As we are at the start of a new year, I wanna share 3 things that you might be doing to avoid getting the important stuff done. I want you to be aware of those things so that 2022 is the year of huge progress for you.

Checking emails

Checking your emails every 15 minutes keeps you busy and gives you the illusion of being productive. But it’s not what gets you closer to where you wanna be.

Planning

You know me – I love planning, but obsessive & detailed planning without taking action won’t get you anywhere. If you spend more time planning than actually doing, you’re busy and not productive.

Learning

Growing your knowledge is essential. Whether it’s in your area of expertise, personal development, marketing, … whatever you need to grow your business and as a person. But before you sign up for the next course, ask yourself if you really need this or if you’re just avoiding implementing the information you already have.

These things keep you busy but aren’t getting you closer to your goals.

Focus on what matters!

If you need help with that, I’d love for you to reach out to schedule a call to chat and see how we can work together. I’d love to help you make 2022 the year where you hustle less and live more.

Get Ready For An Epic 2022 Series

Part 3 – planning 2022

If you haven’t already, check out parts 1 & 2 of the Get Ready For An Epic 2022 series.

➜ Part 1 is all about wrapping up 2021 so that you’re ready for a fresh start.

➜ Part 2 is about creating your vision for 2022.

After clearing the plate and creating your vision for 2022, it’s finally time to start planning for 2022.

The following exercises are designed to help you plan your upcoming year and give you some tips on how to stay on track so that you actually achieve your goals.

Exercise 1: set better goals

5,000 followers on Instagram is not a good goal!

There’s no way for you to control if you actually reach 5,000 followers by the end of 2022. There are just too many external circumstances that are involved in this. Things you have no control over.

I’ve seen a couple of people lately who lost their account for no reason and had to start a new one. If their goal was a specific number of followers, they’re probably very pissed. Things like that happen.

Setting a goal where the actual achievement of the goal is not under your control (= output goal) is not a good idea.

What you should do instead is set input goals. Your input is always under your control.

For example, this could be: I’ll post on Instagram 3x/week. This is totally under your control.

Think about what you want to achieve and focus on setting up the systems to help you get there. These systems/your input should be the goal.

So when you set your goals for 2022, make sure that they are:

• about your input
• about creating systems
• realistic (posting on IG each day is probably not something you can keep up with for long)

Exercise 2: Knowing yourself is the best productivity strategy

There’s no one size fits all …

That’s why knowing yourself is the best thing you can do for your productivity.

• How do you work best?
• When do you work best?
• When are you the most creative?
• When do you have the most energy?
• When do you need to slow down and rest?
• What fills your cup?

Keep track of these things for a couple of weeks to get to know yourself.

I also track in which phase of my cycle I’m in.

I’m sure you’ve noticed that your energy levels are different in each phase of your cycle. So is your mood, endurance, …
Things that might be easy for you in one phase are a struggle in another.

So keeping track of your cycle will not only help you understand yourself better, but it’s also super helpful for your planning.

If you need help finding your own productivity setup, I invite you to reach out to me to see how we can work together. I’d love to help you!

Exercise 3: The Goal Setting & Planning Process

Based on the vision you’ve created for the 4 areas of your life, it’s now time to think about the goals and habits you need to implement to actually work towards this vision.

Start with a brain dump and write down everything you can think of that would get you closer to your vision.

Then turn this brain dump into tangible goals and habits.

Then break down the goals into projects and these projects into tasks.

Things to keep in mind:

• Don’t try to do it all at once. I know that the start of a new year is very exciting and motivating but don’t overwhelm yourself with changing too many things at once. Tackle your new habits one at a time.
• Make sure that you have at least one “active” habit or project in each area so that no area gets neglected.
• Regularly come back to your brain dump to pick the next thing to work on. You can also update it anytime something new comes to mind.

Exercise 4: how to stay on track

This is the last exercise of the “Get Ready For An Epic 2022” series.

You did an amazing job so far!

-> You’ve cleared the plate for 2022.
-> You got clear about your vision for 2022.
-> You’ve started to plan how you can get closer to that vision.

Now we have to make sure that you stay on track.

It’s easy to set goals and make plans, but often we get lost on the way and forget about them.

That’s why it’s important to set up routines to keep you on track.

1. Weekly Reset

Once a week, review your current projects.

• How are you doing?
• How is your progress?
• What will you work on next week?

2.  Monthly/Quarterly Planning

Based on your goals for the year, what projects will you tackle this month/quarter to reach your goals? Break them down into action steps; put these action steps on your to-do list; schedule time for it in your calendar.

My free Monthly Planning Workbook will guide you through my 3 step process to help you plan an amazing and successful month.

Now you’re all set up and ready to crush your goals in 2022!

I believe in you! You can do this!

Get Ready For An Epic 2022 Series

Part 2 – your vision for 2022

If you haven’t already, check out part 1 of the Get Ready For An Epic 2022 series.

➜ It’s all about wrapping up 2021 so that you’re ready for a fresh start.

Now that you’ve cleared the plate, it’s time to think about your vision for 2022. How do you want your life to look like by the end of 2022?

The following 5 exercises will help you with creating your vision. It’s best to do them in the given order because they build on each other.

Exercise 1: your perfect day

Do you know what you’re working towards? How do you want your life to look like?

The Perfect Day exercise is a great tool to figure this out.

• Grab your journal and get comfy
• Start dreaming
• How would a perfect day look like for you?
• What would you do?
• How would you feel?
• Who’s with you?

You can check out this Instagram post where I share my perfect day.

When you’ve mapped out your perfect day, I want you to start thinking about how you can close the gaps.

When we compare our current life to our perfect day, it can feel like there’s this huge gap.

But this is not true. We can bring a lot of elements and feelings into our current reality.

For my perfect day, I might not be in the right location, but I can do lots of these things here in Vienna as well.

So think about which elements and feelings of your perfect day you can bring into your life now.

Other things might be out of reach for now. But these are the things that will keep you motivated. This is what you’re working towards.

Happy dreaming!

Exercise 2: Define how success looks like for you

Success is not what social media tells you it is …

There seems to be a predefined level of success in the coaching industry, like 5K months, 10K months, 6-figure years. Everyone is talking about financial success. And, of course, we are here to make money. That’s why we have our businesses, right?

But that’s not the only measurement for success.

Success can be so many different things:

• Being able to sleep in
• Being able to work from a coffee shop
• Being able to end work early
• Being able to take a day off during the week
• Being able to create a schedule aligned with your energy levels

There are so many different measurements of success.

That’s why it’s important to define success for yourself. How does success look like for you?

Grab your journal and think about:

🌟 What does success mean for me?
🌟 What would I be able to do?
🌟 How would I feel?

Keep these things in mind when you start planning for 2022.

Exercise 3: Your vision for the 4 areas of your life

Having a vision for your life is not enough – you have to specify this vision for the 4 areas of your life.

Based on the Perfect Day exercise and your definition of success, you now break down your vision into the 4 areas of your life:

• Business
• Personal (home, family, friends, …)
• Physical health
• Mental health & personal development

This is important because we often forget about specific areas when focusing solely on the bigger picture.

For example, you are so focused on your business that you completely ignore your physical & mental health.

I invite you to go back to your perfect day and your definition of success and specify how this looks like in each of these areas.

In part 3, we’ll talk about how you can ensure that no area of your life gets neglected.

Exercise 4: Your word & tagline for 2022

Choose your North Star for 2022

I’m sure you’ve already heard about “choosing a word for the year”. But for me, this isn’t enough to fully express how I want my year to look like. So I added a “tagline for the year”. A short sentence that helps me express the feeling even better.

My words for 2021 were: Alignment, Action & Fun
My tagline was: “Do What Feels Good!”

Pick a word & a tagline that makes you feel excited, motivated, inspired, …

You can’t go wrong here. Choose what feels good for you!

Exercise 5: Prepare for what might get in the way

What might get in the way of you reaching your goals?

Based on the reflecting exercises we did in part 1, you should have a pretty good idea of what is holding you back; of the obstacles that are getting in the way of you reaching your goals.

Whether that’s self-doubt, fear, overwhelm, …

This exercise is to think about how you can prepare for these circumstances.

What can you do when self-doubt kicks in?
How can you avoid getting overwhelmed?

Create an obstacle manual for yourself with all the things that will be helpful for you in these cases.

Now that you’ve created your vision for 2022, it’s time to set your goals and start planning.

Get Ready For An Epic 2022 Series

Part 1 – The Wrap-Up

This time of the year is perfect for wrapping up your year and getting ready for the next year.

That’s why I decided to create a 3-part series to help you set yourself up for an epic 2022.

Part 1 is all about wrapping up 2021.

Before you can start planning for 2022, you need to clear the plate. If you want to start fresh, you need a clean canvas.

I’ve put together 5 exercises that will help you wrap up 2021. It doesn’t matter in which order you do them but make sure to do all of them before moving on to part 2.

Exercise 1: GYST Day

Even with the best intentions to keep everything nice & organized, it can get really messy somethings.

Life happens, and it’s impossible to keep up with everything right away.

That’s why a GYST day is the perfect start to our Wrap Up.

It’s basically a day where you Get Your Shi*t Together (GYST) & get back on track.

Here’s what to do:

Step 1: Brain Dump

The point of a brain dump is to get all of your to-dos, thoughts, and unmade decisions out of your head. Grab pen & paper and write EVERYTHING down that comes to your mind. No matter how big or small, business or personal.

Step 2: Decide what to do with it

Now go through your brain dump. Pick one thing at a time and ask yourself:

Do I want/have to do this?
If the answer is NO – toss it.
If the answer is YES and it only takes you a few minutes – do it.
If the answer is YES and it takes you more than a few minutes, delegate it if possible.
If not, put it in your system.

Step 3: Organize it

Now that you have everything out of your head, you need a system to keep track of everything. It’s up to you if you use paper (e.g., a bullet journal) or a digital tool (e.g., Asana or Notion).

Step 4: Do it

It’s time to take action.

If you need a more detailed step-by-step guide, you can download your free GYST Day Guide. This guide also includes a brain dump trigger list and tips on how you can stay on track.

Exercise 2: Declutter & Organize

Shopping can be frustrating. Especially when you look for something specific.

Let’s say you want to buy a pair of jeans. You walk into the store and look around. Piles are everywhere – it’s an unorganized hot mess. And although you know that they’re selling what you’re looking for, you can’t find it. But there’s this cute dress, oh and here’s the t-shirt I was looking for last time …

So either you leave the store with something completely different, with nothing at all, or you spend hours of your precious time looking for these jeans.

In all cases, you’ve wasted time, energy (and maybe money).

The same thing happens when you enter your (physical & digital) workspace.

When it’s cluttered & unorganized, it can be a massive source of distraction, overwhelm, and frustration. Not to mention the time you lose looking for things. Even if it’s “just” 5 minutes here and 3 minutes there – these things add up!

That’s why it’s now time to declutter & organize your (physical & digital) workspace:

• Declutter & organize your physical workspace
• Declutter your files and set up a filing structure that makes sense for you
• Clear out your desktop and downloads folder
• Organize your bookmarks

I know that this is not the most exciting thing to do, but it’s so worth it!

Exercise 3: Reflect on 2021

Am I the only one who feels like time goes by faster and faster each year (especially the past 2 years)? Didn’t we just celebrate New Year?

So much happened, and at the same time, it can feel like nothing happened.

That’s why it’s important to take some time to reflect on the year. To recall what happened, our achievements, the good stuff, the not so good stuff, how we’ve grown as a person …

So put on your PJs, grab a cozy blanket & your journal, make a hot chocolate and reflect on 2021.

If you feel uninspired and it’s hard for you to answer these questions, look at your calendar, journal entries, camera roll, reading list, etc. All these places are great to bring back memories.

Journal Prompts:

• What went well this year?
• What did you achieve in 2021?
• What amazing things happened?
• What are you proud of?
• What did you discover about yourself in 2021?
• What are you grateful for?
• What did you learn about yourself this year?
• How have you grown this year?
• What skills have you learned?
• What didn’t go as planned?
• What can you learn from this?
• What was holding you back?
• How or what can you improve moving forward?
• What made you stronger this year?

Exercise 4: How to achieve your goals

When we set goals, the big question is, “How do we actually achieve them?” The answer to that question is often not that complicated and right in front of us …

Go back and analyze your wins and achievements for this year (exercise 3). Find out what it was that helped you achieve these things. 

Was it

• detailed planning
• deadlines
• accountability
• rewards
• a coach
• a habit tracker
• an app

Knowing that and knowing what drives and motivates you will help you achieve your goals in the future.

Exercise 5: Review your tools & systems

I love productivity tools, apps & systems. They can make our life so much easier. But they can also be overwhelming, confusing & frustrating when we use too many or use them in the wrong way.

That’s why the last task of the Wrap-Up is to review your tools and systems.

Make a list of everything you’re using.

Then ask yourself:
Does this support me?
Do I like using it?
Do I use it at all?
Do I use tools that have the same purpose? Can I merge them?
Does the system’s setup work for me, or do I need to change it?

I know that this is not the most exciting thing to do* but having the right tools & systems in place makes a huge difference!

* That’s actually not true – I love doing this stuff 😂

Now that you’ve cleared the plate for 2021, you can move on to part 2 – The Dream.

One of the reasons people don’t stick to their habits is because they are way too rigid with them; they narrow them down way too much.

In this IG live, I talked about how you can design your habits to be more flexible and realistic so that you can actually stick to them.

Watch on YouTube

No matter how carefully you’ve planned your day, there’s always something unexpected coming up, right?

Here are 4 tips on how you can make room in your schedule for unexpected upcoming things so that you don’t fall behind and don’t get overwhelmed.

Don’t deal with it right away

Just because something comes up, it doesn’t mean that you have to deal with it right away. Write it down and get back to it during your catch-up time.

Don’t schedule back to back

Give yourself some room between meetings/work blocks to avoid getting in trouble when something takes longer.

Schedule catch up time at the end of your workday

During your catch-up time, you can go through everything that came up that day.

Schedule catch up time on Friday

About an hour or so is good to catch up with everything you didn’t get to during the week.

Watch on YouTube