Learn | Do | Become

This past week, I read message after message after message from our community members who are doing amazing work setting up their systems and getting their lives organized.

The more I heard about their stories, the more I knew I needed to share them with you–so you can be inspired and encouraged by others who are on this same journey of architecting lives of excellence.

Here are messages from 5 thoughtful, hard-working members of the LearnDoBecome community for you to enjoy!

I am doing some reflecting on the changes that have happened in my life since joining this community. Over the last decade of my life, I have heard many of the principles that are taught in this program. I have read many books about these principles. What this program did was give form and function to those ideas. It gave me a way to put all those ideas into action. I truly never thought that I could be organized. Completing basic tasks and routines felt impossible to me. Now I am completing project after project and working on building new routines. That’s because in those little windows of time that I have during the day, I have my next actions list there to reference. I can knock some things out on the list and keep moving forward. Before this program i would have these pockets of time and not know what I should do. I remember thinking I could do something right now, but what? There were so many things swimming around in my head head I couldn’t decide. I mostly worked on my house but even that wasn’t under control. My house is now easy to maintain and my mind is at peace. I’ve heard so many stories here about people being able to be present with their children, not worried about all the things that are left undone. Last night that happened for me. My eight year old daughter asked me to sit down and chat with her for a little bit. We did. I left my phone in the kitchen and we went in the family room and sat and talked. Before, I would’ve thought ‘I need to get her to bed so I can work on things in my office.” Not last night. It was so sweet. That thing that I heard about in others’ testimonies in this program became a reality for me too. Thank you so much to everyone that’s here, each of you matter so much. And a special thanks to April, Eric, and Alia. Your guidance has changed my life.

And another from Claire:

When I was waiting for my daughter to finish up her play practice, I pulled out my next actions list.  Get vehicle inspection done (as part of my project: renew vehicle registration) was on my errands next actions list.  I popped into a jiffy lube and they were done in a few minutes.  I then went on to complete the online form and payment before I even left the parking lot.  I had my new registration sticker on my windshield in February and it wasn’t due until March.  This has never happened before.  I know it may seem like a small thing but it’s not.  It’s given me confidence like I’ve never had before.  I now realize that I as a person am not disorganized and flighty, I just needed a plan.  You guys gave me that plan and it’s changing my life.  Thank you.

April, I am working through the setting up my Command Center sections and am feeling really positive and hopeful.  I moved into my home almost 2 years ago, and have moved things from one place to another.  I have been very depressed about my spaces, and when I found LDB videos, I immediately signed up.  I am so relieved and happy to be getting help to take control of my time and life.  This is my third day.  Beginning work on my Command Center.  Just wanted to say “Thank you!”  Caroline

And here is the pretty package of music sent off in the mail more than a week early (yay!!!)

I am celebrating! I’ve done many programs throughout the years which I have unsuccessfully stuck with. I decided when signing up with this program I was going to go step by step and not look ahead. Not allow my brain to go into overload (which it always does). When April said take 10 minutes and box things up, I did! I put all the office supply type of things and anything I knew I needed within the week in one box. The rest I boxed it up and labeled it. I then followed each day step by step through module 1 and 2 with setting up my command central. I still feel like I have wobbly legs using the system and my projects containers are currently plastic craft trays which are great for the moment. Here are my notices: My main landing spot has stayed cleared off for 2 weeks. I did my tax packet for the accountant yesterday….I’ve never gotten it done this early…ever, it was one of my projects for this month! My dining room table is clean every night. My brain is literally calm now because I can sit at a clean desk. Where I went previously was…well I haven’t really accomplished anything because I still have these boxes with stuff in them sitting in front of me…..and now I say to myself…I know what’s in the box, I get to plan when that box is going to be gone through. I am not going through them yet because I am still getting stronger working this system to allow for me to breeze through boxes which would have taken me down before. Thank you to April and Eric.

Get the brand-new LearnDoBecome Welcome Kit here!

Free Training, How to Finally Stop Drowning in Piles Our Steps to Everyday Productivity program!

The ARISE Membership– an amazing gathering place for community members that are using their Command Centrals to refine relationships, health, finances, individual purpose, and more. We focus on a new topic each month, and this is an amazing opportunity to receive coaching and support from Team LearnDoBecome. You can sign up for a free, 60-day trial here. Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!

Anyone can become financially successful! It takes a little learning, a little planning, a little commitment, a little time, and most of all a little self-belief and the right mindset–but financial success is absolutely possible for anyone! (We promise it isn’t just for those who were “born into money,” highly-educated and highly-paid, or those who successfully tracked a leprechaun to its “pot of gold”…

No matter your age, stage, or current financial situation, it is possible for YOU! And once you experience some initial successes, they begin to fuel themselves!

This month in our ARISE membership, we will revisit our thinking, discussions, planning processes, and action-taking to improve our financial lives. Join us for our ARISE activities this month and let’s work together to help everyone move forward financially!

To introduce this topic a little bit more, Eric and I recorded this podcast about building a strong financial foundation. Enjoy!

Many people have been talking about the FI/RE Movement lately. This stands for “Financial Independence (Retire Early).”

Our personal goal is to move toward (and achieve) Financial Independence, peace of mind, the ability to live well, and opportunities to give back.

Eric heard this quote recently and wanted to share it in connection to our topic today:

“You know what the #1 mistake Americans make with their money…they don’t freakin’ pay attention! Do you know why the rich get richer and the poor get poorer..? Cause the rich people keep doing rich people stuff. You know what rich people stuff is? They pay freakin’ attention… They learn about investments, they invest, they do a budget, they agree on spending with their spouse. And it keeps working and they keep doing it over and over and over and over again…” –Dave Ramsey, March 2025

Eric and I recognize that there are so many unique, individual circumstances that play a part in our finances. We both came from humble circumstances and were taught by hard-working parents. We didn’t have everything handed to us, but we tried to deepen our knowledge of finances and make wise decisions together. In the early years of our marriage and while raising our young family, we had times of financial uncertainty and worry.

However, there are a few principles that we’ve chosen to live by that ultimately shaped our family’s financial foundation and created more peace, flexibility, and financial security. Here are 4 of these principles:

Principles for Financial Stability, Growth, and Independence*

Principle #1: Establish at least one way to give charitably now–even just one cause in a small way as you begin. Increase this as you prosper.

When we develop a habit of giving charitably in our most humble circumstances, it becomes much easier to continue giving when we begin earning more money and have more resources available to us.

Principle #2: Build an emergency fund ($1,000 at first, then eventually growing it to 3-6 months of life-sustaining expenses).

Principle #3: Start by saving/investing 5% of your income (then moving to 10-20%+ as quickly as you can). ALWAYS be looking for solid ways to increase your earning power and income. ALWAYS be looking for and asking for ways to reduce your expenses.

Over the last 25 years, Eric and I have had almost a dozen projects and/or business ideas that didn’t quite take off. Some endeavors were successful for a little while but didn’t fit long-term with the needs and circumstances of our family. For example, I had a little home business when Alia was a baby, but it wasn’t something I could continue doing through future pregnancies. We’ve gone through the process of trial and error to figure out how we could bring in additional income for our family, and these efforts gave us increased confidence, business skills, and goals for the future. We’ve definitely been stretched outside of our comfort zones throughout the process!

Principle #4: Pay your credit card balance in full every month. DON’T buy anything unless you can pay for it in cash. Strive to never borrow money in any way.

An education or mortgage of reasonable cost may be necessary, but make money-borrowing decisions wisely and thoughtfully.

*These principles ARE NOT financial advice/counsel/direction–they ARE simply principles that April and Eric Perry have tried to live in their lives.

These four principles have made a world of a difference for us and our family, and we hope they can be helpful to you, as well! (You can also find a list of our favorite books/resources below in the “Related Links” section.)

For the next 6 principles (in our set of 10) and a workshop opportunity with Eric, April, Team LearnDoBecome and a community of likeminded friends, join us in ARISE!

Don’t Buy Stuff (You Can’t Afford) – 2-min SNL sketch from 2006 with Steve Martin, Amy Poehler, and Chris Parnell (as the wise advisor against debt…)

Books for Getting Started:

Books to Read Later On:

Get the brand-new LearnDoBecome Welcome Kit here!

Free Training, How to Finally Stop Drowning in Piles

Our Steps to Everyday Productivity program!

The ARISE Membership– an amazing gathering place for community members that are using their Command Centrals to refine relationships, health, finances, individual purpose, and more. We focus on a new topic each month, and this is an amazing opportunity to receive coaching and support from Team LearnDoBecome. You can sign up for a free, 60-day trial here.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!

I want to start off today’s podcast with a sweet message we received from Joann:

I recently had plans to help a friend of mine to get organized with our system here at LearnDoBecome (Steps to Everyday Productivity), but for one reason or another, our appointment kept getting pushed back. Finally, we got to the bottom of WHY, and it was essentially this:

“If I Try to Get Organized, That’s One More Way I’m Failing.”

It turns out that there was a lot of stress going on–with a variety of projects–and trying to tackle the disorganization became one more thing. After thinking through this specific friend’s situation, I realized that you might find yourself in the exact same spot, so I wanted to share with you what I shared with my friend–with the hopes that you will give yourself a lot of grace and begin taking the steps that are right for you at this point in your organization journey.

(1) Any feelings we have of discouragement, anxiety, hopelessness, guilt, sadness, anger, etc. represent what is amazing about us. 

And I know that sounds strange, and I know I keep repeating myself as I champion the work of Dr. David Burns, but this is key.

A couple of examples:

I could go on all day, but the point is that we want to be in good mental states when we sit down to organize our lives, and often, these kinds of feelings get in the way.

I’m not going to “solve” all of that in this podcast, but I do recommend the “Feeling Great” app, and I want to tell you what it’s going to do.

It will take you through a process that identifies your feelings and the thoughts causing you to feel that way, and then you’ll do a positive reframe. In essence, we don’t want to let go of any of our negative feelings because then we believe we’ll let go of all the positive things those feelings represent. Instead, we want to dial down the negatives so we keep enough to honor our situation, but not so much to disturb our progress and cause us to feel so overwhelmed.

I just want you to know that if you’re not feeling great about things right now, there’s nothing wrong with you. But there are ways to move forward.

(2) The way we define “getting organized” here at LearnDoBecome is probably different than what you are imagining.

You’re probably imagining a perfect house, perfect planning tools, alphabetized/color-coordinated everything, etc. But what we want is to have clarity about the humanly-possible list of things that need to be on your plate right now and clarity about what can wait. We also want you to know how to move forward simply with what IS on your plate without procrastination or overwhelm.

Clarity takes some effort, but the process isn’t overwhelming.

(3) Your outcome vision might be super simple right now, and that is totally okay!

I was going to sit down with a friend one time to go through plans for an organization she is running. She has been incredibly successful, she’s doing great work, and there are tons of expansion opportunities.

But guess what? All of the expansion opportunities were causing a LOT of stress. Subconsciously, she didn’t even want to optimize and organize because that would mean a lot more work and a lot more responsibility, and that didn’t feel great to her.

So instead, we talked about how the outcome might simply be to calm her mind and pare things down to the bare essentials for a while, so she could grow slowly instead of “going big or going home.”

That is a perfectly valid goal!

I personally had to do that back in 2020, when LearnDoBecome basically doubled during Covid, and there were more opportunities than felt healthy to pursue.

The book Beyond Entrepreneurship by Jim Collins and Bill Lazier also has an excellent section about how some entrepreneurs don’t want a huge business. There isn’t a “wrong business size,” as long as it is meeting the goals of sustaining your family and providing value to others.

And the podcast I recorded recently about values-centered productivity tackles this same subject. The reason I organize my day is so I can be flexible with my self care, the needs of my family, and with what I refer to as my personal ministry.

Last night, for example, I had planned to do more work because our family had been out most of the day. But my son was navigating a few things and wanted to talk, and then his friend came over and we all got talking in the kitchen, and it was one of those moments I didn’t want to miss just to “get on the computer and do more work.” But I could relax and enjoy being with my Eric, our son, and his friend because my lists were organized, and I knew what I wasn’t doing.

Closing:

If getting organized feels like “one more way you will fail,” then I think it’s time to get to the bottom of what the real issue is.

Are you expecting too much of yourself right now?

Are there some distortions in your thinking?

Are you trying to do a thousand things at the same time and wondering why nothing is coming together?

Perhaps do you need clarity on what, exactly, deserves your focus during this season of life?

We just put together a brand-new resource with a “map of LearnDoBecome” and four fantastic resources that you can use and implement right away.

Click here to get the Welcome Kit delivered right to your email!

And here are the testimonials that I shared at the end of the podcast:

Get the brand-new LearnDoBecome Welcome Kit here!

Feeling Great App

Podcast: Finding More JOY in the Somewhat-Complicated World of VALUES-CENTERED Productivity

Book: BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

Book: Feeling Good

Book: Feeling Great

Free Training, How to Finally Stop Drowning in Piles

Our Steps to Everyday Productivity program!

The ARISE Membership– an amazing gathering place for community members that are using their Command Centrals to refine relationships, health, finances, individual purpose, and more. We focus on a new topic each month, and this is an amazing opportunity to receive coaching and support from Team LearnDoBecome. You can sign up for a free, 60-day trial here.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!

In today’s podcast, I’m talking all about the 2-minute rule and how it has been so life changing for me and my family in this stage of life. I’ll be sharing a few fun examples from my own life of how I’ve used the 2-minute rule recently.

If you’re brand new here at LearnDoBecome, we help people who are overwhelmed with the details of life to create simple systems so they can do what matters most. I think you’re going to find that this little system of using the 2-minute rule will free up so much of your time, your mental energy, and it will help you get a lot of good things done!

We talk all about how if you have a 2-minute or less task that you’re going to put on a to-do list, just go ahead and do that task. It’ll probably take you longer to actually write down the task than it would to just do the task.

But some people reach out to us and say, “Well, what if I have 100 or 200 or 500 2-minute tasks? Am I supposed to just drop everything in my life and not do any of my other responsibilities because I have a million tasks to do?”

That’s not what we’re suggesting at all. Instead, if we have hundreds of 2-minute

Here’s your huge list of 2-minute tasks:

And here’s that same list segmented by categories:

So, for example, you might have a series of tasks that can only be done on the computer or errands you need to run. As we group our two minute or less tasks, this will allow us to hone in on them in each category and figure out when we can create project time to work on these grouped tasks.

I recently turned several 2-minutes or less tasks into a home project, and I completed it a couple days ago!

Late last year, I had a couple months where I was just super sick. I was in my first trimester of pregnancy and I spent most of my days laying on the couch. I was not very productive by the world’s standards of productivity. I was just trying to keep myself from not feeling too terrible and taking care of my toddler during the day. My husband is a medical student in his first year, so we have a lot going on.

The 2-minute or less household tasks were just not going to get done right then. It was just not the right time. As I was laying on the couch, I would sometimes have these thoughts in my head of, “Oh I should do that” or “That would be a good task to check off” or “I need to do that at some point.” And I would never get to those things because I just didn’t feel good.

Instead of feeling discouraged and letting that list build up in my head, I did a mind sweep–where I just opened a digital note and wrote down all the different things around the house that were bothering me.

I put that list safely into my Someday Projects List because I didn’t need to make it a Current Project, and it wasn’t urgent enough to go on my Next in Line Projects List, but I would like to do it someday.

A few months later, after I wrote down all these tasks, I actually got to making it one of my Current Projects in February. We had a stretch of days that were in the negatives and the temperature was just way too cold to be outside. So I thought, “Great, this is the perfect opportunity to get some stuff done around the house and I can tackle this project!”

This is an example of a project for me that only took about a day. I stretched it out throughout the day so we didn’t have to do it all in one sitting. As the day went on, we were able to start knocking out the tasks on our list. And it was really fun to work on it with my son by my side!

Here’s what we accomplished:

We moved the toys off the top of the fridge and put them with the other toys in our toy rotation boxes.

Moved the silverware drawer to a shelf in our pantry since our son has been able to reach everything.

Added the printer ink into our long-term office supplies box.

Retrieved the art that fell behind our piano (and has been sitting there for several months).

Washed the shower curtain.

Reorganized the under-the-bed storage so we can get to our office supplies easier.

It did take me pretty much the whole day to fit these tasks into my schedule, especially as I worked alongside my toddler. It might take more or less time for you to tackle a project like this, but I love that we can adapt this to meet our own needs!

I am especially grateful that none of these tasks were weighing on my mind anymore once they were all written down and safe on my future projects list. Then I could make it a fun day of completing 2-minute or less tasks in this one context of my life.

Adele shared this great idea in our STEP Mastery Facebook group:

“I like this idea very much. I think I will make it a routine instead of a project. 30 minutes a week will be dedicated to doing ‘2-minute tasks.’ During the week, I’ll briefly note the 2-minute tasks and I’ll do as many as I can in that 30-minute window, carrying over any that I can’t do to the following week. I see this as a routine instead of a project because although the individual tasks may be ‘one and done’ there will always be more 2-minute tasks.”

I’d love to hear how you plan to implement this idea into your own life! Feel free to share your examples in the comments section below!

We received so many kind messages from our STEPpers and participants in our STEP Momentum accountability group graduation ceremony that we hosted last week.

While the formal STEP Momentum group has ended, it’s never too late to join in on the fun! We have the exact same timelines that we followed inside the STEP program, so you can jump in at any time and start working on the program. We have 4-day, 2-week, 3-week, and 1-month timelines available (and of course, you can extend the timelines as needed!).

Here are some messages from our STEPpers:

[PODCAST 221]: 5 Ways to Make Time For Projects + Secrets of the 2-Minute Rule!

Our Steps to Everyday Productivity program!

The ARISE Membership– an amazing gathering place for community members that are using their Command Centrals to refine relationships, health, finances, individual purpose, and more. We focus on a new topic each month, and this is an amazing opportunity to receive coaching and support from Team LearnDoBecome. You can sign up for a free, 60-day trial here.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!

(The testimonials and images mentioned at the beginning of this podcast can be found toward the end. Enjoy!)

Do you love paper planners, but you lean more digitally on some things? 

Today I’m sharing 5 specific digital additions that will support any paper planner, and by the end, you’re going to feel calmer, more aware of options that are available to you, and more excited to create your own optimal planning system, 

A quick background on me… I received my first paper planner (Franklin Quest) for Christmas when I was 13 years old, and I used it all through high school, college, and my first decade of motherhood.

Then digital planning solutions started becoming the norm, but I loved my paper planner so much that I didn’t want to give it up.

As my responsibilities grew, however, and I started collaborating on more projects and tasks with my family and team here at LearnDoBecome, my paper planner simply couldn’t keep up.

So, over time and with a lot of trial and error, I figured out how to have the best of both worlds–a planner that I can use each day and color in with all my markers…and digital tools that can make my life run more smoothly, particularly when I’m working with other people.

Even if you’re 100% digital, the methods I’m sharing here will be helpful. But if you’re one of the MANY people who have found paper planners, bullet journals, or even just the basic practice of writing notes and ideas in a blank journal to be lovely and restorative, I think you’ll be excited to see how this works!

(As always, please share your best tips and tricks in the comments!)

An optimal calendar has two parts–one for appointments and another for flexible tasks. 

I personally use my Google Calendar for appointments, and I use my paper planner for the flexible tasks. (We’ll talk more about the flexible tasks in a moment.)

Although paper calendars can be awesome for tracking appointments (mine has a monthly calendar and a daily schedule), there are at least two big advantages to using a digital calendar.

Advantage #1: You can easily reschedule without having to erase/cross out, etc.

Advantage #2: You can share your calendars with others. You can easily search online how to do this, but Eric and I share our Google Calendars, and there’s a toggle on/off ability. Plus, you can create additional calendar layers to customize. For example, I have one layer for private notes like my friends’ birthdays that Eric doesn’t need to see, and then I have my general layer which shows all my appointments so Eric knows when I’m available. I also share my son’s calendar, so I can see his work schedule. Then at LearnDoBecome ,we have multiple calendars–a vacation calendar for the whole team, a calendar for our live classes, etc. Again, those can be turned on and off as desired. It takes a moment to set this up, but this makes it so much easier to coordinate with others.

Sometimes I still use my paper planner schedule on the daily or weekly view to map out the sequence of my appointments and tasks, but my digital calendar is the guide on what “has” to be done.

I wasn’t sure what to call this because this is essentially what helps me decide which tasks I am going to do on a certain day.

I’ll start by explaining the problem it solves, and then I’ll share how I specifically create mine.

The problem with a paper planner is that you may not always have a specific spot to write down something like “call to check in on the job application on the 26th of May.” If you have a ringed planner like mine, you might not have May’s pages in your planner at the moment. If you’re using a bullet journal, you likely haven’t created specific dated pages for months into the future. 

And even if you do have the pages available, sometimes you might decide to move a task to a different day, so then you need to rewrite it over and over again.

It really doesn’t matter which digital tool you use, but if you have a way to type in a task for a specific day in the future and know it’s going to come to you digitally, that allows your brain to rest. And if you need to make a change on the date assigned, it takes just a second.

You could make it an all-day task on your digital calendar–or there are tons of different apps, add-ons, and digital project management tools available.

Currently, I use a software called Asana for this. There’s a section called “My Tasks,” and I just type in the task I need to do–with any related links, photos, or written instructions, I assign it to myself, and I give it a deadline.

Then each morning, I look at Asana, and I create my task list for the day. I try to keep this incredibly short, but it takes just a moment to think through my goals, responsibilities, energy, family circumstances, etc., and then I have a simple, focused list to help provide some structure.

I don’t schedule every minute, and I value being responsive to my family and moving at a pace that makes sense, so this isn’t a stressful list, but I like to be able to check in on this a few times throughout the day to keep me moving on things that I’ve already decided matter most.

I’m currently using a daily planner (as opposed to the weekly one I used last year). This one has plenty of space for tasks, and I find that it’s helpful for me to group them. 

You could obviously adjust yours as needed, but I hope this helps!

This is pretty much the same as the digital task feeder. I also create these inside Asana, except this is for recurring tasks.

I have a special list of my personal/family routines and my work routines that I review each week during my Weekly Review.

I don’t set deadlines for ALL of these–because many of them are optional (Multiple-Choice Perfect Day), but when a routine task is a MUST, and I’m concerned I won’t remember to do it, I add a deadline and make it a recurring task. (You can see the little arrow next to the day of the week.)

These show up in “My Tasks,” so I review them each morning and add them to my list.

“Water Plants” is a personal example because I have killed so many, and if I don’t write it down, it doesn’t get done. When I bought a bunch of plants last year, Eric guessed they would all die within a few months. One of them did because somehow we overwatered it, but the rest are still alive because I have routines organized in Asana.

“ARISE Newsletter Suggestions” is a professional example. Inside our ARISE membership, we send out an email each week just for the members. Sometimes there’s a private podcast, a replay of our class, bonus content, information about our prize for the month, etc. Alia runs the details for us, but I like to send ideas each week, so this pops up to remind me!

Instead of just one Projects List, we recommend that you have a Current one (7-8 total, organized by Me, Family, and Paid/Volunteer Work), a Next in Line list, and a Someday list.

You may also want an In Progress/Waiting one for things you can’t move forward on because you’re waiting for a deadline or another person to take action.

Most people create task lists that are big conglomerations of projects, routines, calendared items, and one-step tasks. 

Projects are multi-step tasks that can actually be completed. Something like planning a vacation, organizing a big closet, or writing a book.

Having these in an external project management software, divided into the categories I mentioned, is a game changer because you can move them around according to priority, and you can include all related links, resources, etc. right there with the project.

I might use my planning pages to brainstorm projects, but then I put them into my project management software, which I check each week as I update my lists during my weekly review.

This is an example of how we organize our professional projects at LearnDoBecome:

When you’re working on a project, it’s often helpful to brainstorm all the steps that are necessary in order for the project to get “done.” You can create random lists inside a paper planner, but it’s often hard to remember where they are, when to look back on them, etc. 

Inside my tiered projects list, I record as many next actions as necessary for me to have clarity on that project. (It’s nice to know how big or small it is.) 

Each week, as I’m planning out my project work, I can either add a few next actions to my next actions list–or if I need to do a specific task on a specific day, I add a deadline, and it pops up in “My Tasks.”

You’ve heard me talk about “My Tasks” quite a bit–and yes, this one list delivers calendar-specific tasks that are related to a project, calendar-specific tasks that are routines, AND calendar-specific tasks that stand alone.

But I feel SO much peace around my paper planner because I have a simple digital system supporting me in the background. 

I know which projects I’m focused on, which routines I want to accomplish, which commitments I’ve made, and what, exactly, I want to do each day in order to move forward on my goals.

It does take a little practice, but I only spend minutes in my planner each day, and it enables me to get the most important things done AND have plenty of time to relax, replenish, build relationships, and be present in the moment.

I hope this is helpful for you! I welcome your questions and comments below and wish you the BEST as you build your system!

xoxo

April

And if you’re looking to create a full system to help you organize your mind, I hope you’ll check out our free training, “How to Finally Stop Drowning in Piles!”

Thanks for being here with us!

It has been SO fun to receive dozens of messages, Facebook posts, and testimonials from our STEPpers each week, and I wanted to share a few here with you today.

This first one comes from Frances:

This next testimonial comes from Kristy:

Here’s the “Before” picture:

And here’s the “After” picture:

And this final testimonial is from Tatiana:

[PODCAST 174]: Create Your Day

[PODCAST 144]: Multiple-Choice Perfect Day

Our Steps to Everyday Productivity program!

Create Your Day – Podcast with Download

The ARISE Membership– an amazing gathering place for community members that are using their Command Centrals to refine relationships, health, finances, individual purpose, and more. We focus on a new topic each month, and this is an amazing opportunity to receive coaching and support from Team LearnDoBecome. You can sign up for a free, 60-day trial here.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!

The fact that you chose to read or listen to this post means you want to get your house looking tidy–FAST. And I’m excited to help you do that. 

I grew up with piles of stuff everywhere, and getting ready for guests essentially meant we shoved everything from the living room into our bedrooms, and then we didn’t let anyone wander the house. 

TODAY I actually don’t have a mess anywhere in my house (and I haven’t for years), so I wondered if I’m relatable enough to teach this method, but then I remembered THIS:

I have helped people from all over the world to get their homes and offices in order, and I’ve never actually BEEN in any of these locations. 

I’m confident that I can help you get the same results.

First, we’re going to do a quick review of the 3-box method, then I’ll share 3 simple ideas you can implement right now. And I’d love for you to send me your before and after photos when you’re done! (Email @ LearnDoBecome.com)

I want to be clear that I DON’T recommend you just pick up your things and stuff them into any available space. There are other resources out there that show you how to pile things in laundry baskets and hide them in the bathtub or something. Of course, you can do what you want.

It’s just that that’s what we used to do, but what you end up with is an even BIGGER mess that you have to sort out later. I promise that this way will work better, bring you relief, and move you to the point where you won’t have to do a “quick tidy” again because your home will just naturally stay clean.

We have a full podcast about it that I’ll link below, but essentially, you get 3 bags, boxes, or spaces that are labeled  “Trash”/”Donate”/”Put Somewhere Else,” and then you start at one point in a room, move clockwise, and work in small batches. By the end, you have a clean space–with 3 boxes ready to leave the room with you.

Now, because you’re trying to do a QUICK cleanup, in this case, you’re likely not going to be making a ton of decisions on donations–but you might come across some. If that’s the case, once you’re done with that space, I recommend you put those directly into your car or near the exit to your home so you can drop them off at the donation center ASAP.

In this quick-cleanup scenario, you’ll probably find some trash or recyclable items, some things will easily be organized right there in that space (blankets folded, toys put in a bin, books put on a shelf, etc.) and then everything else will “go somewhere else.” 

And I want to emphasize this because THIS IS THE KEY:

The goal is not to shove everything out of your main living areas into random places throughout the house.

The goal is to move closer to creating overall, sustainable order in your home, where everything actually has a designated space. Yes, you’ll need to make decisions at some point as to where, exactly, those homes will be. But for now, we’re doing broad, sweeping general categories:

And you don’t need perfectly organized systems for all of that. You’re just going to have them in the general spot.

If those things don’t work, comment below and let me know what’s going on because I sincerely want to help you discover the power of microbursts and working together with your family.

Okay, I hope this was helpful! Enjoy your tidying! Maybe turn on your favorite playlist, focus on those microbursts, and then let me know how it goes! 

Additional links are below the testimonials, if you’d love more inspiration and support.

xo

April

Here are a few testimonials that we received from our STEPpers! We absolutely love hearing how each person is setting up their STEP System and creating a calm space and mind.

This first post comes from Katherine, and she shared her beautiful Command Central setup with us. Everything below (until the pictures) was written by Katherine:

I set up my Command Central! Two major criteria: 1. Use what I have. 2. I’m very visual and file folders are “out of sight, out of mind” for me.

What I did that really helped me visualize “where will I put what” was to diagram the various components by “daily, weekly, as needed” and assign those topics to the storage items that I have.

Here are some thoughts on my set up that might help another visual Stepper:

So, I have this wonderful new Command Central, whooo hoo!

Here is the “Before” photo:

And here’s the “After” photo:

Here are a couple close-ups of the Command Central components:

This next message comes from Pamela:

“Momentum is building in other areas of my life. My daily step count is up. We are eating at the table instead of in front of the TV more often (for some reason food at the table is healthier than in front of the TV, am I right?) My perspective is brighter. Who knew all this could come from a Command Central??”

This message was posted by one of our STEP Momentum (accountability group) participants:

“Momentum STEP Win! Found a $200 restaurant gift card while sorting papers into 4 levels a lovely dinner out seems the perfect way to celebrate completing the Momentum program.”

So exciting!! We often talk about how there is so much money hiding within our piles, and it’s so fun when our STEPpers report back on what they’ve found!

And finally, we loved receiving this message from Jeannine after she attended our webinar (also linked below in the Related Links section).

[PODCAST 51]: The Three-Box Method for Organizing Your Space 

Free Training, How to Finally Stop Drowning in Piles

Our Steps to Everyday Productivity program!

The ARISE Membership– an amazing gathering place for community members that are using their Command Centrals to refine relationships, health, finances, individual purpose, and more. We focus on a new topic each month, and this is an amazing opportunity to receive coaching and support from Team LearnDoBecome. You can sign up for a free, 60-day trial here.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!

Okay, friends, today’s episode is a bit of a heart-to-heart. While we often focus on “how to get organized,” for the past few months, I’ve been thinking about the broader topic of why we want to get organized and how to identify “the best productivity philosophy.”

The reason this matters is because we often get caught up in doing things–a LOT of things–that have immediate payoffs. And while I can definitely help you to get your whole checklist done and have a totally organized life, you won’t actually enjoy that life unless it is centered in what really matters to you.

Today I’m sharing my best ideas–with the hope that you will come to the Comments section at the bottom of this page and share your wisdom with me, as well! I don’t have all the answers right now, but I’m starting the conversation.

I’ll admit that the title of this episode is kind of long:

“Finding More JOY in the Somewhat-Complicated World of VALUES-CENTERED Productivity.”

I’ll break it down a bit to clarify what I mean.

I have been working online in the productivity space for more than 15 years, and it’s sometimes been tricky to explain what, exactly, I do. I love to help people to get organized with simple systems in our Steps to Everyday Productivity program, Eric and I enjoy supporting our ARISE community so they can “wake up excited and go to bed content” by focusing on the core areas of a well-architected life, and we offer lots of free bite-sized resources throughout our digital platforms to lift and encourage our community in those same areas.

But sometimes when I’m talking about cleaning the house, creating a Command Central, getting organized, being more productive, etc., I worry that people will think my goal is for all of us to “do more.” That’s actually not my intention at all. What I really want is for all of us to have the energy to do what matters most. We want to be “productive” according to our values.

So if I were to attempt to write an official definition for values-centered productivity, I would say this:

Values-Centered Productivity means we create lives of purpose by acting in alignment with our true values–even if the required effort is not always easy, fun, or instantly rewarding.

Because most of the advice that I have received and currently receive doesn’t define “success” that way or support that objective I’ve outlined.

For example, here’s what comes up in an A.I. search:

“Values-centered productivity is the idea that aligning your personal values with your work can lead to increased productivity and engagement. This can happen when you find a job or career that matches your values, which can help you feel more motivated, focused, and satisfied.”

I am all for finding a career that matches my values, and, gratefully, I believe I have done that, but what brings motivation, focus, and satisfaction for the many, many, many people out there who are raising children, caring for aging parents, and making sacrifices for people–even when it hinders their professional work and personal time?

Or take this piece of advice I recently received from a well-respected productivity expert I follow: “Don’t do anything you don’t enjoy or that doesn’t make you money.”

Now, perhaps that advice was only intended to reside within a very narrow frame of running a business, and I agree that we have to be extremely wise with how we allot our time, but it’s rare that anyone even talks about how hard it can be when a large part of your life consists of really important things that you don’t necessarily “enjoy” and that certainly won’t make you money. Like disciplining children, mending difficult relationships, managing health care for a loved one, managing finances, being there for someone who is struggling with their mental health, taking out the trash, putting energy into someone or something you believe in–without having a clue if your efforts will payoff long-term, and the thousands of other important needs inherent in families and relationships.

There seems to be this idea that the more intelligent and skilled we become, the more these kinds of activities should be hired out or delegated. Some of them, with careful thought, definitely can be.

But I believe that the most meaningful, precious, personal connections–that are core to the human experience–are often neglected because they are not seen as “productive.”

This is a bit nuanced, but stick with me because I think understanding and acting on this principle will make a bigger impact than we might imagine. There is a fine line between “doing what needs to be done” and “doing MORE because it feeds our ego or feels more fun.” I have had to work really hard to temper myself over the years because, if I let myself, I could be a workaholic in a nanosecond.

Our egos love to be fed–mine included. But if I devoted my life to feeding my ego, I would end up with a shallow existence that would never have the power to make me happy.

I once heard someone comment that the loudest voices on the internet belong to people with anxiety disorders who are wired for productivity. That comment hit a little too close to home because I have struggled with anxiety, and I am wired for productivity. But as I serve online, I want to help create a world where we can get off “the treadmill” and create lives we can’t wait to wake up and live–not because every day is necessarily “fun,” but because we are living in alignment with the values we hold most dear.

I’m not here to “make” someone feel joy if they don’t want it, but I’ve found that values-centered productivity can often lead to feelings of being the martyr, and I’d like to change that.

Here at LearnDoBecome, we serve an amazing community of compassionate, thoughtful, conscientious individuals (Becomers!) who lovingly keep their families and communities running, but they often don’t see how incredible they are and therefore don’t believe in themselves as I wish they would.

I believe that finding joy in values-centered productivity is critical for the overall well-being of this group of Becomers–and for anyone in the world. I also believe that when we find that joy, it will be so much easier to get out of the overwhelm–because we’ll see our lives through a clearer lens.

IDEA #1: Create Alignment

We need to understand our identity–WHO we truly are, and we need to understand WHAT we actually believe is the purpose of life. For me, this involves connecting with my Higher Power and developing confidence as I make choices each day that feel “right.” If I don’t have this kind of an anchor or alignment in my life, it is way too easy to get down on myself.  If I don’t know who I am, what I believe, and why I am making choices the way I am, when I see a friend or a peer doing something fancy or fabulous, I compare myself.  It might sound like, “Here I am doing this mundane work while everyone else is out there doing amazing things.” When I’m in alignment, however, I can cheer on my friends for the good they are doing, while feeling completely content with the good I am doing. There’s no need to compare.

IDEA #2: Use Discernment

In an attempt to serve, love, and lift, we can exhaust ourselves. You’ve been there, right? Discernment is essential because we can’t be all things to all people, but we can be wise as we decide how to spend our time, energy, and resources. Today, for example, a person in my life clearly needed love–way more than I had the capacity to give. My heart sank, wondering if I should drop everything in an attempt to fill that need, but after talking with Eric about it and checking in with that alignment I am trying to maintain, I decided a few minutes of love would be appropriate, and then I can follow up in the future, if it makes sense to do so.

IDEA #3: Understand that It is NORMAL and COURAGEOUS to Do Non-Appealing Work for the Sake of the Future.

The older I get and the more I actually see what’s going on behind the scenes–especially in the media–the more I have to remind myself that we rarely see the whole picture, and everything we DO see is portrayed in a way that satisfies the motivations of the person portraying it. Steady, mundane, frustrating, repetitive work doesn’t make headlines. But a key characteristic of a well-architected life is that we go forward with faith in worthwhile endeavors. One day I wrote in my journal how “blah” my life was feeling. Most of my activities weren’t anywhere close to fun. I was helping my child study for a big test, listening to a worried friend process some hard things, helping with a fundraiser for a local organization, and hosting an event for a group I didn’t even know. All of these activities were in alignment with my values. I made the decisions carefully, and I knew those activities were going to require a lot of energy, but when I sat down and journaled through my emotions, I realized the problem wasn’t that I had made poor choices. The problem was that I forgot how normal and courageous it is to do non-appealing work–without immediate payoffs–for the sake of the future.

IDEA #4: See “The List” as a Flexible Guide

I love to talk about “Creating Our Day,” and I think it’s fun to map out my appointments, routines, project time, etc. so my day has a general structure I can follow. This works well most days, and we have more resources I’ll link below, if you’re interested! However, what happens when we make a list and set appointments, and then we’re interrupted by a person/value that matters more? I have spent many, many hours feeling sorry for myself and/or resenting “people” for ruining my plans, but I generally don’t do that anymore because I see the list as a guide. If all goes as anticipated, that’s great! But if a higher-value need arises, we simply adjust the lists. No big deal. And if you’re thinking, “I can’t just leave my job every time a person needs me,” you’re right–but let’s go back to the definition of a “value that matters more.” Sometimes doing your job or getting a task done IS the most important thing, so we need to make that assessment. The problem for me doesn’t come in situations like that. The problem comes when I see my list as my boss–and people as interruptions. The more I’ve shifted from that perspective, the happier and more connected to others I have become.  For example – I was working on a project I was excited about that truly needed to get done. One of my children had something hard happen and it opened a lot of conversations that took quite a bit of time. “Achiever” April would have thought, “Now I’m behind because I took time for my family.”  “Becomer” April, focused on a values-centered approach, thought, “There’s some wiggle room here, and shifting my attention to my child is in line with my values right now.”

IDEA #5: Build Buffer into Our Lives as Much as Possible

We get to choose if we pack our schedules or not, and to be honest, I used to pack my schedule because it felt good to always be moving, progressing, engaging, serving, and checking things off. I didn’t just go through my days, I conquered my days. However, when my schedule is tight, relationships, spontaneity, and the ability to follow impressions from my Higher Power fall by the wayside. Now I focus on creating a life that is as asynchronous as possible, with plenty of margin scattered throughout the week. By protecting my calendar and having plenty of white space, I’m more able to respond to the needs that arise. I still get my work done, but I use the flexibility to truly live according to my values.

IDEA #6: Adjust with Wisdom and Creativity

I don’t get everything right the first time. I don’t get most things right the first time. But each Sunday as I create my week, I reflect on the prior week and identify ways I can improve things moving forward. Sometimes I realize I need more library time because my household has felt too busy. Sometimes I need to block out time to spend with my family because we’ve been running parallel to one another. Sometimes I need to delegate, simplify, restructure, or eliminate, etc. Creativity is key here. For example, I usually take our dog to her vet appointments, but on one unpredictably busy day, I realized our 17-year-old could do this just as well as I could, so he did! And he got her a puppacino (cup of whipped cream) at Starbucks on the way home… That enabled me to preserve my energy so I could pour it back into him later.

IDEA #7: Prioritize Self-Care in the Midst

This could be an entirely separate podcast, but I think you get the point. When we take care of our own needs for sleep, nutrition, exercise, spiritual nurturing, fun, social time, down time, etc., and when we make time to clean our homes, do laundry, pay attention to our finances, and manage all the “stuff” of our lives, we feel energized and able to give back.

IDEA #8: Live an Autotelic Life

I love the word “autotelic.” It essentially means it has a purpose in and not apart from itself. If exercise, for example, is autotelic, it means I enjoy the process, even if I don’t get the big muscles I was hoping for. If prayer is autotelic, I enjoy the peace I feel during prayer–even if the answers don’t come as I expected. If parenting is autotelic, it means I love the closeness and interactions, even if my children decide to live differently than I would recommend. When we do this, there is less pressure on the outcomes and more joy in the journey. No time is a waste because it was joyful and purposeful along the way.

As we are moving forward with “getting organized” and being “productive” here at LearnDoBecome, I genuinely hope that we will approach these goals with our values at the center. That is what will get us to the point where we wake up excited and go to bed content. It isn’t about the checkboxes. It’s about the relationships and the becoming.

We’ve all been the recipients of grace and love.

Neighbors watched our children at a moment’s notice when I started to miscarry.

My mom woke up and talked with me well after midnight when I came home from my work at Disneyland, crying hard because a co-worker was unkind to me.

My dad spent many Saturday nights during my teen years driving me and my friends to church dances–often just waiting in the car until we were finished since we were so far from home.

My siblings answer my phone calls and take time to “just talk” when I’m out walking Sunny.

My children and husband pause what they are doing to come snuggle with me or help me with random needs around the house.

And one frustrating morning when I wasn’t feeling well, Eric spent several hours helping me work through my challenges. I said, “I’m sorry to be taking your whole day.”

His response surprised and touched me–and has stayed with me for months. He said, “You’re my wife. You ARE my day.”

When our lives come to a close, it’s unlikely that anyone will care about our physical appearances, income, or social/political power. But what they WILL remember is that we cared about them,

I hope we can build lives that are full of compassion and connection. I hope we can identify our values and make the tough decisions to live in alignment with them. Some parts of our lives will feel fantastic and social-media worthy. Most of our moments will be offline, private, and too personal to share. But when we truly focus on values-centered productivity, there will be so much joy.

Here are the testimonials that I shared throughout this podcast:

Kathleen wrote, “#STEPwin All those boxes and bags of old mail I went through last week? I just cashed in over $200 in Costco rewards checks dated from 2020 and 2021!”

This next message comes from Stacey:

This next message comes from “Gramma”:

The final testimonial and message comes from Janan:

[PODCAST 174]: Create Your Day

Our Steps to Everyday Productivity program!

Create Your Day – Podcast with Download

The ARISE Membership– an amazing gathering place for community members that are using their Command Centrals to refine relationships, health, finances, individual purpose, and more. We focus on a new topic each month, and this is an amazing opportunity to receive coaching and support from Team LearnDoBecome. You can sign up for a free, 60-day trial here.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter here!