A Mompreneur's Planning Process | My 2017 Erin Condren Life Planner

I am so excited to have received my 2017 Erin Condren Life Planner. This is my second year using the Life Planner. Last year when I first used it,  I was pleasantly surprised that it was so easily adaptable to my life as a Mompreneur. With school aged kids, a home, a husband, a business and myself to manage, I am never without a planner. My planner covers all bases.

It has a monthly spread with a column for goals. I use this section for appointments, birthdays etc. If someone calls and makes a request of me, this is where I go to take a quick glance at my schedule. I also, use this section to literally mark off the days so that I have a quick visual of how many days are left in the month.

Though the Erin Condren Life Planners come in both horizontal and vertical spreads, my personal favorite is the vertical spread. Each week is on two pages and a day is in a full column. There is also a section for lists and a gratitude area. I find the gratitude area to be a lovely reminder to say thanks for the little things in my life. In addition, there are lines below the columns that can be used for anything you wish. I use mines to reconcile out some business items that I pay attention to on a daily basis.

I love the fact that the planner is colorful. Each month has its own color theme. This allows me to immediately know when I am transitioning to the next month. Also, if I choose to add seasonal stickers, they don't seem out of place.

Typically my planning process is based on the David Allen Getting Things Done Methodology where I keep a running to do list. Sundays are my planning days. So on Sunday evenings I would look at my running to do list and pencil in items in my planner that have to be completed in the week. Then each evening I make more specific plans of what I intend to do the very next day.

My husband and kids know that the planner is my command station and if it not written down in the planner it is more than likely not getting done. As a busy Mompreneur with so much on my plate it is inspirational to have a planner that doesn't look too corporate but yet functions well enough to complete all organizational duties necessary for my life as entrepreneur, a Mom, and a wife.

If you have an Erin Condren Life Planner and you love it as I do, please share your thoughts below.

My Evening of Relaxation

My time away from blogging has not been intentional. In fact, not blogging has caused me tremendous stress and anxiety. When I plan to do something and it doesn't get done, when my expectations and my actions do not align, I feel as though I have let myself down. For this and other reasons, life has been a bit stressful. In order to calm myself down and remember what is truly important, I am taking this evening to relax and as a result I decided to share this experience with you.

Usually reading a good book helps me to relax, but for some reason I didn't have one handy. So instead I decided to listen to the Simply Luxurious Life Podcast by Shannon Ables. Shannon provides lots of tidbits for having a wonderful life. I find the podcast to be uplifting and rejuvenating. On one of her episodes she suggested a movie named Man Up, a 2015 drama/romance starring Lake Bell and Simon Pegg. So for this evening I am going to relax by watching this movie and slowly drinking a cup of Tea of Life's Mango Honey Green Tea.

This is going to be a simple evening. No big plans just two simple items, tea and a movie, after which I plan to get a good night's sleep.

What are you doing to feel rejuvenated this evening? Whatever it is, make some time for it because we all need to alleviate a stressful day sometimes.

When a Competitor has Fallen: Musings of a Mompreneur

Everyone is in business to win. Competition exists and most times its existence only makes us stronger. Both parties do their best to secure a larger market segment. In the end, the consumer is better off.

As a mompreneur, I have managed both my family and personal life in a rather unbalanced way. When I am at home with the kids, I am constantly thinking of what needs to be done for work or employees are calling and interrupting dinner. Perhaps customers need me just when I want to go to lunch. But this chaos is soothing because it is addictive.

What happens when ones primary competitor has fallen? The very same ones who push you, pull you, entice you to keep going. Yeah, yeah, I know that should not be the motivation! Right! We all want to win so competition motivates all of us.

Do I continue to live this highly multi-tasked lifestyle or do I begin to relax? The obvious answer is to keep pushing. But it is not so easy especially when you want to jump up and say I win, time to OOOOSAAAHHHHH!

Instead, here are 5 things you can do:

1. Don't get comfortable, once a profitable market exists, new competitors are on the horizon.
2. Learn from the mistakes of your fallen competitor and take that word fallen with a grain of salt because anyone can rise above the ashes and be greater than they were before.
3. Analyze you current business and place systems in place that will improve your bottom line.
4. Take a brief sabbatical......just to ooosahhh..a day, a weekend, a month, whatever you need.
5. Pray for yourself and them. We all need strength as entrepreneurs and we all can benefit from some self reflection and divine intervention.

What about you? What do you do when your competitor has left the market, whether intentionally or not? Share your thoughts below.

Fall Soup

Summer Lessons from a Busy Mompreneur

Let me tell you, I am completely and utterly exhausted. School has started and though is has been less than a week, it feels like it has been three months. I made some mistakes in my back to school prep and in my summer itinerary. You don't have to make the same mistakes, especially those of you who still have some time left before school starts. Here is what I learned and what I intend to improve upon.

Shop Leisurely

Firstly, do not wait until tax free weekend to do all your shopping; this is just my advice. You can do what you will, but for me it was not a nice experience. Everyone and I do mean everyone was out. The lines, the heat, and the jostling crowds all resulted in an unpleasant experience. There are sales throughout the year. Pay attention and stock up on items. End of season sales also provide opportunities for huge discounts. To wait just until tax free weekend was just too much for me.

Have Some Lazy Summer Days

Secondly, back to school would have been better if my summer was more relaxing. I traveled. I entertained. I had various home improvement projects. I worked, etc. etc. Buddha says "Do nothing, life is too precious to waste." While I am a practicing Christian, I can appreciate this philosophy. More lazy days of summer would have been good for my soul. It helps one to rejuvenate and focus on what is really important: family, friends, spirituality, health and wellness.

Pursue my Interests

Thirdly, read, sleep and play more. Yes these three. I know they seem unrelated but in fact they feed on each other. Rather than engaging in organized activities and events, I would strive to pursue my interests. Read in areas related to my passion; learn a new indoor game that my family and I can play together. Catch up on some rest. Studies abound regarding the positive social, emotional, educational, and health benefits of these activities.

Summer is fleeting; I feel extra tired at the start of this school year because I did it all wrong. Next summer, Gods spares, I will shop leisurely, relax, read, sleep and play more. For those of you who are still enjoying the last remnants of summer rays, let me know what simple strategies you are implementing to make it enjoyable and peaceful so that the start of the school year is full of excitement and vigor for you and your family.