing project and I was stuck. Like I did the whole time block thing, everything. I'm ready to go and I'm just staring at the screen. I'm like, dang it. And so I was like, you know what? I don't have to sit at this desk this entire time. So I decided to instead of sit at the desk and try to power through it, I went for a walk and I was like, I'm just gonna like think about this client and their needs, etc. Solved it within, within 30 minutes of walking and changing the environment. And I just like kept writing on my, on my phone in my Notions. And I was like, dang, sometimes we can get so stuck in our routines or like where we think we need to be that we forget to think Hey, I need to go to a coffee shop. This is actually where I get my best specific work done for this type of thing. And also with the brown or the Brain.fm, that has been— I don't use Brain.fm, but I use the brown noise on Spotify. And I think it has a similar science to what Brain.fm does. I don't know all the science behind it. But I do know that it works. And one thing that I used to do that I feel like was draining my energy was I used to listen to just music in general with lyrics and everything, get super pumped up for work, which was good in the sense that it brought me the energy up. But I think what was happening was my brain was working double because it's listening to these lyrics and the beat and everything that I associate with that beat. Plus trying to focus on this, like answering an email and creating these words and all of that. And so for me, I've realized if there's anything that I have to create an email, create a concept, anything like that, I cannot listen to music that has lyrics and all that stuff. Or it's just not best for my productivity compared to if I'm editing.

Yeah.

That's actually when I want music with lyrics and everything because I am focused on the environment, the emotions, the lyrics of the words help me to tap into that world that my clients are in. But yeah, I recently shared that with a friend and it really worked with her or worked for her was utilizing the brown noise when deep diving into projects.

And yet it's even like that is a productivity hack in and of itself. It's like, okay, what task am I trying to do? And like what kind of music or environment or like noise is going to help me achieve that? And again, that's like having the awareness, recognizing like sometimes music with lyrics will like make me anxious while I'm trying to work. And so it's like, ah, it's like too much happening at once. Um, another thing, I, I guess this kind of goes into, into personal a little bit, but with work. Um, Sunday scaries are a real thing. If you don't know what Sunday scaries are, it's like it's Sunday, you have a whole week ahead of you, and you're like starting to get anxious about the work week and everything you have to do and, and all that. Like, it can be very overwhelming. So Sunday planning, I mean, I will literally take 15, 20 minutes. It's not even like I need to sit down for a whole hour and— no, like 10 to 20 minutes, set a timer, whatever it, whatever it takes.

Mm-hmm.

Just look at your calendar, map some things out, get clear on what each day holds, and then you are able to go into the week feeling so much more fresh, more aware, and not letting the Sunday scaries win. It's recognizing like, I'm feeling anxious about the work week ahead. What's gonna help me? It's looking at the work week ahead, right? And not avoiding it. Just being, yeah, not avoiding it. Just like looking at it and then moving on. And that has been a big thing that's helped with productivity and feeling refreshed heading into a new week.

I love that. I think there's so many times where we just avoid and the monster just gets bigger and bigger behind us. And then you get that anxiety doesn't let you sleep well either. And so then you show up the next day on Monday exhausted, and now you got to push through all these things. And this kind of dives into personal Too, but it's how you take care of your body and your mind and your nighttime routine will affect so much, and your morning routine, your productivity. So you could block schedule, you could do all these things, but if you're not nourished properly, if you're not hydrated enough, you sit down for that and you feel the brain fog. You feel that exhaustion. You feel like you need to take a nap. And it has so much to do with our gut health and our health in general. And that's something that I've been very curious about lately is just like the brown noise and the whole playlist thing that I felt like my brain was using more energy than it needed to. What other areas in my life am I making my body and my brain work harder because I haven't maximized that? And I think that's so interesting how athletes, that's what they do. Right? Like they maximize their rest, they maximize their productivity so that when they show up, they can be at their peak performance.

Yeah. And another thing too is like the distraction piece that can get in the way of being productive. And so like, even I was at a coworking space and my door had a curtain that I could pull. And so it's like, if I really needed to like, hey, I know that you can see that I'm in here working, but I need to pull the curtain so that no one can come talk to me.

Yeah.

Um, and like, what is, what is your version of that? Right? Is it do not disturb on your phone? Is it, is it doing the Pomodoro method, which I love? Like, I will set a timer for 30 minutes, do deep work, and then take a 5-minute break. Like, hey, we're, we're human beings. We're not machines. I don't need to be focused with my Brain.fm for, you know, 8 to 10 hours a day. That sounds awful. So it's like just giving myself some breaks and, and giving myself the freedom to do that. Anything else on the work side before we shift over to personal?

I think the last thing I'll add, especially if you're an entrepreneur or even if you're within a team, is the power of outsourcing slash relying on your team is so important for productivity too. Because if you feel like everything is on you and now you have to get all these tasks done, then you're never going to get those important urgent things that only you can do that you were hired for that role to do. And so one thing and one way that I try to maximize is I try to outsource what I can. I brought on a team member and when I was in the corporate world, I also had a team to rely on. So it's like you, you're not like relying on a team if you're able to do that can be so huge for your productivity. And if you're an entrepreneur who's scared to spend that money in outsourcing, like even just getting a virtual assistant for 3 or 4 hours can help gain back so many more of your hours that can make you even more of what you're spending on that virtual assistant. So think about it more as an investment rather than you're just spending this money because I get it. It's hard as an entrepreneur to Like want to just hold back all that money, but really it's more of an investment.

Yeah, no, that's, that's a good point. And even like being able to talk to your manager or your boss on like getting, getting them to see the value of outsourcing as well. That's something like we're, we're bringing on a contractor to help me at work, which is going to be really exciting to kind of like, I can focus on the larger tasks at hand and then have someone else be able to get more in the weeds on some of the projects. So. That's going to be a big help as well. She starts, um, early September when I get back, so I'm really excited about that.

Oh, good.

Um, shifting over to personal, some things I do in my personal life that help me is meal prepping. Um, and I've kind of talked about this a little bit in the habits episode, but when it comes to productivity, I also am looking at like, how am I fueling my body and Is it efficient and is it healthy and is it nutritious? And being able to meal prep on the weekends, I usually try to go grocery shopping on Saturdays and I like to cook on Sundays. Even just breaking up those 2 tasks feels like I am able to be more productive cooking and I enjoy the cooking process because I haven't just come from the grocery store where I spent an hour. And so even like little things like Little things like that help. Um, yeah, meal prepping my, my, um, lunch and dinner just for the work week. So Monday through Friday, and then on the weekends, you know, my husband and I'll go on dates or we're with friends. Like, I like to keep things a little bit more, um, loose and spontaneous there. But meal prepping has been a huge productivity hack where I'm not constantly worried, like, what am I gonna make? Oh, okay, I've got 30 minutes between this call and this next call. What am I gonna make?

Yeah.

I gotta whip something together. Um, and it's like food that I enjoy. It's food I enjoyed making, food I enjoy eating. Um, and it's easy to warm it up and eat it, not feel stressed, um, over the lunchtime or even after work when I'm tired and I'm like, I want to DoorDash something. It's like, okay, nope, we've, we've already made this— past me already made this decision for us. We're gonna have this for dinner. And it's like, okay, great. But being able to to build that rhythm and that habit has helped me be more productive in, in my, my personal life.

Yeah, yeah, that's so, so true. And also, that's something that I want to dive more into because whenever I meal prep, I'm a household of one, right? So it's like the meals go on forever. It's like I'm eating the same thing till like Friday, and I get bored with that. Or at the same time, I'm just wanting and craving different nutrition type things. And so I'm still, I'm, I'm, I would say I'm like a halfway point there where I meal prep half of my meals. And then when Thursday rolls around, I'm like, oh gosh, what do I need to eat now? So I'm trying to get better with that. But one thing that was interesting as I was listening to you is this is an episode on productivity, but really there's so much planning beforehand in all of these things that we've talked about that really is what maximizes our productivity. So if you're able to, or if you're frustrated about not being productive enough, maybe looking at, are you planning enough prior to your day can help ease that a little bit more in your feelings. And yeah, and then just what you said of past me already decided for future me. And then where you're at right now being like, all right, what would the best higher version of myself do today? And for my health, for my habits, and kind of planning that out.

Yeah, it does. Oh, go ahead. No, go ahead. I was just going to say it does make things more accessible too, because then when you're productive and you're feeling like you're accomplishing things, you build confidence. And the same thing with habits and like rhythms, whatever you want to call them, right? When you make consistent choices that are in alignment with whatever kind of lifestyle you're trying to create, you become more confident. You become more confident in yourself, in your ability to follow through, in your word, like you're keeping promises. And so I think that's another element of productivity that's actually really tied to your self-esteem.

Yeah.

I wasn't productive. Oh, I don't feel good about myself. Oh, I didn't accomplish what I needed to. Low confidence. And so those 2 things are like a little bit of, um, you know, they, they ebb and flow together at times. And so it's looking at, okay, what is my highest, most confident, like big self-esteem self doing today? Okay, she's accomplishing these 3 things. She's calling her friend, like she's, she's trying to hit these different quadrants of life. Um, and, and I think that feels more holistic to productivity. Um, instead of like, oh, I didn't do anything cuz I'm unmotivated, or I did everything and I'm completely burnt out. And so it's like trying to find, you know, what your frequency is in, in that, um, is an important step here. Yeah.

You hit such an important, um, point there too that you helped me work through as well. I also think there's the, the aspect of what is the expectation of our productivity. And you helped me realize, like, I thought I wasn't getting enough done, and you're like, oh my gosh, you got all of this done in one day. And in my mind, I was thinking, well, I still have 10 other tasks in my Asana to get done. And so being able to redefine that, because from one perspective you got so much done and that builds confidence, and from my perspective at that point, I got the same amount of things done, but I was looking at what I was still missing, and that didn't build up my confidence because then I was showing up the next day, am I going to be able to get through all of this? So adding to that is highlighting your top 3 things that you need to get done, and then everything after that is bonus, but that's really what defines a productive day, at least for me, was a huge mind opener that you helped me work through. And you're like, you're actually getting a lot done. You're doing great, honey.

You're above and beyond.

One thing for me, okay, so I don't know if I have this or not. It's one of those TikTok algorithm things, but I think I have a small version of ADHD. And TikTok kind of like made me slightly aware of it. And so one thing that I've noticed is because there's so much going on and I have a lot of, I call it open tabs. One thing that I've learned is how can I close those tabs whenever I open them? And that has really helped me for my personal life and my productivity. So for example, I made dinner. And then I ate dinner and then I'm like, I'll clean up later. Let me just chill here for a little bit. Instead of doing that, being like, no, I'm going to close this tab. I'm going to close this loop. I'm going to finish what I started. And so then jumping into other things in my room. Okay, I picked out an outfit. Well, now my room's a wreck because I tried on 10 different things, which is fine, whatever. We had fun trying things on. Now let's close this loop. Let's hang it all now. Because if we let this build up, then it's going to take you so much longer, like a whole hour on a Saturday that you don't want to spend rearranging all of your clothes. So if it helps at all, I don't know, it's been helping me. I love it. It's just every time that I do something, I think I got to close this loop. I got to close this loop. And it's like a way for me to love on myself, to keep things organized, to not let it get to a point where it overwhelms me. Um, and yeah, it's, it's been really helpful to kind of implement that.

I love that, and I really like that analogy. Um, I think I'm gonna, I'm gonna try that on for a little bit and see how, how that works for me, because I, I kind of have my own mental things I do as well, but mine's like, okay, what would future you want, what future you want. But I also like the, like, close the loop mentality as well of like, we're gonna follow all the way through, we're gonna finish it, we're gonna close the circle. Um, yeah. I, I love that. Another thing that you mentioned on, like, you know, not wanting to spend your Saturday morning rearranging your closet and putting things up. One thing I did put down for my productivity tips is on the weekends, I wanna have all of my important weekendy tasks Done in the morning, yes. So that in the afternoon I can do whatever my little heart desires or whatever Matthew and Piper want. Like I want to be able to have my mornings be productive, and then then I don't feel this like impending. It's the it's Saturday evening. I didn't get everything done, or it's Sunday afternoon and I'm trying to cram everything in. It's like no. Let's just take two hours on a Saturday morning. morning and 2 hours on a Sunday morning or midday and get these things done. And then we can have the rest of the weekend to focus on other things that bring us joy. That has been something I've been implementing, um, the last couple months. And I've really liked that as well, of just like giving myself margin on the weekends by organizing the things I need to get done early in the day or early in the weekend. Or actually something I've been enjoying, I saw this on TikTok, It's like, I'll clean the house on Friday evenings now.

Nice.

Or like, I'm doing laundry Friday night. Like, we're, we're doing weekendy things Friday night. Oh my. And that has like really helped too. I don't do all the weekendy things on Friday evenings, but that has been like another little life hack that I've enjoyed not having to carry those into like Sunday afternoon.

I love how you call them weekendy things.

Weekendy things.

Yeah, that's so, so good. I love that. Um, I think too it's hard whenever you have a schedule that's not fixed. And so I love what you've mentioned of just bulking it all into one. So for me, I have sometimes weddings and shoots over the weekend. So I love learning that from you being like, okay, maybe I do everything on Friday night or Saturday or Sunday morning, but everything else is just kind of open and just mentally having a clean space helps so much. One thing for me, honestly, I would say this is like the best productivity tip personally for both work and personal is my morning routine. I think This whole year, I've really been focusing on that, and I've seen such a huge improvement in my mental health, but also who I show up as. And so, one thing that I learned was the power of priming in the morning and sun exposure and nature and everything. But basically, once we show up to work, we already have all these preconceived ideas, right? I'm anxious about it. Am I going to be able to finish it? Am I not? Okay, we're going to power through. Yes, we are. We're able to do this. But if we can take a step back even more before you tackle anything else— and personally, I have certain things written out that I say every single morning that specifically speak to those areas in my life that I consider weaknesses or things that I'm working through, and they remind me more of Who was I created to be? Where am I going? And I say those every single day. It creates this tunnel vision for me that I can't— the difference in my mindset on the days that I do it to the days that I don't, I operate completely different. And I think it's one of those things of identity, right? We remind ourselves of who we were created to be. And so we're showing up as our higher version self rather than showing up as just us. And I think that's kind of the point, right? Like, who did God create us to be? I think a lot of times people don't live up to their potential because they're focused on, on their own mindset, which is limiting beliefs and all these things that come up. And so there's just something about starting the day before you open up your phone, before you dive into work, listen to a podcast, etc., that you— if you set that foundation of who you are, then you look at the day through a whole different lens. And so that has been literally so empowering. I've been able to make some really hard decisions based off of that. And on top of that, now I feel like I'm on phase 2 of it where I'm integrating that with nature and walking. And psychologically, there's this thing where basically, if you walk while you're telling yourself and reading all these things about who you really are meant to be, it's rewiring your neurotransmitters. So if you have this mindset of, I'm not good enough, I'm broken, blah, blah, blah, then when you're walking, physically doing something different, and saying the complete opposite, it's truly rewiring your brain to do that. And it's absolutely insane how it all works. And then the third layer to that, it's more of a bonus productivity thing. But basically, if in the morning you go for a walk and you let the sun hit you, it activates your circadian rhythm. I don't know how you say that.

Circadian rhythm. Yeah.

And your mind basically wakes up right away. And so, I used to just wake up and then do a little bit of morning routine inside the house, especially in the winter, and dive straight to work. But that sun exposure alerts my mind even more. So, yeah, I mean, for me, it's been huge. Maybe that'll help somebody else.

Yeah, especially the sun exposure. I learned this from my friend Jess, actually. She's the one that told me about it. She's like, I wake up I get up in the morning and I open the blinds and I just face the sun for 5 to 10 minutes. And then I feel awake and I feel energized and I feel ready. And it's like, maybe you don't go on a— maybe you don't have time to go on a walk every single morning.

Right.

But just being able to like put your face in the sun and like let, let the light wash over you, um, is, is really powerful. And it, it is something that I find like wakes me up. Like I feel more energized for the day, um, because I can be sometimes a groggy like morning sleeper. And so I like, okay, it's time to get up, honey. We gotta go.

Yes.

Um, that's very much me. But this has been so fun. I've loved chatting through like what motivates us and what makes us most productive. I hope that this was a helpful episode for you no matter where you are on your journey. Um, think through like what, what really helps you, um, get in the flow state and what What environments do you feel like you work best in? And kind of start mulling over some of the areas of your own productivity journey that you feel like, okay, this feels really solid and these are areas I might want to, you know, explore or experiment with. Never too late.

Never too late. And it's an ever-evolving process too. So be gentle with yourselves and Enjoy the process of learning and discovering what it is that works for you. And hopefully some of these tips that we've shared are some tips that you can take with you. So thank you for tuning in today. We're so grateful for each one of you. Um, and if you guys want to connect with us online, you can do so on our Instagram, um, inbetween.pod, or on each of our Instagrams. Mine is @astrayohannafarrell.

And mine is @AlexisTeichmiller. Yes, we've loved connecting with you, um, on social and seeing which episodes really resonate with you. Thank you for being a part of our community, and we will see you next week.