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Work Less, Earn More is the podcast that explores how to get the most out of every hour you work. Gillian Perkins brings more than a decade of experience as an entrepreneur and educator to help you design a business that's not only flexible and fulfilling, but highly profitable. She shares strategies that are working in her own business to save time and maximize profits. She also features interviews with successful business owners on how they’re achieving big things in their businesses with crazy-little time investment. Share Work Less, Earn More with an overworked entrepreneur you know who could use a change of pace!
Gillian:
[0:00] Hi, friends. Welcome back to Work Less, Earn More. My name is Gillian Perkins. And today, we're going to be talking about what to do if you feel like there just is not enough time in a day to do all the things. We've all felt that way at some point in time, whether it's because we are juggling too many things, or maybe we don't even have that many things on our plate. But it just is hard to find enough time for each of them. But right now, maybe you're running a business, caring for your family, maybe you're trying to have a life as well. Well, in that case, today's conversation is going to be perfect for you. I have Lissa Figgins here on the show with me. She calls herself a recovering busyness owner who decided to stop trying to control her time and instead learn how to multiply it. After years of hustling and multitasking her way through business and life, Lissa finally unhurried her heart, and now she helps other Christian business owners do the same. As a scaling strategist, Lissa teaches women how to grow their businesses and their impact without constantly running out of time. And I think her message is simple, but it's so powerful. It's just you have time. And I love starting with the mindset in that way. So in this episode, we are going to dive into how to shift from managing time to instead of multiplying it, how faith and mindset play into creating sustainable success,
Gillian:
[1:22] and what it really looks like to build a business without burnout.
Gillian:
[1:26] So with that said, let's get into today's episode.
[intro bumper]
We became entrepreneurs because more than anything, we want freedom. We want to be in control of our own schedule, income, and life. But unfortunately, that isn't always the reality of being a business owner. I'm Gillian Perkins, and I'm on a mission to take back entrepreneurship for what it's supposed to be.
In every episode, I'll share with you how to get the most out of every hour you work so that you can work less and earn more. Let's get to it.
[/intro bumper]
Gillian:
[2:06] Hi there, Lissa. Welcome to Work Less, Earn More. It's so good to have you here today.
Lissa:
[2:10] Gillian, this is such an honor. I'm so excited we can spend this time together. And I pray that it has a good roadie return on time invested for everybody who's listening.
Gillian:
[2:19] Yes, for sure. So let's start with your story. What leads you to call yourself a recovering busyness owner? What did that look like in the past?
Lissa:
[2:29] Yeah, well, I'd like to start my story off by saying I was in the doctor's office waiting for test results and I didn't even know why I was there or how I got there. So if you go back, I've always been a doer. I've always had a planner. I've always had a checklist, a to-do list. I've always had a goal. I can't remember a day that I woke up and didn't already know what I needed to do or get done. But you know how we're doers are? We're always doing. And so I was a teacher. Then I got married. Then I started having kids. Then I started running a ministry. Then I started running a business. And so in typical Lissa fashion, I just added everything else to the plate, right? Like, and it was just like, I didn't make excuses. I was just like, okay, this is the next thing. Like, just put it on, right? But we all know, like, that comes with a cost. And so what was happening was, in order for me to keep up with it all, I had to pick up my pace, I guess I should say. I was really tying my value to what I was getting done or not done. In fact, at one point, I had to teach my husband, please don't ask me, what did you get done today? Because then I would feel like, was it a good day or a bad day, right? Was I a good or bad business owner or wife or mom or whatever based on what I was checking off.
Lissa:
[3:38] And then I was, I was the mom who was in the room, but not really in the room. You know what I mean? Like, you know, I was always working in my head, even if I wasn't in front of my computer. And so I would be like, hey, mom, let's play Legos. My kids were little. And so like, mom, I'm in there, like either still messaging clients or organizing the toy bins because, hey, I'm in here. Might as well like maximize the time and not really fully present.
Lissa:
[4:01] And so I ignored the guilt, right? I think, I think we all feel this. I call it the should do guilt, right? like the things we feel like we should do. So often when, you know, as a mom or, you know, we're thinking about things that people that we're caretaking for, we feel like, oh, I'm doing this, but I have all these things I should do for my business. And then we're working on our business. We feel the like, oh, I should be doing these things in my home or my family. And so eventually I started ignoring what my body was telling me. So I would always have this like knot in my stomach, like it's just this like tension in my shoulders, like my neck, and then of course the guilt in my head. And then one day I noticed a lump in my throat. And I thought, I just need to drink more water. I need to chew my food better, right? So I tried those things, didn't work. And then I just ignored it until it had been over a year. And I realized I had a cancer scare in my thyroid. I wonder if there's something growing. I may need to go get this checked out because I haven't been back to the doctor. So I promised my friends I would go see a specialist. He tried all kinds of tests, finally put a camera down there, sat me down in his office and said, Lissa, good news. There's nothing growing there. I'm like, okay. He's like, you have Hystericus Globus. And then he just sat there with his like smirk on his face. And I'm like, what is Hystericus Globus? He said, Globus, like a globe, you have this sensation of a ball and Hystericus. And he goes like this and starts swirling his finger next to his head like you're crazy.
Lissa:
[5:19] And he's like, you just have anxiety about all the stuff you're trying to do and all the people you're trying to serve. And I'm happy to give you a pill. Now, I'm not against medication for mental health, but I knew for me, it was going to be the Band-Aid that would allow me to keep going to the pace I was and keep pushing the limits, right, of my time and my body and all of that. And I was eventually going to crash and burn. And so I declined that prescription that day. And I wish I could say everything changed in an instant. It didn't, but it changed in that moment because God got my attention and said, like, Lissa, you have a problem with time.
Lissa:
[5:51] You think you're trying to be super efficient and effective with it and intentional, but really you're just trying to control time.
Lissa:
[5:57] And so it was over a period of weeks and months because doers die hard. Like where like God just taught me how to slow down, how to unhurry my heart, how to like let go of my grip of like, I only have this many hours and I've got to get all these things done and whatever. Like, and he also showed me that my busyness wasn't a disorder calendar or to-do list because guess what? Then all of the time management stuff that I had, because I was a time management like poster child. I had all the planners. I had all the tools. I had all the gimmicks and gurus and all of that. So he showed me, this isn't just a calendar issue. This is actually a heart issue. And so when I got all the way down in there, right, that we all know, like that's where the real change happens and really started finding my worth and my value in who he says I am, not what I was doing and not feeling like I had to be running 24-7 to fit it all in, I actually started doing less. And just like your podcast says, like earning more, right? And like actually seeing more results. Go figure. And so, yeah, like my heart is just to really come alongside other people who are like me, what I call it a busyness owner. How many people are in business, doing a lot of business things, but not getting much results or plateauing? And so it feels more like a hamster wheel. Let's not going anywhere.
Lissa:
[7:09] That's what I call a busyness owner. How do we transition from being a busyness owner to a CEO? And I have redefined a CEO as a Christ-empowered operator. So if God has called you to a business, then like, how do we do this where it's not like it all depends on us and we have to max out the hours in our day, but how do we like trust that these 24 hours that God gives us every day are enough and are more than enough? And that like when we partner with Him, we can now multiply our time and the
Lissa:
[7:37] impact from our time and be present to the things that matter in this season. So yes, I was the busyness owner. And so I love coming alongside other women and saying, all right, you don't have to keep doing it this way. There is a different way to approach your time and your results. And it has everything to do with ditching the time management so you can start multiplying it.
Gillian:
[7:57] Well, I love that. And it segues beautifully into my next question, because I was actually going to ask you about that thing that's in your email signature that says busy isn't a disordered calendar. It's a disordered heart. I love that. And I'd love to hear more about what that means on maybe a practical level, if you can make a heart thing a practical thing. I know, right? Do you know what I mean? How did that end up looking for you? What were some changes that you made either to your attitude or to how you were actually managing your calendar?
Lissa:
[8:26] Sure. Well, I mean, the heart stuff is always going to be more of the like heart-centered things, right? Like, what am I believing? What am I valuing? You know, those kinds of things. And I think so many of us run around saying, like, I don't have enough time. And we think we don't have time. And we're always chasing this not-enoughness. And that's really part of my story that God showed me. I was chasing my not-enoughness for a long time. So first of all, my time wasn't enough, or at least it didn't feel like enough. And then it felt like my doing wasn't enough. And then it was like, I'm not enough. And it was like this slippery slope, right? When we start going down there. And so really coming back to like, my value is not tied up in, you know, what I got done today, but it's in the bigger purpose behind what I am called to do. And so that really is the first place is like shifting your belief around your time. Like that, it's not like, I don't, we do have time. If you don't think you have time, I'm gonna challenge you right now, grab your phone, look up screen time and see how much time you gave that thing in the last 24 hours, right? Like the average person is spending four and a half hours a day on their phone. That's average. So a lot of people are double that, which would be nine hours a day. Even at average.
Lissa:
[9:34] Listen to this. When you do the math, because I used to be a math teacher. So I'm like, I'm curious how much this time would be in a year. So take out sleep time. It's like just 100 days. And we say we don't have time, right? And so here's where like, when we keep running around chasing what we think we lack, then we're missing
Lissa:
[9:51] out on the opportunity in front of what we have in front of us. So that changing our belief around our time was a real key. The second thing that I really got to work in my heart about was my role around my time because I was trying to manage it. To manage it means to keep contained or under control. And that's what so many of us do. We're trying to keep time from getting away, right? So we're like, and it's like playing whack-a-mole. all day long because you get all your ducks lined up. And you know this, you've got six kids. So like, you know, you get everything all, like this is how the day is gonna go. And then it's just all day long. It's just whack-a-mole. And you're like trying to keep everything back in place. And it's really this fear response to our time. And again, I'm now, I'm putting a lid on my capacity here because like I'm just trying to keep it from getting away. And that's where my focus is. It's going from being a manager. I mean, even think about like a manager at a fast food restaurant. Like that's their role. Keep everything in line. Don't burn down the place. and then like they go to bed exhausted and they get up and do it the next day. How many of us? That's how it feels, right? I believe we're actually called to steward our time. And a steward is somebody who understands that this resource in their hands.
Lissa:
[10:55] Does not belong to them. But there's like this responsibility with what they do with it. And a steward, like say, for example, Gillian, you were going on a trip and you were like, Lissa, I am going to give you this $1,000. I want you to steward this while I'm at Disney with my family, okay? So I could go bury it in my mattress, you know, stick it underneath so it doesn't get away, right? Hope that nobody finds it. Hopefully I wouldn't be going on Amazon or Target and, you know, shopping with your money because that would not be okay. When a steward like confuses ownership, they become an embezzler. We don't want to do that. But when a steward's been entrusted something, my role is to expand it on your behalf. And so like now I'm looking for opportunities to invest it in a way that is going to, like I'll be able to say when you come back, like Gillian, here is, you know, here's what I did with your money. And look, you know, we earned this much more. And so when it comes to time, it's one of those things, how many of us know, like we pay attention to the ROI on something. You know, you put money out for something and you're like, okay, like what am I getting back for this? Maybe it's a cute pair of shoes or a coffee. But maybe it's because you invested in the business coach. And so you're getting this training that's helping you build your business. We look at the ROI in our money, but how many of us look at the ROI in our time? And I call it roadie, return on time invested.
Lissa:
[12:08] So are you paying attention to, okay, this is where I'm spending my time. And just like with money, you can waste it, you can spend it, and you can invest it. So what kind of return am I getting on that? A steward is always focused on, you know, like, I am looking for a good roadie, a good return on time invested, not just breaking even. And so they're going to be strategic, right, around where they invest time and where they don't, just like a steward of money would be very strategic about where they invest money and where they don't, right?
Lissa:
[12:36] So the first shift was your belief. The second shift is your role. The third shift is your focus.
Lissa:
[12:41] And I find so many of us, we're looking at the watch on our wrist or on our computer or wall or on our phone. And we always ask this one question, what time is it? And then based on the answer, especially if you have kids, you're like, hey guys, we gotta go. We should be done with us or we need to move over here. It kind of like brings this like hustle, hurry type mentality, right? Of like, clock is telling me, you know, back in the day, right? They didn't have clocks everywhere. and they just went with the sun, right? And what it was that was in front of them. But now we have these time pieces, which is helpful, but it can also like really kind of create the time anxiety that I was experiencing.
Lissa:
[13:16] And so I teach women to shift that question from what time is it to what is it time for? And when you ask that question, you don't like feel like you have to jump out of your seat right away. You actually kind of like sit back and go, okay, number one, I do have time in front of me. And number two, what's the purpose of the time in front of me? And here is how we like can help eliminate multitasking because I think so many of us think that multitasking is our superpower. We talked about this on your podcast, right? Like it's our kryptonite. It divides our focus. Now to your point on my podcast, yes, sometimes you can do a mind task with a physical task and those are okay to do together. But so many of us are trying to do multiple mind tests at the same time. And then we, you know, it takes us twice as long and we make twice as many mistakes and we're twice as distracted, you know, and all of that. And so when we really start going, okay, how am I approaching time from the way, what I'm believing about how much I have, what my role is around it, and like how I'm, like where I'm focusing, then that now starts getting us in this right place where now I can pick up a tool. Like I created a planner and I believe in planners and I think planners are amazing, right? When I know that I have time, there's a bigger purpose beyond just getting through the day. And, you know, and like I need to pay attention to what it's time for in the season of life or business where God is placing me right now.
Gillian:
[14:34] So as to that last point where you're asking yourself, what is it time for? Could you give some examples of answers that you might give to that question?
Lissa:
[14:43] Yeah, yeah. Well, I teach, I actually have a, I don't call it time blocking. I call them time anchor zones because I feel like time blocks end up getting like very tight, very to-do list oriented, very like, you know, you know what happens. You get them all lined up and then it's like rush hour on the highway where one bumps into the next and then you feel bad. I had one client tell me, she's like, Like, Lissa, until I learned your time anchor zones, like I literally, I would set up the time blocks, but I knew I was just gonna kick the can down the road all day. Why did I even bother, you know, setting it up? So I teach something called a time anchor zone. So like, think about what an anchor does, right? Like you want your boat to stay in a certain area of body of water, right?
Lissa:
[15:21] Connect an anchor. So that way it has some give, right? Because there are waves and there's wind. And if it was too tight and that wind or wave came, it was gonna, that boat would smash into pieces. You know, so there's a little bit of space for it to flux and flow, but it's going to keep it within kind of a defined space until you pick the anchor up and go and move it somewhere else. Right? So in the way that I teach time anchoring instead of time blocking, it's like, okay, what are the different zones of our day? And like, I think that like, especially as women who not only have a business, but we also probably have a household or a family. There are times in our day when it is time to be working on our business. There are times in our day when it is time to be focused on what is my household need, whether that's kids or family or pets or, you know, things like that. And there are times of our day when we just need to refill us, you know. And so knowing like, what is it time for, right? Like, is this a time that I need to be refilling or is this the time that I'm pouring out? And then, you know, because what I did back in the day is I tried to do business at the same time I was doing family and household stuff and it was a mess.
Lissa:
[16:21] My daughter would melt down at the table because we homeschooled as well. So she'd be melting down at the table trying to get her math done and I'm like trying to work on dinner and it's, you know, boiling over and then I'm mistyping a text to a client and then saying yes to something my husband asks on his way out the door. You know, and everything just kind of ends up being this, I think we tend to throw everything in one big pot and then we're jumping around from one thing to the next versus if I'm like, okay, right now, Like right now, it's time for us to be on this podcast, right? So I'm not answering texts. I'm not changing laundry. I'm not, you know, going for a walk or things like that. Like I'm focused on this, right? And so when we can think about these different zones in our day, and I teach, you know, kind of a specific way to map it out. So you go into your week knowing, like there is time for what I call my oranges. So I do this illustration, the Skittles and the oranges. It's like the river rocks and the pebbles. Have you seen that before? Like you put the little tiny things in and then there's no room for the big rocks. So I do it with oranges and Skittles because it's more colorful. You know, so yeah, you let life fill up with Skittles, all the random things. And yeah, there's not room for the oranges, the things that actually matter. Your faith walk, your family, friends, your business, your home, your health, passions, you know, like those kinds of things. But you put the oranges in first and I call it order determines capacity, right? Like when you put the oranges in first, then there's actually room for all the Skittles and it doesn't overflow, right? Because I'm making decisions first about what it's time for instead of just letting everything else dictate what's filling my time.
Gillian:
[17:45] Yeah, I love using that principle in my life. I find that if I have those big blocks, I don't call them time anchor zones. I call them blocks, but I don't time block the way you see people do it sometimes on their schedule where they put like a block for every individual activity. Instead, I use these like chunks for like basically like morning routine. And I know the things I want to do in the morning routine. And then like, here's like the homeschool block, here's the work block, that sort of thing. And then I have a to-do list essentially for each of those different things. And I find that that works a lot better and is a lot less stressful really because I'm not scheduled down to the minute in the same way. So there's a lot more kind of like give and just flexibility with it. So I love that.
Lissa:
[18:23] Yeah, and then when you're with your kids homeschooling, right, you're not feeling the guilt of like, I should be doing this by business or have these things to get to because you already have time that's blocked or zoned for that thing. So I think it allows us to let go of the guilt. It allows us to let go of the constantly working in our heads, which I think so many of us are doing or just being distracted when we're, with other people so that we can be fully present to whatever that thing is, whether it is the business task or whether it is homeschooling your kids or
Lissa:
[18:50] just taking care of you or spending time with the Lord, right? Like, yeah, that's how we do it. You know, and I say, you know, like order determines capacity, right? So you have to be, you have two choices. You can either live by design or live by default. And if you don't choose to, you know, design what your days and weeks look like, then it's going to automatically be default. And yeah, you can't get that time back.
Gillian:
[19:11] Hey, did you know that I have another podcast? So right now you're listening to Work Less, Earn More, which is my main show. But I've also got this other podcast called The 100k Method.
Gillian:
[19:22] The 100k Method is a 10-episode podcast series all about how to build a strategic sales system for your online course, your membership, or your coaching program. So if you don't already have a system that is consistently getting you sales online, then you're definitely going to want to give this podcast series a listen. Now, like I said, there's only 10 episodes in it because I know that sometimes it can be a little overwhelming to start listening to a new show. You don't know where to start. You don't know if you should start with the most recent episode or the first episode that was like three years ago or somewhere in the middle with a random episode that just looks interesting. So I wanted to make sure that this podcast series had a really clear start and finish. you can actually listen to the whole thing and get the whole message. Of course, it's totally free since it's just a podcast series. But honestly, it's kind of like a mini audio course. To check it out, all you need to do is go to gillianperkins.com slash the-100k-method. And you'll find the podcast series right there. And you can start listening right away. You can also just give it to Google. All you'll need to do is search the 100k method podcast, and it'll pop right up top results. And I really hope that you do go look that up and give it a listen, because I know what a difference it can make to have a strategic, automated sales system for your product online.
Gillian:
[20:51] I think some people think that they are planners and some people think they're not planners. But I think that this kind of in between like these bigger blocks or zones of time can kind of be a sweet spot for both people where if you feel like you're not a planner, you like just by having those zones in your day, you don't have to have like scheduled everything individually and down to the minute or like schedule every day. You can just like know that in the mornings I do these things and in the afternoons I do those things or, you know, from two to five, you know, it's the time to focus on this thing or every evening I go to the gym or whatever it is, right?
Lissa:
[21:23] Yeah, I find either extreme doesn't work, right? The person that's too tightly blocked or the person that's like, I have no plan. And honestly, you know when people tell me like, I'm not really a planner person, it's because they think they have to be the tightly blocked person. So there's that. But I always ask them, like, how is that working for you? And nine times out of 10, it is not working well. You know, like they are exhausted. They're constantly running up against the limits of their time. They feel like there's not enough. They're not getting around to things. They're forgetting things. They're dropping balls. And I'm like, okay, so like, if that's how things feel, then what if we have a light structure? So that way you go in, you know, again, into your day and your week with some, at least, you know, guardrails, right? To kind of keep us like, okay, this is the things that I said matter this week and that kind of thing. Like, even if it's not 100% execution, because whose day ever is, like, it's still gonna be way less stressful than, well, I'm just throwing up my hands and hoping for the best and I can't control anything. And, you know, so, yeah, I always encourage, like, find that middle ground, like you said, because I think that's where that sweet spot is.
Gillian:
[22:22] Yeah, I think so too. So what about the person, Lissa, who maybe already has something of like a daily routine or some big blocks of time and they're kind of doing this, but they just feel like they have way too much to do. There's not enough hours in a day to do it. You talked earlier, it was your second point. I'm not sure exactly the words you use to describe it. Other times I've heard you talk about it as multiplying your time instead of just managing it. And I think that you were talking about just a few minutes ago talking about
Gillian:
[22:54] the difference between managing your time and stewarding your time. Yeah, could you speak to that? What does it mean to multiply your time? What are some practical ways you can do that if you just feel like there aren't enough hours in a day?
Lissa:
[23:10] Yeah, I love this question because here's the thing about time, Gillian. It is the greatest equalizer. Every single person who's listening to this or who's ever walked on the earth has had 24 hours in a day. Nobody got like that extra hour that we all wish for, right? Which we all would just spend or waste in the same way that we always do. Wouldn't change our lives, you know? And so here's where it's so interesting because you look at some people with their 24 hours and they're like not getting any, nothing's happening. There's no, there's nothing being produced with that, right? It's just a bunch of chaos and stress and overwhelm. And then you look at somebody else and you're like, she's like knocking it out of the park. Like she's like actually getting tangible results in her business. She's actually like, you know, seeing growth in, you know, maybe a ministry she's leading or something she's doing in her community. Like, The difference isn't the amount of time. It's about what we do with that time. So one piece is going to be like the, you know, the order, right? The order determines capacity. But then the other thing that I think, especially so many business owners and busyness owners, I'll say, struggle with, and that is that we don't have focus, right? And so we're trying to do all the things. And in business, let's be honest, there is a shiny object around every single newsfeed and post and email and, you know, whatever's just coming at us all day long. and we just feel like we're just chasing shiny objects, squirrel, right, all day long.
Lissa:
[24:26] And, you know, back to the Russian proverb, like if you chase two rabbits, you won't catch either one.
Lissa:
[24:32] Right? Same thing in business. When we're trying to do all these things or in any area of your life, right? If you're just trying to chase after all these things, I have to do this, this, this, this, and this, nothing's getting enough of you to really go anywhere, right? And so we have to make sure that we're like identifying what is something that I really want to give some focus, time and attention to, right? So that could be in an area of your business. It could be in a relationship. It could be in your health. Like it could, this applies to anything, but especially if you're in business, right? Like if you don't decide on the destination, then you're never going to get there, right? So we have to pick out what that is.
Lissa:
[25:04] Then the second thing is not just setting the goal. And this is the mistake I made for so long. I would set the goal out there. And then month after month, I wouldn't hit it. And I would feel bad about myself. And so I'd... Okay, new month. Set the new goal or new year, right? How many of us January 1st? Like, all right, this is what I'm doing this year, right? But when there's no clear map of how to get from where you are to this goal, then it's more like a joyride versus a road trip, right? Like if you and your family are going to go to Disney, then you're not only going to make the decision, I'm going to Disney. Now I'm packing my suitcase with the things I need right for that trip. But now I'm also mapping out my route so that I know where I'm going to go and like what milestones I'm going to hit along the way. And yeah, I may run into construction or traffic or detour or a Buc-ee's that you just can't drive past and not stop. Like, that's okay. But because I know that I'm going to Disney, I'm not going to like get off on some random road and like end up in Timbuktu, right? So we have to make sure that we then don't just set a goal, we have a clear map of how to get there. And I call that growth mapping instead of goal setting.
Lissa:
[26:04] And then the last step to this, okay, so again, same 24 hours, but when you've got, you know, a one thing focus, you've got a growth map, then the next thing is giving yourself a shorter timeline.
Lissa:
[26:16] Because what often is true is that, I mean, I think we talked about this on my podcast, work fills the time you give it. So if you say, I'm gonna do this this year, guess what? It'll probably take you till December, you know? And chances are, you really didn't work on it that whole time. It's just, you gave it so much time that it took that much time. But what would happen if you actually shortened the timeline so you could actually like see that finish line so that it was a healthy sense of urgency? I'm not talking like so close that you like are like literally sprinting and then you're crashing at the finish line. But I teach a 12-week focus cycles so that like, okay, in 12 weeks, we can really make a lot of progress if I'm not trying to do 202 things, if I have a clear map of how the steps I need to take to get there. And if I have this shorter timeline, sometimes we set the timeline and it doesn't happen. So we adjust, that's okay. I always have my big pink eraser nearby and I'm like, this thing, either God is erasing something or I'm erasing something to make changes. But here's how we take the same 24 hours and we can see different results because we have a one thing focus. We've got a growth map of how we're going to get there. And we have a timeline that's going to keep us moving forward. And then really the bonus strategy for that is get accountability. Like it's one thing to like say to yourself, this is what I'm going to do. And the fact they say statistically, if you think about something, it's 10% chance you'll actually get there. If you write it out, you're up to 42%.
Lissa:
[27:40] If you share it with someone else, you're in the 70 percentile. And if you have weekly accountability where someone is actually checking in with you about what you're doing, we're talking like 90, 95 percent, right? So there's just that little bit of like, I gotta, you know... But like those are way better odds and way better ways to like think about how we're moving our time forward than just hoping for the best or setting goals and never feeling like we hit them.
Gillian:
[28:05] Yeah. Well, maybe that answers my next question already, but maybe there's something you'll want to add. I wanted to talk to you about yearly planning and goal setting. You know, we're entering into this new year here. And so I was just wondering what your best advice is for people as they're making their yearly plans for goals, you know, whether they're a big goal setter or not, what would be your advice so that in 2026, they are able to have maybe a calmer calendar, have a better mindset about it, not feel like they are bursting at the seams or their schedule is bursting at the seams, right? What would you say to them?
Lissa:
[28:44] Or doing the tortoise and the hare thing. Like that's how most people do it, right? Like they set the goal, they start off strong, they're excited and then like, oh, I'm gonna go take a nap. I got plenty of time.
Gillian:
[28:54] Right? Yeah.
Lissa:
[28:55] Start-stop cycle. Like we've all been there.
Gillian:
[28:57] Yeah. And I'll just add to my question. Like, How do we get like the biggest, best results possible, you know, without feeling like we're running around with our heads cut off?
Lissa:
[29:06] Exactly. Because nobody wants to do that. And then you're no fun to be around. Let's be honest. Your family is not going to be around you. Your team is not going to want to be around you if you're like, crazy lady. I would love to use the example of how I created my planner because I did this in a calendar year. So essentially, I had the vision, like, I'm like, okay, what do I want to be true of my business by the end of this year? I want to have the Redeem Her Time Planner in people's hands. Okay. So then what I did is I went, okay, So if that's what I need to do, like what are the four main things that I need to do? Well, I need to design it. Actually more, I would say ideation, right? So I was pulling from different planners I'd use, what I like best, what I wish they had, what I have in my program that I wanted to make sure people have in their hands. So ideation, right? Then I went on to the design phase where like now I'm working with a designer and we're back and forth on logistics and stuff like that. Then I worked on the printing with a printer. And so all the things went with that. And then the last piece of it was launching this thing, right? And so the launch plan, the launch team, you know, all of those things. So essentially, the way I did it was just four 12-week plans, right? Like I had, instead of just going, I'm gonna do a planner this year and hope for the best and like kind of get started, kind of not, feel overwhelmed, then put it down, then pick it back up. Like I went, okay, for me, Q1 is ideation. And so I mapped out my 12-week plan. I just was focused on that one piece of it, right? And I was able to do all that in 12. now, okay, now I'm working on the design. Now I'm working, right? So I just, like, if you can go, here's what I want to be by the end of the year.
Lissa:
[30:32] Now break that thing down into four buckets or four milestones or four targets.
Lissa:
[30:39] Sometimes you can have a project where like you get from start to finish in 12 weeks and it doesn't have to take, you know, an entire year and that's great, right? But sometimes it is a bigger project. And so how do we keep moving forward in that? I think you break it down in these 12-week chunks. And then again, you're not just setting a goal, you're growth mapping your way there. And all you have to do is follow the map, right? Because each week, And here's the beautiful thing about a 12-week growth map. I don't have to worry on week two, what I need to do on week 10. Because that already has its place. And so I'm just focusing on week two. And then when week 10 comes, I'm ready for that. Right? And so here's where like, I just feel like it helps us to really actually see measurable results and measurable traction towards the things that we say we want to do. So I would say, what do you want to be true of your business a year from now? And then how can you break that down into four 12-week segments and then create a 12-week growth map to get you there?
Gillian:
[31:31] Amazing. Yeah, I love using those 12-week, kind of like quarterly blocks. I find that somehow they help. It feels amazing every time I do it that how much I'm able to accomplish and how at the same time, like relaxed and calm and unbusy I feel when I do that. I don't feel like I have a million things I'm trying to move forward, but it normally is such a small number of objectives and yet I make so much more progress on them than I would otherwise. So I love that. It's like counterintuitive.
Lissa:
[32:01] You would think it's your timeline line is going to make you feel more stress. And actually, it isn't because like you said, yeah, just got this easy. Okay, I just have to do this one next step. And that's how we get there one step at a time, right?
Gillian:
[32:12] Yeah, yeah, for sure. I think the biggest thing is just that you've chosen what you're going to focus on for that short period of time. And so you're able to be okay with letting everything else go a little bit, you know, and like, you know, those things will have their quarter if they're important, we'll get to them in the future for just these 12 weeks, Because it's a shorter period of time, it's okay to put those things off. A very practical, productive sort of procrastination, really. We're intentionally putting the other things off so that we can focus on these things.
Lissa:
[32:42] So I call it intentionally delaying something. So there's the difference between procrastinating, which means I should be doing it now and I don't feel like it. And I'm pushing it off versus I'm choosing to delay this to this next time period because right now it's not time for it. So we go back to what is it time for? And it may be that it's just not time for this thing yet and I'm gonna revisit it 12 weeks from now or maybe it's time for this thing and so I need to clear some space so that that gets my focus.
Gillian:
[33:06] Yeah. Yeah. And it really does save us from the overwhelm at the same time, helping us be more productive. So thanks for the reminder, Alyssa. I need it. Right now, my schedules are all different than normal. And, you know, with having... I had a baby five months ago. And not just like my daily or weekly schedules, but I was using a 12-week system for the last couple of years and it was working really well. And then I had a 12-week quarter where I was on maternity leave for the entire time. And then I came back and it's just like 12 weeks right now, of just kind of getting back in the groove of things, catching up on things that were waiting on me while I was gone. And so I'm looking forward to getting back into a 12-week kind of like goal setting routine, you know, planning routine. So I think that'll be really good.
Lissa:
[33:49] Yes. And I teach women to plan in your pauses, even in that 12-week plan. So if there's a week, you know, you're going on vacation or there's a holiday coming up, or you just know like, after I do these things, I'm going to really kind of maybe need a little bit of a breather before I step into this thing. Like intentionally build those pauses in and then you don't feel like you're behind because it's actually part of the plan, right? And intentionally, when I do it, I actually work with clients for 13 weeks because week 13 is rest, reset, reflect, right? Like it's like, Okay, we need that. It's not like, okay, marathon, you know, sprint. And then we, you know, take a quick breath and then sprint. We need a little bit of that space in between.
Gillian:
[34:24] Yep, it works so beautifully. Well, thank you, Lissa, so much for everything you've shared with us in today's episode. This has been so good. And, you know, you shared both some practical tips that I really appreciate, but also some important mindset shifts that we need to make to be able to be productive while not feeling like we are overwhelmed by all these different to-dos and like our schedule is just packed to the brim. And I think that that really is the most important thing, right? I've seen you use different words for this at different times, but, you know, talking about how it wasn't your calendar that was the issue, but it was a heart issue. And I think that really came through in our conversation today. So thank you so much for sharing that with the listeners. If they need more help in this vein, where can they go to find you?
Lissa:
[35:08] Yeah, well, I do have a podcast called the Redeem Her Time Podcast. But what I want to offer your audience is a private podcast I put together. Called The Scaling Secrets of the Top 1%. Because 99% of people are too busy and miss it. It's literally 10 episodes that are about 10 minutes long. So you can binge it while you're making dinner, mopping the floor, running errands, getting ready. Like this is how you 10x your productivity and double your profits in 12 weeks. And so I really teach this whole new approach to time. I help you ditch the time management. Like we're getting rid of the time blocks and the to-do lists and the goal setting because it doesn't work anyway and it stresses us out. And I show you what I call the CEO essentials to replace those. The time anchor zones, the CEO dashboard, the growth mapping. Now you're not just managing time to keep it from getting away. You're seeing it multiply, right? Your time's multiplying and your impact is multiplying and so is your income. And it's really a great like formula when it goes together. So talk about multiplying hours. So you can find that at redeemhertime.com forward slash hours. And you can add it right to your regular podcast library and binge it there. But yeah, I pray that's a blessing to everyone.
Gillian:
[36:08] Perfect. Well, thank you so much.
Lissa:
[36:10] All right.
Gillian:
[36:11] [outro bumper] Alright, that is it for this episode. Thank you so much for listening. Before we wrap this up, I just want to remind you that if you haven't already looked up the 100k Method podcast series, you're definitely going to want to do that and give it a listen very soon. The 100k Method podcast is a 10-episode podcast series that's going to teach you everything you need to know to get an automated sales system for your product set up and running online so that you can start seeing consistent sales month after month. All right. Well, that's all for this episode. Thank you so much for listening. I'll be back again next week with another one. Until then, stay focused and keep taking action.
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