3 Tips to Embrace the Power of Saying “No”

Some of the most successful people in the world say no to most things.

10 Ways to Focus At Work, According to Organizing Experts

Am I the only one having more difficulty focusing at work? (To my boss who is reading this … I promise I’m getting it all done!). But really, there are so many things keeping us distracted—the news, the pandemic, the dishes that need to be done, our kids, and binge watching Yellowstone.  The thing is, I really want to be focused. I love my job, and I want to bring my A-game to everything I do. I also love feeling unencumbered when I’m with my family and relaxed at the end of the day (not worrying about my ever-growing to-do list).  So, are there secrets to being focused and organized at work? Yes! And, we’ve got the solutions. We sat down with three talented professional organizers to learn their top tips to help you focus, and, we’re happy to share. You’ll  be surprised at how simple it can be.  10 WAYS TO FOCUS AT WORK Set Up Your Command Center When trying to stay organized, create a simple “command center” by using either a dry erase board, bulletin board, or a chalkboard that you hang in a spot you’ll see easily,” says Jackie O’Brien, founder of Clarity Through Organization. “Write out your week’s priorities; then, break it down further by what you’ll do each day. This way, you can see everything that needs to be done and tweak accordingly as the week progresses.” Remember not to overload a day. Stick to four items max (you can always add more). Clean Surfaces “We have enough distraction in life, and when we have clean surfaces (in all areas), it allows us to focus on the task in front of us and not feel overwhelmed,” says Brittany Moore of B.Moore Organized. Get some organizing bins and folders to put everything away on your desk. Also, really think if you need all those post-its or knick knacks. It may be time for the donation box. “I also have a “killer” task management system,” Moore adds.  “This will help you to stay on task and feel a sense of reward when you get to cross off each task, and will motivate you to continue down your list.” But, remember to use just one notebook so you don’t have loads of loose paper all over the place.  Find Your Ideal Work Time “Take a few weeks to simply notice the time of day (or days) that you’re most productive. For me, it’s the morning before my kids get up. Once I figured this out and made waking up early a priority, I got twice as much done,” says Kelly McMenamin, Organizing Coach and founder of PixiesDidIt!. “Once you’ve noticed a pattern, treat that time of day as sacred. Mark it as unavailable in your calendar (and don’t plan meetings or Zoom calls). Turn off any distractions like phone, email, or Slack notifications. You’ll be surprised at how much you can get done when you focus on what actually works for you. Color Code Your Emails “I encourage clients to color code their emails by project, person, or whatever suits their situation best. This allows you to visualize the work in front of you and tie various projects together at the blink of an eye,” says Moore. You also should clean up (or start) an email folder system to sort out all that comes in.  Set a Timer “Add tasks directly to the calendar in your phone in 15-60 minute increments,” Moore suggests. “Now, you’ve just made space in your day to accomplish the task, and set a timer so you can focus on it in that given moment.” Put Your Desk To Bed “At the end of the day, clean up your desk like you would, say, the kitchen,” says O’Brien. “Go through all the papers and sort out what needs to be tossed (and, go toss it!).  File what you can in an organized “tomorrow” bin, and make your to-do list for the next day.  A clean surface at night will lead to a more focused morning; so, put your desk to bed!” Organize Your Drawers “Random tidbits always find their way into your life, even at work. And, finding things is the entire point of being organized,” explains McMenamin. “A great drawer organizer is key. I love iDesign Linus Shallow Drawer Organizers—they’re modular, and you can repurpose them anywhere at home … kitchen drawers, medicine cabinets, and they are truly an organizing lifesaver.” Celebrate the Small Wins “Time management is one of the most important elements for an organized life. I always recommend making a list of tasks you need to complete each day of the week. However, if you have 15 tasks on your “To-Do” list that day, but only accomplish 5, that’s still a successful day! Take a deep breath and celebrate,” says O’Brien. “To-do lists can evolve. Perhaps think about scaling down the number you add the following day to set realistic goals.  Sunday “Office” Prep “Just like someone may meal prep on a Sunday, I work prep,” says O’Brien. “I’ll map out my week and note the events, meals, and tasks for each day (even the small things). I find that I am more likely to accomplish tasks when I divide them up between each day of the week versus making one list for the whole week. Then, add it to my “Command Center.”  When In Doubt, Write It Out “Research has found that the action of writing builds a link between the spatial part of our brain and the verbal part, and strengthens the process by which we memorize important information. It makes sense … when I don’t write things out in my calendar, I forget things way more often,” shares McMenamin.  “Buy an agenda or notebook that you adore (so you know you’ll use it). I splurge and buy Smythson’s Soho Agenda for myself because the leather and gold-edged pages make me want to sit down and schedule mundane tasks.”  Other planners we love at Nutritious Life

How to Fight Distraction, Find Productivity as a Wellness Entrepreneur

Even for wellness pros, figuring out how to fight distraction is a serious challenge when starting out as your own boss. Tell us if this sounds familiar? Oh! Someone just liked the photo I posted on Instagram? Let me check it out.  Did I forget to water the plants? Better do that now? It’s so pretty out! Maybe I’ll sneak in a little walk. Is it lunchtime yet? I’ll just go get a little snack.  There are countless ways you can get thrown off course throughout the day. No more having to show up at a certain time in an office. No more set meetings filling your calendar (unless you schedule them yourself). It’s all up to you. “Getting into a rhythm of how to structure work time and an optimal working environment is a challenge that I see almost every new freelancer/independent/entrepreneur face,” says Alison Gilbert, founder of Project AG. Gilbert is a pastry chef turned COO turned business strategist and coach. She has helped dozens of entrepreneurs across industries clarify their focus, set strategies, and create strong foundations for growth. “It’s a universal and normal part of the experience of transitioning into an entrepreneurial way of living.” What’s more, it’s even more difficult because there are so many new responsibilities you’re taking on and adapting to. So, creating new habits (such as how and where and when to work) draws on your energy just as much as working with a new client or developing a new recipe does. To help, Gilbert shared some of her best tips to fight distraction, get focused, and hone in on maximum productivity. In other words, you’re totally going to kill it. 3 Tips to Fight Distraction as an Entrepreneur Figure out how to toggle between “inspired” and “work” modes. To be an entrepreneur is to be a creative. And fundamental to the creative process is toggling between inspiration mode and doing-the-work mode. These two activities require a different set of circumstances to yield the desired outcome. For inspiration mode, do you need a stretch of uninterrupted time to let yourself go down the rabbit hole of the internet? Or time to go walk around or visit a museum to jog those creative juices? For doing-the-work mode, do you need to work alone, first-thing in the morning to be most productive? Or do you know being at a cafe jamming all day on your headphones will be the environment that best suits you? Don’t try to apply a prescription for how to manage your to-do list. What works for one person may not work at all for you and vice versa.” Schedule your week in advance. Nurture the habit of planning and looking at your week ahead. Carve out some time on a Sunday or a Monday to look at your week, determine what you want to get out of it and what tasks and activities need to get done. Then, gut-check on what mode you need to turn on for those upcoming activities and tasks and use your Google calendar or calendar of choice to time block for those tasks and activities. If you know that you have a bunch of doing-the-work mode tasks and that you are best at knocking all those out in the morning, time block and hold spots on your calendar specifically for doing-the-work mode tasks. If you know you need a long stretch of time to explore and be free in your mind to gather inspiration, time block a long stretch of time on the calendar on a day that feels most optimal. Do a distraction audit. We underestimate how many breaks we need to get work done. The more we are firing on all cylinders, which we pretty much always are as entrepreneurs, the more we need to give our brain muscles a breather. Feeling distracted is usually a signal that we’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and even excited about the tasks before us. And, approached in a mindful way, distractions can actually be a healthy way of navigating overwhelm. Do a distraction audit. Determine what distractions are helpful to you and know which ones are not. A distraction should be something that helps you escape so that you can return to the task at hand more charged and with your brain refreshed and re-energized. Even if at face value a certain distraction seems “bad,” be honest with yourself. Once you indulge in that distraction do you feel you’ve had an escape? Do you feel you come out of indulging in that distraction fresher minded? Then proceed and plan for those distractions to be a part of your process. A lot of people have this idea that the ongoing Instagram checking is really bad for us, and when not used in a mindful way it can be. But perhaps checking Instagram—and looking at beautiful aspirational spaces, or checking in on what your friends are doing, or getting lost in an abyss of adorable puppy videos—is what helps your mind escape to then re-energize. Or maybe letting the dishes pile up in the sink until they become so distracting that you have to take action, maybe that’s your personal insurance policy to have an escape because doing the dishes clears your mind. The key here is energy management. You want to expend less energy fighting the distraction fight so you can use that energy for the work you need and want to do.” You know, from accounting spreadsheets to taste testing which vegan ice creams to recommend to clients. (Image: Shutterstock)

3 Ways to Increase Productivity as an Entrepreneur

Working for yourself requires A LOT of work.

How to Plan Your Day Around Peak Brain Performance Hours

If there’s one word we can all relate to right now, it’s change. Each and every one of us has experienced more transition and uncertainty in the past few months than we have in years or maybe, ever. The good news is, we’re in it together. And Tiffany Cruikshank is right there with us. For the Yoga Medicine founder, COVID-19 has brought about major changes in her business model, forcing her to bring her renowned yoga teacher training completely online.  Working with over 25,000 patients, Cruikshank knows a little something about healing. She views her newfound challenges as blessings in disguise—pointing out positives like being able to reach a broader market virtually, and having the opportunity to optimize her schedule while at-home. Perhaps her favorite recovery technique of all? Yoga. “I feel strongly that exercise you enjoy is important, not only so you stick to it but also in its effects on our musculoskeletal system, physiology and mental health,” she tells Nutritious Life.  “Yoga is wonderful for a home practice, my favorite part is that you don’t need any equipment.” Cruikshank’s practice actually began at home in 2003, where she led informal trainings to local teachers in her area. Today, she offers hundreds of online classes at YogaMedicine.com, making it accessible to anyone in need of a mindful break. She opens up to Nutritious Life about her layered fitness philosophy, the ingredient that’s in almost every meal she eats, and the simple breathing technique that has saved her from stress. How have things changed for you since COVID-19 hit? What has been your biggest challenge, and how have you worked to overcome it? What hasn’t changed is the better question. My schedule used to be planned out a year or two in advance and now everything is changing all the time. The biggest challenge for me was moving all of our Yoga Medicine scheduled trainings online. I was unsure about it and overwhelmed at the idea at first, but it’s been really well received. People love having the content online to do at their own pace and come back to anytime. Our students get to save a lot of money that they would have spent traveling to trainings with us. We get to reach a broader market that wouldn’t otherwise have access to travel to and attend trainings. What are some of your tips to stay focused? Especially now. Having a schedule is key for me. Having cozy workspaces around my house, even just small nooks or chairs. Keeping the house tidy is important for my mental clarity. I’m a smell oriented person so I love essential oils- some of my favorites for focus are sandalwood, geranium, lime, frankincense, ylang ylang, wild orange and spruce. I do afternoon meditations when my brain goes fuzzy. Do you prefer to workout in the morning or evening? I used to be morning only but I’ve become more of a late morning or early afternoon person these days, now that I can control my schedule a bit more at home. I prefer to use the morning for brain work since I’m most efficient then, usually I’m writing or creating courses or content then. When I feel my brain fading around noon, I start to move. What is your fitness philosophy? I feel strongly that exercise you enjoy is important, not only so you stick to it but also in its effects on our musculoskeletal system, physiology and mental health. It should be enjoyable in some way, maybe creative, stretch your limits and be something that makes you feel better. There tends to be this pervasive mentality in the fitness world of having to beat yourself up to get in shape and I just don’t buy into that.  How often do you exercise, and what’s your workout of choice? I exercise daily, though it doesn’t always feel like a workout. I think that’s important! Usually yoga in some form but I also like to use weights, bands and do all sorts of weird new movements- whatever is inspiring me at the moment. When I go to the gym I’m usually the one doing something strange in the corner. I’m fascinated by the body and love experimenting. Some days it’s  just getting outside to go for a run or a hike. My favorite work break from sitting all day is dancing around the house, it’s the best way to get diversity of movement! My commitment is to move and breathe and listen to what my body needs daily, which mostly requires being honest with myself and pushing myself when needed as well. Can you share a workout that we can try at home with little to no equipment? Yoga is wonderful for a home practice, my favorite part is that you really don’t need any equipment. Even the props that are used can be swapped out for simple home items like a rolled up towel. I have hundreds of classes online at YogaMedicine.com ranging from 5 minutes to an hour. If you had to name your healthy diet, what would you call it? Why? I’ve always been a fan of a simple whole foods nutrition plan, eating a variety of veggies, fruits, whole grains and proteins. Quality over quantity and a variety of nutrients to nourish my cells. I believe food is medicine, which is why I wrote my first book, Optimal Health for a Vibrant Life. I wrote it as a resource for my clients and students to take their healthcare into their own hands with nutrition, yoga, home remedies and simple but powerful resources. Has it been hard to stay on track with your nutrition while in quarantine? I definitely fell off a cliff at the beginning. We were drinking and indulging a lot for the first couple months. There was so much stress and uncertainty. Then we just hit a wall and did a total 180. We did an intensive version of my 30 day detox in my book and turned it