5 Simple Strategies to Get Organized & Achieve Your Goals Ep 70 

[00:00:00] VO Artist: Welcome to Your Creative Chord Podcast, where host Jenny Leigh Hodgins, author and educator, shares unique insights dedicated to empowering your creative flow and inspired living. Through solo reflections and dialogues with creators and wellness experts, Jenny Leigh shares holistic wisdom influenced by her Buddhist practice, alongside poetic insights and practical strategies for living authentically.

[00:00:28] This podcast helps you overcome challenges and unlock your full creative potential.

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[00:01:06] Practical tools and the support you need to overcome obstacles and thrive creatively. On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, we'll be hosting a creativity panel event inside the group featuring creative professionals and experts in creative wellness and empowerment. This free event will offer practical insights to help you break through blocks, reignite your creative flow, and experience immediate progress.

[00:01:36] Whether you're feeling stuck, burned out, or simply curious about exploring your creative side. This event will give you the tools to move forward. Plus on March 19, 2025, I'll be launching my creative empowerment coaching program designed to guide you through overcoming creative blocks, transforming burnout into momentum and cultivating the mindset needed to live a more inspired, fulfilled life.

[00:02:04] This program is perfect for anyone ready to ignite their creative energy and lay the foundation for sustained personal and creative growth. If you're ready for a deeper personalized transformation, my creative empowerment coaching program can help you get there to join the group and register for the upcoming panel event.

[00:02:25] Visit your creative cord. com forward slash events. Don't miss out on this opportunity to start the year strong. With a supportive community and creative momentum. I'm here to empower your creative flow and inspired life.

[00:02:41] Welcome back to Your Creative Chord Podcast. I'm Jenny Leigh, your host, and I'm here to empower your Creative Flow & Inspired Living. Do you struggle with focus or procrastination or perfectionism? Do these make it harder for you to go for your creative dreams? If you've ever felt like you're drowning in your to do list, this episode is for you.

[00:03:05] In today's episode, I will share simple organizational strategies to boost your productivity and help you stay focused, whether you're a creative professional, a new piano learner, or just someone who needs more structure in your day. Stick around till the end and I'll also share my task tracking Google sheet.

[00:03:23] It's a simple but powerful tool that keeps me organized and I'll walk you through how to set it up. We'll talk about easy to implement systems and tools such as clarifying your values, prioritizing aligned tasks, batching, time blocking, And using simple tracking methods to help you streamline your workflow and make your creative work more attainable and effective.

[00:03:50] And be sure to stick around until the end where I'll share a powerful tool that I use my Google sheet for task tracking. It helps me stay on top of everything. It's free. You can adapt it to your own creative work for even greater focus and productivity. Let's talk about why organization matters for creativity and productivity.

[00:04:13] When we have structure, our minds are freer to create because we're not overwhelmed by chaotic to do lists or distractions. Check out my Creativity Series episodes 41 44 for a more in depth walkthrough on how setting limitations can really kickstart your creative genius. Creative burnout, overwhelm, procrastination, and perfectionism And I've experienced all of these.

[00:04:40] Often stem from a lack of organization. That's why I got organized. If you simplify your workflow, chunk down your tasks into smaller, more manageable byte sizes, you reduce mental clutter, and you allow your creativity to thrive. What happens when we don't have systems? Without a plan or structure, your tasks pile up, You feel scattered, you risk losing motivation, or you get stuck in overwhelm.

[00:05:12] Let's talk about key organizational strategies for boosting your workflow. First, I think it's really important to establish your values so you're really in your zone of preference. And when you prefer something or you value it, it's so much more meaningful and you're more motivated to do that.

[00:05:34] Understanding your core values is really essential for staying focused and being productive. When you align your tasks with your values, it becomes easier to prioritize what matters most and avoid distractions. Here's an actionable tip for you. Take a minute. to write down your three top values. These could be things like creative expression, family, health, or personal growth.

[00:06:08] Once you have your values listed, review your to do list and ask yourself this question. Does this task align with my values? Tasks that don't align should either be delegated, postponed, Or eliminated. If you're unsure about what your core values are, there are many resources out here today on, on our wonderful internet, but you could try a free tool like the life values inventory, which is just lifevaluesinventory.org. And I'll drop that link in the show notes. If you use that link, it will help you clarify which values matter most to you and guide you in prioritizing your values in your daily life. It's a great tool. Now let's talk about prioritizing our tasks. Not everything is urgent or important. A quick way to organize your tasks is to start using the 80/20 rule.

[00:07:10] It's the Pareto principle to determine which tasks will give you the most impact and focus on those. For example, the 80/20 rule tells us That 20 percent of all the tasks we do actually bring 80 percent of our desired results. So when you identify which tasks will make that big impact, you can focus on those and leave the rest for later.

[00:07:39] For example, I'll give you an example in my business. I prioritize certain aspects of my business into manageable chunks. For example, content creation, product creation, production. marketing, outreach, and serving my clients. I plan my content creation first so that it is off my plate while I create new products or improve my services or books and courses.

[00:08:08] When planning podcast production, I also break the tasks into smaller and similar chunks. For example, I focus on high priority tasks like recording, um, and editing before I worry about social media or email promotion. Time blocking is about setting specific time slots for particular tasks. So by dedicating say 30 minutes to brainstorming and one hour to writing, then 15 minutes for a break, You eliminate distractions and create a flow that keeps you productive and free of rapid burnout.

[00:08:48] Here's a quick tip. Start by allocating just a few hours a week to deep work on your creative dream goal and slowly build out your schedule as you get more comfortable with time blocking. I also recommend you choose a time of day or night when your creative energy is at its best and write that time block down.

[00:09:13] on your schedule or calendar because it's a priority for your wellness. Another cool tool that I use is batching similar tasks. It helps me a lot with maintaining my energy and level of creative flow. Instead of switching between tasks like responding to emails, recording podcasts, or creating social media posts, group similar tasks together.

[00:09:41] This will reduce mental fatigue. And it keeps you energized and focused. For example, when I'm creating podcasts, I batch all my podcast, writing of outlines, I do all of them in a session or a week and I spend time just writing out what I'm going to be doing and aligning it with what's happening in the months ahead.

[00:10:06] All I do is work on the outlines and create the podcast episodes. All I focus on is writing those outlines in that session. Or, in this current session I'm in, I'm batching all my podcast recordings. I spend one day and record multiple podcasts. outlines or scripts for my podcasts and I save editing for another day.

[00:10:29] I don't even think about my mistakes. I just keep plugging ahead and I record all my content all in one sitting, usually over a week span. I'll give myself a dedicated time, batch record my podcasts for months in advance. This really saves me time and protects my energy and helps me stay in my mindset.

[00:10:53] for efficient workflow. I only have to do one thing. Record task tracking with simple tools is another great way to stay organized and keep yourself productive. 

[00:11:06] I have created a Google sheet to track my tasks for podcast production. It's color coded so that I can easily see what is done and what needs attention.

[00:11:17] Because when you have so many tasks, it can be very challenging as you get more tired to kind of sift through so much information. So I color code it. And I know exactly where I am visually. 

[00:11:28] Here's how to set it up in a nutshell. I set up columns for a task name, the due date, the task type. For example, if it's a recording task or it's an editing task or it's a writing task, and I have a dropdown for the status of the task.

[00:11:45] For example, where I am on the timeline for that task. Is it not started, scripted, recorded, in progress or completed. So I can see exactly where I am on that task and when it's done. This keeps me visually organized and it helps me see exactly where I am on each project task. If you find these tools helpful, remember that I also offer personalized support to help you organize and focus your workflow.

[00:12:18] If you want to work with me directly, go ahead and join the wait list for my creative empowerment coaching program launching on March 19, 2025, you can sign up now at YourCreativeChord.com/WorkWithMe when you're faced with a long list of tasks, It's really easy to get overwhelmed and risk burnout, but when you break it down into bite sized steps that align with your priorities and your values, it makes the work so much less intimidating.

[00:12:48] Here's a tip for you. Start with one task. If it's a task that requires a significant time block to complete, 

[00:12:57] Set your timer for a smaller increment to focus on that task. Even if it's just a five minute action, you'll build momentum from there. Our brains love to see items completed, so keep a checklist, like, or a Google sheet like mine, and work your way through it each day.

[00:13:18] This activity boosts dopamine, the chemical released when you feel motivation from accomplishment. And the more you keep track of your tasks, the stronger your brain is trained to want more accomplishment as a regular habit. Dealing with distractions and staying focused is often a problem for some people, so turn off notifications during your planned work routine.

[00:13:43] You can use apps like Focus at Will for music that helps your concentration, or something called Forest to stay off your phone while working. I, frankly, I just keep my notifications off and I leave my phone in a different room while I'm working. until I take breaks. Setting boundaries around your workspace and time is really key to being productive and focused.

[00:14:07] Be clear with others in your household or your work team about what you need from them when you're in your focus zone. For example, I work from home and I don't set appointments until after 3 p. m. This keeps me highly productive and regular with my focus zone routine. To recap, organizing your workflow with tools like prioritization, time blocking, badging like tasks, and tracking tasks will help you reduce overwhelm and stay productive.

[00:14:44] Start by implementing one strategy today. Even small changes can make a big difference in your creative flow and productivity. Start with something simple. music ends Like time blocking for 30 minutes of focused work. And if you'd like a little bit of extra help, don't forget to grab my inspirational bookmark trio filled with tips for creative flow at YourCreativeChord.com/GetInspiredHere. These are wonderful creative visual reminders. If you're ready to go deeper and work directly with me to help you stay organized and overcome overwhelm, the wait list for my creative empowerment coaching program is now open. Secure your spot at YourCreativeChord.com/WorkWithMe before the program launches on March 19. When we implement simple systems, It's like giving our creativity a solid foundation on which to flourish. Use this episode to help you get organized, stay productive, and keep nurturing your creative flow.

[00:15:52] VO Artist: Thank you for listening to Your Creative Chord Podcast. If you found inspiration in today's episode, please leave a review and subscribe to the show. Your support helps spread the message of creativity and inspired living. Stay connected with Jenny Leigh and a vibrant community of creatives and curious minds.

[00:16:12] Visit YourCreativeChord.com for more resources. Remember daily life is where your creative flow begins. Embrace the journey.