The Play Project

What do you actually want more time for?

Most solo business owners crave more time and feel like we never have enough of it, and traditional productivity culture will have us believing we can multi-task and plan and work our way into more time at the end of some magical to-do list.

But the truth is, we all have the same 24 hours in a day. So how can you work with the time you do have to create the time-rich week you left your 9-5 for?

This episode will take you through my exact process for creating your ideal week with bucketloads of time, on repeat.

Want to snoop my calendar and see how I create my time-rich week? I'm creating a free resource for you right now. To be the first to get it, subscribe to my girl, productive weekly newsletter at theproductivityproject.com (click on newsletter).

You wouldn't ghost a lunch date with a friend in favour of doom scrolling on the couch - so why are you doing it to yourself?

The end of year-it-is is already coming in hot, with most of us panicking about the goals languishing on our vision boards or Gantt charts that we (yet again) haven't brought to life.

But if you're planning on doing a repeat of last year and sailing into 2025 with a fresh planner and newly populated spreadsheet to get you through, you may find yourself in the exact same boat this time next year.

The Boat of No Time.

In this week's episode, we're talking about the simple yet pivotal mindset shift you can implement BEFORE you buy your new planner or set up your sprint to the finish line for 2024. A mindset shift that'll leave you REGULARLY armed with a sh*tload more time and a whole lotta confidence that you absolutely CAN bring your goals to life.

You don't want to miss this one, petal.

The default thought process when we think about reducing our working hours (especially if you're a service provider, coach or solo business owner) usually looks something like this: less time equals less capacity equals less money.

But it doesn't have to be like this.

In today’s episode, I'm sharing the seven step process I used with my client Alyssa to show you how you can make the shift to shorter working hours without sacrificing the things that matter most - like your clients, your income, and ultimately, your freedom.

Heads up: it’s not about adding more hours to your day or multitasking.

I'll walk you through the process I shared with Alyssa, a client who’s transitioning from long daycare hours to a schedule that fits with school pickups.

I cover things like:

If you’re contemplating a similar transition - whether it’s adjusting to a new routine, finding more balance, or wanting to cut back on work hours - this episode is for you. Even if you’re not at this stage yet, I’m giving you a sneak peek into the strategies you can use now to build a schedule that gives you more time freedom.

You might just surprise yourself with how doable it really is.

I've had a bit of a business breakthrough recently - and it's not the kind you might be expecting.

A few weeks ago, I recognised that I was in a constant repeating cycle of business burnout.

I'm talking repeated periods of frenzied work, focus, downward spiral, distraction, exhaustion - aaaand repeat.

It wasn't until recently that I realised it was something I was repeating again and again - and the cycles were getting shorter every time.

After some fairly hard introverting and crawling under lots of proverbial doona covers, I came to a fairly life changing realisation.

It was never what I wanted to do or the thing that was the problem - it was the online business circus. It’s become a f*cking high speed ferris wheel - and I wanna get off.

Procrastination is your brain literally doing its job.

I've accidentally leaked the details here: https://theproductivityproject.com.au/bandwidth 😏

Can Your Period Really Help You Be More Productive?

Spoiler: YES

Ever feel like no matter how much you plan, you're constantly out of sync?

Like you’re trying to follow someone else’s playbook?

Babes, that’s because you probably are.

Our entire society—and that includes the way we approach productivity—is built around a 24-hour cycle that works… for men.

But if you're a menstruating human, your body runs on a different schedule entirely: a monthly one.

In this episode, I’m sharing how syncing your calendar with your menstrual cycle can be an absolute game-changer when it comes to your productivity, creativity, and time.

Cue me also spilling the tea on a VIP day disaster that had me dragging for two days straight because I wasn’t aligned with my body’s natural rhythm (spoiler: never schedule a VIP day on the first day of your period).

By the end of this episode, you’ll be ditching the hustle harder mentality and leaning into your own cycle to get more done with less burnout.

In this week's episode:

Start syncing your calendar with your cycle, and reclaim this whole productivity game on your terms. Because when you’re working with your body’s natural rhythm, you’re unstoppable babes.

Want more from me? Subscribe to the girl, productive newsletter and get your free 333 journal and paper habit tracker mini-training here: https://the-productivity-project.myflodesk.com/newsletter

There's a HUGE concept bouncing around in productivity land that I'm absolutely ready to raise an eyebrow at.

It's something you probably talk about every single day - without even realising it. 

Saving time. 

The productivity industry largely centres around the idea of saving time as the ultimate goal - streamlining and systemising and planning and shredding and multitasking and all the ings that can basically be summarised as trying to squeeze as much action and efficiency out of the minutes of your life as you possibly can so that you can save time. 

But here's what they DON'T tell you: saving time is impossible. 

Saving time implies that you're banking all those spare hours and minutes up to use later - squirrelling them away just like your hard earned dollars in the hope that they'll pile up and compound while you're busy doing other things. 

And one day, you'll be able to spend all that time you've saved, right? Hell, NO.

Because time doesn't work that way. Time is spent as you live it.

And have you ever noticed the more you spend your time running around like a bat outta hell trying to save time here, there and everywhere - the less you feel like you're actually spending your time the way you want to?  

So, instead of making the ultimate goal to SAVE TIME - what if you switched that little ditty to prioritise changing how you use your time?

In this episode, I'm sharing 7 habits I've implemented that - despite the title - rather than saving me an arbitrary number of hours (to use when? To store where), have significantly increased my capacity to use more of my time how I want to use it.

To actually live my goals.

By implementing these habits you'll have 7 hours at minimum every single week to use however you bloody well want to.

[Subscribe to the girl, productive newsletter and get your free 333 journal and paper habit tracker mini-training here: https://the-productivity-project.myflodesk.com/newsletter]

Last week, I shared why I wanted to tear my business up into tiny little pieces and throw it all in the bin. If you've ever felt that way or you ARE feeling that way, this episode is for you.

In this episode, I walk through:

- What it looks like inside a personal brand, service provider business two years in

- The process I'm working through to take my business back to basics

- What to do if you're feeling it too, friend

To get the Productivity Energy Audit Worksheet I talk about in this episode, go to https://theproductivityproject.com.au/ and scroll down. Pop your deets in the box and I'll send it straight through.

Something hasn't felt right lately.

Over the past few months, something's just felt... off.

I started my business back in 2022. I had a very clear idea of exactly what I wanted at the time: freedom, creative opportunities and ultimately, time. I made a decision to prioritise time over money and at first, things felt good.

But two years in, it hadn't really turned out how I expected.

In this episode, I'm sharing:

- Why I decided to hit the reset button on my business after two years

- What happens when you try to create someone else's business, not your own

- What to do when you feel like you wanna burn it all to the ground and start again.

This episode is part one of a two part series. Hit subscribe so you don't miss next week's episode!

Something that’s always bothered me about all the productivity content out there ⬇️
The powers that be have made it so much about what we’re LACKING. Where we’re FAILING.
Take a shot for every time you’ve ever said to yourself:
‘I’m so easily distracted’ 🥃
‘I just can’t focus like I used to’ 🥃
‘I’m such a procrastinator’ 🥃
‘I’m so behind’ 🥃
‘I’m just addicted to cheese’ 🥃
Okay, maybe put the shot glass down. But it’s 11am somewhere, right 🤷🏽‍♀️
Notice something?
When it comes to how productive we are, we SO often define and measure our capabilities using metrics that have just been, well, frankly, made up by old white dudes in business suits. 💼
👉🏽We measure value by time spent, which leaves us wide open for never feeling like we’ve done enough
👉🏽We define productivity as our ability to sit at a desk for 8 hours and work through a list of tasks - honestly, who came up with this?
👉🏽And we think we can’t focus because there’s something wrong with us or we’re not trying hard enough
The truth? Maybe you’re just trying to fit your beautifully hexagonal spirit into a boring round hole that was never designed to support your focus in the first place.
In this week's episode, I’m sharing 4 ways you can support your brain and regain your focus when you want to in under 10 minutes.

RELATED:

FREE productivity energy audit worksheet https://theproductivityproject.com.au/

How to stop procrastinating: https://pod.fo/e/18c1a9