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12 Days ’till Christmas

Ditch the pressure and embrace the Christmas spirit 12 Days 'till Christmas

The beginning of December brings much excitement and joy about the fast approaching holidays. You can finally indulge all those crafty whims you’ve saved up for this time of year. Then suddenly you’re knee deep in Christmas cards, homemade ornaments, baking all those yummy traditional foods, shopping for presents (online because it saves more time of course). All the effort and planning we put into making sure everyone has the most amazing holiday is….. EXHAUSTING!

A recent poll from Today Show suggests that women dedicate an average of 83 hours preparing for the festive season. That’s an entire 2 weeks dedicated to all things jolly, on top of everything else we have going on!   How do you prepare for and more importantly, get into the spirit of Christmas?

Wouldn’t it be easier if you had a system for streamlined and stress-free holiday success? Your time and energy would be saved for the moments that count the most. Well you’re in luck! Did You Remember the Milk has the best Christmas Planning Resources at the click of a mouse! I love helping our members to ease that load.   Isn’t it too late to download a Christmas planner now?? It’s never too late. While you’re going through the motions right now in the countdown to Christmas day, start building on your plan for next year. With our Ultimate Christmas Planner, you will be organized in no time.   Each year in November, I open my Ultimate Christmas binder and my whole festive season is planned out for me. There is my gift list from last year, cool gift wrapping ideas, last year’s Christmas card list for updating, favourite online stores, home-made gifts planner, playlists, favourite recipes for ham glaze, Cumberland sauce, turkey stuffing, spiced nuts and all the other divine recipes that only come out once a year. Then there are the favourite charities and their instructions for how to give. I also have the same project file set up on my computer.   Other things you might add to your file:

  • Inspiration for getting into the spirit
  • Your Christmas budget
  • Gift Lists
  • Organise and make invitations and cards
  • Timelines and sequences of when to decorate and make certain purchases
  • Baking strategies
  • Christmas Dinner lists and preparation
  • New Years party planning
  • Sound tracks

That’s only a fraction of what we have in store for you. Enjoy the parties and bubbles and smile to yourself knowing you’ve done it in half the time it took last year.   Download our Ultimate Xmas Planner HERE!

 

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Give yourself a year

An organised life allows you to have more time, less stress, more money and the ability to achieve any goal you desire. But if you’re starting at zero, I mean with nothing, then it is going to take a bit of time and some planning. Rather than getting overwhelmed, it’s important to tackle your organising process step by step. We have made the journey as painless as possible with our step by step systems so you don’t have to think about the process while you’re sorting out your stuff.

It’s important to highlight the importance of commitment when you’re on the road to getting organised. Without commitment, all the experts in the world will be of no avail. You can very easily undo many hours, weeks or months of hard work without systems to maintain your order.

We get disorganised because of one thing: our thought processes. The way we’re showing up today is a result of the way we have approached our life over the past weeks / months / years. Disorganisation is a result of being overloaded, distracted, multi-tasked and overwhelmed.

It has a negative compounding effect in that it becomes even harder and harder to think clearly, to relax and to be present when we’re surrounded by chaos and clutter. So the spiral continues downward.

Even when we know enough’s enough, and we really want to get organised, fear stops us. And when we’re stuck in fear, half our brain shuts down, leaving all our organising skills out the window. To add insult to injury, we look around at our mess and start to feel guilty, ashamed and helpless. Not a very empowering state.

As we grow older, the problems multiply. “Now is not a good time to get organised. I need to…plan my presentation for next week, I need to get the kids’ dinner, I have laundry to finish, I’m busy planning our holiday….” the list goes on.

I believe that we each have a unique calling and that everyone benefits from a calmer, more organised you. Your light shines brighter when you’ve cleared away the clutter. We arrive at ‘disorganisation’ through an unconscious process. It’s the default scenario. So to get back to our best selves, we need to become conscious of the process for a while, until we become unconsciously competent at it. You’re tired of the state of affairs your in, and that affects every aspect of your life.
So the minute you decide to get organised and make a commitment, then everything starts to change.

Give yourself one year, and you can gradually and easily learn the very best organising skills and achieve your goals. And as your physical spaces become streamlined and organised, the rest of your life starts to fall in line. You will notice a shift in your energy, your mood, your time and your money. Imagine how powerful you can be when you’re organised. How would you show up in the world if you didn’t have to worry about all the stuff that’s weighing you down?

Let’s find out….

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Your Personal Blueprint for Success

Your Personal Blueprint for SuccessWouldn’t it be great if you could tune into your future self, the self 5 years from now, and listen as she tells you that it’s not all that hard, to stop stressing and that it’s all going to be really great? What else would she say to you? This week in my Momentum masterclass we’ve been working on our visions for life and business.

It’s always a very special part of the program and there are often some hard challenges as well as inspirational highs as people distill what it is they’re really here to be, do and have. It can be a challenge to tune out of what everybody else wants, what the experts think, what the media says, what our family expect and to tap into your own authentic self. To reach that place of clarity about what you desire for your life requires focus, quiet and calm reflection.

I really feel honoured to be able to create that precious space for people who are otherwise so busy, they can’t hear their own thoughts or even feel their emotions.

The good thing is that you don’t have to have all the answers. You don’t have to ‘know’ what you want ultimately from your life right now. All you have to do is to reignite the system of tapping into your imagination and desires – a system that you were totally tuned into as a child. Then as you get better at it, like building your muscles, you get clearer and more confident about your direction. So it’s just takes a little bit of re-wiring. No big deal.

If your goal for example is to…build a profitable business that you love, are you clear about what that looks like? Is it broken down so you know the little steps you need to take, to get there? Or is it just a vague concept of something that should be on your to do list? If you want to ‘get fit’ do you know what that looks like and what it feels like and what it takes to get there? Have fun and get specific – map out your vision in detail.

Albert Einstein observed, “The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.”

So for this exercise, tune out of your current stresses and issues and just move your mind way beyond to a time when the stars are aligned and things have fallen into place. Tune into a future place of confidence and clarity. You’ll have a great sense of certainty when you know what it is you want.

We all want a return on our investment of time. None of us want to feel like we’ve wasted it. If you throw more time at a problem, you’re not going to necessarily solve it. We need new thinking. We are not owned by these 24 hours. They are a man made construct. We have, at our disposal, an infinite source of power – of passion, wisdom and potential. We haven’t even tapped into 5% of what we’re capable of.

For example, you’ve created new life – look at your children. You’ve made someone else the happiest person on the planet (! Well, you know what I mean!) – look at your partner. You’ve overcome countless obstacles – think back to when you recovered from ill health, when you bounced back after a challenge that threw you for a six. Remember those times when you felt like throwing in the towel. And then think again. We’re capable of so much more.

I’ve always loved an in-side out approach, instead of an outside –in approach.

This post is aimed at helping you tap into what you want – it might take you a week, a fortnight or a year. There are no limits. And it’s a process – it doesn’t have to be perfect. But when you find your ‘true north’ then your journey, and the way you spend your time, will shift.

Do this exercise with your children – encourage them to have goals and vision boards. There is a lot of science behind this which you’ve probably heard about and that you will master when you get into the Milking It program.
Creating a compelling vision for your life and business is often put in the ‘do later’ basket because it’s never URGENT. But it’s the most important thing you can do. So we coach you through the process. We have a system to help you do it step by step. We get you to tap into what it is you really want. And resonate with that. It’s not enough to just want to wave a magic wand and make the problems / mess disappear. You need to have a direction.

Oprah says: “I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint – and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.”

Get creative and share your journey here. I’d love to hear how you’re going. And remember, when you’re ready to make life easier, join the Milking it program where you’ll be given the structure and the steps and the coaching to make it happen.

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How to Create a Vision for your Business – Part 2

evaluate_where_your_business_isIn the last blog post, we talked about why you need a vision statement for your business. This post explains the first step to creating your unique business vision statement.

The easiest place to start is to evaluate where your business is today. That will reveal where you WANT it to be.

Start by looking at your current strengths and weaknesses from the perspective of everyone who does business with you: your customers, staff, management, vendors or suppliers and owners.

For example, what would your customers say about your level or quality of service? Would this area be considered a strength or a weakness? What would your staff say, or what would you want them to say about training and professional development opportunities? What do you think about your income and overall financial growth? Use this chart as a guide:

Analyze your observations, and remember that your weaknesses represent great opportunities for change and improvement, while your strengths need to be nurtured and developed.

Take a look at what you’ve written and answer the following questions:

  • What does the overall picture look like?
  • How does the overall picture align with the dream you have for your business?
  • What great achievements and qualities exist in the strengths section? (List 10)
  • What opportunities exist in the weaknesses section? (List 10)

Now that you’ve had a good look at where your business is positioned today, in the next post, I’ll help you to future pace your business and define where you want it to be.

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Is being organised overrated?

Brigitte, Kelly Higgins-Devine and GraceThis week I spoke live on 612ABC radio with the lovely Kelly Higgins-Devine. She asked me if ‘being organised’ was worth the effort.  This is a great interview for anyone who wants to make some positive changes in their life but needs to know where start.  There’s a lot of laughing, but there are some very practical and motivating messages.  If you listen to the end, there’s a bit in there for the fellas too!

 

Continue reading “Is being organised overrated?”

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So, what have you been doing all day?

Do any of you feel slightly explosive when asked the question ‘what have you been doing all day?’ and realising that despite your best efforts, there’s not much to show for it? Seriously, if ever a question invited domestic violence, that one would surely top the list. You know you’re ready for an overhaul if any of these apply to you:

  • You’re sick of doing laundry at 10pm
  • You procrastinate by absorbing yourself in social media, housework and emails
  • You procrastinate by over-doing the housework when a big project looms
  • You’ve overloaded your kids with extra-curricular commitments so none of you have time to stop and breathe
  • You started your business so you could have a better lifestyle…but the business has taken over your life
  • You’re tired of missing out on school sports day or other kids’ activities because you had to play catch up and didn’t plan ahead
  • You’re sick of your messy house and office and want it sorted out FOREVER
  • You do WAY too much housework…and for what purpose?
  • You’re drowning in email and paperwork
  • You were put on this earth to be so much more, but you’re trapped in ‘busy’
  • You want to reduce the stress and enjoy your weekends instead of playing catch up
  • You feel like you’re always behind and miss out on things, which costs more money and even more time
  • You want to free up more time to spend with family and friends

Thank you to all those who honestly answered the question – ‘What is your biggest time thief?” We had a huge number of responses. Eight categories stood out as the main time thieves. The chart below shows your answers. Take a look at the results and see which ones you want to knock for a six: biggest time thief chart

Here are all the activities you call ‘time thieves’. Some are obviously not ‘thieves’ but a normal part of getting through every day. But the point is that it’s about perception. If you called it a ‘thief’ it’s because you feel you’re spending too much time in that particular area. Administration, helping others, housework, email & social media, kids activities, failing to plan / procrastination, travel and work. The biggest thieves of all are the internet (which includes social media) and failing to plan. (Note – I would argue that kids activities are never a waste of time, unless they’re disorganised).

Good news – those are precisely the issues we will help you nail in our member program. Join now and we’ll get you started immediately. Failing to plan as you know, is planning to fail.

I’m very excited about the transformations that are happening every day in our member community. The 7 ‘secrets’ that make up the member program were taught to me by some of the most influential and successful game changers on the planet. These 7 steps are the ones that bring about the most profound results with our clients. If your children get to experience you mastering even a few of these steps through you’re modelling them at home then they’ll become masters too.

So next time someone (hopefully in full body armour) asks you ‘What have you been doing all day?’ You can say “I’ve been Milking It, by working the plan.” Isn’t that what life’s all about?

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Time to change the way we think about time.

Time to changeMore than 60% of Australian women say they are suffering from time pressure. This is causing stress, arguments and inner turmoil. Even our kids are struggling. Employees waste 10 weeks a year searching for missing documents, grappling with sharing files and other lost administrative tasks.

We try to play catch up by multi-tasking, better known as ‘faulty tasking’, but we lose 30 minutes of thinking flow every time we switch tasks, making it the most overrated in our list of bad habits.

When did we lose touch?

My darling grandmother would not believe the way I live my life, were she still gracing this world with her wisdom and charm. With so many “time saving” devices at my disposal – washing machine, iPhone, car, Thermomix, vacuum cleaner, dishwasher, microwave. She may well wonder why I don’t swing in a hammock all day long reading a book, with all the help at my disposal.

How many devices can claim to save us hours per day? And yet here we are, more ‘time poor’ than our grandmothers. Their perspective of time was completely different.

The thing is, time is a totally man-made construct. What’s your relationship to time? What does it mean to you? Is it something to tame? To conquer, keep, spend, waste, have, make? If you could find 12 extra hours per week, would you spend it doing what you’re already doing and feeling as stressed as you do now? Or would you use it in a way that changes your life for the better?

We need to change our inner ‘talk’ about time, and remember that we already have what it takes to make a massive difference in our own lives and the lives of those around us. Of the three sources of personal power – time, energy and money – time is the only one that we can NEVER get back. The clock is always ticking. Spend money and you can go and earn it. Expend your energy and you can re-charge with a good night’s sleep. But no one has ever been able to turn the clock back.

Sometimes it feels like you’re there all alone with that massive ‘to do’ list and your mind racing about endless tasks you haven’t done, worrying about tomorrow, next week, next month. But there are millions of women who all share these frustrating time issues. Time to stop overwhelming and start living. It’s time to change the way we think about time.

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How to Create a Vision for Your Business

Are you ready to start turning your ideas / passion into money?

Whether or not you have your business up and running yet it’s critical you begin to visualise an existing business and see yourself running a successful enterprise. When I’m faced with challenges in my business, it’s my vision that keeps me going. When I look at the inspiring vision I set when I started my company, all complications fade and I’m motivated to push through and carry on.

Every major company in the world has a vision or mission statement – a broad, futuristic idea of what their company will achieve and look like in the future. Our five-step process helps you get there, but you need to know where “there” is first.

So, let’s take a look at what a vision statement is, and why it’s important for you to create one for your business.

A vision statement is a broad, inspiring image of the future state a business aspires to reach. It describes without specifying how aspirations will be achieved, or when. It’s ambitious and forward-thinking. It’s not about where the organization is now… it’s about what the organization will be, or aspires to be.

A vision statement needs to:

  • describe aspirations and intent
  • be inspirational for your future staff and customers
  • project a compelling story • paint a clear picture
  • use engaging and descriptive language
  • be realistic
  • align with your company’s values

The vision statement will also provide a clear criteria or measuring stick for decision-making. When making tough choices, ask “Does this support the vision statement?” If major initiatives don’t support the overall business vision, chances are they aren’t worth the investment of time and money.

If your business doesn’t have a vision statement, it needs one. If you already have one, then take this opportunity to strengthen it or make sure it’s aligned with the current dream you have for yourself and your company.

Your vision statement – once created, agreed to and perfected – should remain consistent and unchanged for several years.

Your staff need a strong, clear vision statement just as much as you do. When creating a vision statement, keep this in mind. The vision will need to be something that your staff can embrace, get excited about and that will motivate, inspire and build morale.

How will you communicate your vision to your employees once you’ve created it? How can you inspire them to nurture and support your vision on a daily basis, and in everything they do? How can you empower and motivate them to take ownership of the company’s future and their stake in it?

Let’s start creating your unique vision statement.

1. Start by looking at your strengths and weaknesses from the perspective of everyone who does business with you.

Think about strengths and weaknesses from the perspective of customers, staff, management, vendors or suppliers and owners.

For example, what would your customers say about your customer service standards? Would this area be considered a strength or a weakness? What would your staff say, or what would you want them to say about training and professional development opportunities? What do you think about your income and overall financial growth? Use this chart as a guide:

Strengths Weaknesses Customers Customer service Product or service availability and quality Business location Business image Staff Training Salary Professional development Benefits Quality of work environment Management Training Benefits Staff skills Vendors / Suppliers Product or service quality Owner (You) Income Business image Salary

2. Analyze your observations, and remember that your weaknesses represent great opportunities for change and improvement, while your strengths need to be nurtured and developed.

Take a look at what you’ve written and answer the following questions on your pad of paper:

  • What does the overall picture look like?
  • How does the overall picture align with the dream you have for your business?
  • What great achievements and qualities exist in the strengths section? (List 10)
  • What opportunities exist in the weaknesses section? (List 10)

3. Now that you’ve assessed where your business stands today, where do you want it to be? What opportunities exist?

Here you will take the strengths and opportunities you identified in step one, the analysis you completed in step two and start describing them in words. Use the chart below as your guide. Write three sentences that describe the future state of your business.

3. What opportunities and aspirations are the highest priorities for you and your business?

Take the sentences you created above and list them in order of importance to you. You may have to do this several times before you feel the order is accurate. Then combine duplicate sentences or ones that describe similar things. Once you’ve finished your list, take the top three to five sentences and combine them into a cohesive paragraph.

4. Refine your statements so that they’re broad, future-oriented and use words that reflect your values, priorities and dreams.

You need to refine your statement so it’s smooth, clear and easy to understand. Here’s a checklist to use when reviewing the words you’ve written:

  • is it inspirational for your staff and customers?
  • does it project a compelling image? • does it paint a clear picture?
  • have you used engaging and descriptive language?
  • is it realistic? • does it align with your company’s values?

TIP: You can use phrases like:

A leader in… Support the development of… Offer opportunities to… Continually create… Build on… Inspire… Develop… Facilitate… Achieve… Deliver… Bring together…

5. Include your staff in the vision creation process and ask them for feedback.

Do they understand the vision? Do they support it? Does it inspire them? Can they find meaning in their work based on it? Incorporate their feedback where possible and relevant.

6. Put your vision statement where everyone can see it – your staff, management, customers and vendors.

Once you’ve created your vision statement, share it with the world. Your vision is something you’ve committed to, and it lets everyone know where your company is heading. It allows them to see where you want to go, and gives them the opportunity to help you get there.

Now, do you have everything you need to start working towards your vision?

In the Momentum Business Academy e-learning program, we will show you how to work through a comprehensive goal-setting process that will act as the roadmap for achieving your vision. You’ll also review, in depth, the five-step process which is the strategy that you’ll use to achieve your goals, and in turn, the vision you’ve created. Find out more here: www.momentumbusinessacademy.com

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Help! I’m drowning in paperwork and e-mails! Where do I start?

Drowning in paperwork? Overwhelmed with your to do list?

You’re not alone. It’s hard to focus on anything when you’re in a mess. Your confidence takes a beating and you feel anxious and stressed. Not to mention snappy with loved ones.

You just KNOW you’ve forgotten something important, you arrive late, leave early, say no to invitations because you don’t have time. If enough’s enough, read on.

Step 1 – Don’t stress. We’ve got you covered. In fact, we’ve helped around 20,000 people sort their mess out and fall in love with their new system for managing paperwork and emails. We’ve done it for big businesses as well. With our help and your determination to get and stay organised, you’ll nail it in no time.

Step 2 – Start fresh today. Don’t look back. Simply forgive yourself for getting into a mess – it happens to the best of us. Now commit to a new system and new way of doing things.

Step 3 – Set up your new paperwork system first before you touch any of your paper or emails. Your system needs to include five main features:

1. an in-tray,
2. a set of folders to separate and contain your regular ‘to dos’ – like Bills to Pay, Correspondence To Complete, Blog to Post, Transactions to enter, Items to read, Contacts to enter, etc.
3. A set of folders for each of your projects – like Summer Holiday, Sale of Car, School enrolments, Business Launch event, etc
4. A set of folders for all the other paperwork and e-mails you need to keep to refer to but you don’t need to act on. Let’s call these your reference library. Important documents like birth certificates, passports, marriage certificate. Another reference folder might contain all your vehicle information, another your health records.
5. And finally the out ‘system’ which is where the paper and e-mails ‘exit’ your life forever – either off to the next stage in the journey, or to the bin or the scanner or into archives (for family history, financial or legal reasons).

Step 4 – create some rules to live by. Each regular ‘to do’ file needs a day of the week that you’ll attend to it. Put it in your diary. Likewise with your projects – what day will you do them on? Decide how many projects is enough in your life at any one time. We recommend no more than 7 or it’s too hard to move them forward. Focus is key.

Step 5 – get an accountability partner to help you and join our member program. We’ll give you all the training and support for setting up your new system and coach you until its second nature.

To find out more, click here

Brigitte’s book Organise your Paperwork is available in Officeworks stores nationwide

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There are only three ways to store your belongings

When it comes to storage, there are three main ways of organising your belongings:

  1. Fitted or built-in storage
  2. Storage furniture or containers
  3. Or out on view – a method that shades into ‘display’.

Whether it’s 1, 2 or 3, there’s no limit to the style you can adopt, from a sleek contemporary look to a rustic or retro approach. In the following blog posts, I’m going to explore many different types of storage ideas.

Let your individual taste dictate your choice of storage. And if you need a bigger reason to get sorted, my real estate friend tells me that organised homes fetch a higher sales price. So there’s a great incentive for anyone wishing to sell! Share your thoughts and opinions here – I’d love to know your reaction.