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The Value of Weekly Meetings
Regular Family Meetings teach your family the value of planning and strong communication skills.
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Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
If you are finding value in our PROJECT OF THE WEEK Newsletter, we would greatly appreciate it if you would spread the word. Your friends and family can click HERE to sign-up.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
The Value of Weekly Family Meetings
I cannot count the number of conversations that I have had with parents about how they feel overwhelmed and overworked, despite being organized and having a consistent plan.
While there is no one perfect solution, implementing Weekly Family Meetings can go a long way.
There are many benefits to meeting as a family regularly:
You create the time and space for everyone to coordinate their schedules, activities, and responsibilities.
Regular Family Meetings teach your family the value of planning and strong communication skills.
You have regular opportunities to lead by example.
You allow for natural consequences for not planning, which is the most effective teaching tool.
Getting Started
What does having Weekly Family Meetings look like?
I recommend picking one day a week to meet as a family. Sunday evenings are probably best, but any day can work.
Everyone should bring their calendars and/or planners to the meeting.
Yes, this includes your kids and your partner!
If your child can write, I recommend they start using a planner.
Each adult should bring their Agenda Items to the meeting. This is your opportunity to talk as a family about any and all items that are important. Creating an Agenda shouldn't be time-consuming. You can keep an Agenda List in a shared location that you update throughout the week. My friend has a Note on her iPhone that is shared with her husband and daughter. Throughout the week, they add items to discuss at their Family Meeting to this list. They keep a grocery shopping list this way too.
It's important that everyone has time at the meeting to share what their week looks like. This includes activities and appointments they have planned, what rides are needed, and if anyone needs help or support with any of their responsibilities.
As a parent, it's equally important to share your responsibilities and what your schedule looks like. This is what will support teaching by example and natural consequences.
For example, you share that you have a work meeting on Wednesday evening and will not be home until 7:30 pm. Your son forgets to share that he has a presentation in Social Studies on Thursday. On Wednesday night, when you get home, your son meets you at the door letting you know he has a presentation the next day and he needs poster board RIGHT NOW. This is a great opportunity to show him the consequences of not planning ahead and that he is going to have to figure out a different solution.
How can you best use the Family Meeting as a teaching tool?
Depending on where your child is in their ability to plan, will determine how much support they need.
If your student needs a lot of support, I would recommend sitting down with them for 20 minutes earlier in the day, to plan out their week, in their planner. Take some time to look through the family calendar and their school portal and have them write everything down in their Academic Planner. This includes orthodontist appointments, sports practices and games, school assignments, and play dates with friends.
If your student is not great at planning, but also refuses your help, that's ok. Let the Family Meeting be the teacher.
During the Family Meeting, use open-ended questions to help your student learn and grow.
For example, if your student remembers to tell you that they have a presentation on Thursday, take a moment to ask, "What is your plan for the presentation?"
Depending on their answer, you may need to ask some additional questions.
"Is there anything you need from me in order to do well?"
"Are there any materials that you need in order to complete the presentation?" (Hint: THIS should be where the poster board or other items that need to be purchased are mentioned.)
This is not a gotcha game. You want to be as supportive as possible AND you want to give them space to both fly and fall, while they are in a supportive environment.
Trust me! Freshman year of college is NOT the best time to learn.
Is meeting once a week enough?
Meeting once a week should be enough as far as having a formal meeting.
It's a great habit to check in each night and confirm what everyone has going on the next day. This is also an opportunity to reinforce to your kids that you understand plans can change and we all have to adapt and overcome depending on the day. If you have dinner together every night, this is a great way to end dinner.
You could also have a Family Check-In each night at 7:00 pm.
Make your Family Meetings as fun as possible.
Maybe you meet and then go out for ice cream. Or maybe you play a quick game of cards after or watch a movie together.
The goal of the Family Meeting is to make everyone's lives smoother.
How can you make your family look forward to your Weekly Family Meeting?
P.S. If you don't have kids, but have a partner, this is just as valuable.
Good luck!
Additional Resources
I highly recommend that all kids that are able to write should have their own planner. Here is a link to my favorite Academic Planner!
Ready to Get Started?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Starter Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.
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Real Results from Consistent Effort Over Time
Real results come from consistent effort over time.
Photo by Canva.
Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
If you are finding value in our PROJECT OF THE WEEK Newsletter, we would greatly appreciate it if you would spread the word. Your friends and family can click HERE to sign-up.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
Real Results from Consistent Effort Over Time
It's great to have big goals and dreams for the future!
I even keep a Dream Journal where I write down 10 dreams each day that I think would be amazing, but for now, are only dreams.
For me, when I first start thinking about what my next big goal should be, I can start to feel intimidated.
I love the idea of achieving the goal, but almost always feel overwhelmed by the amount of work and uncomfortable moments that will be necessary to make it happen.
What I try to keep in mind is that the road to success is actually lined with small consistent steps forward.
This, Project of The Week Newsletter, is a great example.
Getting Started
When I first imagined creating a weekly newsletter that would add real value to people's lives, it felt both exciting and overwhelming.
Would anyone really want to read it? Would I run out of content? How in the world will I have time to write it and email it out EVERY week?
I knew, if this was something I really wanted to make happen, I needed a plan that incorporated small, consistent actions on a regular basis, and I needed support.
So, I got started. First, I spent a few hours attempting to figure out MailChimp. This was the part that was completely foreign to me, but it was free and I figured it worth investing a little time. (Guess what? We didn’t end up using MailChimp.)
It didn’t take me long to realize it was worth investing in support with designing the Blog & Newsletter.
I reached out to Lindsey Morano, my amazing website designer, to see if she could help. Luckily for me, she could and was excited to do so!
My next big fear was that I was going to run out of content. So I sat down and typed up 52 Blog Ideas. I figured, if I had ideas for the first year, I would be ok.
As you probably know by now, I love all things productivity. This turned out to not only be easy, but super fun! And guess what? I found myself with more than 52 ideas.
I was feeling confident that I could have a beautifully designed blog and that I would not run out of ideas.
Now, I needed to figure out how I was going to consistently make it happen.
I reached out to a friend, the amazing Nicole Morelle, who I knew worked in Marketing, and asked if we could chat.
I shared my idea with Nicole and asked if she wanted to partner with me. Thankfully, she was equally excited and jumped on board.
Now I knew I needed a plan that involved routine actions on a weekly and monthly basis.
My next step was to schedule when I was going to work on the Project of the Week Newsletter.
Setting aside a consistent time to write each blog entry was at the core of making this a success.
This was also the most challenging part. After looking at my schedule, I realized there was no way to make this consistent, without letting something go. The only consistent time that I could make available was Wednesday mornings. This meant resigning from my BNI Chapter, which was a hard decision, but worth it.
As someone who loves to plan ahead, I was worried about how I would FEEL knowing each week, that I had to write a new blog entry or else.
I decided to write for about 12 weeks, before launching the Newsletter. This meant that we had a 12-blog cushion, for all the unexpected life events that inevitably happen.
This was a great decision!
By doing this, Nicole is able to edit and load a month’s worth of blogs at a time.
In addition to writing the Blog, there were other consistent actions that I needed to commit to on a monthly basis, to make this goal happen.
Below are the consistent efforts we make each month:
I write a new blog entry every Wednesday morning.
Around the first of the month, Nicole loads all the next month’s blogs onto the website, under Review.
The second week of the month, I read the following month's blogs and change their status to Scheduled.
Once the blogs are scheduled, Nicole creates and schedules the Newsletters to go out.
Nicole and I have a monthly standing meeting to discuss the Project of the Week Newsletter and how we want it to grow and improve.
Launching and maintaining a Weekly Blog was a big goal that felt impossible at the start.
Today, it is a reality because of the consistent times we set aside to work on it.
Is there a big goal you have been wanting to prioritize?
Can you schedule the same 45-minutes each week to work on it?
You will likely be shocked by the results!
Ready to Get Started?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Starter Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.
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Turn Off Your Distractions
Turn off your distractions. Why is this concept so simple, yet so difficult?
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Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
If you are finding value in our PROJECT OF THE WEEK Newsletter, we would greatly appreciate it if you would spread the word. Your friends and family can click HERE to sign-up.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
Turn Off Your Distractions
Why is this so simple in concept and so challenging in everyday life?
When we focus on a single task, we know that we deliver better quality work in a shorter amount of time.
Yet, we continue to find ourselves attempting to work on a task that requires focus and concentration, while our email is open, our phone is out, and surrounded by reminders of other 'to-do' items.
We are NOT going to talk about how to focus better or longer. We are NOT going to brainstorm ways to overcome our environment.
Today, we ARE going to recognize that environment matters and we can create an environment that supports our goals and needs.
Getting Started
As a professional organizer, I have seen over and over again how having an organized and calm work area can make all the difference.
I bet you think I am going to recommend that you organize you workspace!
Nope - not today!
Today, I want you to consider what location is best for tasks that require thought and focus. Hint: It's likely not your regular work space.
I love my desk. And sometimes I work at the dinning room table, which feels large and open.
However, when it's time to sit down and write this blog, you will find me in an arm chair, next to the window in my bedroom. It helps me settle in, get started, and stay focused.
Think about what location is best for you and for which task.
If you work from home, is there a quiet calm nook? If you work in an office, is there a conference room you can reserve? Or do you have a favorite coffee shop where you focus best?
Once you’ve found your place, think about what other distractions get in your way. How can you change your environment to eliminate them?
I would consider closing out of email.
Would it be helpful to leave your phone in the other room?
Is the music you have on in the background helpful or distracting?
We would love to hear your ideas and solutions!
Cheers to a focused day!
Ready to Get Started?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Starter Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.
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When to Start a Habit
When to start a new habit is just as important as starting the habit.
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Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
If you are finding value in our PROJECT OF THE WEEK Newsletter, we would greatly appreciate it if you would spread the word. Your friends and family can click HERE to sign-up.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
"WHEN" You Start a New Habit Can Make All the Difference
Behind every successful new initiative, goal achieved and finish line crossed is a list of tiny habits that were successfully implemented.
In order to meet your Monthly Sales Goal, you will likely need to implement habits around how many daily prospect calls you make, what time of day you follow-up on your leads, and at what time increment you send your follow-up emails.
If you are going to reach your goal of writing a book, you will need to successfully implement habits around when you are going to write each week, where you are going to do your writing, and how you are going to both get started and stay focused during each writing session.
Successfully crossing the finish line of a marathon is a testament to the habits you implemented around your training schedule, as well as your rest and recovery.
Getting Started
One factor that I think doesn't get enough attention is the value of choosing "WHEN" to start a new habit.
Choosing the right time to get started can make all the difference!
Before starting a new habit, take a few moments to think about what circumstances will make it easier to get started and be consistent.
There are slow and busy seasons at work and at home. There are times of year that are warmer and we want to be outside and times of year that are colder and it's easy to stay inside. Or, even better, times of the year when we want to travel. Even your week has slower and busier days.
Are there times of day, days of the week, or times of year that will make getting started easier?
Below are a few examples of how choosing the right time can have an impact on your success.
If you want to form the habit of walking outside each morning, I would recommend starting in the spring or summer. While the health benefits are equally as great on cold gray days, taking a walk in the warm sunshine is much more appealing and you’re likely to stick with the habit during the cold months.
There continues to be more and more research on the value of taking a cold shower or ice bath. No doubt this habit is much easier to start in the summer, when you know you will warm up fast.
If you want to form the habit of cooking more and eating out less, choose a quieter time of year. For most families, January is much quieter than July. On the flip side, if you love to cook on the grill, maybe July is best.
If you want to start a blog or write a book, you will need to start writing consistently. Think about what time of year and what time of day would be easiest to consistently write. If the only time you have to write is at 5:30AM, this may be easier to start in late spring/early summer, when the sun rises early. If you are carving out time from your work day, choose a slower season of work.
What habit do you want to implement or re-implement and when would be best to get started?
Additional Resources
There are many great resources on how to implement a new habit. Two books that I love are:
Atomic Habits by James Clear and The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
Ready to Get Started?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Starter Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.
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How Structure Can Make All the Difference
The more structure and routine, the more freedom there is around choices.
Photo by Canva.
Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
If you are finding value in our PROJECT OF THE WEEK Newsletter, we would greatly appreciate it if you would spread the word. Your friends and family can click HERE to sign-up.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
How Structure Can Make All the Difference!
As you likely know by now, I am all about structure and routine. The more structure and routine I have, the more freedom I feel around my life choices and where my time is going.
I highly value sleep and feel it's the most important piece to living a healthy, fulfilling life.
With a good night's sleep, I feel like there is nothing I can't accomplish or overcome.
For years, I have known that on nights when I read before bed, I sleep better.
Yet, I have found this to be one of the hardest habits to stick to.
At the end of the day, I'm exhausted. I feel like I don't have any energy left, and reading just feels like it's too much (until I start and then it's fine!).
So I would repeatedly find myself scrolling on Twitter or Instagram for those few minutes before lights out.
In March 2023, my Foster Daughter moved in.
I knew, for both of our sakes, creating a positive, relaxing bedtime routine would be key.
Every night, she has a bath, we read together, and then I turn on the bedtime story, "The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep” and leave her to fall asleep.
We play the bedtime story on Audible, which I currently only have on my phone.
Which in turn means, I leave my phone right outside her bedroom door for the 30 minute story each night.
Without having access to my phone, it has been simple to take the time to read each night, as part of my own bedtime routine.
After years of struggle, the only change was in the structure of my routine and my lack of access to my phone.
Every time I think about getting another device that can play Audible, I also think, I will surely go back to the nightly struggle to consistently read before bed.
Getting Started
Simply change your environment. I know, it’s easier said than done - or is it?
Changing my evening routine was all I needed to change the structure of my day and provide me the opportunity to read before bed again.
Have you experienced a change in your environment that has positively impacted a habit you have been working to implement?
We would love to hear about it!
Ready to Get Started?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Starter Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.
Follow Me
Share this post
Most Things Are Not Worth Optimizing
Guess what? Most things are not worth optimizing.
Photo by Canva.
Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
If you are finding value in our PROJECT OF THE WEEK Newsletter, we would greatly appreciate it if you would spread the word. Your friends and family can click HERE to sign-up.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
Most Things Are Not Worth Optimizing
You read that right. It's not a typo.
Our goal, with the Project Of The Week Newsletter is to share actions, habits and projects that may improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
We are all about increasing productivity, but what does that really mean?
My definition of productivity is accomplishing what's important to you and making time for what matters most.
Productivity is NOT doing as much as possible in the least amount of time.
Being able to prioritize is key to leading a genuinely productive life.
Why are most things not worth optimizing?
Reason #1
Optimizing Take Time:
Determining the best way to do a task or projects takes time and effort. For a lot of tasks, jumping right in and getting it done takes less time than figuring out the best way to do it. If it's a task that you repeat, you will likely figure out ways to optimize it over time anyway.
Reason #2
Optimizing Often Leads to Procrastination Based on Perfectionism:
When we feel like we need to optimize everything we do, it's common to delay getting started.
Is it worth waiting two years to create the perfect process, in order to save 10 minutes on a project that takes 2 hours?
Reason #3
Optimizing Can Become an Excuse
If you set an expectation for yourself that you need to optimize everything you do, that can become an easy excuse to use to push off important projects. Reframing how you approach new tasks and projects can make a real impact.
As I often remind myself, "Progress, Not Perfection."
One area of my life where this has made a real impact is in completing all the administrative tasks for Happy Spaces.
When I launched Happy Spaces in 2016, I was determined to create the best business processes possible. As I have gained more experience in running a business, I have found it's best for me to set time slots aside to work on Administrative tasks, just jump right in, and keep it moving forward.
By working on Administrative tasks on a regular basis, for shorter time spurts, and not worrying about what order I complete the tasks, I find that it's much easier to get started. I rarely feel the need to procrastinate and I am crossing more items off my Next Action List.
Getting Started
When working with clients to get organized, this “roll up your sleeves” strategy has also proven effective.
For Onsite Organizing Sessions I work with clients for 4 to 8 hours. In this time, we are able to make a real impact on the organizational systems the client is using.
When working with a Professional Organizer, we start with pulling out all items and sorting it by category. Then we take the time to declutter items that are no longer adding value. Now we can see what items and categories are left, so that we can create new homes that function simply and effectively. Lastly, we will create labels to support the client in maintaining the new systems that we created.
While this may be an optimal process for working with a Professional Organizer, this is not what I recommend to clients when they are getting organized on their own. When clients try this on their own, they often pull everything out, start the sorting process, and then feel overwhelmed and just stop. Which, in the end, leaves their home or office feeling much worse.
Instead, I recommend using a much less optimized process, but one that has proven much more effective.
I recommend picking a small area and setting a timer for 20 minutes. Pull out what you can for 10 minutes and sort it. Next, take about 5 minutes to pull out any donations, recycling and trash. Lastly, take about 5 minutes to put the sorted items back in an organized manner.
Over time, you will create organized spaces, improve your organizational skills, and gain a clear idea of what organizing systems will make sense for your home.
Are there any projects on your list that you have not started because you don't feel like you know the best way to do it?
Ready to Get Started?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Starter Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.
Follow Me
Share this post
Why You Should Digitize Your Memories
Memories, such as your family's photos and videos, are not replaceable.
Photo by Canva.
Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
If you are finding value in our PROJECT OF THE WEEK Newsletter, we would greatly appreciate it if you would spread the word. Your friends and family can click HERE to sign-up.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
Why You Should Digitize Your Memories!
When working with clients, it is my job to ask questions that support the client in making smart decisions about what items are adding value and what items are not adding value to their lives. This is the key to creating a space that supports one's goals.
Another factor that we always account for is how replaceable an item is. Are you willing to give up a pair of high heels that have been collecting dust in your closet for five years, knowing full well you could easily buy another pair if the need strikes? The answer is likely yes. However, you’d be less likely to give up those blue Manolo Blahnik heels you bought for your wedding. Some items, particularly those attached to precious memories, are not worth letting go.
Then, there are items, such as your family's photos and videos, that are not replaceable.
Investing the time and money to digitize family photos and videos is SO valuable!
The Benefits to Digitizing Your Memories:
You memories are backed-up and protected.
Your memories are easy to access.
Your memories are easy to share with friends and family.
Simplifies the process of creating digital photo books and wall art.
The Risks of Not Digitizing Your Memories:
Your memories can easily be lost in a moldy storage environment, a flood or a fire.
You rarely find joy in looking back at your memories, since they are hard to access and potentially disorganized.
If you share a memory with a family member or friend, it may get lost.
Getting Started
How to Digitize Your Memories:
The first step is to decide how you are going to digitize your memories and what type of memories you have.
There are a number of companies that you can hire to digitize your memories.
Whatever company you choose, I recommend having them digitized so that you can save them to both an external hard drive and the cloud. I do not recommend having them digitized to a DVD format. Yes - they are still doing this!
I personally used Scan Cafe to digitize my family's VHS Tapes and Photos. If you sign-up for Scan Cafe’s emails, they are constantly running promotions. I was pleased with their customer service and responsiveness and felt my family’s memories were well cared for.
If you choose to hire a company that digitizes memories, I recommend taking a little time to pre-organize your items.
How to pre-organize photos:
Purchase Gallon and Quart sized Ziploc bags. These don’t need to be expensive - the Dollar Store carries these!
Spend some time briefly reviewing each photo and categorizing them into piles.
While you will need to set some time aside to do this, it likely will not take as long as you imagine.
When reviewing the photos, throw out the photos that are bad quality. Remember way back before digital cameras, we developed all of our photos. It’s time to let go of those photos that are fuzzy or one of the 10 from your breakfast in Italy. Be like Elsa - let it go!
For all other photos, create some large categories that make sense to you.
Below are some examples:
Immediate Family
Extended Family
Allison (Sister)
Allison's Wedding
NYC Trip 1999
Semester Abroad
For each category, start a pile on the floor or on a table and add a sticky note next to it with the category name.
Once you are done sorting the photos, add them to a Ziploc bag and label the bag with a permanent marker. Include the name of the category. You can dive deeper here if you want. For example: Allison’s Wedding Ceremony, Allison’s Wedding Reception, Allison’s Wedding Brunch.
Don't worry if you have more photos than you can fit in one bag; it's fine to have multiple bags for the same category.
By labeling the bags, the company that scans and digitizes your photos can create a folder with each category name and scan all the pictures in that category into that folder.
How to pre-organize videos:
This one is optional. I did not have a VCR, so I simply sent off all our VHS tapes. It was simple enough to watch then after they were digitized and label them.
The downside to not pre-watching the VHS tapes and determining the content is that I ended up paying for VHS tapes to be digitized that were such poor quality you can't see anything, as well as digitizing TV recordings of The Wizard of Oz and Winnie The Pooh. Whoops!
If I were to do it again, I would purchase a VCR and pre-watch them to make sure they are worth digitizing. If you label each VHS, the company digitizing them will label the file with that name.
Why Digitizing Your Memories is Worth the Investment!
I understand that this is an investment. It's not inexpensive.
That being said, I have never heard a client regret the money they spent digitizing their family's memories.
I have had many clients share how sad and frustrated they are by memories being lost, damaged, or destroyed.
If you add up the money you spend on experiences each year, you would likely find that you can digitize a lifetime worth of memories for less than you spend on eating out or taking a family trip.
Last year, I digitized our family's VHS tapes as a holiday present for my siblings. They appreciated it and I probably only spent a little more than I would have, had I bought them each a gift.
P.S. I do have 8 siblings, so this statement may not be true for you!
Have you digitized your memories?
We would love to hear about your experience!
Additional Resources
Hiring a Photo Manager is an option. You can find a Professional Photo Manager HERE.
If you are short on time or overwhelmed by the thought of undertaking this project, this is a great option!
Ready to Get Started?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Starter Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.
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Does This Habit Still Add Value?
Are you doing something out of habit or because it adds value?
Photo by Canva.
Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
If you are finding value in our PROJECT OF THE WEEK Newsletter, we would greatly appreciate it if you would spread the word. Your friends and family can click HERE to sign-up.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
Does this Habit Still Add Value?
As I am sure you know by now, I am a huge James Clear fan. Every week, James (I feel he wouldn’t mind if I call him James) sends out his 3-2-1 Newsletter. In this newsletter, he includes thoughts, ideas and questions that often lead me to valuable insights.
One question that I found valuable and often use in my day-to-day is:
"Does this habit still serve me or am I blindly following an old routine?"
- James Clear
Getting Started
There have been a lot of changes in my life in the past six months.
I moved from NYC to Niskayuna, NY.
I bought a house.
I went form being single to being responsible for a sweet, energetic 9 year-old girl.
Needless to say, I had a lot of habits, routines and responsibilities that I needed to reflect on.
Let's look at this in two ways:
Is this a habit that adds value, but no longer fits into my current routine?
OR
Is this a habit that is no longer adding value, but is simply a part of my routine?
Go ahead - read that again.
Is there a habit in your life that has added substantial value, but is no longer part of your daily/weekly routine?
In a prior Project of the Week Newsletter, we spoke about the value of One Sentence Journals. I find it both motivating and centering to take a few minutes in the morning to write out my personal and professional mission and my dreams. This helps me remember my why and think big.
After becoming a parent, my morning routine needed to shift. For the first few weeks, letting go of journaling was an easy way to save time in the morning. However, I could feel the difference. The mornings were go-go-go without a moment to think.
After spending a few minutes reflecting on my schedule, I realized that I could take those few moments, after dropping my daughter off at school, to drink my coffee and journal.
Now, this is one of my favorite parts of my day.
By being thoughtful about how to add this back into my schedule, I didn't have to reduce my sleep and I still have quality time in the morning with my daughter, while having breakfast and getting ready for school.
Is there a habit that you do routinely, without even thinking about it, but that is no longer adding value?
This question is equally as important.
The best part about forming new habits is that you don't have to think about them.
The potential downside is that because you don't have to think about them, you may continue with a habit long after it's usefulness wears off.
One of the amazing benefits of buying a house was that I now have a washer, dryer and dishwasher in the house. For anyone not from NYC, these are luxuries most NYC apartments don't have. Crazy, I know!
In NYC, there were washers and dryers in my building's basement. However, they were industrial grade and it was not uncommon for items to get damaged. I created the new habit of washing all my good clothes on delicate, in individual laundry bags, and then hang drying them in my shower. I know, it sounds crazy, but I never lost another item!
When I moved into my house, I found myself still putting those clothes in laundry bags and then hanging them in the basement to dry. Thankfully, I had a light bulb moment. I realized that now I could go back to only putting delicate clothing in individual laundry bags and only hang drying items that are not supposed to go in the dryer. You wouldn't believe how much time this saved!
Breaking the habit of hand washing all my dishes has been more comical. I love having a dishwasher. I intend to use it for all my dishes. Yet, I will catch myself hand-washing a dish, despite the dishwasher being right there. It's ironic how much I don't like doing dishes and yet how many times I still catch myself hand washing a dish.
Is there a habit in your life that you want to reimplement or is there a habit in your life that has outlived is usefulness?
We would love to hear about it!
Additional Resources
Interested in learning more about James Clear’s newsletter? Click here!
Ready to Get Started?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Starter Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.
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How Opposite Strategies Can Both Be True
Do do opposites make a right?
Photo by Canva.
Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
If you are finding value in our PROJECT OF THE WEEK Newsletter, we would greatly appreciate it if you would spread the word. Your friends and family can click HERE to sign-up.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
How Opposite Strategies Can Both Be True
We are all unique and it's important to understand what works for us individually, based on our current circumstances and mindset.
Just because a strategy works for your partner or boss, does not mean it will work for you. And, just because a strategy works for one type of task doesn’t mean it will work for a different task.
Think about it - there are so many different ways to approach a task, project, or even the management of your day.
Getting Started
Below are a few examples of opposite strategies that clients have found valuable to implement, depending on the situation:
Getting ready and dressed professionally for work, despite working remotely. Or, lets be honest, dressing professionally from the waist up, but still rocking those pj pants!
Waking up and jumping right into a task that you have been procrastinating,
Starting your workday with a task that takes deep thought.
Starting your workday by spending 30 minutes on email, so you feel like you can focus on your more important tasks.
Clearing our your email on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Planning to spend 2 hours on Monday morning, working through your emails, so that you can focus the rest of the week.
Working on a project each day for 20 minutes.
Scheduling two 90-minute sessions each week to work on a project.
Completing educational requirements by watching recorded trainings.
Attending an educational conference in person with multiple educational course.
Scheduling all your meetings in the afternoons, so that you can focus in the morning.
Scheduling all your meetings on two or three days a week, so you can have two days with minimal distractions.
The key to being successful is finding what works for you in that moment and going with it. Let us know what opposite strategies work for you!
Ready to Get Started?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Starter Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.
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Pick One Win!
All you need is one win.
Photo by Canva.
Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
If you are finding value in our PROJECT OF THE WEEK Newsletter, we would greatly appreciate it if you would spread the word. Your friends and family can click HERE to sign-up.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
Pick One Win!
I love hearing about my client's big dreams and ambitious goals. I am often envious of their creativity and wide range of interests. For many of my clients this comes naturally and has been a key factor in them achieving great success.
On the flip side, it is also common for clients I work with to have over a 100 projects "in progress" at varying stages. While there is nothing inherently wrong about having various projects in progress at various stages, I often wonder if too many “in progress” projects causes additional anxiety and roadblocks that can easily be overcome.
Start by asking yourself:
What is the last project I completed?
Are there projects in progress, that have been in progress for over a year, and are still important to me?
How often do I buy all the supplies for a project, work on it once, and then forget about it?
How do I feel about the number of projects that I have "on my list"?
How do I prioritize all my projects?
How do I keep track of all my projects?
Having more open projects than you feel like you can achieve in a lifetime can be demoralizing and may be sapping all your energy.
Getting Started
First you pick the win. Then you build momentum.
This win can be directly related to a project that is stalled or it could be a really easy win that will help you build momentum and confidence in yourself.
In multiple studies, researchers have found that individuals who make their bed in the morning have a more productive day.
Why might this be true?
In my opinion, it has everything to do with starting your day with a win, building momentum, and feeling in control.
How does this look in my life?
I do my family’s laundry on Mondays and start it by 8:00AM.
It's not that I like Monday's or that I like doing laundry. It's that I like starting my week off with a win.
Mondays, more than any other day, are likely to go off course. By committing to doing laundry on Mondays, I know I have a win, even if the rest of the day's plans go out the window.
On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, I reserve 9:00AM to 10:30AM for a work project I value.
Tuesdays -- I make a plan for the week.
Wednesdays -- I write this newsletter.
Thursdays -- I work on a project that is important to Happy Spaces.
This allows me to start my day off strong and build momentum.
What WIN are you going to choose?
Below are some ideas:
Make your bed.
Do laundry.
Meditate for 1 minute.
Make a doctor's appointment.
Write for 12 minutes.
Read for 12 minutes.
Open all your mail, throw out or shred the envelopes and junk mail.
Deposit a check.
Pay a bill.
Schedule and commit to a 45 minute block on your calendar to work on the "Next Action" of a project that's important to you.
Remember - Just pick one and GO!
Additional Resources
James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, recommends figuring out how you can implement the "one-minute' rule when starting a new habit. If you want to become a writer, pick a time each day where you are going to write for one-minute. While it's true you won't achieve a lot of writing in this time, you will make writing a regular part of your day and you will start to feel like a writer. This is a big win!
Ready to Get Started?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Starter Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.
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Take a Time Out
What do you do when your day gets turned upside down?
Photo by Sime Basioli on Unsplash
Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
If you are finding value in our PROJECT OF THE WEEK Newsletter, we would greatly appreciate it if you would spread the word. Your friends and family can click HERE to sign-up.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
The Value of Taking a Time Out
It's Tuesday morning. We’re headed back into the office after a long Memorial Day weekend spent enjoying downtime with family and friends. You had a good night's sleep, the kids got off to school smoothly, and your work day is off to a strong start.
Suddenly, an email from a client pops into your inbox. The message stops you in your tracks. Your smooth, productive day feels long gone (cue wah, wah noise).
We have all been there!
It's much simpler to practice strategies that improve productivity when everything is going as planned. So, lets focus today on what happens when your day get's turned upside-down.
It could be an email from a client.
It could be negative feedback from your boss.
It could be a co-worker throwing you under the bus, to protect themselves.
In this situation, our first instinct is usually to respond and resolve whatever it is right away. The other option is to jump right back into what we were doing and respond to it later.
Getting Started
When a situation arises that tends to throw us off our game, it usually makes your mind start racing and often your heart rate too! Rather than fire off an email that will likely come back to haunt you or ignoring the situation all together, here’s an opportunity to "Take a Time Out."
I tell my clients, it's usually best to not respond right away. Taking a little time, often 24 to 48 hours, to think about how you want to reply, will give you time to formulate a thoughtful and smart response. I once had a mentor tell me “time is a tool” and we should use that tool like any other in our arsenal of tactics.
However, we also don’t want to leave the sender wondering if their message was received. Take a few moments to send a quick response. Thank them for reaching out and sharing their thoughts and let them know you are going to take a day or two to review and follow-up.
Below is a sample response:
"Thank you for your perspective and feedback. I will keep this in mind as I plan next steps to move forward. I am going to take a day or two to review options and get back to you ”
You may want to read, "Is Overthinking Your Superpower", to learn more about the value of taking some time to think through what decision is really best.
On the flip side, attempting to jump right back into what you were previously working on, will likely not turn out the way you hope.
You will likely find it hard to concentrate, which translates to not being as effective with your time and not producing the quality of work you are capable of.
It also will not help your mind settle down.
Here is another opportunity to “Take a Time Out"
Grab a piece of paper and a pen and take 10-15 minutes to write down all the thoughts swirling around in your head. Don't worry about how dumb they sound. You can shred this after. The goal is to get your thoughts on paper, so your brain can calm down.
By taking this time, you will bounce back quicker and have a much calmer, more centered day.
After finishing the writing exercise, check your calendar to see if you have 15-20 minutes to take a walk. Getting in some movement will further support you in reclaiming your day and formulating the best solution.
It's ok if you don't have time for the walk, but I highly recommend you make time for the Writing Exercise. You will get this time back 10 fold.
We would love to hear how this strategy works for you!
Ready to Get Started?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Starter Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.
Follow Me
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When Downtime is Your Most Productive Choice!
Sometimes, the most effective option is downtime.
Photo by Parthiban V on Unsplash
Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
If you are finding value in our PROJECT OF THE WEEK Newsletter, we would greatly appreciate it if you would spread the word. Your friends and family can click HERE to sign-up.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
When Downtime is Your Most Productive Choice!
As we head into Memorial Day Weekend, I find it necessary to remind myself that it’s okay to not use the long weekend to tackle a to-do list. Instead, choosing downtime may be your most productive choice!
Recently, I woke up on a Monday and felt exhausted. The prior week had been super busy and we had gone away for the weekend.
But it was Monday, my to-do list was long and I wanted to start the week off right. So I pushed through.
The evening was smooth, bedtime went great and everyone, including me, was asleep before 9:00 pm.
I thought that if I just got a good night's rest, Tuesday would be better. My body had other ideas.
I ended up getting sick overnight and being forced into canceling everything on Tuesday that was not a client meeting.
After spending the first half of Tuesday sleeping, I started to feel better. Following a full night’s sleep on Tuesday, I woke up Wednesday morning feeling like my normal self, ready to enjoy the day, and get stuff done.
In fact, the remainder of the week was SO much more productive.
This was a great reminder of how important it is to listen to your body and know when taking some downtime is your most productive choice.
Looking back, even though I did cross a number of items off my to-do list on Monday, they were not items that were overly important, and they, no doubt, took much longer to do than they would have if I had not been exhausted. In addition, I purposely did not do any work on Monday that required a lot of thinking. In other words, I did not do anything that important.
In the end, I didn't accomplish anything of value on Monday and I totally lost Tuesday.
In retrospect, I should have rested on Monday. Had I rested, I likely would have slept well on Monday night and then had a productive day on Tuesday.
This is a lesson that I have had to learn over and over again.
I need to recognize when taking the time to rest is my most effective work strategy.
Are you able to recognize when you need some downtime before it's too late?
We would love to hear about it!
Ready to Get Started?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Starter Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.
Follow Me
Share this post
What is Getting in Your Way?
Get out of your own way!
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
If you are finding value in our PROJECT OF THE WEEK Newsletter, we would greatly appreciate it if you would spread the word. Your friends and family can click HERE to sign-up.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
What is getting in your way?
My goal for The Project of The Week Newsletter is to share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
We do our best to clearly define the benefits of implementing each project and to lay out a path for you to follow.
Today, I want to take a moment to reflect.
Has there been a project that you know would add value to your life, but you still have not started?
Is there a project that you started, but have not completed?
So, what’s getting in your way?
Getting Started
Take a moment to consider some common roadblocks to starting projects:
Are you struggling with saying NO to other people's priorities, and by default, not leaving time for your own?
Are you getting enough sleep?
Are you multi-tasking, and therefore, not making any real progress?
Do you have a list of Next Actions, so that you know exactly what to do when you set time aside to work on the project?
Are you struggling with disorganization and not able to find what you need when you need it?
Do you feel like the project is important, but yet, you never actually want to work on it when the time comes?
All of the possibilities listed above are very real. Maybe you have a long list of projects that you know would benefit you in the long run, but you also have a new baby at home. Less sleep, more surviving than thriving right now, and finding a new normal are all valid reasons to not have tackled organization in the nursery that you know will help you daily. But, what if you could just find a little time each day to make your life easier overall?
Below are some suggestions on how to Get Started and Keep Your Momentum Going:
Be specific
Where are you going to work on the project?
When are you going to work on the project?
Where are you going to 'store' any materials you need so that they are available to you when you need them?
Where are you going to keep your list of Next Actions?
Include how you are going to hold yourself accountable
Add your work sessions to your calendar
Set an alarm and label it so that you can't forget
If these strategies are not working and you continue to find yourself procrastinating on a project that you know is important, take a few moments to journal about why? Be sure to include any feelings that are coming up.
Our mind is powerful!
No productivity strategy is going to outsmart our brains.
You need to figure out what part of you doesn't want this project to happen and why?
Then you can go back and try some new Productivity Strategies!
Happy Spaces Tips & Tricks
Ask for help!
Just doing a portion of the full project each day will make great strides as a whole.
DO NOT beat yourself up if you don’t complete your daily task, but do ask yourself why if one day turns into several.
Ready to Get Started?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Starter Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.
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Create Your Vision Board
Create your vision!
Photo by Nathan Lemon on Unsplash
Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
If you are finding value in our PROJECT OF THE WEEK Newsletter, we would greatly appreciate it if you would spread the word. Your friends and family can click HERE to sign-up.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
Create a Vision Board
At Happy Spaces, our mission is to "Share, Teach and Inspire About the Power of Planning and Why Systems and Structure Matter".
Before you can make a plan, decide on what habits would support your goal, or implement a system to support transforming your goal into your new identity, you need to know your why.
Creating a Vision Board is a fun, visual way to keep front and center what's important to you.
Getting Started
What you will need:
Poster board
Glue stick
Scissors
A few magazines that have words and images that you relate to.
I recommend doing this with a friend or your family - your people! - it’s a fun activity that everyone can enjoy doing and benefit from.
Schedule an hour to make your Vision Board. Put it on the calendar!
Take some time to flip through the magazines. Look for images and words that represent the identities you are focusing on.
Below are a few ideas!
If you are focusing on health, you may want to cut out an image of a fridge full of healthy food, someone doing yoga, or the word "Health".
If you are focusing on personal growth, you may want to cut out an image of someone reading, pictures of books, or the word "Growth".
If you are focusing on spending more quality time with your family, you may want to cut out an image of a family spending time together, an activity you want to do with your family, or the words "Focus", "On", and "Family".
If you are focusing on time blocking and prioritizing your important projects over all the tasks that continuously pop up, you may want to cut out an image of a checklist, a project that is important to you, or the words, "Prioritize," "What", "Is", and "Important"
Once you have cutouts of multiple images and words, arrange them on your poster board.
Don’t forget to take a moment to reflect:
Do you feel like it represents your WHY?
Do you need to add any images or words?
Once you have everything arranged the way you like it, glue down all your cutouts.
Happy Spaces Tips & Tricks
Displaying your Vision Board is an important part of the process.
Think about where you could display your Vision Board so that you see it on a daily basis.
Is there a spot in the kitchen that is visible to you when you are making your morning coffee or doing the dishes?
Is there a spot in your bedroom, where you would see it when you are getting ready in the morning?
If you’re comfortable, take a picture of your vision board and tag @happyspacesbysarah on Instagram. We’d love to see what you’ve come up with!
Ready to Get Started?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Starter Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.
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Choose "Your People" Wisely
Choose people that help make you a better you.
Photo by Elizeu Dias on Unsplash
Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
If you are finding value in our PROJECT OF THE WEEK Newsletter, we would greatly appreciate it if you would spread the word. Your friends and family can click HERE to sign-up.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
Choose “Your People” Wisely
As humans, we need social connections. In fact, "Neuroscience suggests that we are neurologically wired to connect with others."
There are many benefits to social connection, including:
Lower Anxiety
Lower Depression
Improved Emotional Regulation
Higher Self-Esteem
Higher Levels of Empathy
Improved Immune Systems
Did you also know that humans are "pack animals"?
We often make decisions based on the actions of those we surround ourselves with.
It's commonly recognized how important it is to surround yourself with people who care about you and want what's best for you.
What is less talked about is the importance of surrounding yourself with people who have similar goals, work ethics, and identities.
Getting Started
We have focused these last few weeks on how to build strong financial habits.
If this is something you want to make a part of your identity, it's important to surround yourself with others who also value financial security. If all your friends commonly spend above their means, it's going to be challenging to be the only one working to live within a budget.
If you are working hard to create a healthy future for yourself and your family, it's important to surround yourself with individuals and families who are also health focused. Connecting with friends while hiking, at the playground, or for a picnic supports one identity; connecting with friends while going out to eat or binging Netflix all day, supports a different identity.
If you are working to grow yourself and your passion, it's important to surround yourself with people who share your growth mindset and work ethic. If the people you are surrounding yourself with are constantly complaining about their job and feel like there is nothing they can do to change their situation, they are not going to create the environment you need to grow and develop your passion.
Looking forward, it's really valuable to ask yourself if a new connection is going to support the identity you are working to build. There are many amazing people out there that may not be the right fit for where you are in your life. And, that’s okay!
What about all the amazing people in your life that have different priorities?
I’m sure there are wonderful people in your life currently that don’t necessarily support where you want to be. This could be a friend since grade school or even - gasp! - your siblings or other family members. There’s nothing “wrong” with the relationship. This just means your relationship will now look different than it has before.
Change is hard. While it's important to be sympathetic to your friends and family as they adjust to your new identity; it's equally important to directly address any perceived comments or actions that you feel are working against your goals.
You will likely need to have a conversation about the identity you are looking to build for yourself and set some new boundaries and expectations around what that looks like.
Schedule a conversation to brainstorm ideas for activities you would both like that fit your new identity. You may also want to discuss activities that you have commonly enjoyed together, and that no longer support the identity you are working to build for yourself. For example, you always meet the same college friend monthly for drinks after work. But, you’ve decided to drink less and move more. Could that drink now be an after-work walk, followed by a stop at your new favorite juice bar?
We commonly hear that it's best to lead by example. If you want your kids to eat healthier, you need to start eating healthy first.
Choosing who you surround yourself with, supports you in making changes, while others lead by example.
Who are "your people"?
Happy Spaces Tips & Tricks
Be aware of any unsupportive comments or actions that may be directed at your new behaviors or habits and how this affects your thoughts, stories about yourself, and actions.
If your friends and family are not willing to be supportive, it's important to recognize this. How important is the relationship if they can't support what is best for you?
Ready to Get Started?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Starter Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.
Follow Me
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How Can You Simplify?
What does wealth mean to you?
Photo by Canva.
Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
If you are finding value in our PROJECT OF THE WEEK Newsletter, we would greatly appreciate it if you would spread the word. Your friends and family can click HERE to sign-up.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
How Can You Simplify?
If there is a common theme in each week’s blog, it’s to simplify. There is always a way to make our day-to-day lives easier.
We all have a lot going on.
Life is busy, work is busy, and as a culture, we like to be busy.
BUT, and this is a huge but, I challenge you to spend a few moments evaluating if all the busyness is adding value to your life.
In some ways, I am sure it is.
Your kids may be involved in many sports and you likely value the opportunities sports offer them and genuinely enjoy cheering for them at as many games as possible. BUT, is getting their gear and uniforms ready each week causing you additional stress? Perhaps simplifying your life with a laundry schedule and duplicate items will make everything easier.
Your career, which you love, may require you to be on call on certain nights and weeks. And, you also love volunteering and making a valuable difference in the lives of others. Try color-coding and blocking your calendar to have a better understanding of what time is available to you.
Busyness, on its own, is not a bad thing.
What is important is to take the time to evaluate where your time is going, if it's adding value to your life, and ensure that you are devoting enough time to take care of yourself, your health, and your well-being.
Getting Started
Below are a few questions to help guide you in making more intentional decisions about your time:
Where are you spending your time on a daily, weekly and monthly basis?
What activities add meaning and value to your life?
What activities do you hate doing?
What activities do you not enjoy, but value the end result?
What do you want to do more of?
What can you eliminate?
What can you delegate?
The main objective is to figure out where you can get more time back and then use that time in a way that is meaningful for you.
It's not all or nothing.
Below are some examples that clients have implemented and found valuable:
A client loved the feeling of having her bed made every morning, but hated the process of making it. We eliminated all the "pretty throw pillows" and simplified her bedding.
A client hated having his clothes left out or on the floor, but also hated folding his clothes and putting them away. We designated open bins on shelves in the closet and the client now throws the clothes, by category, into the open bins.
A client, who valued their kids having a peaceful and calm sleep environment, but was exhausted by the constant battle to keep the kids’ rooms "picked up", removed everything from the kids’ bedrooms, except clothes, stuffed animals, and books.
A client loved watching their children's sports games, but by leaving the office early, always ended up having to finish up their work late at night after the kids were in bed. The client started going to the second half of their kids’ games so that they could get more work done, support their children, and not sacrifice as much sleep.
A client, who was having weekly check-in meetings with their social media person, switched over to monthly meetings and weekly check-ins via email.
A client, who valued the connection from weekly team meetings, but felt the time wasn't being used effectively, implemented the use of an agenda for each meeting and asked the team to add their agenda items by the end of the prior business day.
A client, who felt the need to respond to emails on nights and weekends, implemented a set time once a night (8:00PM: Monday - Thursday) and once a day on the weekends (7:00AM: Saturdays & Sundays) to answer emails. This allowed the client to feel responsive to his clients’ needs and more present with his friends and family.
A client, who loved to volunteer and help others, but was not taking care of themself, decided to set a maximum number of hours per week they would spend volunteering. This provided the parameters they needed to both "Be of Service" and have enough time left over to take care of themself.
Let us know one change you make to simplify your life!
Need Support?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Starter Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.
Follow Me
Share this post
Make Reviewing Your Finances Routine
What does wealth mean to you?
Photo by Canva.
Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
If you are finding value in our PROJECT OF THE WEEK Newsletter, we would greatly appreciate it if you would spread the word. Your friends and family can click HERE to sign-up.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
Make Reviewing Your Finances Routine
I want to congratulate everyone who set aside the time to create a family budget and set up their accounts to automatically save first! Your future self is thanking you!!
Now that you created the plan and put up the guideposts, it's time to integrate your financial roadmap with real life.
The key is setting time aside to evaluate what's working, what's not, and what changes you need to make.
In life, there are busy seasons and slower seasons. While it's important to make the time to review your finances, it doesn't have to be all or nothing.
There are many different strategies for how to review your finances and how to make them a consistent part of your routine.
Getting Started
A few things to consider as you get started:
Do you prefer to spend small blocks of time on your finances or larger blocks of time?
Is it easier for you to evaluate your expenses for a few minutes a day, 20 minutes a week, or an hour a month?
What can you do to make this more fun? Can you pair it with a treat afterward? Can you do this with your partner or a friend on Zoom?
What to look at while doing your financial review:
On a monthly basis, you should know:
Your total income
Your total expense
Your Savings by Category & Your Savings Progress towards your goals
You can pretty quickly enter these numbers into Excel, in order to evaluate both how you did this month and how you are doing over time.
A few thoughts on income:
If you are paid weekly or bi-weekly, you will have a few extra paychecks a year. When reviewing your finances, look ahead to plan for this and decide where you want to allocate the “extra”.
It's important to account for gift money and decide how you want to spend it. This will make it more meaningful and memorable.
A few thoughts on expenses:
Depending on your financial situation, you can decide how carefully you need to track your expenses.
If you are earning more than you are spending, on average, you can do a quicker review.
If your monthly budget is tight, you are going to want to take a closer look and know where your hard-earned money is being allocated.
One option for separating out NEEDS verse WANTS is to have two credit cards. Use one credit card for all your NEEDS, such as food, gas, toiletries, car repairs, and home maintenance. Use the other credit card for WANTS. It's not going to be perfect, but it will give you an idea of how much of your expenses were WANTS verse NEEDS.
Pro tip: You should only use credit cards if you are paying them off monthly. If this is a struggle for you, I don't recommend this strategy.
Whether you put your expenses on a credit card and pay the balance each month or use the cash system, I do recommend taking the time to review your individual expenses each month. Pro tip: If you use cash, literally write down what you’ve spent and review it after a few days. You may learn having cash at hand is easier for you to spend, rather than using your card. $5 here and $10 there a week adds to hundreds of dollars quickly.
If you make your purchases on a credit card or debit card, you can simply sit down and review the statement.
For each expense, ask yourself:
Was this purchase worth it?
Would I buy this again?
If you regret your purchase decision, what strategies could I use to make a different decision next time?
Are there any reoccurring expenses that I can cancel?
Are there any purchases that I have not opened or used that can be returned? Even if it's over 30 days, you can likely get a store credit. You can always repurchase it when you are ready to use it.
As someone who is self-employed, it's important to see the big picture. By understanding your patterns of income and expenses, you can make better decisions. Your finances don't need to feel like such a roller coaster.
We would love to hear about your strategies for reviewing and understanding your finances, your financial habits, and how you make better decisions.
This is a journey, not a destination!
Happy Spaces Tips & Tricks
Keep in mind, the strategies above are all about looking backward. While there is great value in learning about yourself and your decision-making, this might not be enough to change your financial habits.
When creating a budget, you designated a specific amount for each category. You may need to determine your future spending based on how much money you have left in each budgeted category. For example, if you budgeted $600 per month for food, but have only spent $540 this month, what do you plan to do with the extra $60? You could use it towards next month’’s food budget because you know you’re hosting a party or put it into a different savings or expense category.
Take the time to look up all your Amazon purchases. If you find that you are purchasing items you regret, a great option is to add items you want to your cart, but not check out for at least 24 hours. If you are not sure you want something, you can always click to "save the product for later" and have easy future access.
For purchases where you are buying multiple items at one store, I recommend saving the receipt until you review the statement. When you see that $279 Target purchase, pull out the receipt and take a few seconds to evaluate each item.
You could also add your spending each day to a spreadsheet, so that you can see, by category, how much you have left for the week or month. This is a helpful short-term strategy, but is a lot to maintain over time.
An app that you may want to look into, that supports this forward-looking strategy is YNAB. You can link your bank accounts and credit cards so that your income and expenses flow in. Then you assign your earned income and your expense to each budgeted category. This allows you to evaluate, in real-time, your income and expense.
Need Support?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Starter Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.
Follow Me
Share this post
Save First!
What does wealth mean to you?
Photo by Canva.
Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
If you are finding value in our PROJECT OF THE WEEK Newsletter, we would greatly appreciate it if you would spread the word. Your friends and family can click HERE to sign-up.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
Save First!
One of the most impactful lessons I have learned about being financially secure is the importance to save first!
It's human nature to want to spend what you have available. The goal of saving first is to implement a system and structure around your savings goals, in order to take willpower out of the equation.
Getting Started
Step 1:
Decide how much you NEED to save for each category.
Below are some categories to consider:
Emergency Fund
Health Savings Account (HSA)
College Savings Account (529)
Employer Retirement Account
Roth IRA
Home Fund
Car Fund
Below are some thoughts to consider when deciding how much to save.
Emergency Fund - It's recommended that we have 6-12 months of expenses in an Emergency Fund. There is a lot of value to having 12 months available, as opposed to just 6 months. It's important to think about how much fear you have around "not having enough money" and what opportunities and risks you may be able to take if you have more funds set aside.
When everything shutdown in 2020, were you worried about money or did you feel secure financially?
Do you see yourself continuing in your same company for the foreseeable future or are you always looking for new opportunities to grow?
An Emergency Fund is a savings goal with a finish line. I would recommend deciding on a monthly amount to save. This way you can easily track your progress and feel excited about the movement towards your goal.
When reviewing your finances, it's important to monitor your average monthly expenses. As they increase over time, you do want to increase your Emergency Fund to account for the increased expenses.
Health Savings Account (HSA) - If you have a high deductible health insurance plan, I highly recommend saving the maximum amount allowed each year. There are so many benefits to having an HSA, that I would recommend factoring it into your decision when deciding what health insurance is best for you and your family. You don't have to pay taxes on the money you contribute to your HSA account and there are many health expenses that you can pay for out of your HSA account that health insurance plans do not cover. Plus, your HSA rolls over year after year, so as you get older, and you may need more medical interventions, the money is available to you.
College Savings Account (529 Plan) - If you have kids, I would highly recommend opening a 529 Plan to save for their education. This will support you in saving ahead of time for college. In addition, you do not have to pay taxes on the money you contribute.
Depending on your financial situation, you may want to contribute a set amount each month or a percentage of your paycheck. You can also ask family members to make contributions, as birthday and holiday gifts.
Pro tip: a 529 Plan is a factor when you apply for financial aid for your student. It’s seen as an asset and may reduce the amount of financial aid your student receives. It may be best to speak with a financial planner to learn more based on your income and number of children.
Employer Retirement Account - If your company has a retirement benefit, such as a 401K, make sure to contribute the minimum amount in order to get the match. This is free money!
I highly recommend contributing a percentage of your income to your retirement accounts, as opposed to a set amount. This way, as your income grows, your retirement contribution will automatically grow.
Unless you can afford the maximum annual contribution. Then go for it!
Pro tip: if your employer provides a cost of living raise each year, contribute an extra percent or two to your retirement account. You likely won’t notice the difference in your paycheck, but your retirement account will grow! For example, if your cost of living raise is 3%, add an extra 1% contribution to your retirement account.
Roth IRA - I am a huge fan of Roth IRA’s. This allows you to contribute after-tax money and then not have to pay any taxes on the earnings when you retire. While you will pay taxes on the $1,000 you contribute today, you will not pay taxes on the $20,000 it will likely earn over the next 30 years. I would recommend contributing the maximum amount allowed each year.
Today, many employer retirement accounts have a Roth option. I highly recommend considering that.
If you are not contributing to a retirement account because you don't know where to invest your money, consider investing in a low-cost S&P 500 Index Fund. The S&P 500 has a great track record over time and these funds are very inexpensive.
Home & Car Fund - Are you planning on purchasing a home where you need a down payment? Are you planning on renovating your home in the future? When do you think you will purchase a new car? I recommend saving for these types of expenses ahead of time. Keep in mind, this is different than your emergency fund.
Step 2:
Schedule automatic deposits to each one of your separate savings plans.
The key is to make this as automatic as possible.
If you are paid through direct deposit, you can automatically direct different amounts to different accounts. I would recommend directing all your savings to one bank account and all your spending money to your checking account. Set up your automatic withdrawals for each savings plan from your general savings account. For example, if your paycheck is $1,000, have that money divided into a checking account and a general savings account automatically. Then, direct money from your savings account to your 529 Plan, your Roth IRA, etc.
If you are not paid through direct deposit and you check your balance in your checking account to know how much money you have available to spend, I recommend transferring the savings portion of each paycheck to a general savings account as soon as it is deposited into your checking account.
Happy Spaces Tips & Tricks
If you have money left over at the end of the month, I would consider adding the extra funds to your mortgage, but only if you do not have personal debt. This will save you a lot of money on interest.
There is a lot of value in purposeful spending, but when there is extra money available, it is all too easy to spend it on things that have no lasting meaning.
Happy Savings!
Need Support?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Started Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.
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Do You Have a Household Budget?
What does wealth mean to you?
Photo by Fabian Blank on Unsplash
Do you ever feel like it’s all too much? Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
Do You Have a Household Budget?
We’ve been spending (see what I did there?) a lot of time talking about vacation, travel, and making your time count. Now, how are you going to pay for that?
Why budget? Simply put, you should know how much money you make after taxes and healthcare.
Now, the all-important question is, do you know what your monthly and annual expenses are?
Do you know where your hard-earned money is going?
Do your expenses reflect what is important to you?
As a culture, we often define wealth as how much money one earns, the brand of car one drives, or the vacation pics one shares on social media.
Getting Started
I recommend taking a few minutes to define what wealth really means to you.
Do you value the time you spend on your career or do you feel like you are missing out on important moments in your family's life?
Do you actually love driving that fancy car or do you value having a car you like and that never has an issue?
What makes a vacation great for you? Do you value staying in luxury hotels or do you enjoy the location of the hotel, the cleanliness of the room, and the exceptional service?
Do you love having a large house or do you value having space to entertain and relax?
Now that you have an understanding of your WHY, let's talk about the HOW.
Most of us have limited budgets, some of us more than others.
What I have found fascinating, from my work organizing paperwork with clients, is that there does NOT seem to be any correlation between what one makes and how much one has in savings and retirement. I have clients that bring home $50,000 annually that have far more in retirement and savings than those making $250,000 annually.
And, more importantly, those clients who are spending most of what they earn, do not seem any happier.
There are likely many reasons for this. Below are a few observations that clients have made from our work together:
Their spending is not intentional.
They are not aware of where they are spending money and how much.
They are not spending money on things they actually value.
They are spending money to compensate for working long hours and feeling unfulfilled or stressed. Or, feel that they need to spend more on things like a house cleaner, dog walker, and other services in order to keep afloat day-to-day.
Creating a household budget is a great strategy to start improving your financial habits.
You can't make improvements until you can clearly see, on a monthly and annual basis, how much you are earning and how much you are spending.
This doesn't need to be perfect, but it does need to be realistic.
You may want to start by reviewing the last 3 months of expenses. However, this may not give you the full picture.
There are some expenses that we pay semi-annually or annually, such as car insurance, that you will have to account for.
Also, your spending may vary quite a bit, based on what you have going on. For example, maybe you cook a lot in the winter, but you eat out most days in the summer. Or you don't spend much money while you are home, but you spend a lot when you travel.
Many credit cards send out an annual summary by category, which may be helpful in determining your average expenses.
If you are familiar with Excel, you can export your checking and credit card statements into excel and then categorize them.
The purpose of this exercise is to SEE how much money is coming in and how much money is going out.
The next step is to decide how much you want to save monthly for:
Emergency Fund - 6 to 12 months of expenses.
Retirement Account(s) - Choose a percentage, so that your contribution grows as your income grows.
Goal Directed Savings - This if for things like a down payment on a house, new car, or home improvement projects.
How much spending money do you have left each month, after you set aside your savings?
Is it more than your average expenses or less?
If you have less spending money than your average expenses, know you are not alone!
This is where it is helpful to understand where you value spending your money.
Keeping in mind what you value, go through your expenses and highlight items that you can either eliminate or reduce.
Below are some ideas:
Do you love your luxury car, or would you be just as happy with a new non-luxury car? How much would this save you?
Do you love eating out every night in the summer or is it just easier because you are out all day and there is no time to cook?
Do you love staying in luxury hotels when you travel, or would you be just as happy in a non-luxury hotel in a similar location with similar amenities?
Are there reoccurring expenses for services you are not using currently? Sometimes it makes more sense to pay the higher month-to-month rate and cancel these services when you are not using them.
The final step is to type up a budget.
This is going to be a living document that you update and adjust as life happens. The key is to see your starting point.
You should be able to see clearly:
Predicted Income
Budgeted Emergency Savings
Budgeted Retirement Savings
Budgeted Goal Directed Savings
Budgeted Expenses - By Category
I would recommend reviewing this on a monthly basis. If you have a partner, make it a team effort. I would also consider including your kids in the process.
On a monthly basis, ask yourself:
What is working and what is not working?
What adjustments can I make?
If you are finding it challenging to stick to your budget, consider using cash for a while.
Each week, take out the amount of cash you have budgeted for variable expenses.
You may want to separate it into a few jars or envelopes.
Food
Car
Toiletries
Clothing
The benefit of using cash is you can SEE what you are spending and how much you have left.
If making a budget is overwhelming, consider hiring someone to help you or find a trusted friend that likes numbers and budgets.
There are a lot of apps out there that can track your personal finances. I have not found one yet that I love. There is a new one I plan to try. If it's great, I will let you know. For now, I am still using Excel!
If there is an app you are using and love, please share!
We spend thousands of hours working per year. It's worth the time and money to know where our hard-earned income is going.
Additional Resources
I highly recommend two books:
The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley
They may change your perspective on how you view money and what it really means to become wealthy!
Happy Budgeting!!
Need Support?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Started Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.
Follow Me
Share this post
When Having Duplicates Makes Sense
What does wealth mean to you?
Photo by Canva
Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
When Having Duplicates Makes Sense
For the last several weeks, I’ve been sharing my favorite travel tips and tricks, including Why You Need a Packing Checklist, How to Pack Only a Carry-on, and Having a Toiletry Bag Ready to Go.
What if I told you it could further simplify your life to have duplicates of some items for travel, the office, or in your car? We all know the phrase, "less is more", which is a concept I live by, but what if more is more, too?
I routinely ask myself, "Is this item, commitment, or project adding value to my life?” or “Is there someone else who could do this better, quicker, or use this more?"
I always find it amusing how often opposites are both true.
While I find a lot of value in simplifying, there are often times that adding more is a great solution. Both can be true!
Getting Started
I challenge you to think about where in your life it would add value to have duplicates.
Below are some ideas that have added a lot of value and reduced a lot of stress for clients I have worked with.
Phone Chargers - Are you always looking for a phone charger or moving them around the house? Think about all the locations you use them (outlets in the house, car, work bag, and purse). Purchase enough phone chargers for each location.
Laptop Charger - Are you constantly packing or moving your laptop charger? Perhaps you work a hybrid schedule and are in the office a few days a week or are often onsite meeting clients. Would it be valuable to have a laptop charger for each work location -- home office, corporate office, and your work bag. Pro tip: the same is true for your mouse! Maybe it makes the most sense to have one mouse for your home and the other for the office.
Office Supplies - Are there any supplies that you are regularly moving around because you work in different places?
Clothing / Uniforms - In September, we shared the value of Creating a Laundry Schedule. Are there certain clothing items that you need to purchase duplicates of so that you do not have to do extra loads of laundry throughout the week? Some common examples are kids’ sports uniforms, workout clothing, swim towels, and washcloths. I have friends who co-parent from two separate homes and find it most convenient to have two sets of sneakers or sports equipment to make it easier for their kids to go back and forth.
Kitchen Items - Are there items that you can wash in the dishwasher, but you don't have enough of them, so you often end up hand washing? One common example is your kids’ water bottle that you send to school with them each day.
Comfort Items - My niece loves her blanket. As a family, we learned the hard way it’s best to have multiple blankets in case one gets lost, dirty, or becomes overly well-loved.
Happy Spaces Tips & Tricks
The key to choosing which items should have a duplicate is to think about how much value having a duplicate will add to YOUR life. Yeah, go ahead and read that again.
Will it save you time?
Will it reduce the amount of time you have to do something you really hate doing?
Will it simplify your life?
You may prefer having only 2 water bottles for your child and washing one each evening.
Or, you might hate doing dishes and love the idea of never having to wash a water bottle by hand again!
Whichever item(s) you choose to duplicate, make sure the item(s) are the exact same. This way, you won’t be tempted to use your favorite phone charger because they’re all identical.
Need Support?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Started Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.