Priceless
Do you recall the MasterCard Priceless campaign?
There are some things money can't buy; for everything else, there's Mastercard.
It conveyed that everyday and ordinary things are more important.
I had my own 'priceless' moment last week. Leaving my desk at 10:00 PM after spending a whole day pushing through to get an updated online landing page for myLife Planners. As I headed to bed, I felt lighter, realizing how much headspace this idea I'd been mulling over for over a year had taken up. Finally, releasing it was a weight lifted, so my mind no longer felt clogged up.
Processing ideas and thoughts from our brains onto paper is a simple method to reduce overwhelming feelings. Do you have a project that requires effort and thought sitting in the back of your mind? These thoughts plug the flow for all the other creative solutions you need to move on.
I'm not done with this project, but giving it space and time to clear my creative ideas out of my brain and into the world is a step closer to where I want to be.
And I have proof. I wrote the first draft of this article in under an hour!
It's been over a year since the last time I wrote anything. I'd put it off whenever I planned to write because I had no urge or ideas to spur me on. So after a successful download, I woke up to my muse knocking on my door, throwing this topic idea at me.
What do you have on your mind that has been either nagging you to get done or even that thing you will 'eventually' do when the time is right?
I'm here to tell you the time is right NOW.
Time is priceless, but your headspace is even more valuable.
There are so many ways to download tasks, ideas, and plans. Yes, I developed myLife because it’s a structure that fits into my workflow style. You are unique and need a system that works for you. After almost a half-century of breathing, I've realized the options are unlimited and can range from complex to something as simple as a blank page.
Digital. You may be happy with a completely digital workflow. But there are benefits, and besides paper, apps have their place.
I use Evernote to write content, store recipes, and document research.
Notion is a one-stop database tool that can level up your organization and planning game.
Cloud document management, like Google Drive or Dropbox, is my go-to for storing files. I no longer fear a potential computer failure because I can always feel secure that my files are stored and saved.
Calendars. I would be lost without iCal. Before the smartphone, I jumped on the PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). Whether it's a meeting, doctor's appointment, or date night, it gets documented in my calendar. I have even gotten my whole family to embrace shared calendars. This way, we are all in the loop, and when you only have one car for a family of four - using the 🚗 emoji is my go-to to claim its use.
Paper. The cloud is everything to me. So when I think of an apocalypse and the power is gone, I know my online life will blink out, and I'll be left with only the paper I printed out, the books I purchased, and the journals, notes and letters that connected me to the world around.
Notebooks. It could be the small Field Notes or larger dollar store finds. I love the Moleskine series because of the size and various versions of lined, blank, and dot grid structures where I can note down and track ideas and notes. I've levelled up my notebook game by labelling each per client or project depending on the scope and timeline. It's so easy to flip through some pages, but even more importantly, my recall is better after I've written things down.
Monthly Calendars. Nothing is better than seeing a week or month at a glance and visually grasping how much you have on your plate. I use the monthly spreads (found in myWeek and myDay) to plan client projects and important events. Even the ability to see what I have going on the weekends - if I'm honest, I love a blank weekend. I'm a person who appreciates a free day to make my own.
Day Planners. Yes, I'm biased here, the myWeek is my Queen, but I've got to say the myDay is also a Prince - easily accessible when a day is stacked, and I need to avoid distractions. The other upside is even though I use digital to make all my appointments and dates - whether I'm looking at the week or the day, writing each one down is how I manage my time and headspace each day. myLife planners let me depend less on the ding of notifications and be prepared for meetings in advance.
I want to end this by clarifying that I am not a perfect planner. However, I have many ideas to share because I failed so much! If you found value in this and would appreciate random productive thoughts delivered to your inbox, please sign up for myLife newsletter. As a bonus, you can try out any of the myLife tools (myWeek or myDay).
