[PODCAST 113]: A Journey Beyond STEP–Discussing Family, Motivation and Routines with Alicia Grenham & The Perrys

One of my favorite parts of the LearnDoBecome community is hearing about all the amazing changes people are making in their lives to free their minds and do the things that matter most. In today’s podcast, we get to hear from Alicia Grenham and how she used the STEP program (stands for Steps to Everyday Productivity, and details linked at the bottom of this post!) with her family and home as well as her business! You don’t want to miss out on this one. 🙂

To get started, here’s a fun picture from Alicia:

“Just found this picture my 3-year-old took of me and my command center used to be a giant pile of clothes so I don’t even have a before. With a family of 6, two kids in virtual school and a husband working from home…no room in the communal spaces so it’s in my bedroom. Have to work with what you’ve got!”

When I saw this picture, I had an emotional response because this was ME years ago…building a Command Central in the corner of my bedroom, working to get out of the overwhelm, and doing my very best to create order and progress in the midst of a LOT of responsibilities. I knew I needed to interview Alicia, and the experience was incredibly inspiring.

We hope you love the podcast, but if you aren’t able to listen to the audio recording (the play button is up above!) or just want a quick written summary in addition to what you hear, here are some of the main takeaways from our discussion with Alicia:

• “If I can do it, YOU can do it.” Alicia had never considered herself organized until she found the right tools that made sense in her headspace. 
• Do only one day’s share. By only focusing on one day at a time, Alicia found a month to get through STEP to be an attainable goal that also matched her sense of urgency to get started! 
• Utilize free resources. Alicia mentions two resources from our LearnDoBecome podcast that were incredibly influential for her at the start of her journey (linked below).
• Get to know your tiggers. Recognizing when we may be speaking out of a place of trauma helps us better understand how to manage and move forward with some of the anxiety that surfaces from both challenges and growth. 
• Creatively set boundaries with kids. Alicia’s husband works from home, and he needs time and space to be able to focus. To help their kids recognize when to tread quietly around his office and when they can play freely, Alicia found a creative solution: A STOP and GO sign she can hang up according to his work schedule!
• Having a “Big Why” will keep you motivated. The concern of perpetuating a cycle of overwhelm and disorganization in her kids motivated Alicia to stay on track while developing her systems. 
• Clarifying whether your projects are really projects, or whether they are actually routines. Alicia realized that her cake decorating business was weighing heavily on her mind as a continuous project, so she moved it to her routines list. (Details and pictures inserted below!)
• Trying out “I’d Love To” Jars. This is a wonderful method Alicia uses to encourage positive attitudes with her children. Every time her kids respond with, “I’d love to!” they get to put a pom pom in a jar, and once that jar gets filled, they get a treat or reward!
• Understanding we’re all in this together! Bringing her family into STEP helped relieve some of the tension that came up with their new home-based life. Having a shared goal of ridding their lives of clutter brought Alicia and her husband together to tackle a shared vision.

Here are some additional pictures and ideas Alicia emailed to us afterwards.

“Before Screen Time” Checklist:

A list Alicia came up with that uses screen time to motivate her kids to do their daily chores and tasks. It helps keep them accountable, while limiting the amount of unproductive hours spent in front of the screen.

Using Visual Cues for Kids:

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Alicia found that she got the BEST results when she provided photos of what her children’s rooms should look like when they are cleaned. Now when the kids are tidying, they have a visual to strive for, and they can see clearly if they’ve missed the mark.

Alicia’s Pantry Inventory List:

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Moving Her Business Project Into a Routine:

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With the help of one of our amazing LearnDoBecome Team Members (Go, Taryn!) Alicia was able to move her cake-baking business out of a project and into a routine. Taryn helped her create this incredibly detailed Routines List, and now she regularly bakes around 6 cakes a week!

Isn’t Alicia AWESOME?! 🙂 We hope you loved the energy she brought to this discussion and all the creative ideas she provided! We love our LearnDoBecome community members, and we encourage you to continue using our free resources (including joining our Free Community Facebook group linked below). And, if you feel like it’s the right time, we also encourage you to check out our STEP Program to dive in like Alicia and create a system that will change your life. (Details about our free introductory class are also linked below!)

Related Links:

[PODCAST 21]: Real Life Tools to Manage Procrastination–With Dr. Matthew May and April Perry

[PODCAST 13]: How to (Seriously) Fix Anxiety, Depression, and Relationships – With Dr. David Burns & April Perry

Free Community Facebook Group 

The STEP Program (Steps to Everyday Productivity)

Our Free Introductory STEP Class:  Sign up here!