What can you do when you're feeling overwhelmed by a big task list & trying to balance "all the things"?

You can break up those tasks into categories and then choose the ones that will bring you quick wins in less than 10 minutes.

Want to know how?  Listen to this week's episode to find out...

How I create my Goals and bring them to Fruition

Happy 2021! The New Year is here, and I'm sure many of us are feeling all pumped and ready to take the bull by the horns. The month of January is usually about creating goals. In this episode, I will be sharing how I create goals and bring them to fruition.

When I'm creating big overarching goals, I always make sure that keeping them realistic and big enough to push me out of my comfort zone, but not so far out of my comfort zone that I'm afraid even to begin them. Once I have the goal, I break them down to quarterly, monthly, apply them to my calendar, and have weekly action steps.

Having goals is not enough. You need to schedule a time to evaluate how far you have come and what you need to do to get better.

Are you ready to bring your goals to fruition? Tune in.

EXTRAS:

Check out my free resources to get access to a free 3 part lesson on setting goals:  https://pamelalewerenzthebrickwallcoach.vipmembervault.com/products/courses/view/1002310

Key Talking Points of the Episode:

[02:52] Keeping track of what I am doing: Have a date with yourself to look back and evaluate the progress.

[03:47] How I create my overarching goals

[07:42] Time blocking to evaluate your goals

Stand Out Quotes from the Episode:

"When I'm creating my big overarching goals, I'm making sure that I'm keeping them realistic, and something that is going to push me out of my comfort zone, but not so far out of my comfort zone that I'm afraid to even begin them."

"If you don't make something a high priority, chances are you are not serious about taking the action on it."

"There are a lot of different reasons why things don't work the way that we planned for them to work and we can definitely look at ways to improve that."

December is the month that closes the year, and so do most businesses. In this episode, I will take you through a checklist highlighting your business areas that need attention in December.

Finances are critical in the running of a business. Therefore you should consult with your tax accountant and bookkeeper on tax information, expenses, unpaid invoices and the profit and loss statements. Organize the office and ensure paperwork is filed and in case any office supply is needed, order them for next year’s use.

Your website link should be working and incorporate the correct footer and valid copyright information. It is disappointing to share a broken link. In case they are outdated, a site overhaul and refresh should be considered. Ensure the different social media platforms have working links, and the email sequences are up to date.

A token of appreciation never goes wrong. Give gifts or cards to your clients, team members, colleagues and vendors to show gratitude.  Also, have a list of services you have subscribed to monthly or annually to aid in budgeting for next year. Cancel subscriptions that are unnecessary to save on money. For systems, keep those that work for you and discard those that are not working for you.

A digital cleanup is necessary. This is because your files are backed up on working backups, old files archived, and new folders for new things. Clean up your email, defrag and optimize your computer drives weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually.

Tune in to learn more on checklists.

EXTRAS:

Don't get yourself overwhelmed with the myriad of things to do at the end of year.  I created a checklist that I use in my own business and share with others so it's all that you need to do is assign the tasks to the time you've set aside and your favorite business sidekick.

Grab a copy of the free end of the year checklist right here or by visiting https://www.subscribepage.com/Endofyearchecklist

Key Talking Points of the Episode:

[02:14] Making sure that all your I’s are dotted, and T’s are crossed.

[02:50] Taking a look at profit and loss statements helps you budget better for the upcoming year.

[10:35] Review your phone system

Stand Out Quotes from the Episode:

“Take time to celebrate all your wins from the year.”

“If you can’t finish all in December, there is no reason not to wait until the New Year.”

“Review things that worked well and what didn’t. Before you dump what didn’t ask yourself why it didn’t work well.”

Do you ever feel like you do not have enough time to do everything you’d want in a day? The secret lies in prioritizing your tasks. The first place to start is literally doing a brain dump onto paper. Write down all the tasks you need to accomplish in that day. The tasks include business-related, personal related all the things. Next, you’re going to categorize them into the business category, all those things that you want to focus on.

With a list in place, you can now go ahead and have a tracking application to help you see where your time goes. Also, having a list gives you room to categories your tasks into these categories: Urgent and important, not urgent but important, urgent and unimportant and unurgent and unimportant. Depending on the urgency and importance of a task, you can decide to either delegate or handle it later.

Do you have moments when negativity fills you up, and it interferes with your productivity? It would help if you started making use of a success jar. With the success jar strategy, all you need to do is at the end of the day; you jot down everything you have achieved on a piece of paper and put it in a jar. When negativity starts to come in, look at all the things you have achieved from the success jar. It works like magic.

Tune in to this episode and learn.

EXTRAS:

For support around prioritizing your tasks, check out Secrets Behind Managing Your Time or grab a free resource to help you with focus, time management, and productivity by visiting https://pamelalewerenzthebrickwallcoach.vipmembervault.com/

Key Talking Points of the Episode:

[00:29] How to get things done in the time that you have devoted to your business

[07:32]Strategies on how to deal with negativity

[09:12] General strategies for prioritizing tasks

Magical Quotes from the Episode:

“Having an open mind is going to help you deliver the best possible prioritization to the list of tasks that you have.”

“Recognizing the work that’s impactful and the work that isn’t will help you to prioritize.”

Have you ever struggled to get started on a task because you don’t understand what it is, or the job seems like it might be too big, or it’s just not clear enough? The good news is, you are not alone. Many people struggle with getting started with their goals simply because they have not made them specific enough.

The best place to start when you are thinking about goal setting is to start with that old acronym SMART. SMART stands for specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time-bound. When we are clear about what we want, it makes it easier for us to achieve it.

In this episode, I will be taking you through setting up goals using the acronym SMART. Listen in and Learn.

Key Talking Points of the Episode:

[02:22] Making goals specific

[04:38] Making goals measurable. How do you prove that you achieved that particular goal?

[07:10] Setting actionable/ action-oriented goals

[09:07] Setting realistic goals:

[11:35] Setting time-bound goal: Smart goals and actions are always time-bound

[15:17] Nuggets of wisdom

Stand Out quotes from the Episode:

“The more specific your goals are, the easier they’re going to be to achieve.”

“SMART goals and actions have to be challenging enough to inspire you, but realistic enough so that you believe you can achieve them.”

“Without putting that date in, there’s less incentive to work toward your goals.”

“When you know what you’re working towards, and your why behind it, goals can be fun and inspiring. They don’t have to be these scary and overwhelming things. When goals are clearly defined, it's so much easier to get started on, to take that action, and to stay motivated.”

“Anytime a goal isn’t working for you, you can change it. Goals are meant to be flexible.”

Click HERE to grab a copy of the workbook that goes with today's episode.   Inside the workbook you'll find the exact steps I take to outline my bigger goals; how to chop them out into smaller, manageable steps; and why this works so well.  

In this episode of the Brick Wall Breakthroughs podcast, we have a fantastic guest joining us, Kimberly Loomis. She is a certified CPA and bookkeeper, KL accounting solutions owner, and a mother.  Kimberly works with women coaches, consultants, and service providers who struggle with knowing and managing their numbers by supporting them with accurate, timely reporting, as well as strategic and financial insight.

Kimberly will be talking about her entrepreneurship journey. Listen in and learn.

Key Talking Points of the Episode:

[02:04] What inspired Kimberly to join the entrepreneurship world?

[03:47] Why Kimberly choose to work with women coaches and consultants

[04:35] How long has Kimberly been a CPA?

[05:48] Kimberly's advice to business owners on Q4

[07:18] one of those brick wall things that Kimberly faced and overcome since she started her business

[09:51] What is the best piece of advice that Kimberly has ever been given?

[12:57] Kimberly's go-to productivity tool

[14:35] Kimberly's greatest fear and how she manages it

[15:53] What book would Kimberly recommend to us?

[16:46] What does Kimberly enjoy doing in her off-work time?

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

Extreme Ownership- Jocko Willink

Imagine getting into an accident that leaves you with a temporary disability. You stay home going through the healing process, and before you know it, six months are over, and you cannot go back to work. You are declared to have a permanent disability and jobless.

Our amazing guest, Stephanie Ferrara, is here to share her amazing entrepreneurship journey and the wisdom that she has gathered along the way. If you are looking for a story that will make you want to look for a silver lining in the dark cloud you are going through, you need to listen to Stephanie.

Have you been struggling to find a balance between work and family? Maybe you can borrow a leaf from Stephanie. Listen in to this episode.

Key Talking Points of the Episode:

[01:35] Why did Stephanie become an entrepreneur?

[09:52] Finding the balance between work and family

[15:37] One of those brick walls that Stephanie has faced and overcome in her business

[21:14] The best piece of advice that Stephanie has ever received from anyone

[23:36] Stephanie’s go-to productivity tool that she cannot live without

[24:17] Stephanie’s favorite book that she would recommend for us to read

[25:06] What does Stephanie enjoy doing in her off-work- time?

[26:33] Stephanie’s greatest fear and how she manages it

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

Start with your People- Brian Dixon

Do you struggle with procrastination? This episode is for you. Have you realized that procrastination hits the minute you have too much to do and overwhelmed? The secret lies in making small actionable steps towards the goals you want to achieve.

In this episode of the Brick Wall Breakthroughs podcast, we’ll be talking about everything procrastination. Getting over procrastination starts with forgiveness. Take the time to forgive yourself for the goals you haven't achieved and plan how to achieve them. Don't beat yourself too hard for failing achieve a goal; instead, try to do better next time.

Do you believe in the power of writing down goals? I'm a firm believer in writing down goals. It helps me visualize the goals and gives a point of reference whenever I need to look back at what I have achieved. You can write on paper or use a project management tool like Trello or Asana.

Listen in as I share the best tips and strategies for overcoming procrastination and hacks to motivate you to action.

Key Talking Points of the Episode:

[00:49] What makes us procrastinate?

[03:01] How I get over procrastination

[04:40] Best tips and strategies for overcoming procrastination

[10:50] Hacks to motivate you to action

Standout Quotes from the Episode:

"It's much easier to keep it going. Once you start it."

"One of the biggest reasons that we procrastinate is because something feels overwhelming."

"A good goal has defined parameters and you're always going to set a deadline."

"Forgiving yourself for procrastinating should always be that first step."

"When  looking at procrastination, I have found it super helpful to start out with giving yourself time and space."

Be sure to tune in again next week for another great episode of brick wall breakthroughs.

Introductory episode of Brick Wall Breakthroughs

Brick Wall Breakthroughs #Episode1

This is the Brick Wall Breakthroughs podcast where we talk about mindset, time management, productivity, and business strategies to help you break through your brick walls, all those things that stand in the way of starting or scaling your business. We're here to help guide you on your business journey. I'm your host Pamela Lewerenz.  In today's episode, I will give you a brief of what to expect from this podcast and you'll learn why I began this podcast, a bit about my journey & how I've landed here, and my belief pillars.

I have been in the business world for over three decades and in the online space since 2014. Some of my business background is in administration, it's in management, & finance, among other things. When I look back on my journey of where I was, where I am today, and where I want to head, I want to share my journey with my audience, and I think it's going to be super helpful to a lot of people that are building their businesses and may have similar struggles.

To some people, building a business is as easy as ABC, while it is an uphill climb to others.  I'm here to share so that you don't get overwhelmed by your business. I'm here to hold your hand, walk with you on your business journey, and share the wisdom my guests & I have gathered through our entrepreneurship journey. Did I mention that I will be hosting amazing guests on the show? I believe they will also be instrumental & inspirational to you.

Relevant Links:

· Are there subjects you'd like to hear on the podcast? Feel free to reach out at  https://www.brickwallcoach.com/

· Join other amazing entrepreneurs on the journey: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SolopreneurSuccessStrategies

For more information, please visit the Brick Wall Coach website

New episodes will publish each Tuesday and we welcome you to share these exciting new podcast with your business friends and co-workers.

A new way to gain insight into the world of enterpreneurship.