Time is your most valuable resource. If you’re able to maximize time, you’ll get more out of life. It’s as simple as that - or is it! It’s one thing to smart schedule and effectively plan your time on a day-to-day basis. It’s one thing to clear your pressing to-do list and stay on top of all your commitments and responsibilities. But a nitty-gritty focus alone also brings risks. If you’re too focused on what’s right in front of you, there’s a chance you won’t see the bigger picture. It’s as Bill Gates said. “Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.” If you can only see what’s directly in front of you, it’s hard to think ahead and plan proactively. Instead, you end up fire-fighting while reacting to what’s happening now. This strategy ensures you survive, but it’s not enough to ensure you thrive. But integrated big-picture thinking into your life approach, and all that changes. What is big-picture thinking? Big-picture thinking is a fundamental skill that provides the perspective and strategic overview to move your life in the right direction - in the immediate as well as the longer-term. Big-picture planning is the difference between being nose-up to a situation and looking down with a bird’s eye view. Take that step backwards and upwards, and suddenly, you see things that were previously invisible. You view problems through fresh eyes. You create space to imagine radical solutions and you join up threads to map out a clearer path to your next steps. - You can plan five steps ahead instead of taking decisions on the fly. - You can see how a decision you make today could open doors in five years time. - You can even see what you were at risk of missing, under-estimating, or under-valuing. Without big-picture thinking, life can become too reactive - and that can leave you disappointed and frustrated. Three tips for big-picture thinking 1. Make time for it Sure, life is busy! But don’t let the hustle and bustle of everyday life become the reason you don’t think about the bigger picture. Instead, take time out to think about where you’re going. Also, give yourself the space to check in to see if you’re still going in the right direction! As your best self evolves, you’ll no doubt change your mind about what you do want [and that’s OK]. Each time your comfort zone expands or you achieve another goal, your frame of reference shifts. New opportunities and possibilities open up for you. If you schedule in regular big-thinking time, you’ll be able to capitalize on your growth spurts - and create your best life as a result. 2. Cultivate the ability to think bigger It’s easy to get caught in your regular thought patterns. We’re creatures of habit, which means we like what we know - because there’s security in that. But unless you challenge your habitual ways of thinking, you’ll continue to generate similar results. But that changes when you inspire yourself to think differently. For example: - 10x your idea. What would your current goal look like it you made the outcome even bigger? Sure, you don’t have to aim for that, but allowing yourself to think along those bigger lines can open up something new. - 10 ideas. Push yourself to generate more ideas once your initial steam is exhausted. [The Edison Deck will help you cultivate this skill.] When you ‘have’ to think beyond what feels comfortable, bigger ideas inevitably come. - Cultivate courage. Your limiting beliefs and current identity place restrictions around what you believe is possible for you. Courage forces you to step outside your comfort zone and expand who you are. As your perspective shifts, you see the path in front of you differently. - Think further ahead. Where do you want to be in ten years time? What do you have to do today to make that vision a reality? Allow yourself to see through bigger timescales, and you can transform the vision you have for your life. For example, you may not be able to create a charitable foundation this year, but you could in ten years time. 3. Plan for it Don’t leave your big-picture ideas to chance, instead, translate them into concrete plans. Keep planning your week and individual days, but at the same time mastermind your year ahead. A wall calendar is a great tool for this. Map on any key and fixed dates [such as anniversaries, birthdays, vacations, and events]. Mark on any milestones and existing deadlines too. then look at the white space that’s left. How can you maximize the time you have?What steps are you missing to get to where you want?What could you do next if you were to achieve everything on your calendar? Now, next, later Some goals can be achieved extremely quickly. For example, you can start a journaling, running, or meditation practice right now. All you need is 10 minutes and you’re off! Other goals take longer. And there are other outcomes which can’t even be started until you’ve laid the foundations. Big-picture thinking creates the space for you to identify these foundations in advance - so you can begin working on them now. It’s the difference between being in the perfect place ten years from now - to looking back with regret, wishing you’d started something earlier. You’ve got this!

The people you admire who have it figured out aren’t smarter than you. Instead, they’ve cultivated practices that make success ‘inevitable’. You can do the same with the help of these ten, simple-to-apply habits. 1. Cultivate good habits “Depending on what they are, our habits will either make us or break us. We become what we repeatedly do.” ―Sean Covey First things, first! The more ‘helpful’ activities you’re able to do on autopilot, the more successful you’ll become. Here’s why… As creatures of habit, we do a lot of things without thinking. These well-worn patterns are just part of who we are. A habit takes minimal bandwidth or motivation because you do it automatically. That’s why habits are your secret weapon for stellar success. The trick is to get clear on the habits that will move the needle on your life. Work, personal, or relationships, figure out the daily [and weekly actions] that will make all the difference, then use a tool such as the Habit Roadmap to make these habits stick. Take the right actions consistently, and success becomes ‘inevitable’. 2. Gratitude “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” - Henry Ford Success is as much mindset as it is a skill. If you believe you can do it, there’s a strong chance you’ll inspire yourself to get results. If you doubt yourself, your Reticular Activating System [or RAS for short] will consistently look for evidence to prove you’re right. Successful people know how to cultivate positivity - and gratitude is one of the most powerful ways to do this. When you focus on what you do have, it’s harder for scarcity to creep in. When you feel abundant, it’s easier to go after the things you want. That’s why so many successful people practice gratitude. Simply make a note of three things you’re grateful for everyday, and overtime, see how this influences your positive thinking. 3. Mindfulness “Surrender to what is. Let go of what was. Have faith in what will be.” - Sonia Ricotti The road to success won’t ever be smooth. There will be ups and downs - the question is, can you ride the storms as comfortably as you ride the highs? MIndfulness is about finding your inner peace amongst the outer chaos. It’s about being fully present with what is - rather than resisting reality and wishing it were somehow different. Mindfulness is an important habit to cultivate because it helps you accept present circumstances - so you can more effectively manage stress and anxiety. In turn, mindful people are better equipped to keep an even keel when the going gets tough. Headspace has some incredible meditations to help you cultivate mindfulness - here’s a one-minute meditation to get you started. 4. Thrive in discomfort “You can choose courage or you can choose comfort. You cannot have both.” - Brene Brown. Success lies at the edge of your comfort zone. It exists in the space where you do the things you didn’t think you were capable of doing. It’s the result of considerate risk-taking and stretch goal setting. Successful people are willing to thrive in discomfort. They’re happy to put themselves into situations when they don’t have all the answers and all the skills. They’re willing to overcome fear so they can be their best. This takes courage and self-belief - something you can develop with practice. So make it a habit to put courage over comfort - and see how much further you can go. 5. Default to action “Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.”- Thomas Jefferson. Ideas are one thing, but results happen when you’re willing to take action. Successful people get stuff done. They step up to the plate. They don’t overthink to the point of confusion and overwhelm. Instead, they act on their plans to make the intangible a reality. Make daily action towards your goals a habit and success becomes inevitable. You can use the Self Journal to inspire this. 6. Budget time “The key is in not spending time, but in investing it.” - Stephen R. Covey. Lack of time is often touted as the reason we can’t do the things we want. But the truth is, we all have the same 1,440 minutes a day. It’s not a question of the amount of time, but how you use your time that counts. This is why successful people plan their day with the same scrutiny they budget money. Be more mindful of where your minutes go. Look to see where procrastination and distractions take your time and steal your success potential. Get into the habit of using a daily planner so you can leverage time to its max. Implement techniques and practices that help you get more done in less time, and success becomes easier to create. 7. Journaling "A personal journal is an ideal environment in which to become. It is a perfect place for you to think, feel, discover, expand, remember, and dream." - Brad Wilcox. Daily journaling can create a gateway to your subconscious, your limiting beliefs, and your stretch goals. When you write to make your inner thoughts and feelings tangible, you can process your emotions, make sense of events, and create the clarity you need to move forward confidently. Journaling helps you to better know yourself - so you’re better equipped to succeed on your best self journey. Discover how to start journaling here. 8. Make better decisions. “It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.” - Tony Robbins Your life is a series of decisions - some conscious, some habitual, some fear-based. Every time you make a decision, you direct your life down a certain path. Even the decision to NOT make a decision is still a decision! Successful people are able to navigate the tough choices through life. This doesn’t mean they always get it right! Instead, they have the ability to be decisive - so they don’t stagnant or run around in circles. It’s not always easy choosing the path ahead, but ask yourself the right question, and you can choose your preferred option with more confidence. Tools such as the Decision Deck can help with this. 9. Accountability “At the end of the day we are accountable to ourselves - our success is a result of what we do.” - Catherine Pulsifer It’s easy to say you’re going to do something. But often a whole lot harder to actually do the thing! Fear, self-doubt, procrastination, distraction, second-guessing - so many factors can get in the way of making an idea a reality. This is why successful people practice the habit of accountability - to themselves and other people. When you know someone else is checking in on you, you’re more likely to get the work done. You can leverage the same tool yourself. The monthly Accountability Challenge in the BestSelf Alliance is a great place to start - and it’s free. 10. Reflection “You cannot have a meaningful life without having self-reflection.” —Oprah Winfrey Life has something to teach you every day. A new methodology, a different way of thinking, what works and what doesn’t - you name it. Reflection is the ultimate short-cut. When we’re able to learn from our own experiences, we can avoid making the same mistakes again and find success quicker. Daily reflection needn’t be complicated or time-consuming. Simply check in with yourself on a daily basis to see what you’ve learned that day. Also, collect your wins - so you can learn from those too. Take a conscious approach to your every day life, and success will be easier to come by. Success is different for everyone While the principles of success are universal, success itself looks different for everyone. So make sure you’re chasing your own version. Don’t get distracted and side-tracked by what other people say you should have, do, or be. Instead, focus on what YOU want to create for your life. Then leverage the habits outlined in this article to get there. And if you need a hand with success tools or principles, we’ve got you.

When we do anything that we've never done before. There's always going to be an initial struggle.

If you want to live a life of no regrets, a bucket list is a great tool to use. Instead of leaving your life experiences and accomplishments to chance, your bucket list helps you pick the things you’d like to do in your lifetime. Better still, it can help you create work-life harmony too by guiding you to proactively choose list items that will enrich specific areas of your life. [Discover 7 reasons to create a bucket list] With a list to work from, you’ll never be left wondering how best to use your time. Instead, you can make your way through your list. While it’s good to be spontaneous, it’s also good to get things scheduled and planned in. Your bucket list will empower you to do that. For now and for your life. Remember, your Bucket List isn’t just a list of things to do before you die! Giving yourself such an open time window makes it easy to procrastinate and put things off for later. Sure, it’s a smart idea to put together a master bucket list that contains everything you’d like to do in your lifetime, but also create shorter lists with closer deadlines. For example: - Create a six-month Bucket List using the template inside your BestSelf Planner or Self Journal. - Make a list of things to do before your next milestone birthday. - List out targets you’ll hit within the next five or ten years. Take this spilt-up approach, and there’s a good chance you’ll do even more incredible things over the course of your life. And if you’re looking for ideas to get you excited, we’ve got covered. Check out the list below. It’s packed with 103 bucket list ideas split across seven different life categories. Imagine how full, fulfilling, and rewarding your life would be if you checked off all of these! HEALTH & FITNESS    1. Learn to dive off the top board    2. Run a marathon    3. Enter a triathlon    4. Go open water swimming    5. Attend a global sporting event    6. Do a Color Run    7. Complete a Tough Mudder    8. Ride on a tandem    9. Grow your own food WORK & CAREER    10. Launch a side hustle or a business    11. Publish a book    12. Have your 15 minutes of fame :)    13. Be a keynote speaker    14. Do a TED [or TEDx] Talk    15. Win an award    16. Attend a personal development seminar    17. Learn to touch-type    18. Start a podcast SOCIAL & RELATIONSHIPS    19. Host a murder mystery party    20. Perfect your signature drink    21. Perfect your signature dish    22. Master a party trick    23. Raise money for charity    24. Give blood    25. Learn a foreign language    26. Reconnect with a person from your past    27. Have the conversation you’ve been putting off    28. Go on a police ride-along    29. Throw someone a surprise party   30. Do a random act of kindness    31. Kiss in the rain    32. Write a love song for someone special MINDFULNESS    33. Learn how to meditate    34. Attend a silent retreat    35. Learn Qigong, yoga, or taichi     36. Write a letter to your younger self    37. Have a full body massage    38. Start a journaling practice for 90 consecutive days    39. Attend a class to learn something new    40. Start a vlog and record your feelings to the camera    41. Choose a pet plant and keep it near your desk    42. Make a scrapbook of your favorite memories    43. Eat a meal in silence to take in the sounds and sights    44. Make a list of things you love about yourself    45. Watch a sunrise/sunset    46. Forgive someone or yourself for something    47. Go outside for a walk with no technology, just listen to nature    48. Read a book a month    49. Have a playdate with shelter animals    50. Learn how to meditate    51. Learn to use a pottery wheel FINANCE    52. Become debt-free    53. Create a passive income stream    54. Make your will    55. Build a rainy day fund    56. Set up a monthly savings plan for a long-term asset and acquire it!    57. Audit all your expenses and remove what’s not necessary    58. Make a down payment on your first home    59. Negotiate for a raise    60. Create a scholarship    61. Make a large purchase with cash    62. Go a month without spending money (excluding mandatory payments)    63. Pay cash for a car    64. Pay off your credit card HOME & FAMILY    65. Create a family tree    66. Take a vacation with all the generations of your family    67. Go on a road trip together    68. Own your dream home    69. Capture your parents’ life story in a book    70. Visit the place where your parents or grandparents were born    71. Create a family bucket list with your children and tick things off    72. Find out the story of how your parents and grandparents met    73. Take a family bike ride    74. Create a new family tradition    75. Adopt a dog or cat    76. Share your favorite recipes with others    77. Give your kids a “yes” day FUN    78. Do a parachute jump    79. Swim with dolphins    80. Go on a cruise    81. Sleep under the stars    82. Climb a mountain    83. Dive the Great Barrier Reef    84. Eat at a Michelin Star restaurant    85. See the Pyramids    86. Trek the Inca Trail    87. Practice yoga in India    88. Go white-water rafting    89. Travel somewhere solo    90. Swim naked    91. See your favorite band live    92. Learn to juggle    93. Ride across the desert on a camel    94. Go on a safari    95. Ride a jet ski    96. Visit the Great Wall of China    97. Test drive a fast car    98. Learn a musical instrument    99. Go wild camping    100. Take a train to a new city    101. Learn to surf    102. Go whale watching    103. Visit all 50 states Create your bucket list today What have you already checked off from the list above? What Bucket List items would you add to this collection?

Keep what's good in front of your mind, and the bad will have nowhere to settle. What goes into a Calendar? The most basic calendar considers the categories: Holidays, Social Events, Celebrations, and Appointments. While these are good moments to remember they are not often the most important things to happen in our month.  Nor are they things that can't be considered within a shorter timeframe. For those events that have more important milestones than others, we wouldn't want to treat them like any other rotating event.  You don't want your calendar to be a lifeless repetitious thing on your wall.  You want it to inspire and excite you, like looking at the itinerary of your vacation might.    So, were going to give you a new set of categories to consider for your calendar in order of priority, the most basic ones will be last. Calendar Categories to Fill Out Category 1: Visualizing Your Goals You've taken the time to set up your goal, to find the why, what, and how for achieving it.  You've built up your excitement of taking on this new challenge!  Keep that excitement going by creating the itinerary on your Calendar over the next few months! Your Result Goal At the top right of the Monthly Pages, rewrite your Result Goal.  Why?  Because doing so will keep the picture of what all the things in your calendar are ultimately for.  When you do get into the day-to-day of working towards your goal. You'll want this reminder of why you're doing this in as many places a possible. It's critical that you, Remember Your Why! Note: If you have multiple Result Goals, write them out on the month they are most relevant for, and denote the most important one in some unique way.    Your Progress Goals In-line on your Calendar write in where you anticipate achieving your Progress Goals.  • Maybe you are expecting to complete one progress goal a month.• Maybe the first two progress goals you expect to happen in the first month, but the third one will take two months to achieve.• Maybe you want to complete all three within two months so you have the last month to assess the results of any changes.  Whatever tempo you choose to have your progress goals take, make them the first thing you put in your Calendar! Your Actions & Tasks Now that you have your vision laid out, and the major milestones with your Result Goal and Progress goals - fill in your Actions + Tasks into the Calendar.  Consider which tasks need to be completed within the timeframes of each Progress Goal you set out.  Consider what tasks must be completed before others, and which ones span multiple days. Lay these out accordingly. If you aren't sure how different tasks may be applied to the Calendar don't worry we'll show you some examples to help get you started! Congratulations! You've just done one of the most important actions that most people fail to do. You prioritized your goals and what you need to accomplish them first and foremost - over anything else.  While you aren't yet to the point where you're actively making time for these tasks, you have just told your brain for the first time (but not the last time) that these tasks come first and started it on the path to opening up its perceptions and focus towards these things.  Category 2: Staying Inspired Even at just 3 months, you're starting a journey that will feel like a long one.  You'll be making significant changes in your life that your subconscious brain may try to convince you is a bad idea.  You'll be tempted by your natural instincts to allow life to be the same as it's always been.  The devil you know, is better than the one you don't (as they say).  But with a few choice things added to your Calendar, you can avoid these feelings and even propel the odds of achieving your goal!  Category 3: The Basic Calendar Now that you've set up the core Calendar you need to find success with your Goal you can fill in all the other normal details you might see on a Calendar.  The point here isn't to diminish these items.  Rather it's simply to make sure that the most important things are getting the most focus and attention.  Note: If you have one of these events happening in these months that you might consider a significant milestone, such as say a particularly significant anniversary, or birthday we might suggest creating a goal around these events.  After all, they aren't going to come along every day, and if it's truly as special as it should be then it deserves to be at the front of your mind!

When you want to make improvements to your life, it’s tempting to focus on one thing. For good reason. When you achieve a significant goal, your life often takes a big step forward. What’s more, you find yourself in a whole new space, which in itself can open doors and create fresh opportunities. But this approach comes with a risk. If working on one area of your life means you drop the ball elsewhere, things can get wonky! Is it really enough to be crushing it in your business or your career if your relationships are failing and your health is suffering? Enter work-life harmony. The concept that lasting happiness and fulfillment comes from finding success in all the areas of your life that matter to you. Work-life harmony is subtly different to work-life balance. When you lead a busy life and have multiple demands pulling on you, it’s hard to juggle it all - all of the time. Sometimes your work has to get the lion’s share of your time. Other times you have to take a step back and focus fully on your wellbeing. Work-life harmony is about allowing the pendulum to swing towards specific areas of your life - at the speed and pace your circumstances demand. Best of all, it’s a metric you can measure so you can track how your life changes over time. Why quantify work-life harmony? Work-life harmony is a personal thing. What represents harmony to one person is different from someone else. What’s more, our personal definitions change over time as our circumstances evolve. For example, when you first start a business you’ll want to go all in. When you become a parent, family time becomes a sharper focus. The key is to ensure you’re happy with the place you’re at - and if you’re not, that you know what you need to change to feel better about your life. This is where quantifying your work-life harmony can be so useful for anyone on a personal development journey. Your score creates a baseline - a start point… your line in the sand. It allows you to pinpoint where you are right now - so you can decide where to focus and check back in to monitor your progress. With a baseline in place, you can double-down on your efforts knowing they will drive you forward. Even better, you can see tangible progress over time [which gives you a motivational boost in itself]. Easier goal setting A lot of people find it hard to set a goal. They don’t know what to pick or they have too many options to choose from. When you lack clarity it’s a lot harder to take focused action. If you’re not careful, you’ll end up doing nothing. But when you know where you’re at in different areas of your life, it’s a lot easier to pin down the actions that will make the biggest difference. Remember… even though we’re talking about different life areas, they all interlink and influence each other. They’re not really separate. For example, your mindfulness levels will influence your relationships, which in turn impact how you show up in work/business. In short, don’t be surprised if the right focus on one specific aspect of your life has an exponential impact on everything. When you quantify your work-life harmony, you’ll know where to place your attention. How to score work-life harmony Its super easy to calculate a meaningful score that will empower you to take action - here’s how… STEP 1: Identify the life areas that are important to you. We recommend six: Health & fitness - how do you feel in your body? This includes exercise, diet, and energy levels. Work & career - how fulfilled and successful do you feel in the work that you do? Social & relationships - who’s in your circle? How fulfilling are your friendships? How satisfied are you with your social time? Mindfulness - this includes your stress and anxiety levels along with your mental clarity and ability to create calm even in chaos. Finance - how secure are you with your money and do you have what you need to live the life you want? Home & family - how is your home environment and how fulfilled are you in your closest and intimate relationships? STEP 2: Score each area. On a scale of 1-10 [where 1 is terrible and 10 is incredible], how do you score each area of your life? It will help to pull out a notebook and explain your scores. Not only is this a useful reference point, but it will help you get clarity on your next steps. STEP 3: Calculate your average Divide your total score by six to give you an average. A ten is the perfect score [and also a ‘perfect’ life!] STEP 4: Revisit every three months With your score calculated, here’s what you can do next: Look at the areas of your life where you’ve scored low. What could you start doing to increase your satisfaction in that area? What are you doing in your life that’s detracting from your score? What could you stop doing? How could you plan your time to achieve work-life harmony? Whatever you decide, plan to make it happen. [The Self Journal or Self Planner will help]. Finally, revisit your score every three months and keep a track of your progress. It’s a super simple step that will help you think bigger and achieve more while you enjoy today. Calculate your score You can quantify your work-life harmony score with the help of the BestSelf Benchmark Quiz. To take the quiz, CLICK HERE. When you take the quiz, we’ll calculate your BestSelf Score. You’ll also receive personalized recommendations on the tools that will help you succeed. What are you waiting for! Take the quiz now and start increasing your work-life harmony at Bestself.co/Benchmark.

How do you build a life that’s fulfilling in all areas of it? A life with work success, fulfilling relationships, good health, and time to check off your bucket list? The short answer is you create work-life harmony [not balance]. This is the idea that over a period of time, you feel successful in all areas of your life. And it’s tough... Each life area has different demands, and your time is finite. What’s more, we live in a society that’s obsessed with work/business success. This means our ‘day job’ is often the focus of our greatest attention (while everything else gets the left-overs). This strategy works for a while, but in time it creates burnout, stress, and even resentment. So how do you ‘have it all’? The good news is you CAN! I’ll show you how in this article, so keep reading! 1. Define work-life harmony for you Work-life harmony means something different and looks something different for everyone. For sure, you can be inspired by other people, but don’t benchmark your success against theirs. Instead, benchmark against yourself. Here’s how to do it…      a. Make a list of all the areas of your life that are important to you. For example, work/business/career, relationships, finances, health, wellbeing etc.      b. Rate your success in each of area where 0 is low and 10 is high.      c. Write a few sentences to explain your score for each area. Your score gives you a quantitative baseline to work from. It’s your start point and a measure you can use to assess how your degree of harmony improves over time. Ready to create your baseline? If so, take the BestSelf Benchmark Quiz today and generate your BestSelf Score. 2. Define what a 10 looks like for you Once you’ve scored your current work-life harmony, the next step is to define what a ‘10’ [or your ‘BestSelf’] looks like for you. For sure, this definition will change over time as you grow and evolve, but for now, get clear on what your best looks like today: - What would your relationship look like? - What would be happening with your finances? - What bucket list items would you check through in your free time? - What would be happening in your business? - What does top-rated health look like for you? When you understand what a ten is for you, it’s easier to figure out what targets, goals, and tweaks you need to work towards to achieve harmony. 3. Know what’s achievable for your life Increasing your work-life harmony score isn’t an overnight project! Instead, it takes time and consistent daily effort. If there’s a lot you want to do, you can avoid overwhelm by prioritizing your actions. Remember, you don’t have to change everything at once, but you can change everything by doubling-down on the right actions. What’s more, you don’t have to focus on big actions only. There are lots of 10-15 minute daily rituals you can implement that could make a world of difference discover them here. To decide where to put your focus, ask yourself, which actions will make the biggest impact on your work-life harmony score? Prioritize these actions first. Don’t be surprised if you’re drawn to work on unexpected areas as your top priority. For example, you may want to build your business, but you’ll find it harder to succeed if your health is poor or your relationships are neglected. There’s a good chance these areas might top your list! 4. Remember to plan for harmony, NOT balance Time is your most valuable resource. To paraphrase Jim Rohn, you can always make more money, but you can’t make more time. Work-life harmony is dependent on how you budget and use your minutes over time. Remember… You don’t need to achieve work-life balance everyday. This isn’t an achievable goal. There are going to be days when work takes everything. For example, when you’re in the middle of a launch or when you’re solving a crisis. Similarly, there will be times when your relationship takes all you’ve got. For example, when it’s your partner’s birthday or when you’re on vacation. Instead, aim to create work-life harmony over time. In reality, this means: - Post-launch, scale back your business focus and invest more in your relationship - Post-vacation, use your rejuvenated, refreshed brain to inject more into your work In other words, worry less about the individual days and more about how things look over the course of a year, a month, and even a week. 5. Plan the bigger picture It’s easy to plan time for your career, work, or business. We live in a society that celebrates hard work! But is a career really successful if it means you have to sacrifice fulfilment in other areas of your life? Is that bigger business, top promotion, or million-dollar side hustle worth losing your health, your relationships, or your fun? The reality is you CAN have it all, if you plan it. Remember, what gets planned, gets done. If your calendars, planners, and schedules are full of work to-dos and commitments, that’s what you’ll accomplish. But add in bucket list items, date nights, work outs, family time, vacations etc. and you’ll create a richer life as a result. YEARLY: Use a wall calendar to explore what work-life harmony will look like over a year. For example:  - How much time will you spend on vacation? - What items will you check off your bucket list? - What do you want for your relationship? - What will you achieve for your finances? - How will you focus attention on your health? - Etc.  MONTHLY:  Use a monthly planner to decide what work-life harmony looks like this month?  - How will you create the right mix of work and play? - How can you create a diverse, fun, and fulfilling social calendar? - What bucket list items can you plan to check off? - What can you plan to make the most of your weekends? - How will you move the needle on your health goals? - What work commitments will you achieve? WEEKLY:  Use a tool such as the Weekly Action Plan to decide what work-life harmony will look like this week? - What are your health goals? - What are your top work/business priorities? - What can you plan to ensure your partner and family get the best of you? - What will you include to cut stress and avoid burnout? - What will you do for fun? - Etc.  6. Plan your day You can’t get more time, but you can create the illusion of having enough time. This is the power of granular daily planning. Instead of a to-do list, schedule each task to a specific time window - in the same way you would an appointment. With this strategy, you can use deadlines to inspire yourself to stay focus and finish up quicker. In short, you’ll have more time to use for other things. With more time to play with, you can plan your day for work-life harmony too. Instead of having a timeline that’s rammed full with work to-dos, you can plan for other tasks and activities to increase fulfillment in areas that currently get less. For example: - Make space for meditation in the morning - Schedule a journaling session before the team call - Plan a power walk or workout over lunch - Block out time to prepare healthy food - Schedule quality time in the evening with your partner - Allocate time to read - Even schedule time to do absolutely nothing! - Etc. With every minute used wisely, you can do more with less! And if you’re looking for a tool to help you do this, check out the Self Planner. Start to create your work-life harmony today Work-life harmony does take time and focus. When work pays the bills, it’s inevitable these demands will take your time and attention. But you can ensure every area of your life continues to improve when you plan for work-life harmony. And you can start that today. Remember, what gets planned gets done. Expand your planning to include ALL life areas. Include relationship, health, financial, fun, and wellbeing goals into your planning rituals. When everything from every area of your life is planned, it’s inevitable your benchmark score will increase. Over to you… How can you tweak your monthly, weekly, and daily plans to create more harmony?

Are you living a ‘groundhog day’ - where you run in circles as the days merge? It’s a common problem. When work takes the best of you, there’s no time or space to think. In turn, the other areas of your life get the leftovers – leaving you feeling short-changed, frustrated, and even resentful. Without work-life harmony, we’ll never be truly happy or successful. If you’re high on one part of life, but failing elsewhere, that lack of balance will throw you off. But how do you create the work-life harmony that ensures you win? Here are 19 suggestions to try. 19 ideas for creating work-life harmony today 1. Forget trying to achieve balance In the past, consensus was to create work-life balance - the idea of arranging your life so all areas feel equal. This practice sounds good in theory, but it’s harder to achieve in reality. There will be times when you have to work late just like there will be times when your relationship or hobbies needs your full attention. So forget balance, instead strive for work-life harmony. This principle gives you the flexibility to shift your focus where demand calls knowing that over time you can have it all. 2. Create a morning routine You get to choose how you start your day, so why not use this time to infuse your life with things you love. For example, journal for 15 minutes, workout for 30 minutes, meditate for 10 minutes, and read for 15 minutes. Mix and match activities that you love and ensure each day starts with a work-life win. 3. Find work that you love Imagine if work felt more like play than a forced hustle? Imagine if work became a playground for creativity, innovative problem solving, and meaningful conversation. It’s possible when you seek out work you genuinely enjoy rather than settling for a job that only pays the bills. When work isn’t compartmentalized, it’s easier to create more harmony in your life. 4. Spark meaningful conversations in your relationship When life gets busy, it’s hard to carve out quality time to talk. And when you’ve known someone forever, what do you talk about? When communication stops, intimacy plummets. If your relationship needs a little TLC, the conversation prompts inside the Intimacy Deck can work like magic. Use the 150 prompts to kick-start conversations that bring you closer and rekindle your passion. 5. Plan your day for work-life harmony Don’t use your daily planner to schedule work tasks and to-dos alone. Instead, plan everything that matters to you. Make time for that evening yoga class or post-lunch walk. Schedule uninterrupted time with your children or space for learning. If you don’t plan your day for work-life harmony, you won’t achieve it. True, you may get your work done, but everything else will get the leftovers. 6. Master your time When it comes to work-life harmony, time is your most valuable resource. It’s in finite supply, but if you allocate it wisely, you’ll free up the minutes you need to do more of the things that matter to you. Make it your goal to work smarter and not harder so you can do more in less time. Productivity practices and techniques can help you with this. For example, leverage deadlines, practice zero-hours scheduling, prioritize your tasks etc. Anything you do to stretch your time leaves you with more headroom to play with when creating work-life harmony. 7. Know where you’re at When you’re juggling a million and one priorities, it’s hard to find time to think. In turn, you can lose sight of how harmonious your life actually is. You can’t change what you don’t know you don’t know and knowledge is power. Once you acknowledge and accept that your finances or health is falling short, you’re empowered to do something constructive to transform your situation. The Self Planner includes a work-life Benchmark Tool. Use it to get clear on which areas of your life are working and which aren’t. 8. Discover what work-life harmony means to you It’s your life and your time, how do you want to spend it? What do you want to do more of and what do you want less of? For example, do you want more time to play and explore your hobbies and passions? Would you like more time to read, write, and explore new interests? Do you need more quality time for your partner, your children, or your friends? When you’re clear on what harmony looks like for you, it’s a lot easier to mastermind your time so you can make your vision a reality. 9. Set and achieve goals Do you know you’re falling behind in one area of your life? If so, set a goal - it’s something the Self Journal will help you do. Goals help direct your focus and inspire you to move the needle in an area you want to develop. Whether you want to write a book, lose weight, or grow your business, goals give you the momentum, confidence, and purpose you need to thrive. 10. Review your money habits Do your financials regularly cause you stress? If so, take some time to overhaul your approach and discover ways to save money, cut unnecessary spending, and get yourself into a healthier financial position. Discover how to mastermind financial goals here. 11. Try something new Humans are creatures of habit which means it’s easy to fall into a rut and get stuck in your comfort zone. Your comfort zone might feel safe, but it also gets stale, which in turn affects your happiness levels. Give yourself a boost by challenging yourself to try new things. For example, go to the theater alone, get lost somewhere on purpose, or see if you can spend $0 in three days. Thriving in discomfort and pushing yourself to do different not only builds your confidence, but it inspires you with new things to weave into your life. Want 150 comfort-busting challenges to try? If so, grab yourself a Courage Over Comfort card deck. 12. Write a bucket list Work-life harmony is about thriving not just surviving. That means giving yourself the space and time to live your life to the full. A bucket list is a great way to articulate the things you’d like to check off. From the places you want to go to the adventures you want to have, write a Bucket List and take the first step to making your dreams a reality. 13. Get to know yourself better How much time do you have for deep thinking and self-reflection? When you’re busy hustling and striking off to-dos, you forget to check in with yourself to see what you really want. Practices such as meditation and journaling can give you the headspace you need to get clear on what you desire. Meditation is a practice that not only calms your mind, but helps you tap into deeper level wisdom. In the same vein, journaling is a power practice that can unlock your inner thoughts so you can design your life more consciously. If the blank page scares you and you suffer from writer’s block, check out the WordSmith Deck. With 150 journaling prompts to explore, you’ll never be at a loss for words again. 14. Inspire yourself to think differently Work-life harmony is an ever-expanding challenge. As you grow, explore new things, or experience a significant life change, what you want shifts. But how do you capitalize on the opportunities that show up and the time you have? Ideas are your ticket forward. In fact, a single idea has the potential to change your life. Idea generation is a skill as well as a talent. To turn your brain into an idea-generation machine, use the Edison Deck. With 150 card prompts to spark innovative thinking, who knows how your future life could open up. 15. Make time for yourself If you spend all your time addressing other people’s priorities, your own desires and needs get pushed off. You can’t create work-life harmony if you don’t have quality time for yourself. So each day, ensure you schedule space in your calendar for you. Use this time to do something you enjoy. For example, draw, read, write, paint, dance - find your thing, do it, and watch your work-life harmony increase as a result. 16. Build new connections As social beings, we need to be surrounded by people whose company we enjoy. As Jim Rohn famously said, “you are the average of the five people you spend most of your time with”. If friendships is one area you’d like to work on, there’s plenty you can try. For example, host an event, join Facebook groups of like-minded people, attend a class - figure out what works best for you. And if you’re stuck for conversation starters, the Icebreaker Deck is the perfect pick. Instead of getting stuck in small talk and idle chit-chat, these powerful conversation prompts will inspire you to connect with people on a deeper level so you can get to know who they really are. 17. Master helpful habits You are the result of the things you do on autopilot. The more good habits you adopt, the better your life becomes. Whether you want to write more, move more, or increase your health, a habit tracker is a simple, but powerful tool to make habits stick. The Habit Roadmap is perfect for tracking three month’s worth of habits. Pin it up and check off each successful day to create a winning streak. 18. Write a prioritized to-do list Each day, you’re allocated 1,440 minutes a day. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you live, everyone gets the same amount. It’s all too easy to squander time when we make unconscious decisions and put other people’s priorities above our own. In turn, important things get pushed and life falls out of balance. When you write a to-do list and prioritize it, you ensure the things that matter most to you happen. 19. Reflect, review, revisit Work-life harmony isn’t a one time job. Instead, it’s an ongoing process that twists and turns as your life priorities change. To stay on track, keep reviewing where you are. Revisit your work-life harmony benchmark to see how your scores increase. Review your definition of what work-life harmony means to you. Enhance your work-life harmony today When you create work-life harmony, you give yourself the space you need to think bigger and achieve more. How do you ensure you spend your life doing the things that matter most to you? Share your work-life harmony tactics in the comments below. And if you’re looking for tools to help you create work-life harmony, we’ve got you!

Life is busy! With to-dos, commitments, and responsibilities, it's not easy carving out time for the things you want. We promise ourselves we'll get to it later, but that time never comes. Instead, we're distracted by the next priority, and our big dreams get pushed off - again. Enter your bucket list. The simple act of writing your bucket list can take you closer to making your dreams a reality. If you've yet to start your list, why wait? Check out this blog and get started. 1. Get out of a funk Even if your life is full and you're doing a whole heap of things you love, there's still a chance you'll slip into habits. For example, you always visit the same bar at the weekends, you take the same kind of vacation, and you read the same genre of books. This scenario is hard to avoid because humans are habitual beings! Doing the same thing over and over again can make life feel stale. Use your bucket list to shake things up and inspire you to use your time in fresh ways. With your list written out, you can explore how to weave your list into your life. You never know; you may discover a new thing that becomes a natural way of life. 2. Focus your desires It's easy to believe you'll always have time - until you don't. Use your bucket list to make mini commitments to the things you want to do. As strange as it sounds, the simple act of writing your list serves as a mini commitment - taking you one step closer to making dreams a reality. That's because writing makes your list tangible. It turns thought into the written word. The act of writing also means you've had to think about the idea a little more, which makes the vision more tangible. With the concept imprinted on your subconscious mind, you never know what might unfold next! 3. Set goals Goals help give your life direction. They also help you take control of your time by detailing something specific you want to achieve. Your bucket list can become a goals list - helping you get clear on what you want to tackle now, next, and later. In short, goal-setting and bucket list writing combined is a powerful force to create a life you love. 4. Unleash creativity Your bucket list permits you to think big and that in itself unleashes creativity. What could you do? Where could you go? How could you make it happen sooner, rather than later? Are there alternative ways to experience the same thing? These kinds of question get you thinking in the world of 'what ifs?' and possibilities to unlock a flood of inspiration [which might impact other areas of your life too]. 5. Inject excitement How would it feel to be actively working to check something off your bucket list? For example, how would it feel to save and plan that big road trip or learn the foreign language so you can work in the country that fascinates you? In this way, your bucket list injects excitement and adventure into your life. Write yours to make a statement for what you want out of life - and confirm you'll make it happen. 6. Push yourself Some bucket list items tend to be things that feel 'out there'. Maybe you need to learn new skills, save some money, create more time, or wait until you're a different age. Other bucket list items require you to be a shade braver. For example, taking a solo trip abroad or doing a parachute jump. You can use courage over comfort type challenges, to explore what becomes possible when you face your fears and do it anyway. 7. Live a fuller life If you do more of the things you want in your life, not only will you load up on the memories and good times, but you'll also have fewer regrets for the things you didn't do. So dream away knowing your list will infuse adventure today and give you satisfaction for years to come. Surely our biggest hope is to reach the end of our lives with no regrets. A checked off bucket list is the tool that will help you do that. How to create your bucket list 1. Let go of any can'ts, shoulds, and fears and instead allow your mind [and heart] to play with the things you want to do. 2. Grab a pen and notebook and write down the things you want to do. Think big scale such as walk the Camino de Santiago or Drive Route 66 as well as smaller targets such as try Stand-up Paddle-boarding or visit the local landmark you've never managed to scratch off your list. 3. Create a bucket list for different timescales. For example, what do you want to do in the next six months, 12 years, ten years - as well as by the end of your life? 4. Categorize your list into different segments and think broadly about the things you want. [This breakdown also nudges you towards work-life harmony.] For example: • Things to do/experiences to have• People to connect with• Places to visit• Books/film/culture hit list 5. Keep your bucket list somewhere you'll see often, for example, on your fridge, office wall, bathroom mirror, or inside your journal. 6. Revisit frequently - checking off things you've done and adding new ideas as they come up. Don't be surprised if you start making things happen now that your bucket list is written out. 7. Start TODAY - there’s no time like the present and the sooner you start, the sooner you can start making things happen. Capture your six-month bucket list in your Self Planner Want somewhere safe to capture your first bucket list? If so, the Self Planner is the perfect place to get dreaming. As well as a template for writing down the things you'd like to experience, this powerful life planner helps you manage your time too - so you can make more time for the things you love.  With the Self Planner, you can say goodbye to the squandered time and rushing at the last minute to get things done. Instead, get ready to become more productive, more efficient, and a whole lot calmer - knowing you've got everything handled.