How To Focus On Your Goals When Your Mind Is Busy With Bright Ideas

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Focus. 

I've always been pretty bad at it. 

As a child, I wanted to be a singer, but then my parents told me doctors make a ton of money. It didn't take long for me to stop emulating Beyonce and practicing dance moves in the mirror to pursue the loooooong road of doctor-ing. 

I didn't make it to far down that road though.

Once I read an article on Business Insider that Data Scientist was the sexiest job of the 20th century, I  hopped on the bandwagon. (That is the real story of how I started my career in analytics.)

The distraction party doesn't end there.

When I started this blog, I started working on writing a book and then I heard that affiliate links were more profitable - so I bought an affiliate links course (obviously). After working on my affiliate links for about a month, I decided that I should really be focusing on online courses so I left my affiliate links by the wayside to try creating online courses. (Clearly, shiny objects are my kryptonite.)

I was so busy chasing new ideas that I never got anything done. 

Related: How To Avoid Shiny Object Syndrome and Get Laser Focused On Your Goals

Do you ever feel like your mind is always coming up with new ideas? And when that happens, you must drop what you're doing to try them?

Over my first year of blogging, I found a way to keep track all of my wonderful ideas while still staying on track with my goals by putting my new ideas into my Idea Parking Lot. 

What is an idea parking lot? 

An idea parking lot is a physical location to put all of the random + brilliant + brand-spanking-new ideas. You can jot your ideas down in a journal, a notepad or electronically on your phone or even in a word document. 

How To Create Your Idea Parking Lot

Choose a place to keep ideas

Most people already have a place that they keep their random notes. I've seen everything from a paper notebook to the notepad in your phone. I prefer to use Evernote for my ideas. 

Evernote allows you to create virtual notebooks and you can create as many notes as you want within the notebooks.

On any given day, I can come up with an idea for a new career entirely. I'd think about the name of the website I'd build, the books I'd eventually write down to the chapters that would be in the books.

Evernote is the best place I've found for those vivid ideas that transform right in front of you because you can create several notes and then order them within your notebooks by common themes. 

Create your first note

To get started, create one note called Parking Lot. Do this right away so you already have somewhere to put your next bright idea.

write down (or type) all of your ideas - big or small

When you write down your ideas make sure you give yourself enough information so that if you come back to it and look at your ideas a year later they will make sense. 

Instead of writing "start money blog ", write down "start money blog where I tell the story of my student loan debt pay off." By writing it this way, you'll remember exactly what you were thinking when you originally wrote the note. 

Come Back To It Later

The best thing about having a parking lot of ideas is that you CAN come to it later if you want to.

At the beginning of each year, when I'm creating my vision board and thinking about what I want my new year to look like, I always take a look back at my parking lot.  I look to see if there was something I wrote down that I really want to do in the upcoming year. 

Related: Why Vision Boards Work and Why You Must Create One

You may be surprised that some of the ideas you had are no longer relevant to you. You may realize that the idea you were working on was perfect and you don't need those ideas anymore. On the other hand, you might see that one of your goals is exactly what you need. :) 

Why Do You Need An Idea Parking Lot?

The book Getting Things Done (literally the only productivity book you need in life) has one common theme: Get your ideas out of your head and save them somewhere.

The Idea Parking Lot is my rendition on this wise advice. 

Never lose Your bright ideas

The basis of the parking lot is that you can capture your ideas without having them distract you from what you're currently doing.

That means if you're in the middle of working on one goal (say, starting a blog) and you get hit by an idea for another blog that feels so amazing that you want to get started on it right away, you can write that idea down in your parking lot. 

 

Keep track of the minor details

You can go into as much or as little detail as you want on your new idea in your parking lot.

For example, imagine you have a vivid mental picture of what your new blog is going to look like. You can write down what blog posts you're going to write, what the name will be, what brand colors you want to use, how you're going to monetize it and what tools you plan on using for it.

 

build on it over time

When new ideas come to mind that can supplement your idea, you can continue to add to your parking lot note on that topic. This helps your small idea become more clear and more actionable without ever leaving your goals.

 

Add Some Space.

Have you ever bought a cute shirt at the mall and then got home and realized you really didn't need a new shirt? You only bought it because it was super cute on the mannequin or it was on sale. 

It happens all the time. Experts recommend waiting a day or two before you purchase something to see if you really want it. If after two days you still want the shirt, it's probably a good idea to buy.

Having an idea parking lot allows you to put that same distance between your excitement and your commitment. 

We get super excited about trying them out that we don't consider the fact that we may not even need the new idea at all. Writing your new idea down and leaving it in your parking lot gives you time to think about whether or not you really need it. 

 

Stay Focused On The Present

The best thing about the idea parking lot is that you never have to leave the goal that you're currently working on to chase a brand new shiny object. You can complete your current project AND still have your new idea waiting for you (with as much detail as you want) should you need it. 

Having an idea parking lot might be the key to your problems. You can stay focused on the goals you're currently working on while holding on to all the ideas in your head. 

Happy Dreaming! 

xoxo 

Want To Start Planning Your Vision Board Party? 

1. Download the FREE vision board party planning checklist.

2. Craft your inspiring vision board workshop talk with our FREE High Impact Storytelling Journal Prompts. 

3. Plan, promote & host your first (or next) professional & profitable vision board workshop with our signature course, Sold Out Vision Board Parties.

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About the author

Cyrene is a fun and accomplished workshop facilitator, learning and development guru and Human Resources professional. Being at the helm of Thrive Lounge has been a long-time dream. Through vision board workshops she plans to accomplish two-way learning. Sharing her vast years of knowledge to motivate and encourage others; while simultaneously getting the reward of great energy, ideas and questions to ponder back from each group. A super win-win. Please join our Thrive Lounge community so you too can benefit!

How To Uncover The Hidden Happiness + Wins In Your Life

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

For the past four years, I've been in constant motion, fluttering from one goal to the next. With each accomplishment, it doesn't actually feel like I've done anything at all. In fact, every step up gives me more confidence to go bigger, work harder, do more. 

I struggle to feel "successful" even though I've clearly been able to accomplish more than ever before. 

It is only in the moments where I reflect on the pictures from my adventures or look at the long way that I've come (mostly through my Facebook memories) that I realize I've actually done something I should be proud of. I've become a better version of myself. Even though I'm still in progress... I've made progress. 

Do you ever feel like you're always looking forward to the next goal? The next challenge? The next bit of excitement? 

What if I could tell you that, like me, you already have all the excitement and success you've ever wanted? Sometimes it's right there in the past just waiting to be unearthed and recognized. 

Each month, after you've set goals, worked towards them... right before you jump to your next set of goals, take a moment to remind yourself what you've done this past month. You might be surprised by what you see. In fact, you might be very proud of it, too.

Here are the 5 questions I ask myself at the end of every month to help me remember how freakin' awesome I am - and remind me that even though I have more journeys up ahead, I've already accomplished way more than I thought I ever could. 

 

What did you try? 

Maybe you tried to learn something new for work or took a class in something you thought you might like. Did you try working out in a different way this past month? Or try a new dish? 

It's important to reflect on the new things you tried because it's a great reminder that you do have an adventurous side, that you are capable of learning, and that you are a big enough go-getter that you have the power and strength to try something new. 

Routine is easy. By trying something, no matter how small creates growth. 

That's powerful.

What did you learn? 

Life lessons go hand in hand with every trial and error you face. With writing down the things you tried (even if it was a total fail) you have to write down all of the things you learned from that experience.

This will help you tremendously in keeping track of the things you'll want to do differently when you try those things again. 

Last month, I made a really bad lasagna (like... really really bad). This year, I decided I'd move beyond my simple dishes and sides and explore a few new ones that I've never tried before. A few dishes have been successful, but lasagna surely was not one of them. I ran out of meat, used the wrong sauce, didn't add the right ratio of cheeses. It was a complete disaster. But that list of things I did wrong will stay with me when I do retry that dish. I'll just have to convince my daughter to try it again. 

What did you improve? 

It's impossible to be good at everything, but over time as you continue to explore things you've never done before or dive deeper into the things you're learning, you'll start to get better at them. 

Keep track of the things that you're improving. You definitely may not notice them now, but when you do look back you'll see the far way that you've come. 

Three years ago, I couldn't update my resume without bursting out into tears because I could not identify any value that I added to any company anywhere. Even though I had a lot of good experience, I struggled with validation. I needed someone to tell me I was smart and made an impact because I didn't believe it (and I surely couldn't write it down on a resume). 

Through the tiniest changes imaginable, I've stocked up a full arsenal of tools and resources and huge gains for others that I can re-write my resume in an hour, while watching Netflix. No more tears, no more struggling. That's a huge improvement. 

What progress have you made? 

Dream big, they tell you. Set a goal that seems impossible to reach. 

Have you ever started to work towards a big goal and realized mid-way through that you were screwed. There was absolutely no way you were going to reach this goal?

I'm certainly starting to feel that way with my student loan debt payoff goals. I set a goal to pay off $32K in 12 months. I'm already behind schedule and it's only February. (What in the world was I thinking? Oh yeah, dream big. *cue eye roll*)

Through the pouting and the eye rolling, I've figured one key thing out: Even if I don't reach this goal, I've already paid off more student loan debt in the past three months than I ever thought imaginable. 

Maybe it's not the 6000 I needed, but it's a solid 4500. 

 

What did you accomplish?

Some of your goals will completely come to fruition and all of the late nights or early mornings will have come together to create something that you've only been planning for up until now. 

Write those things down and congratulate yourself for a job well done.

What made you happy? 

At the end of the day, there is exactly one measure for happiness.... Are you actually happy?

We all do have ups and downs, stressful moments and moments of smooth sailing. But if you look at on the 30(ish) days you experienced this month try to remember the things that made you happy. 

I struggle with being chronically single (it's my gift and my curse) but every once in a while I do meet someone where the experience is absolutely phenomenal. While I could be sad that it was short lived, I much rather be happy that I experienced it at all. I was present for the great dates, wonderful conversation and flirtatious smiles. What's not to be happy about?

I bet your life is filled with beautiful things (passionate relationships, fun times with family, road trips you wish never ended) but we often hang on to those moments that are too stressful, annoying or confusing. We hang on to those and allow them to play over and over in our heads that we don't actually notice when we moved mountains, we accomplished the impossible and when we've been happy. Taking a moment to write these things down makes all the difference.

Want To Start Planning Your Vision Board Party? 

1. Download the FREE vision board party planning checklist.

2. Craft your inspiring vision board workshop talk with our FREE High Impact Storytelling Journal Prompts. 

3. Plan, promote & host your first (or next) professional & profitable vision board workshop with our signature course, Sold Out Vision Board Parties.

---

About the author

Cyrene is a fun and accomplished workshop facilitator, learning and development guru and Human Resources professional. Being at the helm of Thrive Lounge has been a long-time dream. Through vision board workshops she plans to accomplish two-way learning. Sharing her vast years of knowledge to motivate and encourage others; while simultaneously getting the reward of great energy, ideas and questions to ponder back from each group. A super win-win. Please join our Thrive Lounge community so you too can benefit!

7 Proven Productivity Strategies To Get More Hours In Your Day

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

How many times have you been super excited to seize the day only to get half way through your to-do list?

The daily to-do list may seem like a simple concept.

You have things to do.
Write them down.
Do them.
Rinse and repeat. 

However, many people struggle with getting to the bottom of their daily list. Sometimes we add so many things on to our plate during the day that we end up with more things to do than we started with. (Those days are the worst, aren't they?)

How in the world do you eat healthy, work out, work for 8-ish hours, spend time with family, take time for self care, build your relationships AND get a full night't sleep at the end of the day? 

Simple. You don't. 

The incredibly insightful book 168 Hours: You have More Time Than You Think breaks down exactly why we all should stop planning by the day and focus on spreading all of the things you want to do throughout your week. 

Your week is filled with unlimited opportunities to do everything that you want. However, most people create never-ending daily to-do lists that can often leave us feeling exhausted and unaccomplished by the end of the day.

I'm going to walk you through exactly how I plan out my daily to do list one full week at a time. This simple change allows me to get everything done over the course of a week without feeling overworked or overwhelmed.

 

Plan hard due dates first. 

Some of your to-do list items have a due date that you cannot change. 

For example, if you have a project to due on Wednesday you'll have to work on it on Monday and Tuesday. (You certainly don't want to be like the teenage me, who would be scrambling on Tuesday night to throw something together for me to take to school. One Science Fair I created a project titled Which Soap Suds The Best? I put soap and water in a bucket, swished it around and took a picture of it. #Embarrassing) 

This is where planning your to-do list for you whole week at once really comes in handy because you're looking at a birds eye view of your week and can see further into the future beyond the needs of today and tomorrow.

Plan your essentials.

There are certain thins you have to do to survive, keep your relationships strong and maintain your health. These are things you know you'll be doing every single week without fail. So it makes sense to block that time off next.

Here are some examples of essentials. Decide on what works for your lifestyle. 

• Work

• Grocery shopping

• Cooking meals

• Relationship building (with spouse, friends and family)

• Sleep

• Gym

• (If you have small children) Homework, Reading and Bathtime

As you think about the time you have for these, remember you're thinking about your entire week. It's totally OK if you don't have time during the day to go to the gym 3 days a week. Push it to the weekend. Trust me, it still counts. 

Food matters.

Let's be real... We all have to eat.

While you may not really think about it (because it's really a basic need) food can easily take up 10 hours of your week! There's thinking about what you want to eat, going to the store to buy groceries, prepping all of the food, cooking and finally eating your meal. 

Build that time into your week... and find ways to optimize it. 

For example, I try to make a big meal on Mondays and Wednesdays and eat the leftovers on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This gives me more time to spend with my family or get a yoga session in after work on those days. 

Do you see where I'm going with this? If you plan your week all at once, you can see where those pockets of time exists. You can now be intentional where you would've previously spent that extra time wondering what you're going to eat tonight, praying that you have the ingredients you need for that miscellaneous recipe you just found on Pinterest or scrolling Facebook.

 

Events & Appointments

Here's where things start to get a little tricky. Some weeks, you'll have random appointments that throw a wrench into your weekly routine.

It could range from a doctors appointment, parent-teacher conference, networking happy hour mixer or your BFF's Dirty Thirty Birthday Bash. 

Put all of your appointments on your to-do list on the day they fall on. Then move your existing to-do items to around to accommodate these experiences.  

For example, if you have a parent teacher conference Thursday night, you may want to plan to meal prep Wednesday night. 

Set aside daily hustle time.

I don't know anyone that doesn't have their own side hustle these days. I'm using side hustle liberally. You could be running a blog, taking additional courses to boost your skills, building a business or training for a marathon. 

All of these things take time to build if you want to make a meaningful difference. Make sure you block off time to work on them. 

I choose to wake up early on a daily basis before work (from about 5-7AM) to work on this lovely blog you're reading right now. I also block off about 6 hours every Sunday to work strictly on creating products for the blog. 

Don't skip your daily me-time Activity.

When you fail to plan (or plan poorly) the first thing that suffers is the time spent taking care of yourself. 

Use Your weekends

Your week can quickly get stolen from you. When you're early in your career, networking events and working late can steal your weekday evenings. If you have a family, your kid's after school activities can usurp your afternoons.

You can still maintain your productivity and accomplish everything you want by shifting things to the weekends.

You can grocery shop and meal prep on Sundays. You can host a potluck to spend time with friends and family on Saturday nights. You can side hustle, take a class or serve your community on Sunday mornings. 

THREE ITEM MAXIMUM DAILY

One mistake people make is cramming a lot of things into their schedule assuming they're going to work super hard, drink red bull and skip sleep to accomplish their goals.

This rarely works because you're betting on a Sunday that your Tuesday self is going to have enough will power to stay up late. This can be a hit or miss depending on whatever else happened that day.

Have you ever gotten mad at yourself for falling asleep when you had things to do? This is totally irrational, but we've all done it.

Give yourself a three item maximum on your to-do list for any given day. By doing this, you will make sure that you only put the most important and urgent things on your list. (If you're super gangster like me, you only put one thing on your to-do list each day.) This also gives you a fighting chance at finally crossing everything off your to-do list which will leave you feeling accomplished each day and ready to attack the next. 

By planning out your days like this, you have unlimited time and flexibility to move things around like puzzle pieces until they fit perfectly into place. At the end of the week, you'll realize that by putting less on your plate on a daily basis, you will have accomplished more, gotten more sleep, spent more time with friends and family AND took care of yourself more.  The time exists everywhere... it's your job to use it. 

Want To Start Planning Your Vision Board Party? 

1. Download the FREE vision board party planning checklist.

2. Craft your inspiring vision board workshop talk with our FREE High Impact Storytelling Journal Prompts. 

3. Plan, promote & host your first (or next) professional & profitable vision board workshop with our signature course, Sold Out Vision Board Parties.

How To Plan Your Week For Peak Performance + Balance + Happiness

Have you ever sat back on a lovely Saturday afternoon, half way through a mimosa and a thrilling Netflix original and thought to yourself...

"What the heck did I do all week?" 

No matter who you are, you have 168 hours to do whatever you choose. Yet, some people appear to be living their best lives while others are watching time pass them by wishing they had more... time. 

Have you ever thought to yourself... 

If I had more time I could go on more trips. 
I could start that side hustle. 
I could spend more time with my family. 

If only I had more time. 

Here's a bit of reality for you...

YOU HAVE ALWAYS HAD MORE THAN ENOUGH TIME. 

It's just hiding away in all of the hours you spend on social media, the half-days that pass you by as you watch Netflix and every other choice that you make that does not align with your values and desires. 

Here's the approach I use to make sure I get EVERYTHING done on a weekly basis with time to crush my 9-t0-5 and run a profitable blog and love my adorable daughter and take care of myself (and everything in between) - without burnout.

First, PLAN TO Take care of your household.

The worst thing about being a super ambitious goal-getter is that it's entirely too easy to get lost in your work and lose track of the little things.

For example, there have been many weeks where I spent my free time working on my blog - and I'd totally forget to do grocery shopping. I'd find myself scrambling through cabinets to throw together breakfast for dinner three nights in a row. (It's not surprising I get hungry and have to eat, might as well plan for it right? )

With better planning, I could create a meal plan, eat healthy and have all the items I need. #NoScramblingNecessary

Here are things you can schedule in to make sure your home is taken care of each week:

• Making a grocery list

• Grocery Shopping

• Cooking

• House cleaning

To optimize your basic housework, create a time that works for you every week to do the same household chores. That way, it becomes more of a habit. For example, every Monday night after putting my daughter to bed, I do meal prep for the rest of the week. 

Put the time to take care of your home on the calendar first. 

SECOND, PLAN TO Take care of yourself

I'm not gonna lie here, with so many things that must get done (we must work, we must take care of our families, we must manage our finances, be half way decent romantic partners and whatever else life throws on our plates) it's very easy to forget that we are the lead character in the story of our life. 

No matter what you have going on in your life, steal some time back for yourself. You need that me-time to clear your mind and align yourself with what you really want. 

This can look like: 

• Meditation

• Bottomless Mimosa Brunch with friends

• A massage or mani pedi

• Curling up with a good book and hot tea

You should always put a little time on the calendar to take care of yourself. 

I recommend taking quiet time daily. Since I'm a parent, my "me-time" starts strictly at 9PM. I also have a no-work policy on Friday and Saturday nights. (I may not be out clubbing like I used to when I was 21, but I'm definitely going to sit on the couch and drink some wine.)

When will you take your me-time? Put that on your calendar.

THIRD, PLAN TO Take care of your relationships

Whether you're married (or have a super sexy new beau) it's important to plan some time each week to show them that you care. Maintaining a relationship (even those that are ten years old) requires an investment of your time.

I'd also wrap your relationship with your children into this as well. 

As a single lady with an adorable 10-year-old, I always make sure that I make time for her. That can come in the form of playing video games with her or spending hours on the couch watching all of her fav shows. 

When's date night? Are you baking cookies with your baby? Put that time on the calendar.  

FINALLY, PLAN TO WORK TOWARDS your goals

I know it's odd to put this last when you're planning your week for optimal goal-getting, but there's a method to my madness, I promise. :) 

When you know that your home is taken care of, you're not burnt out and your relationships are thriving - you have more energy and focus to put towards your goals. 

That makes the time you set aside for your goals much more valuable because you can throw yourself into it with no distractions.

Set one goal for the week and then break that goal down over the course of a few days. That way you don't feel pressured to rush through your projects.

To break down your goals, start by asking yourself: 

• What do I want to accomplish this week?

• What resources would I need to be able to accomplish this goal?

• What do I need to do to accomplish this goal?

Now, put time on the calendar to get the resources you need, learn any new material and do each step on your list of action items. 

Accomplishing your goals happens over time in small steps that turn into huge shifts and big wins when you string them together over time. 

Every week is another opportunity to get closer to accomplishing your goals but it's also another opportunity to spend time with loved ones and to care for yourself better. The beauty of planning your miraculous week is that you get to choose what your life will look like. You get to create the life you want. All it takes is a little planning. :)

Want To Start Planning Your Vision Board Party? 

1. Download the FREE vision board party planning checklist.

2. Craft your inspiring vision board workshop talk with our FREE High Impact Storytelling Journal Prompts. 

3. Plan, promote & host your first (or next) professional & profitable vision board workshop with our signature course, Sold Out Vision Board Parties.

 This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

---

About the author

Cyrene is a fun and accomplished workshop facilitator, learning and development guru and Human Resources professional. Being at the helm of Thrive Lounge has been a long-time dream. Through vision board workshops she plans to accomplish two-way learning. Sharing her vast years of knowledge to motivate and encourage others; while simultaneously getting the reward of great energy, ideas and questions to ponder back from each group. A super win-win. Please join our Thrive Lounge community so you too can benefit!