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How to avoid the temptation of bright and shiny objects

The other weekend I was doing some filing (into my file cabinet instead of the pile of “to be filed” that had accumulated) and realized I was stuffing paper into already full folders in a drawer that was also pretty full.

So, I decided it was time to pull the older files out and move them to the big file cabinet in the basement.

As I went through the things that I wanted/needed to keep (old taxes and bills), I realized I also had some miscellaneous folders in there labeled things like “to read” and “programs.”

Basically, they were articles, freebies, and workbooks I had printed out for reference over 2 to 4 years ago. I filed them because “I might want them later.”

I laughed at that as I looked through and saw some articles and training on social media I had saved (how useful will that really be 2+ years later?).

Ultimately I decided to recycle everything in those folders.

As I was thinking about what tomorrow’s Wednesday LIVE with Evie was going to be, I thought of this experience and realized I was information hoarding things that had been shiny objects (aka convenient distractions).

Wednesday LIVE with Evie #60


Have you ever found yourself chasing bright and shiny objects instead of doing the work that actually needs to be done?

In the video I share:

  • 2 ways to stop the chase in its tracks
  • the evidence (piles of it) I found of my previous bright and shiny object chasing

Every time you’re annoyed, focus on this

The other day I ran into someone that I love, but in my head, I find myself occasionally rolling my eyes at certain things they say.
This person sometimes annoys me.

Do you have someone like that in your life? Someone that you regularly roll your eyes at, even if it’s only to yourself?

Maybe someone that really annoys or bothers you?

Or maybe there’s someone that anytime they talk you silently go “UGH.”

There’s also this other person, when she talks I hang on every word. I find her so interesting and want to learn everything about her.

I bet there’s someone (or many someones) like that in your life too. Someone who you really admire.

Someone that you silently wish you could be when you grow up (so to speak).

You can learn a lot about yourself from who annoys you (and why) and who you admire.

In this week’s Wednesday LIVE with Evie I’ll share what we can learn about ourselves through who we admire and who annoys us.

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to create a list (just for yourself) of three people who really annoy or bother you and a list of three people who you really admire or like.

In the LIVE, I’ll walk you through what you can learn from that list.

Wednesday LIVE with Evie #59

When someone annoys you it’s generally because:

  • It goes against one of your core values
  • They’re doing something you do (or used to do) that you judge as “bad”
  • They have something you want and don’t have yet – it could be physical, emotional or something else

When you admire someone it’s generally because:

  • There’s a shared value (they’re honoring or exemplifying one of your core values)
  • It’s something we do well
  • They’re doing something we wish we could do
    • AND the cool thing is that if we recognize it in others, the seed for it exists in us

How to return from vacation without stress

How are the first couple of days back to work after a long weekend or vacation?

Are you running around trying to get everything done and wonder if the vacation was worth it?

Or is it a day like most any other work day, just with a couple of tweaks?

One of the lovely ladies in the Unnamed Productivity Club asked last week about how to make re-entry to work after vacation go a bit smoother (interested in joining the club? Head over here).

I thought you might want to hear what I shared with her and the other club members in our accountability and Q&A meeting on Monday.

So, that’s the topic for this week’s Wednesday LIVE with Evie, How to return from vacation without stress.

Wednesday LIVE with Evie #58


Priorities and Boundaries

A couple of months ago I did an informal survey of 15 women entrepreneurs on the topic of productivity and business in general.

Two of the questions I asked were:

  • When someone says “productivity,” what do you think about?
  • What does being “more” productive mean to you?

The answers weren’t all the same, but many were similar.

For “When someone says productivity, what do you think about?” the answers ranged from “getting things done” to various measurements of how much they got done (how many clients they worked with in a week or exceeding what’s needed for payroll).

For “What does being “more” productive mean to you?”  the answers ranged from “having to-do’s that tie back to my goals” to “more free time” to various ways of saying “getting more done in less time”.

There were no wrong answers and it was really interesting to hear the response.

One thing that was only specifically mentioned only once, but I think was just underneath almost every answer was having specific priorities.

So, for this week’s Wednesday LIVE with Evie I talk about priorities and boundaries and specifically why they’re both so important to productivity.

Wednesday LIVE with Evie #57

Do you know this person?

Wednesday LIVE with Evie #56

I know this woman, let’s call her Jane, who absolutely loves what she does.

But she finds working for herself and by herself lonely and unmotivating sometimes.

She’s worked with coaches and consultants and that helped and she made progress, but she didn’t always need that level of support.

She’d learned enough about herself to know that she made the most progress when:

  • she takes the time to think about and plan each month (but she wasn’t always great about making that appointment with herself or keeping it)
  • she decides what her priorities are each week (yay! she found a great accountability buddy that helped immensely with that)
  • she has someone she trusts that she could go to with questions or talk things through with when she is stuck or not sure what to do next

I’d bet you money that you know this person.

It’s me.
(If you thought I was talking about someone else, send this to them)

These are things everyone needs to work on sometimes, even me.

And last year I spent a lot of time looking for a program or consultant/coach that would check off all of those boxes.

But I couldn’t find one. I pieced different things together so I could get the support I wanted and needed.

I don’t want you to have a similarly frustrating experience with trying to find the support and accountability you want and need (at a price that doesn’t break the bank).

So, I created a program that checks all those boxes.

It’s $17 a month and you can cancel at any time. So try it for a month and if it’s not for you, you can cancel without any questions.
(It’s $17 a month right now, this price will go up later and those that join now will still be paying $17 a month)

It’s called the Unnamed Productivity Club.

You can find out all about here (including why it’s called Unnamed).