By Georgina El Morshdy The BuJo buzz is spreading! More and more people are turning a blank notebook into a powerful tool to get organized, juggle multiple balls, and take back control of their life. More in depth than a diary or calendar, you can use your bullet journal to track, plan, or schedule as little or as much as you like. But how to start a bullet journal in the first place?  In this detailed article, we’re going to take you step by step through the process of getting started so you can hit the ground running and take advantage of all the juicy benefits that bullet journaling offers you.  Let’s go!  What is a bullet journal?  OK, so let’s start at the absolute beginning. In case you’ve heard of bullet journaling, but aren’t entirely sure what a bullet journal actually is, here’s a quick definition.  A bullet journal is a combination of a diary/calendar/to-do list/planner/general organizer! Using bullet points as the core way of capturing and recording information, a bullet journal is a tool that helps you organize your life and get stuff done.  It differs from diaries, calendars, and other planners because you create your BuJo in a blank notebook. In other words, you’re not restricted by someone else’s methodology or layout - instead you’re free to create your own. It’s why bullet journaling is a big hit with creatives and artists as well as those who are productivity obsessed!  And best of all, it’s SUPER simple to get started. All you need is:  An idea of what you want to track, measure, schedule, and plan A blank notebook  And a pen  And then you’re good to go.  You don’t need to stop there. If you’re a stationery lover, then bullet journaling is a brilliant excuse to stock up on all sorts of accessories and tools including washi tape, stickers, and stencils. But you don’t need these to get started, that can come later as you find your flow and create your style.  Why start a bullet journal?  When you have too much to remember, too many things to do, and too many places you need to be, you can’t rely on your memory alone. The human brain is amazing. It can create, solve problems, and formulate ideas, but it’s not so good at remembering!  In fact, it takes a lot of bandwidth to remember stuff so if your head is full of memos and to-dos, you end up reducing the amount of space you have for everything else.  Far better to empty your head and get your life organized on paper so you can free up much needed headspace. But that’s not all… plan on paper and you can see your commitments and tasks reflected back at you. In turn, you can juggle things around and see the big picture without giving yourself a massive headache!  Bullet journaling also helps protect your sanity. When you’re juggling multiple roles and a ton of other commitments and tasks, it’s easy to get overloaded and overwhelmed. But with your BuJo to get you organized and scheduled, you can crack on with the task at hand - knowing you’ve got everything covered later.  This is how to start a bullet journal and get more done! There’s nothing more frustrating than feeling like you’re squandering time and falling behind because you’re forgetful or keep dropping the ball. A BuJo can help you keep it all together so you can crack on and live your best life.  In short, bullet journals are great for getting organized, boosting your productivity, and enhancing your performance. It helps you create work-life harmony too because when you plan for everything you can fit in everything.  There’s another angle too.  One of the things bullet journalers love most is the blank page - because it can become a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g. You’re not restricted by a particular layout or structure. Instead, you can create your own spreads to suit your particular lifestyle and goals. This creative aspect gives you freedom for doodling, hand lettering, stencils, stickers, and all sorts.  So unleash yourself onto the page and create something unique that works for you.  How to start a bullet journal - the essential spreads Your bullet journal can track anything - the only limit is your imagination. I’ll share some ideas to inspire you a little later, but first let’s explore how to start a bullet journal by discussing the essentials.  1. Your MONTHLY spreads 2. Your WEEKLY spreads 3. Your DAILY spreads If you’re using your bullet journal to get organized and increase your productivity, then you’ll want to plan your time at these three levels. MONTHLY SPREADS  @planningroutine   @mabujork   @bahcampos   @oikawastudies   Use your monthly spread to create a big picture of your month. In this spread, you can capture:  ● Appointments and meetings● Deadlines● Social or family commitments ● Key dates (such as birthdays or anniversaries) ● Courses, vacations, and days out Put everything in one place to create an easy reference point. It’s a simple way to ensure you never double book yourself, take on too much, or forget to be in the right place at the right time.  Whenever a new commitment or request crops up, simply add it to your monthly spread - remembering to juggle things around if you need to.  Even better, have a few months on the go so you can plan further ahead. WEEKLY SPREADS © habitsbuzz.com   © thepetiteplanner.com   Next up are your weekly spreads. This is where you’ll create a big picture overview of your week.  It’s a cliche, but time is precious. There will be a lot of things you want to do, but maybe struggle to find the time. It’s not as if you’re sitting around twiddling your thumbs either! Instead, you’re always busy - juggling work, running around after your kids, and taking care of stuff in the home as well as trying to make more quality time just for you.  Your weekly pages can help you make the most of your minutes - so you can get more done in less time. You have plenty of options for layouts. You can go super simple where you just create space for the days of the week. Or you can create an organizer planner where you include features such as: ● Days of the week● A list of priorities● A to-do list● A habit tracker ● A meal planner● Health, wellness, and movement● Self-care commitments  An organizer/planner works because it helps shape your thinking too. Instead of just lumping tasks to different days, you get to figure out your priorities and ensure you’re always working on the right stuff. DAILY SPREADS Now we come to my favorite part of how to start a bullet journal.  Before I started planning my day with a journal, I used a to-do list. It seemed to work. I enjoyed checking off completed tasks and I felt more organized knowing everything was written down. My problem was staying on top of that to-do list! Even when I was working full out, I’d still finish the day with too many tasks unfinished and untouched.  It didn’t feel good. I hated feeling behind and I found myself sacrificing more and more of my free time in an attempt to keep on top of it all.  Turns out it wasn’t my workload that was the problem. It was the way I was managing it.  Time is like money in the sense that you need to spend it within a budget. Instead of giving tasks an open ended time window, force yourself to get stricter with how long you expect each task to take. It’s the same with the tasks you do take on. Are you always working on the top priority task, or are you filling your day with stuff that keeps you busy but doesn’t make you productive?  My daily spread helps me set up my day for a win.  I still have a to-do list on the go, but I now schedule tasks in the same way I schedule meetings. That way I don’t knowingly overrun and I don’t set myself up to fail.  I also use my daily spreads to keep my goals top of mind and to figure out my priorities. It’s a powerful strategy that ensures you get all the important stuff done - without feeling overwhelmed or burned out.  Here are some suggestions for your daily spreads: © forevergoodlife ● A daily timeline split into 30-minute sections - so you can get granular with your planning● Free space - to write out your to-dos● Note space - for jotting random ideas and reminders as they crop up ● Today’s targets - for getting clear on your priorities● Space for errands● Space for a daily gratitude practice● Room to record your wins and successes Don’t forget your index Before long, your bullet journal is going to start to fill up. Your index will help you find everything quickly and easily. Simply number your pages as you go and make a note of what’s on each of them in your index. And to cut down on writing, consider using a key as well.  From color-coding, to stickers, to hand drawn symbols, a key makes it easy to mark things in and join up the dots.  How to start a bullet journal - creative spreads With the basic spreads covered, you can then allow your creativity to roam free.  You can turn those blank pages into ANYTHING that you want to track. Here are some examples to inspire you:  ● Books to read● Gratitude● Goals ● Shopping lists● Habit tracker● Bucket list● Braindump ● Savings tracker● Review of the month/week/year● Travel plans● Meal planning● Mood tracker ● Future log How to start a bullet journal routine  We’ve looked at how to start a bullet journal, but how do you make this powerful practice a part of your life?  The more you put into your bullet journal the more you’re going to get out of it. It’s true; bullet journaling is a flexible system that you can dip into whenever you like and whenever inspiration strikes.  But when it comes to your productivity and performance, you’ll get the best results if you BuJo daily.  This is where your routine comes in.  We recommend you plan your weekly spreads on a Sunday - as this will give you an edge for the week. Rather than wasting time on a Monday morning, you can hit the ground running.  If you can, plan your daily spreads the previous evening as this will give your subconscious mind time to process everything you’ve got coming up (ever noticed how you wake up with a solution to a problem you went to bed with?)  And for your creative spreads, you can dive in as and when you like - or whenever you get inspired to try something new. The key is to find a system that works for you.  Play with it, explore it, and above all enjoy it! Get inspired by what other bullet journalers are doing too, but don’t allow yourself to get side-tracked or disheartened by all the beautiful spreads that you see.  If your practice helps enhance your life then that’s the right system for you.  Bullet journaling can be a game-changer. It’s a way to save your sanity, enhance your productivity, and boost your performance.  And now we’ve solved the problem of how to start a bullet journal in this article, you can get cracking. I promise you won’t regret your new habit for a second.

By Georgina El Morshdy According to science, only 8% of people achieve their goals. This statistic begs the question, how do you increase the odds in your favor?  These ten simple checks go a long way.  1. Is your goal S.M.A.R.T?  There’s a difference between a goal and an aspiration. In the words of Napoleon Hill, “A goal is a dream with a deadline”. S.M.A.R.T goals take this definition further…  S stands for Specific. When you get specific with your goal, you remove any ambiguity because you know exactly what success looks like. M stands for Measurable. If you can’t measure your goal, then how will you know whether or not you’ve achieved it? A stands for Attainable. Strike a balance between challenging and attainable, and you’re more likely to win. R stands for Relevant. Does your goal link into your vision for life?  T stands for time-bound. Without a deadline, you’re more likely to procrastinate, squander time, and keep putting off the actions you need to take. 2. Do you have a big enough WHY?  You can do virtually anything, but you can’t do everything. We live in a world of possibilities, and our job as humans is to explore our unique corners of potentiality.  Goals are supposed to be challenging. It’s how they inspire us to grow and develop new skills. It’s also the reason that goals put us on a collision course with our fears.  Can I do this?  What if they think I’m stupid?  What if I make a mistake or get it wrong?  There will be times when you’ll want to throw in the towel. You will get knocked down and find yourself wondering if you’ll ever get up again.  When your WHY is big enough, you can overcome anything. When the desire to cross the finish line burns in your heart, you’ll find a way through any roadblock.  That’s the power of your WHY.  3. Have you made the time?  If you choose to adopt the belief that there’s enough time for everything that matters, you will find space to fulfil your goal.  It’s so easy to fall back on the excuse that there’s not enough time.  But if you were to do an inventory of your life, you’ll surely find pockets that you can leverage for a bigger purpose than social scrolling and Netflix binging!  What gets planned gets done!  That’s the true power of your planner [we recommend the Self Journal!] When you can see that dedicated space exists in your day to work on your goal, suddenly the time excuse goes out the window!  4. Have you identified your habits? A goal always creates a gap in front of you.  And that gap can be intimidating! It can also become a factor that keeps you from your goal - especially if you allow the magnitude of what you have to achieve to get under your skin.  Did you know there’s another way to accomplish big goals that’s far less intimidating and a lot easier?  You simply focus on the step in front of you; taking one step at a time and one day at a time.  That’s the power of your habits.  Do a little every day, and you’ll achieve far more a lot quicker. For example, it’s easier to make one sales call a day over a month than try to cram 30 into an afternoon.  Plus, habits eventually sink into autopilot, meaning they require less and less energy to get them done.  Your daily habits are your shortcut to goal success. Be sure to leverage them to your fullest advantage.  5. Are you accountable to anyone?  It’s easy to make big declarations about what you’re going to do. But in the excitement of the goal setting moment, we can feel unstoppable.  Then reality kicks in… and our fears, doubts, and insecurities can get the better of us!  Enlisting the help of an accountability coach or buddy can pay dividends. When you know you have to report your progress to someone else, you have a stronger incentive to take action and get stuff done.  There’s something about the power of saving face that spurs you into an implementation mode. In turn, more goals are achieved.  6. Can you see yourself achieving your goal?  Henry Ford famously said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't -- you're right.” In other words, if you can perceive something in your mind, chances are you can create that in reality too.  It’s why top athletes and performers practice the art of visualisation. It turns out your brain can’t always tell the difference between a real experience and an imagined one.  Both create a reference of success in your brain and you’ll unleash the motivation and self-belief to go after your goals and dreams.  Try creating a vision board.  Or simply allow your imagination to take you to a point in time when the dream you’re working on is in your hands.  Notice how it feels - and allow that feeling to drive you forwards.  7. How’s your self-belief?  One of the most common stumbling blocks that people face when moving towards their goals is their self-belief.  Check-in with yourself.  Do you believe you can do this - or is the voice of self-doubt stronger?   Your belief creates the lens through which you look at the world and tackle your goals. If you expect failure or disappointment, you’ll subconsciously take the actions that create this experience.  In comparison, if you know the goal is as good as done, you’ll show up with a fierce determination that sparks a little bit of magic.  Then before you know it, the ‘impossible’ becomes your reality.  8. Can you be grateful for the journey to your goal?  When moving towards our goals, we’re called to dance between excitement for what’s to come and appreciation of the present moment.  You’re invited to think bigger and achieve more while enjoying today.  It’s tempting to get lost in the future - telling yourself that life will be amazing when your goal is finally achieved! But if you put all your time and energy onto that future point in time, you’ll miss out on the magic that’s happening now.  This quote from Zig Ziglar sums this dance up for me. He said, “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” In other words, it’s not just the goal itself that matters. It’s the skills you develop, the courage you cultivate, the experiences you have, and the way the goal changes YOU.  So while you walk towards your goal, make space for a daily gratitude practice. Heighten your awareness of the magic that’s in your life TODAY - and allow that positive, abundant feeling to fuel your actions and switch on joy.  9. Have you set milestones?  The finish line may be a long way off, but that doesn’t mean you have to wait for the point of completion to celebrate!  Milestones are a great way to break up the journey. They give you a reason to celebrate your progress and provide a point to check in and ensure you’re headed in the right direction.  Not sure what milestones look like; here’s an example to help.  Imagine you want to climb Mount Everest. The summit would be your goal, and the various camps would be the milestones.  Remember, every time you hit a point where you’re able to acknowledge your progress is a chance to give yourself a shot of dopamine.  It’s powerful!  10. Is your goal achievable within 13 weeks?  Finally, consider how long you’re giving yourself to achieve your goal.  We recommend 13 weeks as the goal-setting sweet spot because this timespan is long enough to achieve something significant and short enough to fend off procrastination.  13 weeks creates the perfect blend of urgency and spaciousness for action.  Give yourself too long, and you’ll push things off.  Give yourself too little, and you’ll panic!  Give yourself the right amount of time, and you’ll be amazed how far and fast you’re able to move.  And if your goal doesn’t feel as though it can be achieved in 13 weeks, simply extract a piece that can and focus on that part first.  Meet the Self Journal  The Self Journal is a comprehensive planning and productivity tool designed to help you achieve a meaningful goal in 13 weeks.  Use it to manage your time, project manage your goal, and take inspired daily steps towards the things you desire.  Used by 1,000s and rated five stars, this tool is tired, tested, and proven by people just like you.     GET A SELF-JOURNAL

By Georgina El Morshdy It’s inevitable. Your biggest goals and dreams will push you out of your comfort zone. When you want something you’ve never had, you’ve got to do something you’ve never done - and that can be scary.  It’s as Jack Canfield says, “everything you want is on the other side of fear.”  With that quote in mind, it follows that your relationship with fear will influence your experience in life. Specifically, the more you’re able to navigate the unknown and the uncertain, the more life you’ll be able to handle.  That’s why your best self can thrive when you learn to transform fear into focus. When you learn to navigate the discomfort that lies in the uncertain, you’ll become stronger and braver.  But what’s the best way to do that?  Keep reading because we’ve got you covered with THREE powerful strategies that inspire you to leverage fear as a tool for personal growth. Each of these strategies will empower you to move through your fears, so you don’t get stopped. In turn, you’ll create the skills and strength needed to achieve more of what you want to have, be, and do.  Let’s dive in... 1. Take action despite your fear Circa 2009, I decided to do a tandem parachute jump for charity. It’s something I always said I wanted to do but wasn’t sure if I’d have the guts to go through with it! But after visiting a children’s hospice with a group of students, I felt compelled to raise some money for the cause. The parachute jump was on.  It may have been over a decade ago, but I can still remember how I felt as the plane took off and climbed to the necessary height.  I was strangely calm and terrified all at the same time! I distracted myself with the view and simultaneously felt sick at the thought of plummeting to the earth at the speed of terminal velocity!  When the time came, I obediently followed the instructions to move to the side of the plane. I gingerly dangled my feet over the edge into the abyss and resigned myself to the inevitable.  Then we fell… and I was in ecstasy!  The feeling of freefall was like nothing I can describe. The experience was electric and exhilarating. Insane amounts of joy filled my body, which made me feel alive and fully present.  It’s a memory I’ll treasure forever and an experience that makes me proud - even to this day.  The lesson in this story is there are times when you just have to go for it. I could easily have talked myself out of that jump. I didn’t have to do it, but I’m so glad that I did.  There will always be a reason to stop when you reach the edge of your comfort zone. Your logical, analytical brain that’s desperate to keep you safe will always find a reason why you shouldn’t take action.  Sure, there are times when those fears are valid.  But there are other times when you need to override the reservations and do it anyway.  Chances are, the joy you’ll feel on the other side will be more than worth it. What’s more, the second you do something you didn’t think you could do, is the second you transform who you believe yourself to be.  Best of all, when you conquer one fear door, a whole new level of life opens up for you.  So go for it!  2. Visualize yourself doing the fearful thing One of the most powerful tools you have access to as a human is your imagination. You have the power to see any eventuality inside your mind… and you can use this power to your advantage.  Research has found that your brain struggles to differentiate between reality and imagination.  In other words, something you’ve visualized and something you’ve done feels the same to your brain.  This is one of the reasons why athletes see themselves winning and performers see themselves crushing the stage.  Here’s why this practice works… New things feel scary because you’ve never done them before. As a result, you have more worries than reference points of success. Fear will always show up when we’re not certain we can do something. It’s a safety and protective mechanism. We’re reluctant to fail because that triggers fears of rejection and criticism. We don’t want to get hurt either.  But the second you know you can do it, your worries dissolve away.  You don’t have to wait to have a real-life experience to take the edge off your fears.  You can create the illusion of experience through the power of visualization. Try it and see for yourself the impact it has on your life.  3. Journal to understand and transform your fears Inside your journal, you can have a no-holds-barred conversation with yourself where you can reveal all your fears and frustrations.  You can rant.  Sound off.  Throw a tantrum if you like!  You can get ALL the worry, confusion, fogginess, and frustration out of your head, which kick-starts a transformation.  Here’s how journaling can help:  • Take the edge off your fear. With your fearful thoughts revealed on the page, the fear doesn’t feel so heavy or intense.  • Shift your perspective. Empty your fears onto the page and you might find that the situation isn’t as overwhelming as you thought initially. • Acknowledge the fear instead of denying it - which empowers you to do something proactive to change the situation. • Create space for new thoughts and ideas to flow in. • Open the door to a new flurry of questions - ones that take your thinking and idea-generation down the path of empowerment.  In other words, you can use your journal to transform fear into focus.  Journaling can also help you to move the energy associated with those fears. When you write how you feel, you can start to process your emotions - even release them. It’s why journaling can inspire you to cry, release anger and frustration, and free up space.  The power of journaling is that it offers a safe space for raw self-expression. The only person who can judge you in your journal is you! If you can give yourself the love and compassion to feel what is, those feelings will soon dissipate.  And anyway, you can always dispose of the ‘offending’ journal entry if you choose!  [Listen to this podcast for more tips about transforming fear into focus using your journal.] “One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.” — Henry Ford Humans have unlimited potential.  Just look around and you’ll find countless examples of people who’ve overcome the odds to achieve incredible feats.  If you can conjure something into your imagination, then you can also do that thing. The only barrier in your way is your relationship with fear.  But expand your capacity to hold fear, and your life will open up in the most empowering of ways. So try these strategies on for size. Make it your mission to expand your comfort zone consistently. It’s one of the most potent ways you can thrive and create a life you love. You’ve got this. 

By Georgina El Morshdy Have you thought about starting a journaling habit? If so, you’re in good company. Here’s what the legendary Jim Rohn had to say about this proactive... “If you’re serious about becoming a wealthy, powerful, sophisticated, healthy, influential, cultured, and unique individual, keep a journal.”  And he wasn’t the only high-performer to journal regularly. Everyone from Steve Jobs to Oprah Winfrey to Benjamin Franklin had journals in their life.  For a good reason!  Journaling offers many, MANY benefits.  Everything from creating more clarity, processing challenging emotions, and helping you get clear on your next steps [to name just a few].  Those blank pages plus your thoughts, reflections, and experiences can unlock your genius within - and help you write your way to your best self.  How can you ensure you get maximum value from journaling?  The simplest way is to make journaling a habit.  When journaling becomes a part of your identity, you don’t have to convince yourself to pull open your notebook because you’ll do it instinctively [in the same way that you never go to bed without cleaning your teeth]. The day doesn’t feel complete until you’ve completed your journaling practice.  And if you’re wondering how you get to that point, keep reading, and discover five simple steps.  1. Commit to it! This first step is so simple, yet so profound. You have to commit to the practice and, more importantly, to yourself.  Don’t dip a toe in the water. Instead, dive all-in. Don’t TRY to make journaling a habit [have you ever tried to pick up a chair? You can try, you can only do].  Instead, choose to see yourself as a journaler from this point forward.  No excuses and no exceptions!  The remaining four tips will make this commitment easier.  2. Know your WHY behind it. It’s easier to commit to a new habit when you know your WHY. We’re creatures of habit! We like what we know because it feels safe, certain, and comfortable. Any attempt to step out of what you know creates a degree of stress. That’s why we resist - even when we KNOW that a new choice is better for us.  So don’t underestimate the amount of effort it takes to get yourself moving! It takes a lot to overcome inertia.  But there is a strategy you can use to move through any resistance you feel - and that’s your WHY.  If journaling is simply a means to an end - something you feel you should do because others say it’s a good idea,  it’s going to be tough to stay committed because life happens and other priorities will show up. But unlock your WHY, and you’ll have access to a motivating force that calls you to step up and show up - even when you don’t feel like it.   When you know your WHY, your journaling becomes more purposeful and meaningful. When you connect to your own reasons for wanting to commit to this practice, it’s easier to remind yourself why you’re doing this work.  So figure out your WHY.  You can do this by asking yourself the question WHY!  But don’t stop at your first answer. Instead, aim to go at least three layers deep. When you do, you’ll tap into something more authentic - and therefore, a much stronger motivator for you.  3. Stack it. One of the easiest ways to commit to a new habit is to stack it on top of an already established habit. That way, your existing routine becomes the trigger then reminds you to do your journaling habit.  For example, you may decide to journal as part of your morning routine. Specifically, you may choose to journal WHILE drinking your morning coffee [or, in my case, my morning cup of tea]. Alternatively, you may decide to journal after you’ve taken your daily power walk.  Habit stacking works because existing habits are already hardwired. Neurologically, it’s easier to attach a new habit to an existing path of neurons rather than trying to start one from scratch.  Looking at your existing habits, when does journaling fit in best?  When you know, tip four is going to help you stick even further. 4. Schedule it. How often do you miss an appointment?  I’m willing to bet that the answer is ‘rarely’ - because once the date is set, you schedule the appointment into your life.  And what gets planned gets done.  This principle applies to your journaling habit too.  Simply pick a time that you’ll journal each day and diarise it. That way, you’ll know that you have the time to put pen to paper - and you’re more likely to get to writing :-)  5. Track it. Finally, I recommend using a Habit Tracker because it’s such an effective tool for establishing a new habit.  It’s super easy too.  All you need to do is put a big check each day you complete your habit and watch your winning streak grow. Before you know it, that chain of wins will become so long, it feels more painful to break the chain than to keep going! What’s more, each check gives you a little motivational boost because you’ve acknowledged a win. That dopamine hit can motivate you to keep going - regardless.  Five simple steps to one powerful good habit Quick recap. If you want to extract the maximum benefits from journaling, choose to make it a habit - with the help of these FIVE tips:  COMMIT to it Know your WHY behind it STACK it  SCHEDULE it TRACK it Remember, this process will work for any habit you want to embed into your life.  So if you want ideas for which habits to try, check out this list of 101 ideas.  And if you want more journaling tips, techniques, and prompts, check out the Writing Your Best Self podcast.

“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” - A. A. Milne It’s not uncommon for to-dos and commitments to feel overwhelming. When your life is moving faster than you can keep up, a sense of unease can weave its way through your body - and that doesn’t feel good!  In turn, stress starts to bubble up as you begin to worry about when you’ll get everything done - and who you should aim to please first.  But here’s some good news… We often think lack of time is the core problem. It’s not! It’s not the amount of time you have that matters. It’s what you’re able to accomplish in the time that you do have.  This is where organization counts.  If you’re always reacting, you’ll find yourself on the back foot - and that’s frustrating because you’ll feel like you’re always playing catch up.  But take back control of your life by organizing what you can, and you’ll free up bandwidth, time, and energy. In turn, you’ll feel more spaciousness, freedom, and peace of mind.  Best of all, organization doesn’t need to feel rigid and routine. Find the tactics that work for you, and you might actually create the space you’ve been craving.  Here are FIVE tips to try.  Get it out of your head!  You’ll be surprised how much bandwidth and energy you eat up through overthinking.  When a laundry list of things you have to do [and people you have to please] is constantly swirling around your head, the intensity starts to rise. In turn, it’s harder to think straight or focus which means your productivity plummets even further.  One of the best things you can do for yourself is to get everything out of your head and onto paper.  • Make a to-do list. • Jot down things you have to remember and do in your journal or notebook.  • Capture dates on your calendar • List out your errands With words on paper, your brain no longer needs to hold all that information - because it can trust you won’t forget. Best of all, you get the pleasure of a dopamine hit every time you check something off! [Don’t underestimate the power of this.] With the help of pen and paper, you get to reclaim headspace, focus, and energy and redirect all those resources onto tasks and activities that really do move the needle.  Not only will your brain [and your life] feel more organized, but you’ll find the overwhelm will dissolve a little too.  Leverage your schedule Your schedule provides an invaluable insight into your life. Chances are the things on your schedule get done. With that in mind, are you using your calendar/planner to its full potential?  Whether you use a Self Journal, a Self Planner, or a calendar, these tools are incredible for organizing your time and your life.  Instead of leaving things to chance, make space for them - not just meetings, but date night, playtime with your kids, phone calls to the people you want to feel close with. Schedule in time to make your meals, go to the gym, or do the exercise class. Make time for your to-dos AND make time for the fun activities, which light you up.  The more diligent you are with the way you allocate your time, the more organized you’ll feel [and the less stress will show up.] Prioritize your tasks There are so many things you could do.  But not every task is created equally. Some tasks act like levers to trigger a big impact. Other tasks are more inconsequential and while it might feel good to check them off, they don’t make a big difference to your life.  When organizing your tasks and your schedule, take a moment to assess your priorities too.  Focus on the rocks.  Then prioritize your workload using a tool such as the Weekly Action Pad or the Eisenhower Matrix.  The Eisenhower Matrix is a powerful time management framework that can help you categorize tasks and make your workload more manageable. You can grab the PDF download here. Organize your goals As humans, we have an inherent desire to continually get better. It’s one of the reasons we always have a desire for more. It’s not that we’re not satisfied. Instead, it’s your growth needs calling! You don’t arrive at your final destination when you break through that glass ceiling! Instead, a whole new plain of possibility opens up for you.  This is why who you become as a result of going after your goals is just as important as the goal itself.  The journey along the way shapes who you are - because goals force you to get out of your comfort zone, face your fears, and step into a bigger and bigger version of your best self.  This is the real power of goal setting… When you set goals, you create a context of what’s important and where you want to go. Through the process of developing a goal, you decide what’s important - and what’s less so. In this way, goals become a compass that helps you figure out which tasks to do - and which to drop.  So don’t leave your goals to chance.  Instead, figure out the action steps you need to see through to move the needle in the right direction. Set yourself a deadline too because it will create the urgency to move.  And remember, it’s not the giant leaps alone that make the difference.  The momentum you create through your daily habits is equally powerful because consistent actions ignite the compound effect - which leads to exponential growth. For more tips about organizing and setting goals, watch this training video. Organize your thoughts and ideas Are you the type of person who has a million and one ideas?  Our ability to think, innovate, create, and problem solve is one of the joys of being human. Ideas really can change your world. It’s as Jim Rohn said, “Sometimes all you need to open the door is just one more good idea.” The problem is a lot of our good ideas and insights get lost in the flurry of life. Ideas and insights are often fleeting… there one second and gone the next as a new thought loop kicks in. This is where notebooks become insanely valuable.  You can use them to capture your ideas as they show up - and then write through the chain of thought to see where an idea has the potential to lead.  Discover 20 ways to use notebooks to boost your productivity, creativity, and performance. Journaling is a process and practice that’s equally valuable. Daily journaling can help you organize your thoughts, strengthen your mindset, and help you understand the way your life is unfolding. As Socrates said, “An unexamined life is not worth living.”  For more journaling tips to boost your effectiveness, check out this podcast.  It’s great to be spontaneous and go with the flow. There’s freedom in feeling you can do what you want, when you want.  The challenge is to balance that desire while being productive and effective.  Fortunately, organization will help you get your ducks in a row - so you’re able to do more in less time… giving you the spaciousness inside which your best self can flourish.  You’ve got this!

Can you believe it?!  The year is almost at a close - and what a year it has been! December is traditionally the month for reflective mode and thinking about our next-step plans.  So how can you end the year on a high and empower yourself to move into the new year with clarity, focus, and motivation?  This article contains a 6-step formula that will help you reflect on this year and then plan the next in a way that your best self can thrive.  Let’s dive in!  Step 1. Reflect Before you start thinking about your next-step goals, take some quality time to reflect on the year that’s about to close. Reflection is a powerful way to prep for effective planning because it allows you to see your year through the lens of hindsight.  Hindsight is 20/20 vision. When you look back knowing what you know now, it’s so much easier to see why certain things didn’t work out as expected! Hindsight allows you to extract the lessons, and learnings life gives you through experience. In turn, your next steps become more powerful and confident.  What’s your last year's reflection?  Here are some questions to think over.  1. What were the highlights of your year and why? 2. What didn’t go as planned, and what did you learn from these experiences? 3. What brought you joy? 4. What created frustration and discomfort? 5. What would you like to leave in the past year - and what would you like to take forward into the new year?  Step 2. Own who you’ve become?  We live in an age of instant gratification fuelled by dopamine hits! We want everything NOW - including our biggest goals! But that’s not how life works. Life isn’t about getting to a particular destination as fast as we possibly can. Instead, it’s about the constant evolution and learning to smell the roses along the way. In the words of Zig Ziglar, “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” Even if you had to let go of big goals and dreams, making them no longer possible, humans are adaptable. We have a beautiful ability to pivot and shift our focus and figure things out with what we’ve got. So while the past year may not have been the year you imagined, it gave you something.  So take some time to figure it out.  Grab your journal and reflect on the person you’ve become BECAUSE of your experiences.  Look back to the beginning of the year and get clear on the gap you did close.  Step 3. What now? Given who you are and what you’ve achieved, what do you want to do next?  If you could wave a magic wand, what would you love to create in the year ahead to build a life that nurtures and expresses your best self? Remember, it’s not about the big goals you achieve, but the happiness you create for yourself as a result of the things you choose to commit to.  It’s always a good idea to start with a brainstorm of possibilities. You can use the life categories in the BestSelf Benchmark to help organize your thoughts:  1. Health2. Finances3. Work / Career4. Relationships5. Personal growth6. Mindfulness Ask yourself, what would you like to achieve in each of these areas? Don’t censor your thoughts at this stage; just write everything done.   It’s also fun to write out your bucket list. You’re more likely to achieve the desires you write down because they’re no longer just a concept in your mind. Step 4. Prioritize It’s often a mistake to try and tackle everything at once. You’ll just get overwhelmed, which will steal your motivation leaving you feeling frustrated and disappointed that you didn’t move the needle further.  If you can’t do everything, you have to take some time to figure out which goals are the biggest priority for you NOW. Focus is key. Each day, we have a finite amount of time and energy. It’s essential to use these resources optimally, to make the biggest impact.  Or we risk getting stuck and feeling stagnated.  The 80/20 rule is a useful framework for prioritization because this mindset will help you to identify the goals with the highest leverage.  You’ll also need to figure out the order in which you’ll tackle your goals. When you look down your list, you’ll see that some of your desires lie further back along the line of dominos.  What dominos do you need to topple first to knock down the later goals?  Step 5. Think in 90-day chunks One of the most powerful things you can do for your goals is to set yourself 90-day targets. Ninety days is the goal-setting sweet spot because it’s long enough to achieve something significant, but short enough to keep the deadline close enough to fend off procrastination.  One of the reasons we struggle to achieve one-year or five-year goals is because the deadline is so far in the future. Humans have a tendency to push off things for later! If you have a year to hit your target, it’s easy to convince yourself that you’ll do it tomorrow.  Then before you know it, tomorrow becomes never - and the needle didn’t move!  In comparison, give yourself three months and there’s urgency.  It’s how 90-day goals can help you achieve more in a quarter than other people achieve in a year.If you’re ready to set [and achieve] some 90 days goals, the Self Journal is the perfect accountability tool to help you. Inside, you’ll find goal-setting templates, weekly planning and reflection tools, as well as a powerful daily layout designed to help you win the day and leverage your time and energy. Step 6. Take action!  The difference between a dream and reality is the action you take. Nothing changes until you put committed feet forward.  But don’t worry!  You don’t have to take massive uncomfortable leaps to move the needle on your life. Compounded baby steps combine to create an incredible impact.  The secret is to start.  Then commit.  The secret is to keep moving forward - no matter what - knowing that you do have what it takes to navigate life’s challenges and figure out the inevitable roadblocks that will show up along the way.  And remember, you don’t have to do this alone. Instead, find the people who will get in your corner and cheer for you. Accountability is a powerful motivator that will inspire you to go further and faster than you could ever go by yourself.  Most importantly, know that you’ve got this.  Look at everything you’ve accomplished to get to this exact point in time.  Just imagine where you could go next.

Join Georgina El Morshdy, BestSelf Co.'s head writer and host of "Writing Your Best Self" podcast, and Lamia Pardo, founder and CEO of Journify - an audio journaling app, for this FREE journaling masterclass focusing on cultivating creativity, clarity and confidence.

“Journaling is like whispering to one’s self and listening at the same time.” — Mina Murray, DraculaSome of the world’s top-performers swear by the practice of journaling - and for good reason. This powerful practice goes far beyond recording the events of your day for prosperity. Instead, journaling is a practice that will help you become your best self. Keep reading to discover SIX reasons why... Reason #1 - Free up creative bandwidth Jim Rohn says “Ideas can be life-changing. Sometimes all you need to open the door is just one more good idea.” Here’s an interesting fact… the average person has between 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts a day. That’s up to 50 thoughts a minute [yup, I can’t quite fathom that either!] Here’s the thing… A lot of those thoughts are repetitive or low-level. You become what you think, so if you’re constantly repeating the same thoughts, you’ll keep recreating the same reality. Thinking ruts keep us stuck in the status quo, making it less likely that the mind will wander down a tangent that delivers a door-opening idea. Here’s where journaling can help - HUGELY. You can use your journal to close up some of those repetitive thought loops. In turn, you free up bandwidth and create some new space to think. As a result, you’re more likely to discover something new. Reason #2 - Boost your emotional intelligence In a nutshell, emotional intelligence is your ability to recognize, understand, and manage your emotions. As you can imagine, emotional intelligence is a pretty crucial skill if you want to be your best self. Your emotions are messengers. They give you an insight into how you’re feeling that goes beyond what your logical mind wants you to know. Emotions can give you insight into specific experiences, people, and situations. They can help you understand your triggers too. The better you can navigate, process, and express your emotions, the more powerfully you can show up for yourself and for other people. Of course, journaling can help you here too - because you can use your journaling practice to work through how you feel. With the help of your journal you can write about and process your emotions. Helping you to feel more connected with yourself and with others. Reason #3 - Better know yourself Your journal is a brilliant place to get to know who you really are. Think about it… Unless you’ve lived a very intentional life [where you’re conscious about why you have the beliefs you have or why you make the decisions that you do], then a big chunk of how you show up is determined by your hard-wired beliefs and habits. It’s not unusual for these instinctive patterns to have been shaped by influences outside of your choice - for example: • Meeting the expectations of your parents or teachers as a child • Showing up in a way that got you accepted by your peers • Behaving in a way that earned you brownie points with your boss, teammates, or clients A lot of these habits WILL serve you - but some won’t.  Your journal is the perfect place to differentiate between the two. Through the process of introspection, contemplation, and self-discovery, you can distinguish between the authentic YOU - and the parts of you that are serving others more than they serve you. In turn, your journal becomes a powerful catalyst for rapid self-growth. Reason #4 - Set and achieve the right goals Are you setting goals that you REALLY want - or goals that you think you should want? It’s a crazy fact that only 8% of people achieve the goals they set. There are lots of reasons why people fall short of where they say they want to be - and one of those is because their goal didn’t excite them enough in the first place! There’s a profound difference between motivation and inspiration. Motivation is often an outside thing whereas inspiration comes from within. Ideally, your goals should light a fire inside of you. You should feel inherently driven to do what’s required to make them work.  You can use your journal to figure this piece out by writing to get clarity on what you really want… And more importantly, WHY you want it. With a clear direction mapped out, you can put your Reticular Activating System to work - and increase your chances of success significantly. Reason #5 - Learn from your life “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” This quote is widely attributed to Einstein - [it’s such a good quote that we’ll overlook the fact that he may not have said this at all!] Have you noticed how life has a funny way of repeating itself? The situation may be different, but the context is often similar… I think this is life’s way of helping you learn something specific - meaning familiar experiences will continue to show up, until you ‘get’ the lesson! Once again, your journal is a powerful place to put reflection to work. With the help of your journal, you can look back over an event, a day, a week, a season etc. to pull out the life lessons. It’s more powerful to write out your reflection than it is to just think because writing allows you to pull on all the threads of thinking - and see where they go. When you write, you can join up the dots and make the connections that would otherwise be invisible. And as you reflect, you learn - and make it more likely that you won’t repeat mistakes - which in turn allows you to grow more quickly. Reason #6 - Feel more centered Life is pretty crazy at the moment.  All this chaos, uncertainty, and confusion means the road ahead might not be as clear as you once thought. In turn, stress and anxiety can increase - creating emotional reactions and mental fog that make it harder to make decisions and think straight. Your journal can help you work through these fears - so you can feel more grounded. There’s something about writing out your worries and concerns - in detail - that can take the edge off the emotional energy of it all. Instead of thoughts whirring round and round in your head, you can create closure and clarity - therefore increasing your feelings of empowerment. Journaling inspires you to get focused - and that can calm your wandering, worrying mind and create some much-needed relief. Pretty cool, right?! Who’s have thought you could extract all of those mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits from capturing a few words on the blank page. Yup, journaling really is one of THE most profound practices that you can adopt - and best of all, it’s so simple to start. All you need is a pen, a notebook [I recommend the Scribe], and your wandering mind. So get to writing NOW. Loved this journaling article? If so, get weekly tips and insights when you subscribe to the Writing Your Best Self podcast. Packed with interviews, journaling strategies, and free journaling prompts, you can feel supported as you explore your inner world and unlock your best.

Getting a job for life in a stable industry used to be an empowering career goal, but in this world of rapid change and transformation, that is no longer the case. As new industries emerge and older ones go into decline, it’s a fact that most of us will change careers or shift direction at least once in our lives. Recent events have shown us that we can’t know what the future holds or what fresh opportunities exist ahead.  But that doesn’t mean you’re powerless to navigate the ever-evolving playing field.  Thanks to an abundance of books, courses, and content, we do have the ability to pivot. In this information age where knowledge is so readily accessible, we can learn just about anything! You can develop new skills, explore new interests, and choose to explore a new direction entirely.  That’s the power of self-education habits… they provide the key to virtually anything you want. It’s as Jim Rohn said, “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”  But how do you cultivate a lifestyle of self-education so you can be your best self and make the most of the opportunities that come your way?  Keep reading to discover SEVEN powerful self-education habits that can help you unlock your potential so you can create the life you want.  Read You’ve no doubt heard about the power of working with the right mentors. Well, books can be mentors too. What’s more, they’re a super affordable alternative to working directly with world-class thinkers and leaders - both dead and alive. That’s because books allow you to step into the shoes of the people you want to learn from - in virtually any field or discipline you can imagine.  Through the pages of a book, you can get a grasp of who someone is and how they think. In turn, books can transform what you know and how you think for a low-ticket pricetag. They can shift your perspective, open your mind to fresh ways of being, and inspire you to take action in a direction that you previously didn’t know existed.  Become a note-taker The human brain is notoriously bad at remembering things. More importantly, trying to remember stuff is not the best use of your brain’s talents. Your mind is a problem-solving, creative machine and the more headspace you free up for those activities, the more your best self can evolve.  Your brain has around 70,000 thoughts per day - a lot of them are low-level and repetitive. Writing things down into an ‘external brain’ like your notebook frees up the headspace you need to focus elsewhere.  This is one of the reasons why successful people take notes. They know that note-taking is a self-education habit that will help them become more creative and successful. Through the power of note-taking, you can crystalize what you’re thinking into a more tangible form. To paraphrase Jim Rohn, you’re only ever one idea away from completely changing your life. Why would you risk forgetting [or overlooking] the very idea that can unlock new doors?  Journal Your real value is not in what you do… it’s in WHO YOU ARE.  You are the creative canvas upon which your life unfolds. The more you can eliminate your fears, understand yourself, and work through the challenges that keep you from your best self, the more you can be.  Journaling is one of the best practices I know for unlocking the truth of who you are.  Through journaling, you can increase your self-awareness by getting introspective and reflective.  Through journaling, you can get clearer on the paths you want to walk and discern between the decisions that are right for you - and the ones that aren’t.  Discover how journaling can help you to write your best self in this podcast episode.  Ask better questions The quality of the questions you ask yourself [and others] will influence the quality of your life. Period.  Here’s why… Questions are like searchlights. When you ask a question, your mind is compelled to answer. What’s more, your brain looks for the answer in a single-minded way. It considers nothing else but the answer you want.  If you keep asking the same questions, you’ll keep getting the same results.  If you ask different questions, your life can open up in beautiful new ways,  Ready to put this concept into practice for yourself? If so, download the free Edison PDF. Use it to challenge your brain and see what fresh ideas your imagination can conjure up.   Find your favorite podcast How can you make the best use of your in-between times? For example, your commute to work, while prepping lunch, over the ironing, or when you're cleaning the kitchen?  As well as getting the task at hand done, you can invest in your self-education journey by listening to a podcast [or an audio book].  As a self-education habit, podcasts allow you to learn something new or be a fly on the wall in thought-provoking, game-changing conversations. You can take away fresh ideas or perspectives in an entertaining, easy to digest way.  There are podcasts for just about anything you can imagine. All you have to do is pick a subject that interests you, find a host you connect with, and get listening!  Here are a couple of places to start:  Journaling - The Writing Your Best Self Podcast Developing courage and confidence - The Courage Over Comfort Podcast Engage in deeper conversations There’s a Chinese proverb that says, "A single conversation across the table with a wise person is worth a month's study of books." It’s true! Amazing things can happen when you really talk.  As well as being fun, conversations strengthen your relationships, help you solve problems, inspire fresh ideas, enhance your self-awareness, and even get plans into action! In other words, investing in deeper talk is a simple way to enhance your life.  Deeper conversation as a self-education habit gives you access to the knowledge available when you explore a deeper life. A deeper life is a life lived below the superficial, surface layers. It’s a place of vulnerability, soul-deep enquiry, and a commitment to uncovering the wisdom and insight that helps you live your most meaningful life.  With the help of more in-depth conversations, you can move through small talk and get to learn more from the person in front of you. You get to ask the questions that piece to the core of a subject and in doing so, you can extract life-enhancing knowledge.      Adopt a growth mindset In the words of Henry Ford, “whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.”  What you believe about yourself and the world has a disproportionate impact on how you show up and create in the world. Remember how questions direct your brain to find a specific answer? If you ask yourself why you can’t do something [or why a goal is out of the question for you], you will find plenty of answers to keep you small.  In comparison, ask yourself why you CAN do something, and you’ll find answers to that question too.  It’s up to you which path you want to take through life, and adopting a growth mindset can be a powerful self-improvement habit. Someone with a growth mindset believes you can learn talents and skills. In comparison, someone with a fixed mindset believes you’re born with ability, and you can’t nurture anymore.  Recent thinking in neuroplasticity has found that the human brain is a lot more malleable than we previously thought.  Discover more about the difference between fixed and growth mindsets here.   Self-educate your way to your best self Abraham Maslow said, ‘You will either step forward into growth or you will step backward into safety.”  There’s so much out there to experience, explore, and discover. You have the opportunity to create your own self-education curriculum and take yourself in whatever direction your heart and curiosity calls you.  Your best self is a unique definition.  And with a commitment to self-education habits, you really can unleash your full potential and create the life you came here to live.