Do you ever feel like you can’t do what you used to be able to do? You have a glimpse of what you COULD be, but it feels too hard to move forward, and you find yourself in some kind of a slump. If you’ve been Googling things like, “How do I get unstuck?” you are in the right place.
Today we’re all going to be inspired by Lisa Schader. To be clear, we talk about ways Lisa has thrived as she has implemented the things she’s learned in our Steps to Everyday Productivity (STEP) program. I’m not trying to make this a commercial for our program, but the fact is that lives are being changed because we have a system that you can implement that can get you results. We’re hopeful that the ideas you hear in the podcast will help you, wherever you are in your journey!
Lisa’s STEP Win
Shortly after recording this podcast, Lisa shared this our STEP Mastery Facebook group:
I completed my first century bike ride! It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but never thought I’d have the time/drive to complete. I approached it like any STEP project, with a list of next actions (I counted–it had almost 30 steps.). I put each item in the calendar and I did it (side note to any rookies like me: when you lay our your training plan, budget a few weeks into your training schedule for “not gonna happen” because life happens. I got really sick the week before the ride (and had even picked a backup date to do the 100 miles on my own at a later date just in case), but I was able to push through! Can I tell you how amazing it felt to press the “completed” button on this Asana project? *ah-ma-zing*. p.s. Eric-April Perry I told you during our interview I thought my project was de-railed, but I made it!
Lisa Schader
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Highlights from the Podcast
When setting up her STEP Command Central, Lisa chose to make it the only project on her Current Projects List–she knew if she invested and focused on that for two weeks, everything else would fall into place.
She started simply, using tools she had around her home to build her Command Central. Once she had set it up and shown herself that she could continue that commitment to maintaining the system, she upgraded to a more beautiful desk with tools she loves.
Before setting up a Command Central, Lisa had shut down many areas of her life because they just felt like they were too much. But having a system to help her organize her mind and life allowed her to restart many of those projects that allow her to contribute in ways that are meaningful: doing photography sessions 1-2 times a week, restarting a personal finance website, consulting with people about their finances, and more.
She uses Next Actions to help her move forward in meaningful ways. Sometimes it can still feel discouraging to know things won’t be where you want them to be a year from now. As Greg McKeown teaches in his book, *Essentialism, we often overestimate what we can accomplish in a year or in a decade, with all our other commitments. But once Lisa was able to recognize some areas that were meaningful to her, she could identify Next Actions for each. And that’s the point–to take each project, step-by-step, moving it forward in the right direction.
If you just move, Next Action by Next Action, you think, not just, “Where it is going to be a year from now?” but “Where could this be be ten years from now?” And just knowing that wherever you are, it’s further than you would have been, if you hadn’t taken those next steps.
Lisa Schader
LearnDoBecome Challenge: Identify 2-3 areas of your life that are meaningful to you. What is something SO SIMPLE–a Next Action you could do in 10 minutes or less!–that would move this area of your life forward? Write those Next Actions on your Context-Based Next Actions list for this week. (And if you’re feeling brave, share your ideas in the comments below!)
Related Resources
If you’re interested in listening to our interview with Greg McKeown, you can find it here!
Lisa’s photography and Money Fit Life websites
A book I’m using to help improve my sleep: *The Sleep Solution by Chris Winter
Have you taken our free class? We teach you the basics of identifying Next Actions and the power of using a Context-Based Next Actions list, along with other tools to help you organize your mind and get out of the piles. We’d love to have you join us–come sign up here!
Want to join Club STEP? If you’re interested in joining the movement and creating your own system to help you move forward in the things that matter most, you can learn more about our STEP 25,000 Command Central Challenge here!
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I am going to clean and organize my back bed and bathroom this week.