princessproductivity

[princessproductivity]

Free Audiobook of the Week: How To Talk To Anyone by Leil Lowndes

Listen on YouTube! Should I start a Discord for book discussion every week? Ideally centered around self improvement topics. :)

[princessproductivity]

Knowledge related to self-improvement should be freely available to those who are willing to take the necessary steps to improve their circumstances.

[princessproductivity]

I wholeheartedly believe that one can become wealthy and successful without sacrificing good morals or undercutting others.

What is the 12 week year? 7 ways to organize your life... 7 ways to reduce your screen time... These two mistakes are stealing your time...

[princessproductivity]

How I am using Notion to organize my life!

I am a huge fan of free tools and resources, and Notion is a game-changer for being able to create detailed plans and goals that can be tracked across multiple types of devices. While I do most of my planning on my laptop, I love being able to open up my plans and change them as needed from my cellphone when I am out of the house.

Below is just a small example of what a week plan may look like for me. I try to include an opportunity every day to learn, be active, and focus on my faith. Each week I focus on a new podcast and read a new book, and I try to find new ways to apply what I've learned to my life.

I'm a huge supporter of reading. I believe that we are capable of figuring out anything on our own given enough time, but that a single book can be the difference between the solution taking a year, or an hour to find.

One thing I really love about Notion is the ability to create a very detailed reading list with books, podcasts, articles, and more. I am actively making an effort to read more books, and having one set place to keep track of my reading list is such a useful tool!

Another awesome feature of Notion is the implemented AI tool! This is a gamechanger for those who freeze up when it comes to planning, or are just now learning how to streamline their goals!

Like I mentioned at the start of this post, I am a huge fan of free resources and tools for those looking to improve their life circumstances! With that in mind, the best part about Notion is that it is free! While there is a bit of a learning curve to utilize all of the tools they offer (even I'm still figuring everything out!) it is so worth the time to try it out and explore the opportunities it opens up. This program offers so many features, these are just the ones that stood out to me on a first impression!

What is the 12 week year? 7 ways to organize your life... 7 ways to reduce your screen time... These two mistakes are stealing your time...

[princessproductivity]

My 2024 Master Reading List

✓ Keep It Shut by Karen Ehman

✓ Atomic Habits by James Clear

✓ The Surrendered Wife by Laura Doyle

✓ The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Laura Schlessinger

✓ The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran & Michael Lennington

☐ The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

☐ The Mountain is You by Brianna Weist

☐ Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus by John Gray

☐ Baby Steps Millionaires by Dave Ramsey

☐ The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

☐ The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman

☐ Girl Defined by Bethany Baird

☐ Feel-Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal

☐ Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Howard Kiyosaki

☐ The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephan Covey

☐ The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

☐ How to Talk to Anyone by Leila Lowndes

☐ The Greatness Mindset by Lewis Howes

☐ The Power of Concentration by Walker Atkinson

☐ The Now Habit by Niel Fiore

☐ 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think by Brianna Weist

☐ The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss

What is the 12 week year? 7 ways to organize your life... 7 ways to reduce your screen time... These two mistakes are stealing your time...

[princessproductivity]

These two mistakes are stealing your time... (They were stealing mine too!)

It can feel so disappointing to have a plan for your long-term goals written out and still feel like you are unable to achieve everything. I promise I've been there. There were two key mistakes I was making that were leaving me feeling overworked, and underproductive.

Mistake #1: Sleeping in.

I love being awake early... but I hate the act of actually waking up early. The relief that comes with knowing I'm up hours ahead of time, with plenty of wiggle room in my morning to get a head start on the day is amazing. All of a sudden, I realize my morning rush out the door doesn't need to be so stressful.

Sadly, that relief never makes the 5:00 AM alarm any easier.

The problem is that late nights lead to late mornings, and all too often I found myself rushing out the door unprepared for the day as the result of the previous night's pleasures and an extra hour of sleep. Don't get me wrong, it can feel great to sleep in on the weekend, but as my day has become less structured around a set "day job" schedule and more self-directed, I realized just how harmful the habit of sleeping in can be for an entrepreneurial lifestyle.

Many studies have led to the conclusion that our best ideas occur early in the morning and that we miss out on our most critical growth opportunities when we sleep in. I'm not saying that the early mornings are fun... I am saying that they are worth it.

Mistake #2: The cost of sacrificing high amounts of time into low-reward ventures.

As an entrepreneur, I understand the importance of casting one's net far and seeking new opportunities to learn and grow. However, sometimes your time is more valuable than what that opportunity itself may have to offer.

I recently accepted a minimum wage position (my first in years) on Saturdays, helping the owners of a small-town thrift shop set up their online sales channels. I didn't need the money, but I figured it was a great opportunity to explore online sales further as I had some experience with it already, and I loved the idea of helping another small business get off on the right track.

Unfortunately, I quickly learned that the two women who co-owned the business were not on the same terms about what they wanted long-term from the venture. Both had their own successful businesses on the side, and this little thrift shop was more of a hobby venture than one they truly wanted to see succeed.

Ultimately, it came to be that neither of them truly knew if they wanted an online sales channel at all! The six hours I spent there every Saturday was valuable time that I couldn't get back. While the idea of helping another business kick off was appealing upon a first impression, I realized that my time wasn't worth minimum wage in a place that clung to stagnation instead of capitalizing on new growth opportunities.

There will always be more opportunities than we can take — make sure the ones you do take are worth the time you will never get back.

What is the 12 week year? 7 ways to organize your life... 7 ways to reduce your screen time...

[princessproductivity]

Being busy and being productive are not the same thing. Just because you are filling your time, does not mean you are filling it well. Make sure the people, projects, and passions that you are dedicating yourself to are worth the time you will never get back.

A bit about @princessproductivity! What is the 12 week year? 7 ways to organize your life... 7 ways to reduce your screen time...

[princessproductivity]

Don't forget to nurture these things throughout your pursuit of a more productive lifestyle:

your faith

your family

your friendships

your other half

your unpaid passions

your physical health

your mental health

A bit about @princessproductivity! What is the 12 week year? 7 ways to organize your life... 7 ways to reduce your screen time...

[princessproductivity]

A bit about @princessproductivity!

Hey there, everyone! Welcome to the Princess Productivity blog! This blog is written by myself, a 23-year-old Christian woman, residing in the beautiful Pacific Northwest! I co-own two successful businesses with my ambitious husband, and I am now pursuing two more entrepreneurial ventures of my own.

My "business beliefs":

Everyone has room to become a better, more productive version of themselves.

Knowledge related to self-improvement should be freely available to those who are willing to take the necessary steps to improve their circumstances.

If a person wants to turn their unpaid passion into a successful business, that passion must be treated like a business, even if they aren't yet making a dime.

Entrepreneurial success can be achieved without the loss of one's humanity, compassion, and generosity.

We live in the era of opportunity, where over 300 million people in the U.S. alone have the wisdom of the internet at their fingertips. The sad reality is that only a handful (about 10%) of those 300 million have the self-discipline to truly pursue entrepreneurial success.

This blog was created for that handful.

On the Princess Productivity blog, I share the things I have learned while building two businesses, and the things I'm still learning as I pursue the founding of two more. From books and podcasts I've discovered along the way, to personal experience and lessons learned, this blog is my attempt at sharing knowledge with others.

No filters, no catch, and most importantly, no charge.

What is the 12 week year? 7 ways to organize your life... 7 ways to reduce your screen time...

[princessproductivity]

What is the 12-week year?

While there is an entire book on the concept (The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington) of the 12 week year, I think it is so valuable that I might as well give it a quick run down...

The 12 week year works, because it keeps the pressure on. So often, we will make New Year resolutions, and never stick to them. We figure we have the whole year ahead of us, so why start now? Be honest, we are in April now... Did you really get the washboard abs you thought you would? How many times did you set foot in the gym? It's still 2024, it doesn't technically mean you failed... right?

In this book, Moran points out a study that found that people tend to be the most productive when the year is drawing to a close because they weren't productive toward their goal for the rest of the year, and feel pressured to play catch up as a result. The 12 year week utilizes the mindset surrounding this dynamic to the individual's advantage.

The 12 week year is a concept that encourages one to create goals not with an entire year in mind, but by splitting their year into quarters. Instead of focusing on what you want to accomplish by the end of 2024, instead focus on what you want to accomplish before the end of March. Then, by the end of June, September, December, and so forth.

The key to this entire dynamic is being incredibly detailed and intentional with your goals. Instead of saying "I want to walk more" say, "I will walk every morning after breakfast at Cedar Park for 15 minutes." Instead of saying "I want to read more books" say, "I will finish one audiobook a week by listening to it while I take my walk, cook dinner, and work on my crochet project." Then, prepare a list of books you have in mind.

Many people feel limited in their ability to be truly productive, but at the end of the day, it isn't who or what you know... It's how you implement those two things into your tangible decisions from day to day. Knowledge without acting upon said knowledge is hardly knowledge at all. My measly summary could never do this amazing book justice, and I highly recommend a full read through to anyone looking to restructure how they approach their goals in a truly beneficial way.

Can't afford to buy the book? That's fine! I am a firm believer that knowledge should be freely accessible to anyone who wants to better their lives regardless of their circumstances! You can read the PDF copy for free here, or listen to the audiobook version on YouTube for free here.

A bit about @princessproductivity! 7 ways to organize your life... 7 ways to reduce your screen time...

[princessproductivity]

7 ways to organize your life...

Find a job that allows you to work the same days every week. I work a set schedule with my clients on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and my entrepreneurial ventures allow me to work flexibly around those days so I can arrange my home schedule to my liking 4 days a week.

Create a schedule for the main cleaning, yard care, and bill related tasks. For instance, I wash our bedsheets every Monday, and my husband tackles our yard care needs every other Saturday. Many of these tasks are reoccurring, and knowing when you will do them allows you to make time for smaller tasks that require no schedule.

Set yourself up for success the night before. Prep your coffee maker, set out your clothes, tidy up the house, and clean your kitchen so that breakfast doesn't have to wait on the dishes in the sink! A streamlined, stress-free morning is the start of a stress-free, productive day. Give yourself more time than you think you'll need so you don't need to rush, and have adequate time to prepare for the day ahead.

Stop "living in the now" and start planning ahead. Oftentimes a lack of organization stems from a general lack of preparation. Have a list of goals for your day, week, month, and year. When you feel the urge to scroll mindlessly on TikTok for the next few hours, ask yourself what you can do to accomplish the things on your list instead. In ten years, you won't regret not spending more time on TikTok, you'll regret not spending more time improving your life circumstances.

Control your screen time and dedicate that time to your goals. This will vary from person to person, but you may need to spend more time working out, studying for that next big exam, visiting with your loved ones, working on your business venture, connecting with your faith, etc. These days so many people are addicted to their screens, and it can be a huge hindrance to and distraction from our true ambitions in life. To learn more about how to reduce your screen time, check out my post where I share a few methods that helped me limit my own.

Refuse to see yourself as incompetent. Instead of telling yourself "I'm not the type of person who can start a business," ask yourself, "How can I become the type of person who can start a business?" It is easy to become dismissive of our own abilities over time, and by constantly telling yourself you are incapable you allow yourself to become truly incapable.

Allow yourself to relax. I've fallen into the trap many times, where I feel like I am wasting time if I'm not actively doing something productive every second of every day. While we shouldn't spend all of our time idle, it is fine to sleep in on occasion or take time to unwind and do something just for fun at the end of the day. Not every waking moment needs to be set in stone, and the best way to stay organized in the long term is to allow yourself some grace when you need a break.

A bit about @princessproductivity! What is the 12 week year? 7 ways to reduce your screen time...

[princessproductivity]

7 ways to reduce your screen time...

If you create content for a living, schedule your posts in one sitting so you don't have to spend as much time putting them out throughout the day.

Turn on your phone's grayscale setting — this overrides our natural inclination to click on the brightly colored app icons of addictive socials like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and more.

Use a minimalist phone app. This removes icons altogether, and forces you to intentionally look for what you need from a list of apps as opposed to mindlessly clicking. I'm currently using an app called Oasis Launcher from the Google Play Store.

Turn off notifications from social media, so you are only prompted to spend time on those apps through your own natural inclination.

Oftentimes we reach for our phones because our hands are idle, not because we actually want to spend the time on them — find something to keep your hands busy. For me this is crochet, but it could be a book, a painting, or some other kind of project.

If you find that you spend a lot of time on certain social media apps, try uninstalling the app itself, and only using that form of media through your phone browser. I used to spend a lot of time window shopping on Amazon, and the added inconvenience of not having it available in one click has really helped deter me from spending so much time on it — now I only jump on and use it when I truly need to order something for the household.

Reevaluate your screen time at the end of every week. Many phones have a "digital well-being" feature now that allows you to set time limits on apps, and see how your screen time compares to previous weeks. This can be a great way to evaluate where you need to trim down your usage.

A bit about @princessproductivity! What is the 12 week year? 7 ways to organize your life...