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Buy the Experience, Not the Thing
We live in a world where we are inundated with the message that we need the newest gadgets, the latest clothing trends, and the chicest home décor.
Photo by Aaron Burden 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
Author’s Note: While this blog was originally written in December 2022, it was, and remains, one of the most popular. As we immerse ourselves in the holiday season, I would like to encourage you to think about what memories you can make this year, rather than what latest gadget to buy.
Prioritize Spending Money On Experiences Over Things
We live in a world where we are inundated with the message that we need the newest gadgets, the latest clothing trends, and the chicest home decor.
When we research an item online, we kick-start future advertisements for those items, potentially 100s of times, over the next few weeks. It's amazing how something you didn't care much about becomes so much more appealing after you have seen repeated advertisements for it. Marketers are good at their jobs!
Sometimes I have to laugh at the algorithm and how wrong the ads go.
Last month I googled the word "crochet", so I could spell it correctly on a label in a client's apartment. The next day, I started getting advertisements for classes on learning how to crochet. Good effort, though!
It turns out people don't actually care about the car you drive, how fancy your house is, or the brand of clothing you wear. I read a great example (I can't remember where I read it) about the thought process that is actually taking place when we notice something that someone else has and we want. When you see someone driving a car you aspire to own, your thought process is to imagine how cool you would be if you were driving that car, not how cool they are for owning that car. Keeping this in mind has helped me better value my purchase decisions.
With so much focus and attention on our stuff, what we have, and what we want, it's easy to forget that the research continues to show that we find more value in our experiences, not our things.
“Research from San Francisco State University found that people who spent money on experiences rather than material items were happier and felt that the money was better spent." - Forbes
Getting Started
How can we make this shift?
Step 1:
Think about what experiences add value to your life and your children's lives. Make a list of at least 10 experiences, big and small, that matter to you.
Below are some ideas:
Going to the movies
Going to museums
Taking a writing class
Painting / Pottery / Art
Playing an instrument
Trying new restaurants
Eating at your favorite restaurant
Hosting dinner with friends
Weekend Getaway
Visiting an out-of-town friend
Going abroad
Step 2:
Create a wish list of things (i.e. presents) you want. At the bottom of this list, have your list of experiences that matter to you.
Create an additional list for each of your kids.
You may also want to do this for anyone you routinely buy presents for. You will need to ask them what experiences they value. Bonus: this is a great opportunity to connect and learn more about them.
Step 3:
Before buying anything new for yourself that is a "want", I recommend adding it to your "presents" list for at least 24 hours. If it's a large ticket item, you may want to wait a week before making the purchase. This is valuable because it allows you to compare the "thing" you want to purchase to the other "things" and "experiences" on your list.
For example, you may want to purchase the newest iPhone. After adding the iPhone to your "presents" list, your thought process might be that your current iPhone works well, has the features you need, and you would rather take that $1,000 and plan a weekend trip with your best friend.
Step 4:
For the times of the year when we receive presents, such as birthdays and holidays, I would recommend listing a gift associated with each experience. This will help your friends and family know what gifts are the most meaningful.
Below are some ideas:
Going to the movies - Purchase a gift certificate to the local movie theatre or buy an annual subscription for a "Move Pass".
Going to museums - Purchase an annual museum membership.
Taking a writing class - Pay for your registration to a class you want to attend.
Painting / Pottery / Art - Pay for your registration to a class you want to attend.
Playing an instrument - Purchase lessons with an instructor you like.
Trying new restaurants - Plan a monthly dinner at a new restaurant and pay for your dinner or split it.
Eating at your favorite restaurant - Purchase a gift certificate.
Hosting dinner with friends - Order in and pay for dinner or coordinate a potluck.
Weekend Getaway - Plan a weekend getaway for you to enjoy together and split the costs.
Visiting an out-of-town friend - Pay for your airfare to visit or split the cost.
Going abroad - Pay for the hotel, your airfare, or an excursion while you are away.
It's important to note that there is value in planning the experiences. These don't have to be expensive. Having a friend plan a weekend trip, so that all you have to do is show up and split the cost, may be one of the best presents you get all year.
An added bonus to purchasing experiences over things is that it adds less clutter to your life. This is especially true with kids. So, if your parents keep purchasing toys for your kids that drive you nuts, cost you hours a week to clean up, and take up more space than you like, give the grandparents a list of experiences they can purchase for the grandkids and be sure to share pics and videos of all the joy they are experiencing thanks to their gift. Or, send your kids WITH the grandparents and take an afternoon to yourself!
What experiences do you value the most?
Happy Spaces’ Tips & Tricks
Keep a Google Doc. I once had a friend tell me we are thankful to those who create registries for their upcoming wedding or new baby, but we don’t encourage a “registry” for birthdays or other gift-giving events - like buying a house! This has always stuck with me. So, create one. Then, when a friend asks what you’d like for your upcoming birthday, you can refer to your list and/or send a link.
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.
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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The Secret to Wealth and Happiness
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
The Secret to Wealth and Happiness
When you ask people about their dreams and goals, they usually fall into one or two categories. They either want to be wealthy or they want to be happy. Sometimes, they want both!
Working in the productivity field, I have the opportunity to support clients in reaching their goals. All goals.
I can support clients in being more effective at their job, which often leads to more money or a promotion.
I can support clients in finishing the important items on their to-do list and making time for what matters most.
I am lucky to work with clients that appreciate what I do and let me know the value of my work.
AND
I have also learned that earning more money or getting that next big promotion, will not make you feel wealthy.
Checking off items on your to-do list and going through the motions of what's important, will not make you feel happy.
The secret to feeling wealthy is FEELING LIKE YOU HAVE ENOUGH.
The secret to feeling happy is FEELING LIKE YOU ARE ENOUGH.
Simple, yet SO hard!
Getting Started
Our brains are smart. They protect us by using trusted pre-wired routes to help us make decisions, react to stimuli, and help us navigate the day-to-day.
People who have a growth mindset believe that even if they struggle with certain skills, their abilities aren’t set in stone. So, why not apply that here?
If feeling wealthy is as simple as feeling like you have enough maybe the first step is to take stock (no pun intended!) in who and what make you feel wealthy. Just last week, we talked about The Science of Gratitude.
I once saw a meme on Instagram that said something along the lines of "what if you woke up tomorrow and you only had what you said you were grateful for yesterday? Think about that for a second. A warm home. Your kids. Food in the refrigerator. A job you love. All of the things add to wealth.
I’m sure there are times where many of us don’t believe we are enough. We could be a better employee or friend or parent. But, by who’s standards are we measuring? We’ve asked the question: Can Money Buy Happiness? If the secret to feeling happy is to feel like we are enough, aren’t those same things and people we’re thankful for probably also thankful for us? I know for certain, my foster daughters, siblings, home, and niece bring me wealth far beyond dollars and cents. The best part, they bring me happiness, too.
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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The Science of Gratitude
Photo by Simon Maage 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 Science of Gratitude
Why does practicing gratitude matter?
There is growing scientific evidence that the practice of gratitude is what builds a "happier life". While most achievements and accomplishments may bring short-term improvements to one's mood, these improvements don't last. We quickly return to our "status quo".
Gratitude is one way to build a measurably happier life.
Below are some of the benefits of building a gratitude practice:
Benefits of Gratitude
More satisfaction with life
Builds resilience
Lowers stress
Less likely to experience burnout
Strengthens relationships
Better sleep
Better physical health
What does an effective gratitude practice look like?
Unfortunately, making a list of things you are grateful for does not seem to be that effective.
Your gratitude practice needs to be grounded in recalling a story about an experience you are grateful for, a time you received genuine gratitude from someone else, or a time you observed someone else receiving genuine thanks.
“Enjoy the little things. For one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
- Robert Brault
Getting Started
Where do I start?
Your gratitude practice needs to be grounded in a narrative that is meaningful to you.
"My gratitude practice is founded on me receiving genuine thanks."
"My gratitude practice is founded on me observing someone else receiving genuine thanks."
Think about an experience where you received genuine thanks or you observed someone else receiving genuine thanks.
Write down a few bullet points reminding you of your narrative about why gratitude is meaningful to you and how this experience impacted you.
What state of mind were you in before you received the gratitude?
What state of mind were you in after you received the gratitude?
Read what you wrote and spend one to three minutes thinking about it.
It is recommended that you complete this gratitude exercise at least three times a week.
How to make gratitude a habit:
Pick what time of day and days of the week you think will work best for you.
While the science shows that you only need to practice gratitude three days a week, you may have a much easier time being consistent if you do this habit daily or on weekdays.
Is there another current habit that you already perform at the time you picked, that you can stack your gratitude practice on top of?
It could be with your morning coffee, after you brush your teeth in the evening, or right when you get into bed at night.
Think about how you are going to remember to practice gratitude as you start to implement this new habit.
Maybe you want to leave your gratitude journal next to the coffee pot or on your bed?
You may also want to set an alarm as a reminder.
The good news is, if your goal is to practice gratitude daily, and you are successful daily-ish (3 days a week) you should experience the benefits.
Additional Resources
I highly recommend the Podcast episode, “The Science of Gratitude & How to Build a Gratitude Practice” by the Huberman Lab Podcast (Episode 47).
Here is a link if you would prefer to watch 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
Don't Let Your Brain Outsmart You
Photo by AI in 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
Don't Let Your Brain Outsmart You!
Let's be real! We all procrastinate. Yes, even me.
Sometimes we procrastinate because the task is boring.
Sometimes we simply don't know where to start and we feel overwhelmed.
Regardless of the reasoning, procrastination often leads to increased stress and anxiety.
So why do we do it?
Our brains are smart. They are trying to protect us. It's always easier to FEEL the here and now, verse the someday or one day.
What is your brain's go to form of procrastination?
I know mine is WORK. It's my brains way of tricking me into thinking I am doing something that is productive and helpful.
You may be thinking, what's so bad about getting work done?
Usually the WORK my brain chooses are things that have to happen, but are NOT IMPORTANT in the big scheme of things. Maybe it's paying a bill or checking my email or taking care of some other simple task on the to do list.
While I suppose it's better to be doing something than nothing, it's definitely not helping me accomplish what's important.
Getting Started
I would recommend taking a few moments to consider what forms of procrastination are your go to?
If you can recognize it, while it's happening, you can make a new plan.
If you are procrastinating because the project is boring, figure out a way to make it more interesting.
If you hate gathering your tax paperwork, can you invite your best friend over to hang out while you do it and then treat them to dinner after?
If you don't know where to start, set some time aside to make a list of all the steps you can think of. Make sure each step is a single action. This may be enough. However, if it's not, you will be able to clearly see where you are stuck and can add the action of who to reach out to, so that you have the information you need to move forward.
If you’ve made your list and truly don’t know where to start, pick one of the tasks on your list. Just start. Once the momentum is going, you may find that the rest just naturally flows.
The more we recognize that our brains really are smart, the better chance we have to be our best selves.
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
When You Can't Get Started
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
When You Can't Get Started
Do you ever have a day where you feel like you just can't get started?
I don't mean started on a big project or started on something important. I mean started on ANYTHING!
This happened to me this week.
I didn't have any client calls until the afternoon, but I had a lot on my plate.
I considered taking the morning off, but without even looking at my calendar, I knew if I did that, it would not be possible to get everything done this week that NEEDED to be done. This includes things for my business and my life. Ever tried feeding two kids without a trip to the grocery store? It gets creative…and scary!
Falling behind on what NEEDS to get done, never makes me feel better.
Getting Started
Rather than fell behind, I did what I usually do when I am feeling this way.
I grabbed my laptop and my water bottle. I sat in my favorite comfy chair with a comfy blanket and I committed to clearing out all new emails.
Please note: I didn’t respond to any emails. I simply just cleared them out and added them to the appropriate to-do lists and folders.
If this was all I had accomplished, it was much better than getting nothing done.
And this gave me the opportunity to know exactly what was on my plate, instead of letting my brain make things up.
As often happens, once this was complete, I was ready to move on to other simple yet required to-do items.
It wasn't my most productive day AND it allowed me not to fall behind and add to my stress level.
I realized, when I feel like I can't get started, I find a place that is cozy and start small. Then see what happens.
Where is your cozy place?
What is something small that always makes you feel less overwhelmed?
We'd love to hear!
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
All or Nothing?
Sometimes, all or nothing IS the best choice.
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
As a perfectionist, I have focused a lot of energy and effort on changing how I work.
My default has always been locked into go mode. I tend to start a project and will not stop until it's done.
Often, this means means one of two things happens. Either, I work past the point of being efficient or I procrastinate getting started because I know that I do not have the time to finish the project the way that I would want it to be finished.
For me, learning how to work in shorter spurts has been a game changer.
It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing mentality.
Getting Started
Last week, we discussed the concept of progress over perfection. The idea of just starting with small bite-sized pieces of work and watch as progress is made. The idea of all or nothing coincides nicely with the progress over perfection concept.
First, you have to know yourself, your habits, and your personality to determine what in your life can be all or nothing. Then, it’s important to know that you can change habits and strategies as you learn and grow.
But, realistically, it's always easier to change our environment than to change ourselves.
When working with clients, we often make a plan together. The plan includes what tasks will be completed and when. The plan is realistic and leaves open time to accommodate the unexpected.
However, having a great plan will only get you so far. It will ultimately be up to you to complete the tasks and manage your time.
I have many conversations with clients about the barriers to completely a well-conceived (if I do say so myself!) plan. What’s getting in the way? Where can we pivot? And, what can we ultimately change to make our well-conceived plan achievable?
The number one reason why clients aren’t able to work their plan consistently? They take a planned break and choose to participate in an activity that is REALLY hard to stop.
The opposite is also true. The client completes all their tasks for that portion of the plan and then treats themself to an activity that causes them to stay up way too late and then be unproductive the next day.
Here’s where all or nothing applies.
A client recently told me they only used to play video games on the weekends. Now, they are completing a handful of tasks to make their lives easier day to day and celebrating by playing video games during the week. Their love of video games exceeds their love of sleep and this client often finds himself up until 2:00AM. This means he will sometimes oversleep, miss his morning class(es) and ultimately be behind in work. He’ll play catchup and then reward himself with more video games. The cycle continues.
Another client told me that their planned 15 minute break, turned into a TikTok marathon that lasted over an hour. She lost time and had to cancel working on her tasks for the day in order to prioritize a more important work project.
While there are may strategies to "manage" your time better and "manage" your devices better, those are NOT my go to strategies.
Instead, I prefer the all or nothing approach.
If you can't go on TikTok or YouTube for less than 1 hour, it's not an activity to do on a break.
If you can't stop playing video games with your friends at a reasonable hour, it's not a smart idea for weeknights.
Know yourself better.
Sometimes it's smarter to stop all together than try to moderate.
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
Focus on Progress, Not Deadlines
Photo by AI in 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
Focus on Progress, Not Deadlines
Hard deadlines are great! They provide outside accountability to "get it done!".
In my work with students, I love when professors break down large project into smaller projects with individual deadlines. This supports the student in creating higher quality work and not waiting until the last moment.
One challenge with adulthood is that we have less hard deadlines. This is especially true if you work for yourself.
Many of your most important projects, projects that will support you in reaching your full potential, have no deadlines at all.
No one, but YOU, will be upset if you don't follow through. If you don't make it happen.
Making it happen and reaching your full potential is important.
How can we achieve what's important?
Getting Started
Focus on progress, not on setting and reaching deadlines.
Progress builds momentum. Momentum builds motivation and confidence.
As long as you are moving your important projects forward, you will get to the finish line.
I love the quote, "People overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in 10 years." Bill Gates.
I have found this to be profoundly true.
There are so many projects that I have completed, that took much longer than I anticipated AND were completed in time to enjoy the benefits for, hopefully, decades to come.
I wish I had opened a Roth IRA when I was 18 and had just started working, but I am grateful I did it at 26.
I decided I wanted to have my Estate in a Living Revocable Trust about a decade before I finalized it in January, 2020. Just in time for the world to shut down in March, 2020.
I love learning better ways to do everything. I love giving advice. When I started Happy Spaces in 2016, everyone said, start a blog. It took me until 2022 to make that happen.
Life is a journey. Focus on progress. One foot in front of the other.
You will be amazed at how much you can accomplish.
Happy Planning!
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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More Effort or New Plan?
Photo by AI in 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
More Effort or New Plan?
When the going gets tough, do you just keep on pushing through or do you simply move on to something else?
We all have our natural tendencies. What is yours?
My natural tendency is to just push through. With more time and more effort, eventually, it has to work, right?
Today we are going to discuss what you can do when you know your project is stalled.
Before we get started, I think it’s important to define “stalled.” For instance, stalled could mean that you keep working on it, but you are not making any real progress.
Or, stalled could mean you just stopped trying all together.
Getting Started
When you are stalled, I highly recommend taking a few minutes to review your strategy.
Ask yourself:
Do I have a written plan for this project?
Does my written plan include the next steps?
How much time have I actually spent working on my current plan?
If I haven't spent much time on my current plan, how can I create more outside accountability?
Would I benefit from an accountability partner?
If your current PLAN and NEXT ACTIONS weren't written out and/or if you have not dedicated a reasonable amount of time to WORK YOUR PLAN, I would recommend sticking with your current plan, while adding some outside accountability,
Outside accountability could be as simple as telling a friend or co-worker what you want to accomplish and by when. Or, it could be larger: posting to social media or promoting your blog launch by a certain date.
If you have a PLAN and you have been WORKING THE PLAN and you are still not seeing results, it's time to explore other options.
Take a few moments to ask yourself:
Where am I getting stuck?
Is there anyone in my circle who has done this before who I can reach out to?
If not, is there anyone in my circle who may know someone who has done this before and could lend some valuable advice?
Is there someone I can hire to help me get started?
Is there a training I can take or a YouTube video I can watch?
Is there someone I can delegate this to?
Why is this important to me?
How much effort and energy is this worth?
Just because something is important to someone else, does not mean it's important to you.
Just because something was important to you at one point doesn't mean it's still important today.
Is there a project that you are stalled on?
Does your project need more time or a new strategy?
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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Work Smarter, Not Harder
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
Work Smarter, Not Harder
The first time I heard the slogan, “Work Smarter, Not Harder” I was a Freshman at Cornell. I remember thinking, YES, of coarse! What a great way to summarize my love and focus on productivity.
I might even go as far as to say that "Work Smarter, Not Harder” is one of my Core Values.
Ironically, I have learned through the years, that working smarter involves a lot of thought, planning, and hard work.
Getting Started
Think about your routine. Think about what you do every day, week, month and year.
What parts could be optimized?
Below are a few ideas:
Create a Scheduling Link for your Calendar - Scheduling meetings can be a nightmare, but it doesn’t have to be. If you’re often going back and forth via email trying to find a time that works, investing the time to set up a scheduling link may be a smart solution.
Create an Address List in Excel - If you send out holiday cards every year, consider maintaining an address list in Excel. This will allow you to simply print your addresses on labels whenever you need them.
If you want to take this one step further, print out a page of address labels with your best friend's address. Now it's simple to mail thoughtful handwritten notes.
Ordering - Consider setting up reoccurring orders for items you use on a regular basis. This will save you time on ordering and will likely save you money as well.
I know the fear is that you will end up with too much. Keep in mind that It's just as simple to skip an order or cancel a reoccurring order, as it is to place an order.
Setting Alarms on your Phone - Consider setting repeat alarms on your phone that are labeled. Using alarms strategically can help you take care of tasks at the most efficient time. This can include things like taking a walk, taking 10 minutes to clear your desk, and cleaning out your car daily.
Schedule Repeat Calendar Appointments - Consider adding appointments to your calendar that repeat to support you in managing your time effectively.
Use a Password Manager - Implementing a password manager will eliminate the need to keep track of your passwords, while allowing you to use stronger, more secure passwords.
How are you going to Work Smarter, Not Harder this week?
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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Setting Smart Time Limits
The more time we have, the more things we’ll fill it with.
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
Setting Smart Time Limits
We talk a lot about priorities and the importance of determining where we spend our time. How much time we spend on a project or activity is just as important as where we spend our time.
Today we are going to talk about being thoughtful when deciding how long to spend on each priority.
Even if you are a planner, and you pride yourself on strong time management and prioritization skills, you may be skipping this simple, yet powerful, step in the process.
When you schedule a meeting, do you take a moment to consider how much time is required to accomplish your objectives?
When your phone rings, and it's from someone that you have been trying to connect with, do you kindly let them know how much time you have available?
Before jumping into a task, do you take a moment to decide how much time is right for you to spend on the task right now?
You can be choosing the right priorities AND not choosing the right length of time to spend on each priority.
In fact, I think this is one of the most common sources of overwhelm.
Getting Started
The good news? It takes no time (ha!) to start setting better time limits. Just imagine the amount of time you would free up, if:
The weekly staff meeting was 45 minutes instead of an hour and a half. I have a friend who has a staff meeting every Tuesday for 45 minutes. Then, on Fridays, she holds a “huddle” for 15 minutes. Nobody sits and gets comfortable. Instead, they review the priorities from the staff meeting and list anything upcoming that could need attention first thing on Monday.
You spoke with your best friend for 10 minutes each night, instead of 3 hours late Sunday night. Note: don’t make this change if that 3 hours is a form of self-care and you look forward to this time together.
When your colleague calls you back to review a question you had, you let her know you have 15 minutes before your next call.
You set an alarm, prior to starting your financial report, which allows you to finish up the majority of the report and leave enough time to close out of email, prior to rushing out the door to pick up the kids.
I try to keep in mind, the more time we have, the more time we will fill.
Setting time limits is key to feeling less overwhelmed and more balanced.
Happy Planning!
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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Set Smart Boundaries
Setting clear boundaries is key to both achieving your priories and living by your values.
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
Setting Smart Boundaries
Last week we discussed the importance of reviewing our schedule. The benefit to assessing your schedule and your time is that you have a clear picture of how you plan on using that time, how much time is open, and you can clearly see where your priorities are on the calendar.
This week we are going to discuss boundaries.
Setting clear boundaries is key to both achieving your priorities and living by your values.
This is one area that I know I have made a lot of progress and I also know I have a long way to go!
Boundaries in relation to your time:
Setting boundaries around your time is critical. While there are times that we have no control over our schedule shifting, the majority of the time, when we do not follow through on a priority that we planned for, it is because we prioritized someone else’s request over our own priority.
There is a saying that I love: "Your lack of planning is not my emergency."
Women, especially, feel the need to please and help others, often dropping everything and fixing the problem right away because that feels like the right decision.
This is where boundaries come in.
Getting Started
I recommend taking a few minutes to think about your why and what's really important to you. Keeping this front and center, when you are asked multiple times a day to jump in and switch your day around to support others, will help you know when saying yes makes sense and when saying no is the right decision.
Another saying that I love is: "With every yes, you are saying no to something else."
Boundaries in relation to your values:
It's equally important to prioritize boundaries around your values.
How do you expect others to treat and value you?
How do you define your relationships with your friends and family?
When we don't have clear boundaries around our values, we are likely investing a lot of energy and time into living someone else's priorities.
Are there people in your life who do not treat you with the respect and kindness you deserve?
What impact does this have on your well-being and achieving what really matters to you?
We would love to hear how you set smart boundaries, while being kind and respectful!
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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Assess Your Schedule
Assess your schedule and we bet you find the time.
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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
Assess Your Schedule
If you know roughly what you are supposed to be doing at all times throughout the day, this is for you.
If you have no idea what you are supposed to be doing at specific times throughout the day, this is also for you.
You may be asking, how is that possible?
Understanding your schedule and being able to clearly see your time is the Key to Time Management.
Perhaps it is most important to recognize that our schedules, our priorities, and our time are always shifting. That’s just life. That means that our schedules will have to shift too. For example, I used to have a standing weekly meeting on Monday mornings at 8 AM. When my foster-daughter came to live with me, it became clear quickly that the meeting would need to move to accommodate a new morning routine that includes the school drop off line.
Getting Started
How can I understand my schedule, set my priorities, and see what time I have available?
The best method is to take the time to fill in a Time Map for the week.
When filling in the Time Map, do your best to include everything. This includes packing the kids lunches, checking email, and watching TV in the evening.
Why should I include all the little things?
Two reasons:
The little things add up. You may think to yourself that it only takes you 10 minutes to prepare breakfast in the morning, While that may be technically true, if you also take that time to wash and refill water bottles, pack the kids lunches and make yourself coffee, you may find that you are actually spending 30 minutes "making breakfast" in the morning.
The other reason to include all the little things is that this will help you see where you are being efficient and where you could save yourself time. For example, if you are grocery shopping on Saturday morning and picking up the dry cleaning on Monday after work and they are both located in the same shopping plaza, what do you think you should shift?
You may also be asking why to include activities such as watching TV?
One, it's important to know where your time is going. More importantly, most of us have activities that we do regardless of how much time we have. If TV is how you unwind at night, it's likely you will just stay up later watching TV, versus skipping it, when your day's responsibilities go long. Or, you’ll find that you’re “losing” time to TV on the days you lack motivation because you aren’t taking the time to take care of yourself first.
Once your Time Map is filled in, schedule some time to review it. Make sure to sit down and really think about what is working and what is not working or could work better.
I have found it helpful to fill in a "Sample Time Map" of how your ideal week would look.
It's important not to make too many changes at once. While there may be many tasks that you want to shift, pick one to implement first. Set an alarm on your phone and label it, so that you remember. Keep the alarm until you are regularly doing the task without the reminder.
If you live by your electronic calendar, you may find it beneficial to add some of the activities and events to your calendar and have them repeat.
I keep my gym appointment with myself on my calendar. I also have laundry as an all-day appointment every week on Mondays, so that I don't forget. Additional tasks you may want to schedule are reviewing your finances, weekly family meetings, grocery shopping, checking email, and writing your next blog entry.
How often should I assess my schedule?
On a small scale, I review my calendar each week as part of my Weekly Review.
If you are just getting started, I would recommend doing a deep dive Quarterly.
After the first year, when you have a strong sense of your schedule, your priorities, and your open time, you can likely do this exercise once a year.
When everyone else is doing New Year's Resolutions, instead take the time to Assess your Schedule! Don't be surprised when that "resolution" magically happens, because it was on your calendar.
I would also recommend repeating this exercise every time you have a major life event, such as a new job, a new move, or a new kid.
Here's a Time Map to get you started.
Happy Planning!
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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Three Ways to Make Meetings More Productive
Could this have been an email?
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
Three Ways to Make Meeting More Productive
A few weeks ago, we discussed the value of having weekly family meetings in order to help even the most organized parents feel less overwhelmed and overworked.
Meetings often feel like a necessary evil. But they don't have to.
By putting a little thought, structure and intention into your meetings, they can become a fun and effective way to collaborate and move projects forward.
Before we discuss how to make meetings more productive, we need to recognize that every meeting doesn't necessarily need to remain a meeting.
Getting Started
We’ve all seen the memes on social media with the caption: This could have been an email.
But really, can the problem you are working to solve, be accomplished with a simple, straightforward email or phone call?
Don't be afraid to ask the question, "Is this meeting even necessary?"
Okay, you’ve decided a meeting is necessary. Here are three ways to stay on topic and on target for a productive meeting:
1. Set Time Limits on your Meetings
However long you set a meeting to last, is how long it will last. A 60-minute meeting is often no more effective than a 30-minute meeting. In fact, it may be less effective.
Consider what you need to accomplish in the meeting and then set the time. If you feel like you do need an hour to meet, it may be more effective to set the meeting for 45 minutes and then give everyone the last 15 minutes to type up what their action items are and take care of some immediate follow-ups.
This strategy can be great for phone calls too. If you need to call someone that can be challenging to get off the phone, let them know right off the bat that you only have 15 minutes to chat before your next commitment.
2. Create an Agenda
Regardless of whether you are running the meeting or just attending, it's important to write down both your questions and your objectives for the meeting. This will assure that you get what you need from the time you dedicated to the meeting.
3. Be Present for your Meetings
Don't multitask. Meetings are not a time to answer emails or work on other things. When we multi-task, we are clearly not present for the meeting we are attending and we are simultaneously not accomplishing other quality work.
PRO Tip: If a meeting is necessary, how often should you meet?
Is having a daily 45 Minute Team Meeting with your employees the best way to check in? Or is there a better way to be aware of what your employees are working on and how you can support them? Maybe the 45 Minute Daily Team Meeting turns into a 15 Minute Daily Team Huddle that is focused on building relationships and morale. In addition, you schedule Weekly 1:1 Meetings with each employee.
Depending on where you work, who your boss is, and how much control you have over your role will affect how much you can shape your work day. Remember - it’s always important to manage up, too.
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
Do your kids have chores?
A little perspective could make your kids’ chores go a long way.
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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
Do Your Kids Have Chores?
Recently, someone asked one of my kids if they have chores.
She quickly replied. "No, I would hate that!"
I couldn't help but smile.
She was right. We don't have chores in our house.
We do have family responsibilities.
Everyone is responsible for cleaning up after themselves and supporting "the team.”
Everyone cleans up what they take out.
Everyone clears their own plate.
Everyone cleans the table where they eat.
Everyone puts their dirty clothes in their hamper.
Everyone hangs their wet towel.
I am sure you get the idea.
By everyone doing their fair share, there isn't much left over.
Why am I sharing this?
This is a great example of why it's so important to think about the words we choose and the perspective we take.
The same kid who said she would hate chores, rarely complains about her family responsibilities.
My guess is the girls are proud to fulfill their family responsibilities. They love showing everyone their rooms. They appreciate the fact that they can always find things when they take the time to put them away in the right place. They enjoy the structure of their day.
Their family responsibilities are quick and simple and yet allow our house to run smoothly.
Getting Started
This week’s getting started is all about your language. How can a change in verbiage or perspective help you or your family?
Is there a new habit you have been working on implementing or a project that has stalled? Or, are there repeated arguments over the same topic?
One of my favorite ways to change perspectives is to shift my words, which in turn shifts my thinking. Instead of saying, “I have to…” try “I get to…”.
Below are a few examples:
I have to wake up at 5:30 AM --> I get to wake up at 5:30 AM and enjoy my coffee while journaling.
I have to write a blog entry today --> I am lucky to create a new blog about something I am passionate about.
I have to go to the gym today --> I am lucky to have a body that is strong and healthy enough to work out.
I can't eat carbs --> I get to feel better and have less stomach aches by not eating carbs.
Try implementing this with your kids, too.
When your daughter complains about doing her laundry, try shifting her perspective to, “I get to help with laundry so that my mom and I can spend more time together.”
Same idea with setting the table for dinner, “I am lucky to be able to set our table and enjoy dinner with my family.”
Let us know how changing your perspective has positively influenced your life.
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
Let Your Kids Take Over the Budget
What if you let your kids take over the budgeting reigns?
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
Let Your Kids Take Over the Budget
I have shared quite a bit about my love of personal finance and setting ourselves up for solid financial futures. I strongly believe that starts with teaching our kids, at a young age, the value of things and how money is earned and spent. This can be done from the time kids are toddlers. Sticker charts are a rewards-based example of a way to show your child the value in their efforts and their reward for their hard work. The reward can be as simple as a piece of chocolate for picking up their toys, following a very serious make-believe session in the family room. We go to work and get rewarded, so why shouldn’t they?
Now, let’s take that a step further. Almost every kid goes through a sometimes entitled phase where they don’t quite understand how money works or how hard parents work to earn that money. They assume they can have whatever, whenever. In a world where dollars don’t always go as far as we’d like them to, I think it’s important to teach our kids the value of things early. So, we did a little experiment with my friend Nicole’s daughter. This year, rather than going school clothes and supply shopping with abandon, Nicole sat her daughter, Harper, down and explained how she determines the budget amount for school shopping and then how she determines how to spend that amount,
Getting Started
Harper is a 12 year old girl whose passion involves Broadway musicals, playing the piano, and hanging out with her bestie.
As kids often do, Harper would come home and ask Nicole for items she saw other kids have at summer camp or her friends brought to school. While Nicole is in a position to be able to provide Harper with what she asks for (within reason), she also wanted Harper to learn about budgeting and needs vs wants. So, when it came time to school shop, Harper was given a budget of $500. This may seem like a lot to you personally and that’s okay. Nicole came to this number, with Harper, in a very thoughtful way.
Nicole had Harper go through her closet and try on clothes to determine what still fits and what can be passed on to a younger cousin. In the last year, Harper has grown 2 inches, so Nicole knew her school clothes budget would need to be a little higher this year in order to incorporate more pant purchases in their shopping. And, by the end of this closet cleaning exercise, it was determined Harper literally did not have a single pair of pants that fit her - yoga, sweat, or jeans - and many of her shirts no longer covered her mid-drift, so new shirts were also added to the list.
Nicole then had Harper make a list of things she needed: basic short and long-sleeved shirts, a couple of pairs of jeans, yoga pants, socks, underwear, etc.
Nicole had Harper repeat the same closet exercise, but with her shoes this time. Luckily, Harper’s feet hadn’t grown much, if at all, and the shoes she currently had - a pair of sneakers, Doc Marten boots, sandals, and a pair of dress shoes - would suffice to start the year with.
Off to the mall they went! Harper’s friends all shop at American Eagle, so naturally that’s where Harper wanted to start too.
Nicole let Harper have free reign as she walked through the store. As long as the clothes met the school and family dress codes and were within Harper’s budget, she could get them.
Quickly Harper amassed quite the pile. Nicole was keeping track on her phone’s calculator of the grand total. This pile included “need” items that Harper had written on her list, but also included items that she really wanted. If we’re being honest, there were probably more want items than need items. It was at this point that Harper felt she was done shopping and ready to check out. Before walking to the registers, Nicole shared that she had been keeping track of the items on her calculator and if Harper purchased everything in her pile right then, the total bill would be $834 before tax. Harper was shocked.
Cue an upset kid who just had to have those ripped jeans and a few other things. Nicole explained that’s fine, but needs had to come first. Again reminding Harper that included basic tees, underwear, socks, and so on. So, Nicole made the suggestion that if Harper liked the jeans at American Eagle, but didn’t care much about where the tees came from, those could be purchased at another store. And quickly, they were back in business.
Harper remembered she had received a number of gift cards to Old Navy and Target for her birthday at the beginning of the summer. She asked if she could use those gift cards to buy her basic items and then use Nicole’s budget to buy the want items. Nicole agreed.
At this point, Harper also mentioned she had a gift card from her birthday to LuLulemon, so she wanted to stop there. Again, once she saw the prices of yoga pants, Harper decided to supplement her budget with the gift card and purchased a jacket there, but then went to Target and Old Navy for the pants.
At the end of their shopping extravaganza, Harper actually determined some of her wants weren’t important enough to purchase. She asked if the money she didn’t spend in the budget could be set aside for her to use in a month or two after school started in case there was something new she wanted (read: someone at school wore or had something she really liked). In total, of the $500 budget, Harper spent $375 on jeans and a few shirts she really wanted. She also spent $200 in gift cards to Lululemon, Old Navy, and Target to buy a jacket she wanted and then basic items that she needed.
Nicole asked Harper on their drive home to reflect on their shopping experience and Harper reiterated how surprised she was at her original total. She didn’t know that jeans could be easily $50, $60, or more per pair and the same was true for yoga pants and sweats. She also admitted that she liked the game of it - figuring out what she wanted and what she could afford and what she may want to come back for later.
Nicole noticed that the items purchased are all actually being worn and not just sitting in the closet with tags on them because Harper was only choosing to wear the same three or four shirt and pant combinations.
Overall, this life lesson went super smoothly and is something Nicole has admitted she’ll definitely be using in the future. Harper has already said she’ll definitely be asking for gift cards for holidays and birthdays in the future because she can buy what she wants when she wants. All in all, a great experiment.
Is this something you’d be willing to try with your tweens and teens? Have you already? How did it go?
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
Don't Let Your Kids Fool You!
You may be surprised by how many responsibilities your kids can learn to do for themselves and to support the family
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
Don't Let Your Kids Fool You!
If you are a parent and you are feeling overwhelmed, you are not alone!
It's true that we have A LOT on our plates. It's true that there are only so many hours in the day. It's also true that we CAN NOT do it all.
You may be thinking that this blog is about prioritizing. While I love working on how to more effectively prioritize, that is not what we are going to focus on today. Instead, I want to talk about delegating to those little people running your household!
While there are responsibilities that fall squarely on us, as parents, there are many responsibilities that your kids can learn to do for themselves and to support the family.
The younger your kids are when you start, the easier this life lesson is.
I know when kids are young, it feels like it's more work to help them meet their responsibilities than it is to just do it yourself. In the short run, you are correct. But, if you can take the long view, it will pay off in spades!
When having the debate with yourself about how much time and energy you should devote to your kids meeting their family responsibilities, also keep in mind that your most important role as a parent is to shape your kids into kind, hard-working, and self-sufficient adults.
It may be helpful to reframe the items that you think of as "chores" and "responsibilities" as "Life Skills".
By teaching your kids to be responsible for their fair share, you will take some items off your plate, while giving them the Life Skills they need to succeed.
Last week we discussed, "Whose Job is it Anyway?" and the value of listing out ALL family responsibilities and who is taking ownership of each.
This is a great starting point.
Getting Started
Take a few moments to think about:
What items are your kids responsible for?
Are they following through on their responsibility?
What items are you responsible for that they could take over?
Below are some ideas of responsibilities that you may be able to take off your plate while teaching your child new Life Skills.
I was going to list recommended ages below, but I also know every kid is different. It's important to meet them where they are and then support them to grow. I shared this last week, too, but if you’re looking for guidance on chores by age, this feels doable for most kids.
Responsibilities that your kids can take over:
Waking up on their own in the morning. - The more supportive you are about your child having a consistent sleep schedule, the easier this is for everyone!
Getting dressed in the morning - If this is hard, lay out the clothes the night before. If there are clothes you don't want your 4-year-old to wear to school, store them somewhere else. It's ok for them to be creative.
Putting their dirty clothes in the hamper.
Making their bed - Keep it simple. It doesn't have to look like Martha Stewart came through.
Picking up their room each morning and evening - This may get harder during the teenage years, but if you limit how many things live in their bedroom, this should take 2-5 minutes each morning and evening. For example, we don't keep toys in the bedroom. The only items ending up on the floor are stuffed animals, books, and clothes. Stuffed animals can be thrown back on the bed or in a basket. Books can get thrown on the dresser or bookcase. And, clothes can land in the hamper (where they should have been in the first place - HA!)
After each meal, bring their dish to the sink / As they get older, place their dishes directly into the dishwasher.
Wipe the dining table after each meal.
Vacuuming a specific room/area - You could create a schedule for when each child needs to vacuum each room/area. You likely will need to do this if you have pets. Personally, I have found it more effective to have my daughter vacuum when she makes a mess (ugh, glitter). This takes the vacuuming responsibility off my plate and lets her see the natural consequence.
Picking up their toys. Your preschoolers are doing this at school! Put the cleanup song on and watch them go!
Putting their clean laundry away. - Their drawers don't need to be neat. Just separated by category.
Doing their laundry. - You don't want your college freshman dying all of his clothes blue on the first week of school.
Scheduling their doctor appointments & adding them to the calendar.
Scheduling tutoring sessions & adding them to the calendar.
Coordinating their transportation for their activities.
If they get a car, have them take care of the car maintenance.
*You may have noticed that the above list of responsibilities are mostly single-task-oriented items that should not take long. It's best to have kids complete responsibilities on a regular schedule that are quick. Your kids should not have to spend an hour cleaning their room on a Saturday morning. Instead, they should spend 2-5 minutes once or twice a day.
Think of yourself as "The Manager". You are supporting your team in meeting their goals and responsibilities.
There should be rewards for a job well done and natural consequences for not following through.
When possible, It's best to decide on the rewards ahead of time, as well as the natural consequences, and to make sure you clearly communicate it to your kids. For example: “Harper, if your room is not picked up before you leave for school today, you will not have access to your iPad this evening.”
If doing their own laundry is their responsibility and they decide to leave it until they have no more clothes, then that's their decision. And they will reap the natural consequence. I think it's great to support them in brainstorming solutions that they are open to trying. Maybe a laundry schedule would be helpful? Or adding a “what clothing will be needed this week” to the Family Meeting discussions. Make sure they know you are there to help, not judge, and let them take the lead.
I know this is easier said than done. I also know, from both personal experience and from working with busy families, that supporting your kids to learn new Life Skills and Responsibilities is well worth the effort!
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
Whose Job Is It Anyway?
Formalizing everyone's Family Responsibilities can make a big difference in your day-to-day lives.
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
Whose Job is It Anyway?
Last week we discussed how Weekly Family Meetings are a tool to reduce overwhelm and support stronger family communication.
This week we are going to discuss how formalizing everyone's Family Responsibilities can also make a big difference.
Before we get started, I want to take a moment to recognize how it's human nature to overestimate our responsibilities, while underestimating the amount of time and energy other's are spending on their responsibilities.
Getting Started
What does formalizing Family Responsibilities look like?
The first step is for all adults and teens to start making a list of all their responsibilities, big and small.
Over the next week, continue to add to the list, as new responsibilities come up.
This isn't a one-and-done exercise, so don't worry if you miss something. However, the more thorough the list, the more supported you will feel from the start.
Schedule a time to meet at the end of the week. This meeting can be added on, before or after, the weekly Family Meeting, but should not be discussed at the same time. Have everyone bring their list of responsibilities to the meeting.
I would recommend one person volunteering to be the "secretary" and for them to bring their laptop to the meeting. Feel free to add this responsibility to your list!
During the meeting, the "secretary' should type up each responsibility and list, next to it, who is responsible. You can do this in any format you like, but using Excel might be helpful.
There is no right or wrong way to organize the list. As a family you should decide what makes the most sense to you.
it might be helpful to have everything listed out by person.
Or it might be easier to have responsibilities listed out by day of the week, weekly, monthly, and as needed.
If you use Excel, you could easily sort it both ways.
How to make the most of formalizing your Family Responsibilities!
Make sure you are listing out all the tiny tasks that you undertake to make your family life run smoothly.
This is often where one partner can feel overwhelmed, while the other partner has no idea why.
When your daughter is invited to a birthday party, who is in charge of checking the family calendar, adding it to the family calendar, RSVPing and buying the birthday present? It's not just taking your daughter to the party.
Who is in charge of checking your 9-year old son's planner and homework folder each night and taking any required actions?
Who is in charge of washing your daughter's water bottle and emptying her lunch box when she gets home from school, so that it's ready to re-pack for the following day?
Who is responsible for driving the kids to activities and taking them to the playground after school?
Decide how to split the responsibilities in a way that works for everyone!
When working with families, it's common that issues can be simply eliminated by changing how certain responsibilities are split up.
It's common that one partner will cook and the other partner will clean. This can lead to disagreements over how messy one partner is when cooking and how that effects the partner cleaning up.
A simple solution is for one partner to be in charge of cooking, setting the table, and cleaning up each night. While you can rotate who is responsible, no one needs to worry about how they are meeting their responsibility.
Whoever is in charge of the kids in the morning should be responsible for cleaning up whatever breakfast they cook and getting the kids out the door. This eliminates one person slacking off, knowing their partner will pick up behind them.
Be smart about when certain responsibilities are assigned. Someone should be responsible for unloading the dishwasher before breakfast. This way, there is no excuse for letting dishes pile up and leaving them for one person at the end of the day.
Also, think about what you can do at the end of the day or beginning of the next to make your life easier. Does running the dishwasher every night, even if its not completely full, set you up for success the next morning? Then do it. Same is true about packing lunch the night before or laying clothes out in the morning before jumping in the shower.
If you are a single parent, this exercise will still be helpful. You can use this list to see where you may be able to get support. Remember, kids can help with a lot!
Be sure to review your list of Family Responsibilities at your Weekly Family Meetings.
I also recommend listing our your kids’ names next to responsibilities that are age appropriate. This is a great printable to help determine what chores make the most sense by age.
It is also a great practice to rotate responsibilities. This helps with everyone’s understating of how much effort each task requires.
Happy Planning!
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
The Value of Weekly Meetings
Regular Family Meetings teach your family the value of planning and strong communication skills.
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
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.
Follow Me
Share this post
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?
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
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.