As parents, we’re used to juggling childcare and work around the school holidays. We pull in favors, send them to clubs, enlist the help of grandparents and somehow get by.  But with school closures happening all over the world, this is childcare on an entirely different level!  Let’s be honest, if you’ve chosen to educate your child in a school, you never expect to have to become their full-time teacher. Plus, you’re now trying to do this alongside your own job while supporting everyone emotionally through these unprecedented times.  Sometimes it feels as if we’re living in a movie!  But we will adapt and we will figure this thing out. For sure, there are big challenges and adjustments ahead, but we are problem-solvers. What’s more, we know there is a silver lining in all of this [even if we can’t see it yet]. You never know, this forced homestay could create something beautiful for your children and your family as a whole.  So keep reading, and discover some ideas and resources to help you create more structure and focus. Any certainty you can introduce right now will make everyone feel that little bit better.  1. Planning is EVERYTHING If there’s one thing that’s great about this current situation, is you now have full control of your time.  No school run, no commute to work, no clubs or activities to rush to. In many ways, everyday life [from an I need to be here, there, and everywhere perspective] suddenly got a whole lot simpler. This current situation has given you a blank canvas.  You get to choose how you organize your time to complete your work, educate your children, focus on your own interests, and elevate family life.  There’s no need to stick to your old timetable. You can shake things up, experiment, and figure out what works best for you. For example, you may find you’re able to do more work during the first hour of your day than you normally churned out during a half-day at the office because you have no distractions.  You may find your children focus better and are able to grasp topics easier.  You may find you have a lot more time for each other. Who knows!  So step one of this new experience is to plan your time.  Here’s a scheduling tool that can help you.  Put everything on your planner - work, school time, meals, exercise, talk time etc. Create a new structure and start building this new life in the way you want it to be.  2. Create work-life harmony There’s never been a better time to figure out your work-life harmony. With so much of our everyday lives stripped away, now is the perfect opportunity to figure out what you really want for yourself and your kids. For example:  • What are the at-home activities you’ve been putting off that you’d like to do? • What new skills could you learn through an online course? • What project could you start or finish? • What could you take up as a family?  Maybe you can start having meals together. You could schedule a time for family games. This is a great time to get really creative and create the family life you’ve always dreamed about.  Resources: • Discover 19 handy tips that will help you create work-light harmony. • This is a great time to think about new goals. Give yourself a head start with the help of these Goal Setting Templates. 3. Encourage your children to take ownership of their time Children are used to having structure and a timetable supplied by their school. Now they have an opportunity to create their own daily routine. This can become a huge opportunity to teach your children an important life skill - how to take control of their own time. For example, you can invite your children to:  • Figure out when they are most focused - and encourage them to timetable school work then • Agree to screen limit and allow them to choose when they’ll take it• Decide when they want to practice their hobbies, read, or learn a new skill• Pick some responsibilities they could take on around the house• Help out with household chores The Self Planner is a great tool that can help older children plan and organize their time effectively. They could also use this handy PDF to figure out their week. Empower your children now, and you’ll also free up more time for you to focus on the things you need to complete.  RESOURCES:  Empower your children to plan their own day with this printable daily planning template Help your child get organized for the longer-term with the six-month Self Planner 4. Create new habits There’s freedom as well as certainty in structure - and your habits help you to create this. Invite your children to decide what actions they’ll take every day to help them achieve the things they want to do. For example, they may like to:  • Read everyday• Create a scrapbook or a journal of their experiences• Take up a new hobby• Learn something new• Master a foreign language• Learn to cook• Start yoga, dance, ballet etc.  Many of these can be learnt online while staying at home. Practice these habits for even a few minutes every day and you can quickly become better.    New habits can take a while to become autopilot, but this is a great time to focus on the little daily actions that can improve your life in a significant way. For best results, track your habits using a tracker. Simply check off every day you complete your habit to create a winning streak. In time, your streak will be so long it will be more painful to break it than to keep going.  Before you know it, your children will be doing a whole raft of valuable, life-enhancing things off their own back.  Resources: Inspire your children to choose their own habits with this printable Habit Tracker Start tracking 90 days of new habits with the help of the Habit Roadmap These are fearful times and with all the news and social updates, it’s easy to get dragged into a negative place. Negativity and fear-based thinking keep you trapped, drains your energy, and steals your productivity.  Right now, we can’t choose our external circumstances. These are out of our control. But we can decide the way we react to them. Helping your children stay calm and positive will help them navigate the times ahead with more confidence. And there are plenty of ways you can do this. For example:  ● Practice gratitude. There’s always a silver lining and there’s always something in your life to be thankful for - however hard circumstances become. Encourage your children to write down something each day that they’re grateful for, and watch how it makes them feel more positive. ● Practice mindfulness. Spending more time in the present moment is a good thing during these uncertain times. Practices such as yoga and meditation can help calm the nerves and help you move through the day more effectively. ● Talk! It’s easy to bottle up your emotions when they feel too difficult to manage. Talking is a great way to find out what your children are really thinking and feeling.  Resources: Open new lines of communication with this Little Talk sampler - PDF Get 150 questions for kids inside the Little Talk Deck Discover 150 little things to be grateful for in this printable PDF. Start a mindfulness practice with the help of these bite-sized meditations  Explore more free meditations from Calm  Keep going... With such significant adjustments across all areas of your life, it’s going to take some time to create a new sense of normality. So cut yourself some slack! You don’t have to get this perfect from day 1. It is OK to make ‘mistakes’. It’s normal to have bad days. It’s not a problem if you want to start all over again because you’ve figured out a better way. Just make a commitment to find the silver lining in all of this.  You never know, this crazy experience could bring your family closer together in the most beautiful way.

2021 has arrived, and the new year is the perfect excuse to reevaluate your life and set goals, especially when it comes to your finances. In fact, a 2020 survey on new year’s resolutions showed that out of Americans’ 2020 resolutions, 49% wanted to save more money and 30% wanted to stick to a budget. That said, it’s time to make your finances a priority. If you want to save money, rethink your spending habits, and take charge of your money in the new year, read on to find out what you can do to achieve your financial goals.   1) Cut back monthly bills Between your wireless, phone, and streaming services, the amount of monthly expenses can become overwhelming. Factor in rent, car payments, or a mortgage, and it becomes even more important to reassess which of your bills you could live without. Eliminate expenses you don’t need or substitute with cheaper alternatives. If there aren’t any services you can part with, reduce monthly bills by eating in and cooking meals in bulk so you spend less on dining out. Find a cheaper gym or work out at home. Use less electricity. Utilize refurbished or recycled materials whenever you can. Take a look around and decide what lifestyle changes you can make to save money this year. 2) Look into refinancing Another way to cut back on your monthly expenses is to lower or refinance the loans you currently have. You can do so with your student loans or with your mortgage, depending on your situation. With refinancing, your current loan is paid off and replaced with a new one with different terms, oftentimes lowering your monthly payment. While refinancing sounds like a great idea, it is not ideal for everyone. Refinancing a mortgage in particular comes with many associated costs like appraisal fees, taxes, and insurance payments. So, it’s important that you learn what really goes into refinancing to see if your bank account and your lifestyle can support this venture. 3) Put more into your retirement fund This is an example of something you can do in the present that will benefit you greatly in the future. Contributing a certain percentage of your monthly salary into your company’s 401k program will help you earn essentially free money, so if you haven’t started yet, this is an opportunity worth pursuing. Put a comfortable percentage of your salary into your retirement fund– start by contributing up to 10%, depending on your other commitments. The fewer financial obligations you have, the higher the percentage should be. However, any amount can give you a comfortable lifestyle in your later years and will make the decades of hard work worth it. Many employers will match a certain portion and allow several different types of investments. Talk to your employer to find out what you can do to take advantage of your 401k. 4) Develop your professional skills While this might not be the first thing to come to mind when talking about ways to take charge of your finances, it is perhaps one of the most impactful. While a lot of monthly expenses are unavoidable, improving your talents at work is well within your control, allowing you to take the reins on your own professional and financial future. Take the initiative to further your own career by taking on extra projects, voicing new ideas, and learning from your peers. Stand out amongst your coworkers and find out what you can do to put yourself first in line for professional advancement. Gaining more knowledge, skills, and experience helps you become more eligible for promotions, and in turn, raises– which means more money in your wallet at the end of the day. Take control of your life in the new year by taking charge of your money. Acquire better spending and saving habits, and learn new ways to be financially savvy in 2021! Disclaimer! This blog does not constitute financial advice. Always check in with a financial advisor or coach to get advice tailored to you.

Have you noticed how willpower can only take you so far towards your goals? The reality is that grit and persistence alone isn’t the answer to crushed goals. Once you’ve confirmed the best strategy and approach, it’s your mindset that matters.  In the words of Henry Ford, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right?”  And positivity is the essence that fuels the ‘can’.  So how can you cultivate a positive mindset? How can you inspire yourself to see a glass half-full?  One of the easiest ways is to practice gratitude. Let me explain why… Why does gratitude fuel positivity?  Gratitude is the simple act of highlighting and acknowledging the things that you appreciate in your life. When you notice the things that make you feel good, your mood lifts instantly.  In turn, you feel more capable and more optimistic and this, in turn, influences how you tackle challenges and address problems. You’re able to do more with less, get up when you’re knocked down, and believe in yourself enough to step out of your comfort zone and do the work!  How to practice gratitude “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” —Albert Einstein Make gratitude non-negotiable.  If you want to leverage the full life-changing benefits of gratitude, you need to practice every day. Build a habit and make gratitude a part of your identity.   The easiest way to achieve this is to weave gratitude into your daily routine. For example, you could practice:  • Before you plan out your day• While you’re eating breakfast• After your meditation etc.  The trick is to tag gratitude onto something you already do daily [this is called habit stacking]. With an existing habit providing an anchor and a reminder, you’re more likely to practice daily.  Hack it!  As with any new habit, it can take time for gratitude to become an autopilot action. In the meantime, track your progress with the help of a habit tracker. As the days clock up, your habit will become stronger and stronger - until it feels too painful to break.  Write it down  While you can express your gratitude out loud or in your head, you’ll engage with the experience more deeply if you write it down. In addition, you’ll create a log of your gratitude, which you’ll enjoy reflecting over in the future.  Dedicate a specific journal to record your gratitude. If you’re a Self Journal or Self Planner user, you can use your daily pages or freedom pages respectively for this purpose.  Vary what you acknowledge Lots of people start their gratitude practice well, then run into a wall! When you’ve listed out all the obvious things, you can find yourself wondering what to write down next! This is a problem because if you’re simply running through the motions, you’re not getting full value from your gratitude practice.  Fortunately, there’s an easy solution to this common problem!  Simply lower the bar. As Robert Brault reminds us, “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realise they were the big things.”  It’s easy to get caught up in the myth that only the big things matter - but that’s simply not true. Instead, use gratitude as an opportunity to become more observant. Gratitude isn’t about acknowledging the big things alone - such as your health or your family alone. It’s also about appreciating the small details of everyday life - such as the song that moves you to tears, the feel of the sun on your face, or the awe-inspiring beauty of a magnificent sunset.  The more you take notice of the minute detail, the more you’ll find you have to be thankful for. Then see how you feel as a result.  Be specific Your gratitude practice is a brilliant opportunity to magnify and understand at a deeper level why you appreciate certain things. So get specific.  • You’re not grateful for your partner... you’re grateful because they took care of an errand they know you hate to do. • You’re not grateful for the gift… you’re grateful because the gift demonstrated that the giver really knows you.  Feel it.  It’s one thing to write down that you’re grateful for the sunrise, the stranger who help open the door, or the perfect cup of joe made for you by your best friend.  It’s quite another to fully acknowledge how those experiences made you feel.  So as you write, allow the emotions to flood through you. Feel the love. Feel the generosity. Feel the joy or the bliss or the elation.  Let gratitude become a gateway to a rich spectrum of feel-good emotions - and unleash positivity as a result.  Practice - even on a bad day [in fact, especially on a bad day]  It’s easy to practice gratitude when life is going great. It’s a lot harder when you’re feeling down, after you’ve made a mistake, or if life has dealt you a curveball.  Don’t underestimate the temptation to throw it all in when the bottom falls out of your life. This is THE most important time to lean into your habit and somehow find the silver lining - however small.  When you can rely on your gratitude practice to unlock positivity - even when life sucks, you’ll equip yourself with a feel-good switch that you can choose to turn on.  Variations for practising gratitude Start a gratitude jar Make gratitude a family affair. Allocate a jar and fill it with gratitude notes to each other. Read through them together once a month or even once a year. It’s a great way to share the love and create a shared experience.  Share your gratitude Don’t keep everything to yourself! Tell your loved ones why you appreciate them. Again, be specific.  The magic number Three Musketeers, Three Little Pigs, three primary colors… Good things come in 3s! Apply this rule to your gratitude practice by writing down three things you feel grateful for each day.    The 1 + 3 practice Write down one thing you feel grateful for and three reasons why. This is a powerful, but simple way to add depth to your practice. Bookends Start your day with three things you’re grateful to have in your life. End your day with three things you’re grateful to have experienced in the day.  Ready to commit to your gratitude practice?  “Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.” —Zig Ziglar An attitude of gratitude will make a significant difference to the way you feel, act, and achieve. To help you broaden your gratitude practice, download the PDF - and start practising today!      

I couldn’t avoid the truth any longer! After completing the BestSelf Co.’s Benchmark Quiz and seeing written evidence that my life wasn’t where I wanted it to be, I knew I had to do something. And top of my list was my health. As a writer, I spend a LOT of time sitting at my desk. I love my work, but it’s very sedentary. Worst of all, sometimes I get so lost in my imagination I can be static for hours! The problem was I wanted a better work-life balance and that meant I had to change a lot of things… I wanted to feel stronger and healthier. I wanted to drink more water and move around more. I wanted to try and practice yoga daily, but I was worried I was taking on too much making the whole transformation too overwhelming. Which begged the question… Is it possible to take on multiple good habits -without compromising my work or burning myself out? I gave myself 30 days to find out. Armed with my BestSelf Co. Habit Roadmap and Self Planner [plus my commitment], I wanted to know if I could successfully integrate the following TEN good habits [all new] into my life - without overwhelming myself. Daily yoga practice Drink at least 2 liters of water Journal Read State affirmations Eat no chocolate! Close all three activity rings on my Apple watch Do something that makes me happy Take deep breaths Answer a deep-dive question Keep reading and I’ll share the results I achieved and how I was able to achieve them. The results! Over a 30 day period [the equivalent of 300 checks], I missed: - A day of reading - 2 days of questioning, and - A day of affirmations Other than that, I achieved a 100% hit rate. What’s more, I noticed some big transformations taking place as a result of these good habits: - I’m getting stronger and more flexible. My muscles are toning, I can hold certain yoga poses for longer, and I’m not shaking like a hurricane in a leaf when I do plank pose! - I have a lot more energy to run after my three kids. - I’ve been much more productive. Rather than squandering my time, I’ve been filling it with my habits - and I feel a darn sight better for it. - I feel more confident in myself - because I’ve done what I said I was going to do [even when no one has been watching.] In conclusion, it IS possible to introduce lots of changes at the same time. In short, habits work as a tool to create a big transformation relatively quickly. Here’s why… 1. The power of autopilot Good habits really come into their own when you no longer have to think about doing them. Instead, you reach the point where you feel weird or uncomfortable if you don’t do your habit [think not cleaning your teeth before bed!] The reality is humans like the status quo. Safe within our comfort zone we know who we are and what we can do. Everything is predictable and that feels secure. But shake things up, and we can feel a bit antsy and uncertain! It’s one of the reasons change can be hard - and why we resist change [even change that’s good for us]. But done regularly, good habits become something you do on autopilot. In short, they become part of your identity. Take my habits… I used to be a sedentary person. Now I’m a person who practices yoga daily, drinks more water than tea, and always closes my activity rings! In short, habits on autopilot change you at your core. It’s much like Zig Ziglar implies in one of my favorite motivational quotes. “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals. When you get to this point, habits stick because you just do them on autopilot. You no longer need willpower or motivation to get to the yoga mat or do your daily writing. You don’t suffer from decision fatigue because you’re wondering how to fit them in. Instead, you just do it because that’s who you are and what you do. 2. Consistency is king You can’t become a hydrated person by drinking 10 liters in one go. In fact, that’s dangerous!Similarly, you won’t be able to write an entire book in one sitting. Your brain will fry! But you can achieve both of those goals if you take daily steps CONSISTENTLY. For example: - You can drink 2 liters a day - every day. - You can write 500 words - every day. - You can fit a 30-min power walk into your day - so you can chip away at those activity rings in a manageable fashion. Bite-sized steps don’t feel overwhelming. In fact, they are entirely do-able. What’s more, when you take action consistently, your results multiply because of the compound effect. When you turn your goals into daily habits, you’re ALWAYS moving the needle forward - because you program yourself to take the right actions, every single day. 3. Schedule it We all lead busy lives! The challenge with taking on new things is figuring out where to slot them into your day! You know how it goes… if you don’t plan time, it just doesn’t happen. Thank goodness for my Self Planner! Looking through my list of chosen good habits I knew some would be easy - and some would be more challenging. For example, when was I going to do a 30-minute yoga session? And what was the best time to read? Here’s how I jigsawed together my day: Scheduled yoga for 1 pm. I decided this would be a good way to break up my day and boost my energy for the afternoon. MOVE activity ring - this one was easier. I started to walk the kids to school instead of taking the car. Journaling & deep dive questioning - I rearranged my work schedule to spend the first hour of my working day doing these tasks. Reading - before bed. Something to help me wind down and feed my subconscious. Deep breathing - after I wake up and before I get out of bed 2 liters of water - keep a liter bottle on my desk and note down on my Self Planner each time I finish one In other words, I planned my good habits around my day - and where possible tagged them onto things I was already doing. I used my Self Planner to schedule habit time - to ensure it didn’t get swallowed up by anything else. This created a bonus win… By squeezing my time, I became more productive too. With fewer minutes to waste, it became a lot easier to focus on the work tasks at hand. Double win! 4. Habit tracking In the earlier days of this experiment, I needed a motivational boost. It was hard to find the energy to walk the kids to school [especially after arguing over lunch boxes and teeth cleaning!] Being so stiff and inflexible, I felt embarrassed when doing my yoga. It was hard to say no to chocolate as it had become such a staple snack for me. I needed something more to boost my confidence and keep me going. And I found that daily motivation in my Habit Roadmap. The Habit Roadmap is a powerful tool that allows you to track up to 12 daily habits and 8 weekly habits. With 90 days of tracking, you can create a three-month visual of your performance and achievements. Simply write down your good habits and put a big check each time to complete them. Before long, you start to build up a chain of wins that inspires you to complete another day. I love seeing my checks lining up and filling my wall. I’m proud of my discipline and my commitment to keep showing up for myself. One day at a time, I’m recreating the person I want to be with the help of this powerful tool. You can do this too Over the last 30 days, I’ve transformed from someone who lived from the neck up and spent all day drinking tea and writing into someone who enjoys moving and wants to make healthy choices. Thanks to a collection of good habits, I’m more connected with my physical body. I feel stronger and more flexible. I feel detoxified and healthier from the inside out. And I have so much more energy. What’s more, this doesn’t feel like a fad. This transformation doesn’t feel like something that’s going to stop when I’ve lost a few excess pounds and toned up. Instead, these good habits have helped me align more closely with the person I really want to be - and that feels powerful. Ready to see how good habits could transform your life? When you’re ready, your Habit Roadmap is here to provide daily motivation, support you, and inspire you - every step of the way.

Big goals are exciting to set, right? There’s that rush of optimism as you imagine the outcome, but then reality kicks in! How will you close the chasm between the start and finish lines? How will you push off procrastination and fears so you finish on time? How will you work through the roadblocks that show up along the way? The answer is project management tools - because they empower you to stay on track, work methodically, and close the project gap fast.And in this article, you’ll discover FIVE of the best.These project management tools are perfect for masterminding and crushing your big goals. Some are free, all are simple to use, and each one will help you finish what you start - on time - with confidence and clarity.  Let’s dig in... 1. Brain dump using pen & paper Have you noticed how the simplest project management tools can be the most powerful?In the excitement and novelty of new ideas, there’s a rush to get started. But racing to action is a mistake. If you implement without a robust plan, you’ll set yourself up to fail.Instead, start each project with a handwritten brain dump. Pen & paper is our favorite of project management tools because these don’t suppress creativity. With a blank page and a pen you can capture thoughts as they flow. And with everything written down, you won’t overlook key components. Instead, you’ll clear out confusion by getting super clear on all the nuts and bolts.Here’s how to do an effective brain dump: - Schedule time for deep work. Remove distractions, sit tight, and don’t rush this stage! Instead, give yourself time to get into your flow state. This ensures you get beyond superficial thinking to the zone where all best ideas and solutions come from.- Aim to empty your head of ALL ideas under the following six categories: - The tasks you need to complete to achieve your project- Ideas you have- Resources you need- People who can help- Questions you need answered- Problems to solve and hurdles to overcome These categories inspire you to think broadly about your project. Remember, the more problem solving and idea generation you do now, the better your project will map out. - Don’t censor or judge ideas. This stifles deeper, creative thinking. Instead, write it all down - the good, the bad, and the ugly! It’s true; there will be a pile of rubbish, but you’ll collect far more good ones too.- Review all your notes. Read through everything to flesh out ideas and remove anything that’s repetitive, unimportant, or unnecessary. You’ll know you’ve done a good brain dump when you’ve run out of ideas!You’ll also notice a sense of mental clarity. Instead of a confusing mass of options, you’ll be clearer about the steps you need to take. When you reach this point, you can create your project plan. 2. Breakdown the big picture with a Project Action Plan Benjamin Franklin said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail’Thanks to your brain dump, you’ll have a solid grip on all your tasks and choices. But without a clear plan for execution, you’ll still get stuck in overwhelm and indecision. There’s just too much to consider. Where to start? What order to tackle tasks? What to do with actions you’ll complete later?Implementation is easy when you turn your brain dump into a master list of tasks. Instead of a brainstorm, you’ll use one of our best project management tools that helps you decide your plan of action, monitor your progress, and stay on track. This has many benefits: - Instead of a big scary project goal, work your way through a manageable list of smaller tasks- You’ll reduce decision fatigue and procrastination because you won’t have to constantly figure out your next steps- You’ll have an external brain to free up headspace for implementation, creative thinking, and problem-solving- And you’ll feel more confident and in control because you’ll know how the big picture breaks down For this important job, one of our project management tools of choice is the Project Action Pad. Here’s how to use it: - Start by naming your project and deciding the outcome goal - what is this project going to deliver? - Next, look through your brain dump of notes and identify all the tasks/actions that need to be done. Identify them all - even the nitty-gritty ones. That way you won’t miss a thing and your project will run smoother. - Categorize your actions and tasks in a way that makes sense. For example, what are sub-tasks of a bigger action? Which to-dos are interrelated and which actions will be done by the same person or team? - Next, write your tasks on the project action plan template so you have a comprehensive list of everything you need to get done. - Mark on due dates. Work backward from your project deadline. What tasks need to be done first? Which tasks are dependent on other to-dos being completed? Pin down due dates and you can prioritize your workload. If you don’t, you’ll struggle to hit your deadline. - Use the checkboxes to mark off completed tasks and move closer to your finish line. This helps you see at a glance what needs to be done and what’s still left to do. - Finally, use the note space to capture important ideas so everything related to your project is in one place. 3. Record other commitments and key dates on your Wall Calendar With your project action plan complete, you know what needs to get done and by when.But did you know you can make success more likely by turning your list into a project timeline?The perfect project management tool for this step is a wall calendar. Simply map out your project milestones and due dates and you’ll create a clear path to your goal. It’s a powerful way to switch your focus from starting to finishing.Here’s how...On your calendar, write down any commitments (such as vacations and other non-moveable dates) along with due dates for project tasks and milestones.With all these key dates listed you’ll be able to see:- What else your project needs to work around- Any clashes - so you can make adjustments now- If deadlines are realistic - and if not, what you need to adjustProject management tools such as the wall calendar are important for visually tracking the passage of time by crossing off days. You can’t ignore what’s staring you in the face making this a simple way to push off procrastination and keep momentum going. 4. Robust filing system Projects with lots of tasks have lots of deliverables. To avoid hunting through files or sifting through emails to find something, you need efficient filing.True, organization can feel dry, but one of the fundamental project management tools you need is a robust file management system. It will save you countless headaches and masses of time in the long run.For this, we love Google Drive. It has a free option, search functionality (so you can find stuff fast), and can be used to store everything from text, to video, to graphic files.Here’s how to use this project management tool.- Start by setting up your folders. Categorize folders in a way that makes sense to your project. This might be by topic or by collaborator for example. The key is to ensure your naming system is intuitive so you can quickly find what you need.- Set up permissions. Google Drive is cloud-based so you can access it anywhere with an internet connection. It also means anyone with permission can access your files wherever they are. This makes Google Drive perfect for collaboration. You still keep control because you decide permission. This can range from access to the entire drive right down to individual files.- Collaboration. Thanks to the file sharing function, you can work with others on the same document. So decide the process for that. Can people edit directly or do you want them to suggest edits? How will you use the chat function inside each file? Iron out these details early on and you’ll make life much easier.- Discipline. Google Drive is great, but it’s less effective if you forget to upload things. So get in the habit of saving everything pertinent to your project as you go along. That way, you’ll always know how to get your hands on anything you need. 5. Keep everyone on the same page with a Communication Tool When other people are involved in your project, you need good communication.Inefficiencies will slow you down and details get lost in translation. So get a project management tool that helps you manage discussion threads, resolve issues, keep tabs on progress, stick to deadlines, and don’t drop the ball.We love Slack for this. It’s our team’s preferred method of communication. Here are some tips for using this project management tool:- Organize your channels. One feature that makes Slack so effective is your ability to organize discussion threads by category. Rather than a free for all in a generic thread, you can separate chat into categories that make sense to your project. For example, you could create a channel for general chat, revisions, new ideas - whatever is needed for your project.- Tag the right people. In the thick of a project, chat can get busy. So remember to tag people if you want particular individuals to read or respond to a thread. You can also send everyone a notification using the @channel tag. - Talk to the right people. As well as channels you can also private message groups and individuals. This helps reduce clutter from your channels by involving only the people who need to know. This works well if you want an update on a task or to brainstorm ideas with particular people. - Share links. You can share files and links directly inside Slack. This does away with the to-ing and fro-ing of email and allows the entire discussion thread to be visible to those who need to see it. With files stored in Google Drive, simply post a link and get the feedback, decisions, or sign-off you need to keep moving. - Get social! The Best Self team is remote. We have people working in different states and different countries, yet the distance between us is small. Slack is part of the reason for this. In our TeamChat channel we all chat away as you would face-to-face. Uploading pictures, sharing small talk, and posting gifs! It seems like a small thing, but it’s helped cement us as a team and makes it so much easier to work on projects together - even if we don’t see each other in person. Time to finish what you started? It is possible to achieve massive goals - even when there’s a chasm between the start and finish lines.Simply empower yourself with the best project management tools and maximize your chances of success.Imagine how different things would be if you crushed more big projects.Imagine the sense of satisfaction, confidence, and self-esteem you’d feel if you nailed more of the things you started.Imagine the impact on your life if you could reap the benefits of goals achieved - rather than beating yourself up over opportunities lost.You’ll always have better results with big goals if you empower yourself with project management tools. So get your hands on the five outlined in this article - and see how much further they take you.You’ve got this!

When we want to be our best self, it’s easy to think that you have to overhaul everything. But take that approach, and the task soon becomes overwhelming. It’s terrible news! Overwhelm puts the brain [and body] into stress mode – and when brain fog and confusion strikes, it becomes hard to do anything. We have to remember that change is NOT easy. The reality is that humans are creatures of habit! We like our comfort zones [because we know who we are in that space]. We don’t like change because it forces us to do things differently. So ease up on yourself! You can change your life, but it doesn’t have to be an overnight thing. Instead, you can make significant improvements to the way you feel [and the things you’re able to do] when you put your focus on your habits. When habits are your go-to methods for change, you don’t need to take the big leaps to create a transformation. Instead, you can leverage the power of momentum and the compound effect to let your best self thrive. Let me show you how… Habits are everything! “We become what we repeatedly do.” ― Sean Covey Habits are the things you do automatically, without thinking, and on autopilot. For example, cleaning your teeth, making your bed, or eating granola for breakfast. When your habits are ‘good’, autopilot is hugely beneficial because it takes very little brain energy and momentum to check them off. Instead, you just take action. Your habits create your identity. As Sean Covey says in the quote above, they dictate who you are. So if you want to be more successful, more courageous, better at writing, healthier, stronger – you name it. You won’t achieve these things overnight. Instead, they happen when you take action day-by-day, one step at a time. Better still, your life-improving habits needn’t take up stacks of your time. Instead, there are plenty you can do that will take you no more than 10 minutes a day. Let’s explore some of these now. 1. MEDITATE for calmness A busy, hectic life can create a chaotic, overloaded brain. In this state, it’s harder to think, trickier to make decisions, and more challenging to stay in control of your emotions. Meditation is a 10-minute habit that can help you create that calm, peaceful state within. If you can sit for just 10-minutes a day, you can cultivate a clear space inside that you can retreat to whenever things become too much. Cultivate this skill, and you get better at ensuring outside influences don’t get the better of you. It’s why meditation has become increasingly popular in recent years. It’s also a habit that many top-performers and high-achievers swear by. Meditation can be hard in the beginning – especially if you have an overactive mind! But stick with the habit, and you’ll soon become more zen! A great place to start is Headspace’s free trial. 2. IDEA-GENERATION for innovation We’ve all heard the stories of how a single brilliant idea changed someone’s life. If you’re someone who’s able to keep coming up with ideas, you’ll tap into a power that makes it easy to problem solve, create, innovate, and consistently add value to your business or career. It’s tempting to look at those people who always seem to have access to a river of ideas and think it must be a natural trait – but this isn’t true. Idea-generation is a practice as well as a skill. It’s a muscle you can strengthen with the help of your habits. Here’s an idea to try… Each day, spend 10-minutes tackling a problem and challenge yourself to come up with at least ten different solutions. Don’t worry; you don’t have to give ten genius answers! A chunk of your thoughts will probably be duff, but that’s part of the creative process. You have to be able to clear through the noise to be able to get to the good stuff. This daily ritual will turn you into an idea-generator – a title you can own and a skill you can use to enhance all areas of your life. And if you’re looking for a tool to help you commit to this habit, check out the Edison Deck. With 150 problem prompts to explore, this deck will keep you busy for months! 3. JOURNALING – for self-awareness The more you know yourself, the better equipped you are to be your best self in the outside world. Hands down, journaling is one of the best practices you can adopt to help with this. A daily journaling practise will help you tune in to what’s happening for you on a day-by-day basis. Through journaling, you can get in touch with your beliefs and values. You can work through problems, and you can craft solutions and map out your goals. You can even dig into your past to better understand your actions and behaviors and understand at a deeper level why you do things the way that you do. With journaling, you can overcome your limiting beliefs and empower yourself to achieve bigger goals – it’s why so many top-performers have made journaling a habit. It’s super easy to get started with this habit. All you need is your notebook, pen, and some time to dive into your inner world and ask questions. And if you get stuck with the blank page because you don’t know what to write, the Wordsmith Deck is here to help. Packed with 150 journaling and writing prompts, this tool offers inspiration on steroids! 4. CONVERSATIONS – for connection and self-expression How often have you heard the saying that your net worth is your network? It’s a fact that the people you interact with have a huge impact on your life. People influence everything from opportunities to the depth of friendships in your life. And one of the best ways to strengthen that network is through the power of conversations. Most of us get stuck with superficial small talk. It’s not threatening, and it’s easy to do, but it doesn’t allow us to really get to know another person. But cut through the surface level to ask the more profound questions and your level of connection increases. Getting in the practice of asking better questions is a habit that can enhance all areas of your life. From the questions you ask your children, to the conversations you have with your partner, all the way to the people you meet at an event or a conference. If you can ask the right question, bam! Our range of conversation decks can help you cultivate this crucial habit. - Choose Little Talk to converse with kids - The Intimacy Deck for your partner - The Icebreaker Deck for any other conversation opportunity Spend ten minutes a day with these decks and see how your relationships improve. 5. REFLECTION – to extract your lessons and learnings If you want to move forward faster, it’s smart to get into a habit of reflection. One of the reasons we get stuck is we keep doing things the same way – even if they don’t work. The trouble is, we can’t be aware of how our actions hold us back, unless we reflect on them. This easy daily practice needn’t take any more than 10 minutes. Simply end the day by asking yourself some thought-provoking questions. For example: - What did I do well today? - What could I have done better? - What should I stop doing in the future? - How could I have felt happier? - How did I leverage my time? - What opportunities did I squander and why? - Etc. Simply choose questions that resonate with you and use them to extract the day’s lessons and celebrate the wins. If you can reduce the time it takes you to learn something that doesn’t work – and change it, the more your best self can grow. 6. PLANNING – to leverage your time and maximize your day When it comes to becoming your best self, one of the biggest objections you have to overcome is a lack of time. You know how it is… You have an idea for what you want to achieve, but somehow the day gets the better of you. You finish work with a pile of outstanding to-dos, and the evening gets lost in a Netflix binge or a social media fix. Then you promise to do better tomorrow to make up for it! Time is our most valuable resource, but a lot of people don’t treat it that way. Instead, we waste minutes because we’re not intentional with our plans. This challenge is easy to fix. Simply spend ten minutes of your day planning out how you want the day to look. Treat every task or activity in the same way you do a meeting or an appointment – schedule it! When something is on your calendar in black and white, you’re less likely to procrastinate or spend longer than you should be catching up on emails or checking through low-level tasks. Both the Self Journal and the Self Planner will help you master this habit. Each has space to plan your day in 30-minute chunks. Make this granular approach to your planning a habit, and before long, you’ll be getting a lot more done in a lot less time. This is how you make time for all the new habits you want to build. Schedule them in your planner and they’ll be as good as done – especially when you integrate habit seven as well. 7. TRACK YOUR HABITS – so you’re not tempted to skip a day We started this article by exploring how hard it is for humans to make changes – even good ones! We’re creatures of habit and staying in our comfort zone is always the safest bet. As a result, even if you start with masses of enthusiasm, there will come a time when you feel the urge to let your new habits slip. For example, you’ll feel tired or bored – or you’ll make an excuse or justification as to why it’s OK to skip a day. And you know what happens next! The second you take your foot off the pedal is the moment you allow yourself to fall back into your old ways. So how can we get around this? One of the simplest things you can do is hack motivation – something a Habit Tracker will help you achieve. A habit tracker is a visual tool that allows you to track a winning streak. Award yourself with a check each day you complete your habit. Before long, this streak of checks creates a chain that becomes too painful to break. In short, a tracker makes it more likely that you won’t drop the ball. The Habit Roadmap allows you to create a 90-day streak for up to 12 daily habits and eight weekly habits. Simply write down the habits you want to build and pin on your wall in a visible place. Use this tool to keep yourself going, and your new habits will become part of your identity before you know it! Start today – and then keep going You can do anything when you start small and chip away at something every single day. It’s consistency for the win and if you master this skill, you can mastermind big wins. So take this opportunity to choose the 10-minute habits you want to infuse into your life – and remember to share your commitments in the comments below [it’s a good practice to hold yourself accountable.] Choose something from the list above – or add something of your own. Then remember to plan time into your day and monitor your progress with a tracker. Imagine how you’ll feel in 90 days if you’ve meditated daily.Or journaled consistently.Or sharpened your ability to ask questions and speak with people. The action you take on a single day may not look like much. But over time, your daily habits will compound into exceptional results. Then it’s best self, here you come!

Do you have too much to do - and too little time to do it in? If so, welcome to the club! I get how easy it is to thrive on the feeling of being busy. You can blame your upbringing for that! We’ve been told over and over that hard work equals success. In school and the workplace, long hours and hustle is rewarded. But at what cost? A busy work life may lead to big career or business achievements, but this path can be costly. When your belief system automatically priorities work, the rest of your life gets resigned the left-overs. And when you’ve given your all to work, it’s hard to find the energy, time, and enthusiasm for everything else. This is how areas such as your relationships, health, mindfulness, finances, and home life can all take a tumble. Ouch! The reality is lasting fulfillment isn’t found in promotion after promotion. Instead, we need to feel successful in ALL areas of life. That’s the real power of shooting for work-life harmony. Good news! This is something your wall calendar can help you achieve. Let me show you how… 1. Where are you now? When you’re pulled along by day-to-day commitments and you’re stuck in a routine, it’s easy to overlook the bigger picture and ignore any niggling doubts. We’re creatures of habit and we feel comfortable with what we accept as ‘normal’. That’s the power of gifting yourself a benchmark. You can’t ignore what’s staring you in the face! Use the BestSelf Benchmark to rank all areas of your life on a scale of 1-10 [10 is AMAZING and 1 is a DISASTER!] When you’re finished, you’ll be able to see what areas of your life are working - and which aren’t. Your Benchmark score reveals opportunities for improvement and ways to create more happiness and success. Armed with this knowledge, you can set new goals, establish different routines, and make the choices that will increase joy in each life area. 2. What do you want? With your BestSelf Benchmark score in, you can decide what you want to work on. For example, maybe your work/career score is high, but your relationships or home life are flagging. Perhaps it’s time to focus on your finances or dedicate more time and energy to your health and wellness. Take a few minutes to think about what you want - and write it down. Here are some prompts to help: - What would a 10 look like for each life area? - What do you want more of on a day-by-day basis? - What’s on your bucket list that you’d like to tick off in the coming months? - What goals do you need to set? - What habits do you need to establish? 3. Make it happen Show me your calendar and I’ll be able to tell you about the kind of life you live. Life is busy. You will feel pulled in countless directions and you won’t be able to do it all. But the reality is, what gets planned gets done. If you fill your calendar with nothing but work stuff, how can you expect to create the best relationships or be in the peak of your health? In comparison, if your calendar allocates time for your kids, your partner, your writing passion, your weekend adventures, and your daily run, there’s a much stronger chance it’s all going to happen. That’s the power of your wall calendar. A simple, but highly effective tool for creating work-life harmony and ensuring ALL areas of your life get the attention they require to thrive. Yup, your calendar can be your ticket to happiness! Here are five top tips for getting the most of yours. Pin it on the wall - you can’t ignore what’s staring you in the face. Plan in time for your bucket list items - don’t say you’ll go skydiving, visit Italy, take a pottery class, or write your book ‘someday’. Instead, use your calendar to make it THIS day. Get it planned, and it will get done. Schedule protected time - do your kids complain because you’re always working? Does your partner complain that you’re always tired? Don’t leave time together to chance. Scheduling date nights, kids play dates, and conversation time doesn’t mean you have ‘problems’. Instead, it means you care so much about these parts of your life, that you refuse to give them the leftovers. Plan in planning time - a busy life can keep you stuck in the weeds. When you’re always fire-fighting, you overlook the big picture. Schedule time on your calendar to get clear on where you want to go. Book in planning dates with yourself and also your partner or family. When your vision is clear, it’s harder to head out on the wrong path. Make time for fun - you always turn up at work and you don’t miss those important meetings or business events. In the same way that you mark these on your calendar, write down fun activities too. From trips to the theater to a mystery tour next weekend, these fun events fuel happiness. 4. Don’t forget the nitty-gritty Your wall calendar is perfect for keeping the big picture top of mind. But don’t lose sight of the day-to-day. Time is your most precious resource. The way you allocate your minutes determines the life you create. A planner [such as the Self Planner or Self Journal] will help you get granular with your time. Use this tool to: - Schedule time for work and play - Make time for your daily run or yoga class - Create space for your mindfulness practices such as meditation or journaling - Prioritize meaningful conversations with your partner or your children [the Intimacy and Little Talk Decks can help with this] - Make time for YOU Remember, what gets planned gets done. It is possible to find the time to do more of the things you want. You don’t have to let work be the center of everything. Use your calendar and planner to keep you accountable to your priorities and you’ll find it easier to think bigger and achieve more while you enjoy today. That’s a promise!

How would life change if you DID achieve that goal you can’t stop thinking about? No more talk or procrastination, disappointment or regret. Just an epic win to celebrate. Imagine how success would boost your confidence and unlock fresh opportunities. Imagine how you’ll feel knowing you do have what it takes to be successful. That’s the thing with goals. There’s more at stake than the outcome alone. It’s who you become because of your win. And while science says 92% of people WILL fail, you CAN enjoy the level of success you admire in others - even if past experience says otherwise. Remember, your past doesn’t have to equal your future. The people you admire aren’t smarter or more motivated than you. Instead, they make failure impossible by getting the support, which makes success inevitable. This is the power of embedding the right accountability structures in your life. When you’re held accountable to your commitments and your goals, there’s less wriggle room. In turn, this means there’s less chance of falling short or giving up too soon. What’s more, accountability can also help you tackle some of the challenges that get in the way of you achieving the things you want. How accountability works 1. Lack of confidence Thinking big with a desire to achieve more is always going to stretch you. You’re going to have to thrive in discomfort and take on things you’re not sure how to do [even wonder if you can actually do them.] Accountability offers that gentle nudge to step up and do it anyway. Sure, you may not win every time but the more times you put courage over comfort, the more you strengthen that muscle. The more your confidence grows, the more you can try, explore, and ultimately achieve. 2. You lose sight of your goal Life is full of distractions and temptations. You may be crystal clear on your goal one day, then find yourself chasing different priorities the next. Accountability can help keep you laser focused on the choices, tasks, and commitments that move the needle in the right direction. It’s like an airline pilot charting their course. The longer you stray off your path the harder it is to get back on track. Accountability offers those checks that encourage you to question your rationale for exploring distractions. 3. You panic, get overwhelmed, and risk giving up too soon Totally stuck? Losing the plot? Can’t see the wood through the trees? Life happens and it does throw stuff into the court that can send you into a tailspin. Accountability can help you take stock before you throw in the towel. With accountability, you can regroup and get a fresh perspective on your situation - then keep moving. When you have support to cut through the overwhelm and replace clarity with chaos, you move the needle towards your goals. 4. You have so much to do, you don’t know where to focus Struggling to focus on your goals because your to-do list keeps piling up? When the pressure is on, it’s tempting to switch to fire-fighting mode and tackle the tasks that shout the loudest. Accountability inspires you to not lose sight of your priorities. It keeps you laser focused on what’s most important and helps you manage your time and your calendar to make the most important stuff happen. When you know where to focus, it’s harder to waste time and bandwidth on tasks that don’t move the needle. In turn, success is easier to create. 5. You need a boost Let’s be honest, we all have good days and bad! The path to your best self never runs smooth. Instead, there are ups and downs. Loneliness and isolation can be big goal killers - especially if the people around you don’t entirely ‘get’ what you’re doing. Accountability can offer that motivational support when you need a boost. It can remind you of the bigger picture and spark the knowing that you really have got this. 6. You don’t do the work! It’s easy to brush things under the carpet and pretend they didn’t happen when nobody's watching. It’s easy to drop the ball, let deadlines slip, and settle for less when you’re in it by yourself. Accountability doesn’t give you that luxury! Instead, it ensures you can’t fall off your game quite so easily. When you feel called to show up because you’re being held to account, you can go further - faster. How to stay accountable Your planner is a powerful tool that can help you stay accountable to yourself. Take the Self Journal. This planner contains a proven structure that can help you 4x your annual output and even achieve more in 13-weeks than you usually achieve in a year. The Self Journal keeps you accountable by guiding you to leverage your time - ensuring your minutes are allocated to the tasks and goals that serve you most. You can also use this tool to identify your priorities and ensure you’re always working on the most important things. You can record your wins to give yourself a motivational boost and also reflect on your performance making it easier to keep the needle moving. It’s easier to show up as your best self when you have accountability structures in place to support you. For that goal you absolutely want to achieve, accountability is here to give you the extra nudge to cross the finish line.

What’s the best way to start something new STRONG? It’s tempting to jump straight into execution, but there’s a chance you may get better results if you tie up any loose ends before you start. Take the coming New Year. You may be itching to get started with new goals and ideas, but did you know you can lay the foundations for even more success if you do these five things first? Check this out… 1. Set a benchmark Where are you in your life right now? Put a line in the sand by taking the BestSelf Benchmark Quiz. Simply score each area of your life to create a holistic overview of how things stack up for you right now. This self-awareness is power. When you invest in a self-development journey, it’s tempting to focus on specific goals. However, meaningful happiness comes from work-life harmony where you feel good across your life - not in one area alone. Your benchmark score helps keep this intention top of mind by giving you a clear insight as to how your life stacks up SIX life areas [not just the ones that get your primary focus]. 2. Write down your wins [ALL of them] What have you accomplished so far this year? It’s easy to overlook the little things. It’s easy to forget accomplishments too - especially if they happened earlier in the year. There’s a high chance you’ve moved the needle a lot further than you think [even if you didn’t achieve all your goals]. Grab your journal and write down your wins. It’s worth focusing on one life category at a time to ensure you create a comprehensive list. For example: - How did you move forward with your money? Have you established any new habits? Did you pay off a debt? Did you make a good investment? - What about your relationships? Did you create a habit for deep conversation? Did you spend more quality time together? Did you hit any milestones? - How about your business or your career. Did you master new skills, launch something new, or get a promotion? Don’t forget fun things and new experiences too. For example, where did you go? When did you leave your comfort zone? What new hobbies did you try? Seeing all your wins written down will show you where you invested your time. It’s also a reminder of how rich and varied your life actually was… now you can use this as fuel to fire you up for what’s ahead. 3. Review your bucket list What did you tick off your bucket list this year? [If you’ve not written yours yet, here’s an article to help you get started.] A bucket list is a simple, but powerful tool that can help you live a life of no regrets. If you create a physical list [rather than keeping ideas in your head], you’re more likely to make the things on it happen. Plus, you then get the satisfaction of checking items off knowing you’ve achieved something important to you. Take some time to review your list and mark off what you did. Then… 4. Decide what else you can do It’s a weird mindset! As time ticks away, it’s tempting to put a mental line in the sand and decide to wait until next year. But the reality is January 1st is just another day in a continuous day/night cycle! So don’t waste time unintentionally. Instead, think about what else could you do before the year is out. For example, how could you: - Make the most of the remaining weekends? - Tweak and adjust your daily plan so you can do things now rather than waiting for later? - Set new habits in motion? Life is there for living… you can create whatever you want! 5. Finish things off Finally, something is liberating about stepping into a New Year with a clean slate. So check over your goals and figure out what’s needed to tie up loose ends and complete this year. For example: - Finish that course - Make those calls - Create that content - Write those chapters - Stick to those habits Sometimes goals aren’t meant to be finished because your priorities shift or other things turn up. But if your goal is there for the taking, don’t let go! There’s something reinforcing about seeing a goal through to completion. It’s proof that you CAN do it and this alone gives you a huge confidence and resilience boost. And that’s not to mention what lies on the other side of a completed goal. Part of the prize of completion is the new doors and opportunities that open because you saw things through. So push yourself that little bit harder [without burning out of course!] Check out of social media, Netflix and other unintentional time drainers if you know you need fewer distractions. Then power up your planner and schedule your time to get stuff done. Your best self is calling!