Let’s get logistical.  (Logistical!!! LoGISTical!!! Let me hear your body talk!!!  Is that how the song goes? I basically missed the ’80s.)

I’m busy.  You’re busy.  We’re all busy together.

So today I’m going to show you a few of the systems that keep things running smoothly in my world even when it’s the week before vacation and I’ve got back to back calls and I’m planning an event and finishing up a new website and a memoir and also somewhere in there creating a brand new coaching program.  So much fun.  So much crazy!

You might read these and think, I don’t have time/money/energy for that!  So here’s a little story.

A few years ago, I was part of an intensive, high-investment coaching program that ultimately helped me turn my little hobby business into what it is today.  The first day, the coach told us that to work with her at this level, we had to commit to hiring a house cleaner.  I gulped.  I was already pretty maxed out financially.  She said that to make the big leaps in our lives and businesses that we all wanted to make, we had to commit to rising up to the next level and doing our biggest, most important work.  And that meant delegating some things out.  It was scary, but she was right.  She held my feet to the fire, and pushed me to take my life, my time, and my work seriously.  I’m still incredibly grateful.

Imagine if you freed up two hours a week to work on your new business idea, or to spearhead something new at work, or draft a proposal to your boss about why you deserve a raise, or spend guilt-free time with your beloveds.  Pretty valuable, right?

There are a few investments of time and money that can have a HUGE impact on your life. You set them up once, and they keep paying you back forever.  Here are some of my favorites, below.

1.  Online banking and automated bill paying.  You should spend less than half an hour a month paying your bills and NO ONE should ever pay bank fees for anything, ever.  Automation, baby.  My favorite online bank (with zero fees and reasonable interest rates) is Capital One, and you can set your bills to just be paid each month with absolutely zero input from you.  Bonus: no more late charges, EVER.

2.  A personal assistant.  I have a fantastic virtual team to help me run my business, but I also lean heavily on my amazing assistant here in Portland.  I know, it seems like a luxury— but imagine how much time you could free up to do your BIG work in the world if your grocery shopping, laundry, and all errands were magically done by someone else.  Mmmh-hmmm.  That’s right.  Get on it.

3.  Carbonite & Time Machine.  Please don’t ever manually back up your computer again.  Please don’t ever lose data again if things crash.  Just spend the $50 a year and get Carbonite.  It doesn’t back up video, though, so you also need Time Machine (or the PC equivalent).  For extra gold stars, invest a single afternoon down at the Apple store getting all your devices to talk to each other so your music, photos, etc, all sync themselves over the magical ethers while you are getting your beauty sleep.

4.  Grocery lists on the fridge.  Create a master grocery list on your computer, complete with the exact brand of fancy organic whole milk you like.  I promise, the 15 minutes are worth it.  Each week, print off a new copy and stick it on your fridge.  Everyone in the house is responsible for updating it with anything they want, and you can hand it off to anyone (delegation, loves).  Having your regular items in front of you will trigger your memory before each trip and limit the number of forgotten items and extra trips.

5.  A monthly massage membership.  It’s cheaper when you commit to getting one (or hell, how about two?!) treatments a month, and more importantly, it MAKES YOU GO REGULARLY.  Always book your next appointment when you check out, and you’ll be glowy and blissed out on a regular basis…also clearer, sharper, and more grounded.  Which is actually a really nice thing to do for all the people who spend time with you.

I have so much more to say on this topic— we didn’t even go into compasses, YNAB, or Boomerang— but if you implement these five things right now you’ll feel an immense sense of relief right away.  These are big wins that will keep giving you returns of time and peace of mind for months and even years.

Remember, to have a beautiful life you have to be fierce about it.  So stop reading.  You’re busy.  Go do something important.  And then do something DELICIOUS.

Happy weekend!!!

much love, 
Anna