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Productivity by Personality: What Actually Works for Moms
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Are you a checklist queen or a go-with-the-flow kind of mom? This week on Just 4 Moms, Kallie hosts a conversation about productivity styles and how your personality plays a major role in what actually works. From landlines making a comeback (yes, really!) to hilarious mom fails and nostalgic cereal talk, this episode dives into the beautiful chaos of motherhood and the systems we try to use to manage it all.
We explore how personality traits — like being Type A, spontaneous, or indecisive — shape the way we organize our lives. Plus, we’re joined by special guest Taylor Mobley of Hustle Like a Mother, who shares real-life tips for building flexible routines that actually fit your current season of life.
Grab your personality quiz results and settle in for laughter, relatable confessions, and a few productivity hacks that just might change your motherhood game.
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Transcript
Relatability of Horoscopes and Personality Tests
00:00:00
Speaker
I'm a jerk. and Those all feel like the horoscope. Like, I feel like you read it and you're like, oh, yeah, that's so me. Yeah. And then I could read yours and be like, yeah. Because matches APLs. Yes. Because it matches everybody. Yes.
00:00:13
Speaker
I was a protagonist. Yeah. Well, that's like, remember when everybody was into, um like, the Myers-Briggs. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. This is Myers-Briggs. The one where it's like you're a one or two or a six yeah or something. Oh, yeah.
00:00:25
Speaker
And I would read them and I'd be like, I'm all of these people. Like, I don't know. Depends what mood I'm in. Yeah. Well, if we have time, I have like a fun little quiz that we can do like at the end where you just like pick A, B, C, or D, but it's just.
00:00:39
Speaker
and That sounds like a Cosmo quiz. It is like, a it's sort of Cosmo style. yeah like that. if we If we have time, if we have time, I'll do it. All right. Are we ready?
Introduction of Hosts: The Regular Moms
00:00:50
Speaker
Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Welcome to Just For Moms. I'm Charlotte. I'm Caitlin. I'm Megan. And I'm Callie. We are regular moms talking about regular stuff like aging, parenthood, work-life balance, and figuring out what's for dinner.
00:01:05
Speaker
Again, no-judgment zone to talk, laugh, and maybe cry about all the things women think about on a daily basis. things i'll plan
00:01:14
Speaker
All right, friends, welcome back. I am Callie here with the lovely Charlotte, Megan, and Caitlin. And this is episode 28. twenty eight i'm like i don't know i was like i don't have the information i don't have it it is episode 20 it doesn't doesn't matter we're all on summer break and so our brains are on summer break just we're all who cares what number it is it doesn't matter it's summer but no had string yeah i had string cheese for breakfast that's where i am yeah um so i have a fun little pop and don't know if pop culture is the right word just like a
00:01:47
Speaker
You know, like when you read like a human interest story and you're like,
Nostalgia and Landline Usage
00:01:50
Speaker
oh, that's fun. So I read an article the other day that was talking about how landlines are making a small comeback. Like a very small, but there's been this little uptick in them. So i was reading about it and they said there's generally... like three kinds of reasons or kinds of people that are getting landlines. So one is Gen Z. I guess I didn't know this, but like Gen Z is very in into like 90s culture and like into millennial culture a little bit.
00:02:14
Speaker
Like they're super into Furbies and like Blackberries. And so I guess there's a bunch of them that are kind of into the landline. In the article I read, there was a girl, i guess they like watch our shows too. Cause she was like, I really liked the landlines. I feel like I'm a character on Sex and the City.
00:02:29
Speaker
So there's Gen Z are bringing it back. And then there's millennials and I guess millennials into Gen x A lot of people are wanting to be able to shut off when they get home from work. Like they hate that their phones are always on and that their bosses can always reach them.
00:02:43
Speaker
So they've been shutting off their phones and installing landlines. So if somebody needs to reach them. And then there's a wave of parents with older children who are installing landlines as a way to like wait longer to get them smartphones, essentially. So, I mean, I love this. You guys know that like, I love being tech minimal. So I think it's really great. i mean, we don't have a landline now, but I don't maybe I'll get one. It's sort of fun.
00:03:05
Speaker
Would you guys, I'm curious, would you guys, do you guys see a need for a landline and would you get a landline in your, yes. yes so yeah Everybody is raising their hand. We have one. Oh, you Yeah, girl.
00:03:16
Speaker
oh you I'm jealous. Well, we've always had one because we're old and that was just like, of course you move into an apartment and there's the phone jack, you plug it in. So it's always been an option. And then when my kids were little, it was a nice way for them to reach us. And they will still call us on the landline. My kids that don't have cell phones, although they figured out how to call us from their Alexas.
00:03:41
Speaker
Oh, yeah. Yeah. yeah yep Yeah. Yeah. So, but it's been really, really. have it and you use it. You still use it now. I don't ever pick it up, but we do have it and the kids use it. Yes. Okay. All right. Good to know. We have heen we had one.
00:03:54
Speaker
i mean, I had one up until probably a year after. So probably like 2018. We always had one. It was like, my mom told me, you have to have one everywhere you live. And then we were in this house for a year, no probably 2019. it would always ring and it was always a telemarketer. And then we were like, why are we paying for this? Even though I think it was nothing. It was a dollar. But yeah, but why are we paying for this? And then I think maybe like Eileen picked it up one day and I was just like, yeah, we don't need this anymore.
00:04:25
Speaker
ah But now I want one desperately. i just haven't got around to getting it. I think it would be really great for the kids to have for us. I like the idea of shutting down.
Prank Calls and Landline Tricks
00:04:35
Speaker
i want to turn my phone off at night, but if somebody needs me, they can call my house.
00:04:39
Speaker
And unfortunately, like I've had bad things happen overnight and have to wake up to like a lot of missed calls or text messages. And I do think like, well, they could have just, if I, they could call my house kind of thing.
00:04:53
Speaker
So yeah, I want one. Yes. Okay. Okay. I want one and I want to bring it back with my Kmart phone that was like neon with all the lights. Do you remember that one?
00:05:05
Speaker
Like the clear ones that you could see inside Yes. Yes. Yes. And everyone had it and it was so cool. And if you didn't have one, it was like, well, which one? And then you had like the white one from like your grandma or something. Yes. Right?
00:05:19
Speaker
Well, Michael and I had this whole discussion because we talked about getting the landline. And I was like, well, so do we get corded like the old school and you're like attached the wall and then you would get the extra long so you could like kind of go into the next room? Or like, do we get one that like once they were cordless? Yes. Because we never i mean, Michael and I moved in together in 2006 and we never had a landline. i mean we were like in a shitty apartment we could barely afford. And then like we finally, you know, got rental houses. But we just we never had one.
00:05:47
Speaker
You never had an answering machine together that I tried to make and I didn't record. ah Like, yes hey, it's Brandon and Caitlin.
Mom Fails and Summer Meal Stories
00:05:54
Speaker
Yeah. With music in the back. I always used to play music. It would be like, hey, this is Megan. Leave a message. And then I would press play and it would like play a song.
00:06:03
Speaker
Absolutely. My son's outgoing message on his cell phone. it I don't fall for it anymore, but I used to. The outgoing message is, hello? Hello?
00:06:16
Speaker
Sorry, i can't I can't hear you. Speak up. ah Let me call you back. We must have a bad connection. That's his outgoing message. I love that. I get so mad.
00:06:28
Speaker
It's so mean. But I was telling my kids about, can you imagine a world where you didn't know who had contacted you until you came home at the very end of the day and you looked for the blinking light? It's like foreign science fiction to them.
00:06:41
Speaker
I love It thrilling, though. Let's bring the thrill back and just... Yeah. I like leaving voicemails for people now because they'll be like, why did you call? I'm like, you got to listen. Yeah. Maybe I sang you a song. Yeah. I like leaving voicemails too. I'm not into like, I do do a little missed calls, but I do like leaving the voicemails because it's fun, right? And it would be fun to come home on that phone and listen to all the voicemails from the day, even if there was telemarketers mixed in.
00:07:10
Speaker
I'll still call the landline and- and I actually don't know if the answering machine, you can hear it, but I'll still be like, pick up, pick up. Is anyone there? Pick up. Well, i didnt see, this is also landlines, rest in peace. We used to prank call like my family members all the time, and you would press star six, seven, so they didn't.
00:07:30
Speaker
My grandmother- We, she changed her answering machine to say, you have reached the Meriden police department. So thinking we would stop calling her. We never did. i mean, we would sing dirty songs, pretend we're downstairs with her Chinese food order.
00:07:47
Speaker
oh poor grandma oh these kids will never know the joy of a collect call yeah what was it the calling card like i had to to call my parents i had to enter a code and yeah yeah like or just waiting like your mom's on the phone and you gotta to wait till she's done so that you can make a phone call a busy we should play a busy signal for our kids and see if they know what it is oh absolutely not no They'd be like, what's that? Or what is the router, the dial-up router sound? That still gives me a fidget. Yes.
00:08:19
Speaker
Yeah. A little anxiety when I hear that sound. It would forever to load. And then someone would pick up the house phone and you were like, yeah, got connected. Yeah, we would get disconnected.
00:08:33
Speaker
i love it. All right. All right. We got to move, move away from our walk down memory lane. I want to know if you guys have had any good mom fails, probably some summer related ones.
The Forgotten Lunch Story
00:08:44
Speaker
Charlotte, do you have any? No, come back to me. Okay. I mean, she does. I know she does. do. I just need to think. Megan? I forgot Nico's lunch for camp one day. Yeah.
00:08:56
Speaker
So, they yeah call you know, what happens? So, you know, I was like, ah The reminders, you got your ball, you got your water, you got your – everything is there. And, you know, there and they need to be responsible to grab their own stuff when they leave the door. i mean, they're all old enough to do it. And even though you say it three times – So I dropped him off at camp and then I came back home and right on the center island was the lunch. And it's like, it shouldn't be my mom fail.
00:09:26
Speaker
No. was just to say, it doesn't sound like a you problem. But, you know, then I had to like miss my workout class and go bring the lunch and I just left it. And, you know, I didn't want him to starve, but yeah. So I guess because I didn't bring it to the car, but yeah, whatever. Caitlin?
00:09:43
Speaker
This is a good one. so A couple weeks ago, my daughter was going to the Savannah Bananas game in Boston with her dad. And she was meeting. I don't know what that is.
00:09:55
Speaker
I'm sorry. what I don't know what that is. So they're like, ah you know, the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team. They're like for fun. That's what they are, but a baseball team. And they play for other fun baseball teams.
00:10:07
Speaker
And they were at Fenway. And my cousin's family, they they stay in Maine during the summer. We're driving down to Boston. And they were all going to meet. And my cousin called and she's like, does Annabelle want to come back to Maine with us?
00:10:18
Speaker
Because they have a daughter who's the same age as her. And I'm like, sure. I'm driving home though right now from yoga. And I know they have to leave in 15 minutes. You call Brandon and tell her, pack a bag so she's ready to go.
00:10:31
Speaker
Fast forward 48 hours when she returns home. And I've seen some photos and I'm like, why is she wearing her pajama shirt She kind of looks rough. Like, I don't understand what's going on with Annabelle in these pictures.
00:10:43
Speaker
And I text my cousin and I was like, by the way, thanks so much for letting her come. How was she? And she's like, I got to call you. She goes, do you know what Annabelle brought to stay with us for two days?
00:10:55
Speaker
not Not even two days, two nights. And I said, what? And she goes, a pair of swimming goggles, a bathing suit and one pair of pajamas. I said, what about clothes for during the day? said, nothing.
00:11:08
Speaker
I was like, no underwear. No, no, nothing. Not even a toothbrush. I said, how did this happen? So I call Brandon and I'm like, Sam just told me that every day at the beach, her her sandwich says that to the girl who needs clothes, like, because we write names on it.
00:11:24
Speaker
And I'm telling him this and he's like, well, I don't know. She walked out with a bag. So I'm like, so this is not a mom fail. This is a dad fail. This is also an 11 year old should know how to pack. So yes.
00:11:36
Speaker
Well, I don't understand. She goes, well, I just grabbed my sleepover bag from Nani's house. from the other night thinking there'd be stuff in there. And I'm like, yeah, dirty stuff. So yeah, my she's not allowed to pack for herself ever again.
00:11:51
Speaker
It's all right. It happens. yeah I have a pack. Mine is a Charlotte fail and it has to do with packing. So I'm going to
The Lost Jumpsuit Tale
00:11:58
Speaker
interrupt. i go away for a week or two once a year when I go help install the HGTV dream home.
00:12:07
Speaker
And so I'm pretty aware of what I'm wearing for those days because we're just, there's cameras and I just, you have to plan it up. Cut to I don't know, sometime last fall. So I'd been home for months and I was like, where's that blue jumpsuit? Last time I remember wearing it was at the dream home.
00:12:25
Speaker
Where did it go? And that was the only thing I couldn't remember. And i was pretty, i was like, maybe it ended up like I had to change clothes one day. I was like, maybe you ended up like literally in one of the closets because we styled the closet. I was like, whatever, I'll just chalk this up to a loss. Lost.
00:12:42
Speaker
Cut to, I come back from the beach two weeks ago and there's a stack of clothes in my laundry and it's the blue jumpsuit. And I was like, where did this come from?
00:12:53
Speaker
Who stole this? Who I'm just, I've completely blamed all of my kids. My sweet son is like, i don't know. They were all in my suitcase and I just, they looked like yours. So I put them in the laundry.
00:13:05
Speaker
I could have sworn I checked all the suitcases. I mean, talk about mom brain. Yes. So the good news is that I found it all. The bad news is that for nine months I was like, where did it go? My kids stole it. Something happened.
00:13:17
Speaker
Just that one piece of clothing was in the suit? there were others. I just forgot about all the others. Fun stuff? Yeah. A pair of pink pants I hadn't seen. ah Definitely. I like that.
00:13:28
Speaker
I love when that happens. yes Sort of like Christmas. Definitely mom brain. You were thinking of 80 other things while you were doing that. Right. Who knows? What about you, Tally? I don't know.
00:13:39
Speaker
My, my mom fail is just like my, my like, um, bar for summer meals in the summertime. It's just like real low, you know? Yeah. Like cereal every morning. And I'm like, this is fine.
00:13:51
Speaker
Like, I don't, I don't know if it's just cause I'm not packing. don't know. Sometimes I'm just like, it's summer. It should be, you know, who cares? Whatever. So, you know, there's lots of meals that like, there's no vegetable or fruit. And I'm just like, it is fine.
00:14:05
Speaker
It's good. Yep. Sorry, sorry, Callie. That's my house all year round. Well, great.
00:14:13
Speaker
I think i might keep it going. I just, I eat cereal all the time. It's great. That's a great breakfast. I don't care what all of the people on Instagram tell me. In. Four years, because I think when my kids were little, cereal is a hard food for children to eat. There's a lot of coordination that goes into picking this like dripping, overflowing spoon. so we just It's not a young child thing, but there's a point when they can eat it and they can also pour it and get their milk. so it it's like in a On a dime, it becomes this self-sufficient
00:14:45
Speaker
way for children to feed themselves. There's no reason for them to wake you up in the morning. know And so we've like, that's where we've been for years. But I yeah i feel like it's, i you forget when they're little that obviously they're not eating cereal because that would be a disaster.
00:14:59
Speaker
Well, so, i mean, we have little, but so my six-year-old can pour it for all the little ones. And for whatever reason, my two-year-old is actually very good at cereal. My current four-year-old when she was two would not, I would not have trusted her in the same sense.
00:15:14
Speaker
And then my now, however old, Opal is almost one year old. She can like, there's certain cereals that she can just eat them dry. and so it actually has become a very blanket for every. And when I give it to Tate, we just put like a little less milk. I don't know. It's been, it's been great.
00:15:29
Speaker
So we don't even do the milk. I don't know why. i feel like over the past few years, it's just all dry cereal. I don't know. What's everyone's kid's favorite cereal.
00:15:40
Speaker
We haven't. So we're kind of new in cereal. I don't know why I say So growing up, we couldn't have the fun cereals because my brother was diabetic. So we had to have, and there wasn't like a lot of sugar free back then. So it was like basically like Cheerios.
00:15:52
Speaker
So that's pretty much all I bought for my kids. But my husband ate like every, like basically the cereals that are dessert. And so, i don't know, we're kind of new on this. But so I bought corn checks this week. I'm like, it's getting crazy. We're going to try corn checks.
00:16:05
Speaker
What's ever, what do you guys, what's like your favorite kids' favorite cereals? We're trash. They like Fruity Pebbles, Captain Crunch with berries. I'm really disappointed they're not into the Reese's one because I love that one, but they won't eat that right now.
00:16:19
Speaker
We don't do that. I mean, we've started to do a little bit of the sugary stuff and the biggest racket of all time is that if you look at the sugar content in like name fruit loops, it's probably lower than like raisin bran, but we would do Cheerios. So Cheerios, multi-grain Cheerios, honey nut Cheerios, that trifecta was nice.
00:16:40
Speaker
Special K was one. Now I'm sort of at the stage where it's whatever box is cheapest and also comes in a family size. Life is another sort of neutral cereal and Kix.
00:16:52
Speaker
So those are all our neutral ones. So I don't want to say that that's what we're eating right now. Usually it's Cinnamon Life. Raisin Bran. Sometimes Special K with like the fruit or the little chocolate pieces. That one's really good.
00:17:08
Speaker
Ooh. oo This is so many new. What what is your kids eat, Megan? They like Lucky Charms, but it's a little weird because they pick out the marshmallows.
00:17:19
Speaker
And I feel like that's all they eat. Yeah. Is the marshmallows. You can buy the marshmallows by themselves. Yes. I've tried. No one. They're like, it doesn't taste the same.
00:17:31
Speaker
Yeah. And life. We have basic life cereal too, but yeah.
Childhood Cereal Memories
00:17:36
Speaker
don't know if we've done life. I do feel like I do remember kicks. Maybe like I said, it's it's a whole world that I just don't eat. I remember the first time I had Lucky Charms, I was probably like into adulthood.
00:17:44
Speaker
And I like, I think I just missed it. So i was like, I don't get this. Like these marshmallows are gross and hard. And I don't understand. I think you had to have it as a kid to appreciate it. And then like the nostalgia of it keeps you wanting to eat it. Maybe I'm not sure. Yeah.
00:17:57
Speaker
Yeah. I was only allowed to eat frosted mini wheats and Cheerios growing up. But we did try all of the different kinds of Cheerios, which are there's too many, too many kinds of Cheerios.
00:18:10
Speaker
have you Do you have like a favorite? That's a unique one. I feel like the growing up, we did the apple one. I remember the apple. Those are good. Yeah, they make really good bars, actually, like with marshmallows.
00:18:23
Speaker
Interesting. Or peanut butter. peanut butter and marshmallows mixed together with the apple cherries. That makes sense. Yeah. Like I've done that with rice. cream I've seen those cereal bars. Those are super helpful when you're like on the go too.
00:18:35
Speaker
Yeah. tasty Yeah. All right. And once again, time to move away from things that we did when we were kids and dive in to today's episode.
Exploring Productivity and Personality
00:18:44
Speaker
So I wanted to talk about, want to talk about productivity it's something that I like to talk about a lot in my, like on my YouTube channel and on my blog and stuff. But I wanted to talk about it specifically because I thought that we're a good group of women in the sense that I think that we're all different enough and probably how we approach productivity. And when I think about productivity, I feel like it really does matter a lot on your sort of personality type and how you approach it in order to be successful. So we always start with stats and I have like an enormous about a stats about this, just because it's something I talk about on my YouTube channel a lot. So I'll try to go through it, not too, I won't make it too lengthy, but, um, so the first thing I looked at was productivity and how it's affected like by our biological factors.
00:19:29
Speaker
So there are like genetic parts of us that impact our productivity. So there's something called dopamine regulation. This just has to do with like our motivation and our reward seeking. And that's a genetic factor.
00:19:42
Speaker
There's our executive functioning, which is mostly um genetic and executive functioning is like your focus, your planning, your self-control. There's something called sleep chronotypes, which is like whether you're a morning person or you're a nighttime person. So that will affect when you're most productive.
00:19:59
Speaker
But those i have found are only a part of the puzzle. So there's a lot of studies um that talk about like your genetic factors versus what productivity methods you use. So there's a study out of the University of Inenburg It found that, well, about 30 to 40% of our self-discipline and our productivity may be inherited. And genetic, they found that 60 to 70% of it is shaped by our environment, by our habits and our systems that we use.
00:20:25
Speaker
So that basically says that, yes, well, biologically, it definitely does matter. What really moves the needle when it comes to your productivity strategies is like your individual personalities and the systems you use.
00:20:36
Speaker
So I found a few studies. that sort of saw if they could prove that. So there was a study done in conscientiousness, which is the personality trait that is like responsibility and being organized, obviously it's going to make you more productive.
00:20:51
Speaker
And they have found that even people who score really low on that trait could see improvements when they use systems that worked for them. There was a university, a study done at the university of Minnesota in 2023,
00:21:04
Speaker
specifically for moms, and they found that moms who use planning tools that match their own thinking style, like visual versus verbal, were 41% more consistent on following through on things that they wanted to do.
00:21:17
Speaker
So that's kind of what I wanted to talk about and unpack today. I feel like sometimes we see these like productivity hacks, and if we try them, they don't work for us, and then we kind of like can feel bad about it. But I think that when we kind of think about our own personality and what works for us, then we can be a lot more successful with it. So I want to start, I guess, by just asking you guys if you have any personality traits you know about yourself and how it impacts your productivity or how it maybe impacts like um just methods that you use to be productive. So Charlotte, going start with start with you.
00:21:53
Speaker
I think that my personality is I'm the oldest child and I've never done a personality test per se, but I think as the oldest, it makes me sort of an alpha. I like to sort of be in control and I like to finish what I say I'm going to do. Like, I think I'm sort of motivated to achieve. I'm sort of what is that? I guess achievement motivated.
00:22:18
Speaker
And so I think that means that when i have to, I need to do something, I want to finish it and be done with it. So it's hard for me to leave things on the table or walk away.
00:22:31
Speaker
And so I think as a result, that just means that I get through my to-do list. I also think that I played sports all through college And I have, I was a teacher, like, I think I've throughout my life, I've learned how to juggle balls and sort of manage time and sort of, if I have 10 minutes here, going to do a little something like, I think I have a pretty good sense of how long things will take. And so then when you're weaving together the to-do list and the day, i feel like I'm usually pretty adept at like, okay, I have 40 minutes and that means I can do X, Y, and Z. And I think that comes from having been busy as a child. And so learning how to time manage for homework and learning how to get through things and
00:23:18
Speaker
I don't know, that sort of nature-nurture type stuff. My mother was very organized. And so I think I lived in a house where I saw my parents going through to-do lists and and just being, it didn't feel hectic. It felt sort of regimented and linear. And I think that probably rubbed off on me a little bit.
00:23:37
Speaker
So I don't know, I guess you would ask personality. I think it's that sort of alpha, like overachiever side of me that means I want to get through. if something needs to get done, I want to do it.
00:23:48
Speaker
And you find time to do, I mean, the way that you're talking sounds like you're probably somebody who likes to do lists, like writing down what you need to get done, but you like flexibility in your routine because you're somebody like you probably wouldn't work well with like a super rigid, like, okay, I'm going to do this. And then this, and then this, because you like that flexibility. And it sounds like that's kind of how you had it growing up of being able to kind of weave it in as it makes sense.
00:24:12
Speaker
I think that's right. Yeah. Yeah. All right, Megan, I'm going to move on to you. So I feel i'm oh somewhat like Charlotte. well When you said anything so many things, I was like, okay, that's me. That's me. So again, I'm the oldest in the family, the first grand grandchild on um one of the sides.
00:24:36
Speaker
um And I feel like I'm a very determined person, a go-getter. I love lists. I was, and again, what Charlotte said too, the way I was brought up and saw my parents, they were very with lists and organization, but I felt like our household ran better that way. Like, and I know for me too, when I don't have things organized for the kids, like I do a lot of the things the night before for camp, school, whatever it is, I'm not a morning person. So I can't wing it in the morning.
00:25:09
Speaker
but The people that can, I mean- I don't know how you do it because I just – I'm more the night before laying everyone's outfits out, eat like putting the apple in the bag, all that.
00:25:20
Speaker
So I feel like for me, very like type A. And when things are organized and my house looks clean and it's vacuumed and the laundry is put away, my energy and my – just how I feel, I'm a happier person.
00:25:38
Speaker
better with the kids. I have more patience. But when things are all over the place and I do need to learn to relax and let things go. And that's one thing I wish I could do more. But if things are organized, I'm always like, I need to organize. I need to clean up. And everyone, you know, my kids will be like, mom, it's fine. Just let it go. And I'm like, no, make the beds in the morning, put your stuff in the hamper.
00:26:03
Speaker
And I feel like when you come home from the day to have the beds all made and things are tidy. I just feel better, but that's not real life sometimes too. So I wish I could let it go and maybe be more of a type B in some situations, but I am who I am, right?
00:26:20
Speaker
Well, and it sounds like, but you're good at, you know that you are that way. So, I mean, it does sound like a lot of yours is sort of like you you're prepping ahead for like knowing that it's coming. So you kind of have these, I mean, I think that's good. You having these methods that you use to prevent Yes. The overwhelm or to prevent the whatever. And like my calendar app and my notes app, there's so many things in there that's like all over the place. But like if I sit down and go through it and like check them off and like organize it and slim it down for whatever reason, I feel a little better about all the stuff I got to do.
00:26:55
Speaker
Yeah. So like, are you the kind of person if you had like a big to do list that was like really crazy and you were just crossing that would overwhelm you? You kind of like like it when it gets smaller as you go. It's like I have a grocery one, a Costco one, a little aesthetic.
00:27:11
Speaker
Caitlin, it's funny because as as everyone was talking, i' have such a weird situation because I am the middle child, but my brother's 12 years older than me. So I also have older child tendencies, which I do.
00:27:25
Speaker
believe like your birth order and and if you had siblings kind of goes along with all of this. But I used to be somebody who, no, I'm still this person.
00:27:36
Speaker
I wait. Part of my problem is I don't like making decisions. i am ah I am afraid of commitment because I will get torn between two things. And if I decide on one too early, there have been times in my life where it could be something as silly as choosing your book for your book report,
00:27:53
Speaker
report that I suddenly regret it when it's too late. So I'm a last minute person. I was like all throughout college. I wrote my papers the night before they were due.
00:28:06
Speaker
And the next morning I woke up at 3 a.m. m Megan and finished it where I just didn't sleep. yep And I did well. It's just how I functioned. And there was a time when I would try to do differently. like I would try to write my paper ahead of time. I would try to, i was an English major, so I wrote a lot of papers. so I would try to study for the test throughout the whole week. And I never did as good as when I crammed it all in my brain.
00:28:29
Speaker
and now when I'm a mom and I have 75,000 things going on in my life, I'm still the same way. So as I'm packing for vacations, I will start a week ahead of time.
00:28:41
Speaker
But those couple hours before we go, I'm still racing to the finish line with all my stuff. And a lot of times I, I, yeah have everything I need and i get everything done on my list.
00:28:53
Speaker
There's only a few times that I don't. And i think, oh I think that, like I said, the reason I have to wait till the end is because I'm too afraid. Like, well, if I go this, you know, if I go right when I should have went left, then going to be lost or I'm going to forget something.
00:29:09
Speaker
Are you the kind of person that will like plan it ahead though? Like, are you making lists leading up to it? And then when you get to that final moment, Does it motivate you or does it stress you out?
00:29:21
Speaker
It motivates me because I have six lists about the one vacation I'm going on and I've gone through them so many times that I've knocked off things that I don't need anymore or that aren't going to be good and in the end.
00:29:36
Speaker
it's It's like cleaning my house too. Like I'll start off with a master list. Somebody's going to, you know, we have guests coming. I'll start off with a master list of every, a brain dump, everything I need to do. And then over the next couple days, as I get things done, I cross them off. And then I also realized some of that stuff on there is just pointless.
00:29:53
Speaker
Yeah. Well, there are people who, I mean, there are people who that's when they thrive. Like they literally work better when they get closer to the, I feel like there's like a, some stupid tech term, not tech term, like psychology term for people who like do well when they wait till later, my husband is the same way. And I'm the opposite. I'm sort of like Megan, like I'd rather like have everything prepped all ah Like when we have dinner parties, people are like, what can I do? I'm like nothing because I did it all yesterday and I just have to put it in the oven.
00:30:20
Speaker
I see. i I can't do that. Yeah. I'm too afraid. What if, what if I decide that we didn't want to eat lasagna and yeah I already made it. It's like indecisive.
00:30:31
Speaker
hu Yeah. Yeah. It's terrible. what we're asking, what we're going to do today. And I'm like, I don't know, guys, what do you want to do? Yeah. Somebody else decide decide. Yeah. So it is partially indecisiveness. But I mean, it's good that the getting I mean, it's good that the indecisiveness doesn't stress you out. Then once you get to the end, it's very motivating.
00:30:49
Speaker
There are certain people who like that, like the last minute motivates them. It would like totally crash me. Yeah, it it it is like I'm OK. This is all I have. You know, I got to do this. I got to do it now.
00:31:02
Speaker
And that's, you know, Even, you know, packing for trips. You know, Megan, you said you lay all the kids outfits the night before. could never because you don't know what's going to happen the next morning. There be rain. There could be somebody doesn't like that shirt.
00:31:19
Speaker
So, yeah. Yeah. But it is sort of funny. i I'm sure there's a psychology behind it. But I think the older you get, the more you trust your Like you trust that you're going to get through what you need to get through, even if it's a last minute scramble. And so I would imagine that's not as stressful for you because you're like the last 10 times went on vacation, this is how it was. And I made it work.
00:31:40
Speaker
yeah And I think yeah for me, i feel like the challenge would be like really coming to terms with the fact that it's like, okay, is it a little bit stressful, but I just know I can get through it. And so I ignore the stress.
00:31:52
Speaker
Like, could it, is it worth trying on? a different, I i'm can't think of any examples, but I don't know, just because we know we can get through it doesn't negate the fact that it may cause us stress and anxiety. And like both things can be true. And I find that sometimes because it's such a habit, I don't even question the way I get things done.
00:32:13
Speaker
And I'm sure it would benefit me to have, I don't know, ah therapist or a third party, someone be like, hi, i wonder if you did it this way, would it feel better? and that I don't even go through those motions because it's like, I know I'm going to get it done. This is what I, how I've always done it.
00:32:25
Speaker
yeah yeah is there like a better ah better way to do it and i think that's why it's hard like that's why i sort of said at the beginning like it's hard because there's so many of these like productivity hack or try this or and there's some of them that just won't work for all of us like i just i truly don't believe that it's a one size fits all there is i don't know i'm friends with cas who is clutter bug on youtube i don't know guys you've ever fallen a across her videos, but she's um like an organizer and she's developed like for organizing styles. She calls it clutter bug because there's different, like you're either a butterfly or a ladybug or I forget all the other ones off the top my head, a cricket or something. and It's like you're organizing style. And it's literally like if you're somebody who needs clear bins and you need to see where everything is, or you're somebody who needs it, you know, because we're all different. And I love thinking about it that way because organization's the same thing. It can be one of those like just organize like this. And then you'll be organized forever. And you're like, well, my brain does not work that way.
00:33:22
Speaker
So it's about finding the, the one that works for you. yeah Well, it's funny. You think about my sister and I are two years and eight months apart. And there are a lot of things that we have similarities, but there, then there, we are just so different in terms of organization and productivity. Like she walks into my unfinished side of the basement and her eye starts twitching and she has to back out. She's like,
00:33:46
Speaker
This isn't organized. There's too much stuff in there, blah, blah, blah. I'm like, well, I'll go in there and organize it every couple of weeks. And then it turns into a dump hole again. And then, you know, cycle it up again. But I can't.
00:33:57
Speaker
She wants, she said before, I'll come in, I'll throw out all your stuff and we'll start over. And I'm like, no, no, no. no no That's your house. but Yeah. Stay away from mine. One thing that comes to mind for me is like, we're getting ready to go on a trip.
00:34:10
Speaker
So i everyone has their suitcases out in their room and I'm like, start putting your stuff in there. I love the packing cubes. But one thing I see a lot of people do, and this is just on another level, which I don't do, is planning out the outfits and and taking photos and organizing them by day and all. Do you see the people that do this? I mean- There's apps.
00:34:31
Speaker
Yeah, kudos to you that you can do that. But like, that just seems like, again, like Caitlin, like you said, with the weather that morning or how you're feeling that day, it's like outfit one, outfit two, day three. I don't know. I'm going to pick out the outfits. And if I happen to wear them on wet that Wednesday, like great. But like, that is just a whole nother level. And then last week I went to Newport with some girlfriends and the night before- I go into like rage mode. I'm like on level one vacuuming someone's room down to level two, loading all the stuff in the dishwasher. Then it's like, oh, then I'm back on level two.
00:35:06
Speaker
Oh, I forgot that dress. And I'm back on level one, lo like vacuuming the kitchen. I felt like I'm like, and then I'm like cleaning out like the fridge and like, you know, organizing the last day of school backpack because you're gone for two days. Yeah.
00:35:21
Speaker
Yeah. The only time I plan out outfits forensically is if I'm going to like a conference where I have two days and I have to have a presentable outfit that will fit into ideally a carry-on or like I said, this trip that we, when I have to help out with the dream home, because you do have to make sure like you can't have things with logos and I have to just have a sense. I can't really wing it, but I'm with you for a vacation.
00:35:47
Speaker
I don't care what my kids bring. I'll write a list that's like, three underwear, two socks, T-shirts, and it's like, take whatever. Just so they don't show up with goggles and a toothbrush. Yeah. yeah parama yeah Yeah.
00:36:01
Speaker
I'm always like, we're going to do laundry. We don't need 14 pairs of underwear. Just spring seven. Yes. I know I'm always less is more when it's packing, sometimes to a fault and then I don't have enough, but I honestly would rather not have enough than have too much. Or like my dad was joking with him. This is a total joke, but we were talking about packing for long trips and he's like, it's fine. Like you could wear the same underwear three days in a row. And my girls were like,
00:36:27
Speaker
no Annabelle would see Annabelle and your dad would be fine together. She'd be like, this is fine. Yeah. okay so i thought it would be fun i developed kind of like ah ah like old school this is the theme of of our our podcast today is like nostalgia like an old school quiz that you used to take in like 17 magazine where you have to decide if you're mostly a's mostly b's mostly c's and mostly d's i typed this all out like a week and a half ago when we're gonna do this okay it is
00:37:00
Speaker
Five questions. So I'm going to ask you guys, I want you to write yours down. And if you're listening, I want you to also take the test. It's going to tell you what you, I mean, it's only five questions. You can probably remember in your head, but I'll do it on my phone. can't remember in my head. i already forgot what you said. okay texas it's going It's going to tell you what your person, sorry.
00:37:20
Speaker
Olive is up here. Olive is our dog. And there are people, God forbid, people moving downstairs. She just cannot handle that. Somebody may try to walk downstairs. So I'm sorry that she's barking.
00:37:31
Speaker
Okay. So, and then at the end, I will tell you what your personality type is and a like a little, a little info about it. Okay. okay Olive, get a grip. We are doing a test.
00:37:43
Speaker
Thank you. Okay. Question one. What is your ideal way to start a Monday? A, with a full plan, coffee, and my to-do list. B, easing into the day and feeling it out.
00:37:54
Speaker
C, something fun, creative, or inspiring. Or D, checking in with others to see what is needed. Oops. Oh my god, I just lost my spot. OK. OK.
00:38:05
Speaker
Wait. Oh my god. we Wait, wait. Oh my god, I have my whole list. And where did it go? Oh, there it is. OK. OK. That's OK. OK. um okay Oh my God, I gave you guys the wrong question.
00:38:16
Speaker
Okay, we have to start over. Charlotte, edit from here. i was reading my i was reading my draft. i was reading my draft. I fixed it. I fixed it. I made it into A, B, and C to make it easier.
00:38:26
Speaker
Are you ready? Ready. Yes. Okay. Okay. Sorry. I didn't realize i had multiple drafts. Okay. So question number one. Speaking of organization. ah Too many drafts of my quiz.
00:38:38
Speaker
Question number one. what is your i ah What is your ideal way to start a Monday? a My to-do list, B, easing into the day slowly, C, sleeping in and then hitting the ground running, or D, doing something fun and creative. Question two. Question They're only A, B, and C. You just gave it me. lied. lied. Okay, great. Sorry.
00:38:55
Speaker
I got it now. Question two. When life throws off your plans, you a rework the plan and get back to work, B, panic for a second but then pivot, C, check in with others to find a solution together,
00:39:12
Speaker
Or D, lose your motivation.
00:39:15
Speaker
Question three, what drives your productivity most? A, efficiency. B, flexibility. C, accountability. Or D, creative energy.
00:39:29
Speaker
Four, you have a quiet hour. What do you do? A, check off some of the things that are on your to-do list. B, think I should probably do something, but I'm not sure what.
00:39:41
Speaker
C, call or text a friend to chat with while you do laundry. Or D, work on something fun. Olive.
00:39:51
Speaker
All right, final question. What kind of to-do list works best for you? A, something detailed and organized. B, a loose outline. C, ah shared list of tasks with family.
00:40:06
Speaker
Or D, a jumbled list on my notes app. Or an aesthetic list, but nothing in between. So either like a total mess or something like perfectly curated, but no, there's no in between.
00:40:19
Speaker
Where any of you went to, yeah, I was going add, it's not scrapbooking. What is it? Journaling? What is it? Oh, bullet journaling. That was a thing.
00:40:31
Speaker
Yes. It still is, I think. Yes. That was too much work for me. Okay. Go on. Okay. So ah will everybody answer who you're the most of. Are you the most A, B, C, or D? Charlotte? A. You're the most A. Megan?
00:40:44
Speaker
A. Caitlin? I was tied between a and C. No, you can't be. There's five questions. Yeah. I had A, B, C, C, and A. Oh, whoa. were a little all over the place. Wow. Oh, boy.
00:40:59
Speaker
Sorry. I take it back. Yep. Okay. Well, I'll tell you the results. Okay. What about you? What are you? Yeah. What about you? Oh, I'm mostly A's. I'm mostly A's. I'm sorry. I'm mostly A's. A lot of A's in this. Olive, you are a F, whatever that is. I mean, maybe she's trying to tell you what she is. She did she's not the question. sure yeah ah Okay.
00:41:20
Speaker
If you are mostly A's, then you are a planner queen. You thrive on structure and live for a good checklist. Okay. If you're mostly B's, Your rhythms and vibes. You're not rigid.
00:41:32
Speaker
You're not chaotic. You like just something flexible that works in the moment. If you are mostly C's, this means you are a people-powered producer. So this is somebody that you need people around you to motivate you to get things done. The people who, like, what's it called when you are working and somebody else is working, but you're not doing the same thing? Co-work tandem? there's like a word for that.
00:41:56
Speaker
Yeah, that like works well for you. And then if you're mostly D, then you're a creative productivity person. So you need to feel inspired or connected to get moving.
00:42:07
Speaker
And like that really matters to the aesthetic and the mood of stuff. So after hearing the descriptions, I'm an A. I don't want to work with anybody. What were you tied between?
00:42:18
Speaker
and C. Oh, A and C. Yeah, yes yeah. C is social. yeah That was good. I picked the social one because I do like to talk on the phone while I do laundry, but I also like to listen to books.
00:42:30
Speaker
You just need something happening. yeah so like Yeah, you need – yeah, you can just like work in a – I'm with you on that one, Caitlin. When I know I have a lot of laundry, I'll call a friend or someone because it distracts me from the loads and piles.
00:42:45
Speaker
Yeah. We should edit this in a way that we can share it on social. I'd be interested and like, is everyone an A or like our moms typically A's? Like I'd be interested in what our audience, if they would, yeah like it makes sense that we get along that we'd be A's.
00:43:01
Speaker
Yeah. I feel like I was not an A before motherhood. I feel like motherhood made me an A. So I do also wonder, like, I feel like i was probably more of like s yeah or a B before. So that's actually interesting. Yeah. That's a good point. Different parts of your life, you were probably different letters. Yeah.
00:43:16
Speaker
Yeah, totally. Yeah. Oh, I love that. Okay. So I but really quick, before we jump into our guest interview, i want everyone, and I didn't ask you to write this down. So i hope you can think of something. ah want everyone to share just like one little productivity hack or tip that works for you. It doesn't mean that it would work for everyone, but something maybe when you've got like a lot on the to-do list, something that you lean on.
00:43:39
Speaker
going to go with Caitlin because she's kind of nodding like she has an answer, but maybe she doesn't. I mean, I think I just said I like I like to do something else while I'm doing my to do list. So if i I download a really good book, I make a really good playlist, make sure everybody is distracted at my house because the second I get interrupted, then then I'm going off of my list.
00:44:03
Speaker
And I have to remind myself as I'm listening to my book to go in order of my list because if you jump or if I jump around too much, then I lose track of where I am. So just to-do list with and something to listen to. Power through.
00:44:16
Speaker
And no one talking to me. So I just give you three. An ideal world. Yeah, an ideal world. So I try to keep in my mind, complete the task. like And you know when I was heading to Newport, I was not completing the task. I was- So like if you're going to do the dishwasher, unload it, finish it, then move to the laundry, do the laundry, unload it, finish it, go vacuum.
00:44:39
Speaker
When I go and eat, then you start getting scatterbrained and you forget things. So finish your task, go to the next one. And another thing that I love to do with organization, with everyone's closets, and it somewhat works, is the color coordination of everything.
00:44:57
Speaker
shirts, dresses, whatever it may be. Even in the drawers, I do it with the kids. It doesn't always stay that way, but I feel like that kind of helps me with the clothing aspect. Charlotte?
00:45:11
Speaker
I definitely write down everything on my to-do list, like to a point, even if it's call back your mother. And then i do, i don't do this on paper, but I mentally sort of batch and look for things that can happen at once so that if I have to go to Home Depot, I'll also go to CVS and I'll run. So I try to take a, like an overall view of things and just be like, what, what can I link with each other?
00:45:36
Speaker
and then if I'm really like this week, it's been crazy. So if I really have a lot going on, I will sit down and write out like nine to 10 X, Y, and Z. Like I will write it out by the hour, half hour, depending on the craziness, just to make sure that I can,
00:45:52
Speaker
physically get through it. I like that idea of, I mean, you said you mentally do it, but now I can picture that my to-do list upstairs of like drawing a line being like, look, you can do this at the same time. Cause it's never an order of, you know no, no.
00:46:07
Speaker
Or if like, if I have to call back or reply to things like those are things that I could do in the car or while I'm waiting to pick someone up in a carpool line. So it's helpful to just look at it overall and be like, this has to happen.
00:46:22
Speaker
before the kids get home or this can happen while I'm making dinner or whatever. Yeah. I mean, mine's basically the same. i I'm big, like I dump everything down. it doesn't matter like when I'm doing it, when it needs to be done, everything has to get like out of my head down into a piece of paper.
00:46:39
Speaker
And then I do the same thing. I'll batch like tasks, but I do it inside of the day. So, um, You know, I'll do I'll look at my overall week and then like, OK, these can make sense. But I am very big. I definitely don't do well if I'm like switch switch, switch, switch, switch. So I try to really when I have chunks of time, like I'm batching a lot of similar things into that block so that I can sort of be in that mind frame while I'm doing it.
00:47:03
Speaker
And I'm not like I found that for my productivity. It's best if I can give myself like chunks of similar time. And so I'm not like do this for an hour, then do that for an hour, then that for an hour. Cause that really messes me up.
00:47:16
Speaker
um So I found that that is the best one for me. Yeah. Do you try to take breaks? I just started doing this where if I have a lot to do, i take, I will intentionally take a break. Otherwise i it's like I burnt out all my energy and then I can't continue going with what I need to get done.
00:47:33
Speaker
Yeah. I don't write it into my schedule. But if I am between tasks and I make the mistake of sitting down, i will, I won't stress about it. I will allow myself five or 10 minutes just to like scroll TikTok or do the Wordle or like go on Reddit, whatever.
00:47:50
Speaker
So I don't plan it, but I definitely give myself time for that. Yeah. Yeah. I have a hard time once I've stopped for rest to get back into it. So I like I just ride the wave. Yeah. Yeah. No, I feel like I'm like that too. Sometimes Callie, once I sit down, it's like, I'll like, yeah, you know, i just need to go. Yeah.
00:48:11
Speaker
All right. So today for, let me pull up my little notes. I need my notes because I don't have everything in my memory. um So today I chatted with a friend of mine in the blogging world. Her name is Taylor and she is the creator of the brand Taylor Lately. And then she has a podcast called Hustle Like a Mother.
00:48:26
Speaker
So she helps moms sort of stay organized and be productive while also balancing motherhood as well as like creative outlets for your life. She does these like really amazing hand-painted things.
00:48:38
Speaker
I don't know if I'm going to think of the word it like nails, but like the the kind of nails that you like press on nails, I guess is the word. sticker ones. Yeah, but hers are, she does, I mean, she hand paints them so beautifully. So she also talks a lot about, you know, how to also have time for creative outlets as well. She has three young kids and she just shares a lot of like real life tips for time management and systems. She's somebody who actually helped me set up my notion, which is something that I use for all of the organization for my business.
00:49:05
Speaker
So I'm going to chat with her about productivity and productivity by personality.
00:49:14
Speaker
Taylor, thank you so much for joining us. We're so excited to talk to you. The girls and i in this episode, we're just chatting. We're chatting about productivity, but specifically about how productivity changes based on who you are. And so I just thought that you would be a really good person to chat with about this. I had shared that you helped me with my notion, yeah like my whole notion background, which I still literally use it to this day. It's been great. love that.
00:49:39
Speaker
And I know you help a lot of other people and you've talked to so many me amazing people on your podcast about productivity. So sure I guess I wanted to start with asking, how do you help someone kind of like figure out what productivity styles work best for them? Like, are there any clues in their personality that might guide them to one productivity style versus a different one?
00:50:03
Speaker
Yeah. so usually talking about what hasn't worked helps a lot so that we don't, you know, I don't offer suggestions that just already are out. A lot of times it has to do with, we kind of look back at what they've done before and how successful, like what degrees of success they've had, because sometimes something they've tried is successful. They just have a hard time with habit forming. And so then we'll kind of tackle habit forming versus like,
00:50:29
Speaker
coming up with a different productivity system. does so that make sense? So it's like it was a systems problem. It was just either their time of life, right? Or just learning to stick with a habit, which can be for anything.
00:50:42
Speaker
And sometimes we find out they have ADHD, which is fun. And then we have to change everything. know That's awesome. um And as a late diagnosed adult, ADHD-er.
00:50:53
Speaker
That really helps to figure out why things don't work. And it's great. So step one is looking at what hasn't worked and then discovering why it hasn't worked. And then from there, we get some valuable information, right?
00:51:06
Speaker
We also look at, there are like not right now systems. it absolutely So there are things if I didn't have all three of my kids, you know, six and under in my house, they would be organized differently because as an adult,
00:51:21
Speaker
I could manage that organization better than I do now. So like a lot of my organization in life is like quick things. They're not what I like i in a perfect ideal world would love for them to be, but they have to be fast and my kids have to be able to help with them.
00:51:35
Speaker
In my business, I work during nap times and I work after they go to bed. So things have to be quick. And so they're like just right now systems. And so when we're looking at how to organize, i take a look at all of those things first.
00:51:49
Speaker
ah Do you have childcare? Do you have kids at home? Are you able to put a whole day of the week aside or not? Are working in little pockets of time? And then we can kind of build a...
00:52:00
Speaker
digital organizational system around those factors, but we have to know those things first. Yes. What I love is how you talk about right now systems. Cause I do think, especially moms, we can all, i think we all can agree that we probably would do things a little bit differently, or we might look at somebody, maybe even like a later season of life of motherhood, who is able to do something differently.
00:52:25
Speaker
So I love that, that you do I mean, we we kind of ended up getting to this in the discussion on the podcast about how we we had this like we did this like fun little Cosmo quiz versus like your productivity style. And we're all like, oh, our productivity style now is different than before we had children.
00:52:41
Speaker
absolutely. Yeah. So we talked a lot about personality style, but I think season of life totally is something to consider yeah as well. love that. Yeah.
00:52:51
Speaker
I find that sometimes impacts it more... Than personality. Right now, with the women that I talk to right this second, we're often like motherhood trenches. That is dec dependating a lot of what's happening.
00:53:03
Speaker
Like I'm very type a and then you throw my kids in the mix. and I'm like, oh, I have to be type B or we're never going to get anything done and I'm going to go crazy. Yes. Right. I will hate everything. Yes. So I've had to add flexibility to my routines that I wouldn't wouldn't normally have, but I have because children. Uh-huh.
00:53:22
Speaker
And in some ways I feel like, I mean, I always think about, I'm like each each of my chat children, like, Yeah. You like lower the bar a little bit, like each time you have like a bar down. Right. But i'm I'm also like, it forced me to be so much more chill about stuff. And I do think about how it's helped me be, you know, just smarter with some of the stuff that I do.
00:53:41
Speaker
um Okay. Next question. What is a common productivity or just like planning organization mistake that you see a lot of people make, whether they're starting like a new productivity thing or like when you're kind of getting into it, like one that they have been making.
00:53:55
Speaker
ah Doing things on the fly. So i recommend when I'm sitting down with somebody, whether it's work systems or home systems, doesn't really matter. But making things up as you go makes life exponentially harder.
00:54:09
Speaker
And that's often the common thing. You're like, i want to be organized. So when I go out, I'm trying to organize the car right before we leave and get my bags together. Or I'm sitting down to, you know, meet with a client and I'm typing notes as I go. And the it's a lot of I want to be organized and I know I can have these systems, but I'm not prepping appropriately.
00:54:31
Speaker
And I think that's like one of the number one mistakes is there's just not, we're not setting ourselves up for success. And then when it doesn't work. So I guess my question, my next question would be if you are somebody who feels like you're in that place, like I know a question, I'm sure you get a lot that I get all the time because I always talk about like you need to plan time to plan.
00:54:52
Speaker
Right. So what suggestion would you give to somebody if they know they are in that sort of like on the fly, but they just they feel like they can't ever kind of get caught up? What would be your first step for them?
00:55:04
Speaker
So I recommend having like one hour a week. It doesn't really even matter when in the week it happens. For me, this is Sunday evenings after my kids go to bed. um i have one hour where i look ahead I have all my work things that must happen. have all my life things that must happen.
00:55:21
Speaker
And then under each of those things, I'm like, okay, in order for me to get the kids to the pool Monday morning, have a client meeting Monday afternoon and have dinner on the table, you know, before my husband gets home. So we aren't all hangry.
00:55:34
Speaker
Those are like the three big big priorities on Monday. What do I need to do like right now to ensure that those things happen? So for me, that would be, i need to pack the pool bag after everybody goes to bed.
00:55:45
Speaker
Set it by the front door. Okay. So now we're like, we can get out the door. i need to pull up the client meeting that I have kind of just peruse the notes, make sure that I know I'm going in. Okay.
00:55:56
Speaker
For that Monday afternoon meeting so that when we leave the pool, i can come home, put everyone down for naps, sit down and have my meeting for dinner. Okay. I need to pull out the meat out of the freezer so that I don't get to after my meeting i'm on Monday evening and be like, great. I didn't thaw any of the ground beef for dinner tonight.
00:56:12
Speaker
And i can do all of that. in like 10 minutes for my Monday, right? I can throw stuff in the pool bag. I can look at my meeting notes and I can pull the ground beef out of the fridge.
00:56:23
Speaker
Okay. so now I've set my Monday up to be really smooth. And there are other things that can happen in the Monday, but I know like the three main things, were We're good to go. And then I kind of do that for every day.
00:56:37
Speaker
So as far as I can, Fridays are kind of free for all days. I don't usually do anything for that. just cutliba It's good to have a free for all day. It's on Friday. like We're usually doing takeout. We're not really going any, like we don't really have solid plans. Fridays are just whatever. But yeah I try to do that for each day of the week where I just do that tiny bit of prep for like three important things a day.
00:56:58
Speaker
and if I can kind of get those going, Then I am less likely to yell at my kids walking out the door because nobody's doing anything and the swimsuits are still in the dryer and, you know, whatever.
00:57:09
Speaker
Or, you know, be frustrated that I have to change my dinner plan last minute and now everybody's under my feet and I don't know what i'm making. It's just a whole thing again. Or I sit down with my client and I'm frazzled because I didn't have a minute to look over our notes. And now I don't look professional because I didn't get my pre-work done.
00:57:26
Speaker
But if I can do that for myself once a week and have like 60 to 90 minutes where I'm just getting myself set up for success, I don't have to do it every day. I'm kind of already there at a baseline and then everything else can kind of be okay after that.
00:57:41
Speaker
Yes. Yeah. And I find like, ah especially in motherhood, because it's like you're always hitting the ground running and constantly. And then you end up with, I think the biggest shift for me is like, there's always pockets of time. It's like, I'm trying to fit stuff into pockets of time. But if I've had time that I've sat down, I've like written all this stuff down.
00:58:00
Speaker
i just have like, I feel like I go into it having a better game plan and like, I feel more prepared. Yeah. And I think, And I think then if you do that pre-work, all you have to do is like just a little bit of planning each day.
00:58:14
Speaker
yeah's really It's really so much shorter. and then you don't feel like you are going into – one of my biggest things is I can't go into a day blind. Like I got to know what I'm doing before I'm waking up that day.
00:58:25
Speaker
Because like we were talking earlier, don't have childcare this summer and I have three kids, six and under. Plus I'm, you know, working, plus we have activities and all kinds of stuff. So if I'm going into my day blind, like we are already behind and I don't catch up for the rest of the day.
00:58:41
Speaker
Like I just can't do it. and then you go into the next day, not caught up. Yes. And then that's a disservice, like my mental health and my sanity. this is just me, you know, and then and i my husband kind of take over some stuff when he gets home, but all day it's me and the kids. So I'm doing myself and them because then my temper is shorter and my patience is thin.
00:59:02
Speaker
And that's not fair to them because they're just kids. doing kid things. So if I can get myself right and less stressed and like my day in order, everybody else is better for it.
00:59:14
Speaker
Absolutely. I love that. Taylor, thank you so much for sitting down and chatting with us. We'll have all the information, obviously, where people can find you and follow you. I've always loved, I mean, we love your podcast. Caitlin is actually one of the hosts and she was like, I was on Taylor's podcast. So another great resource for people to listen to.
00:59:32
Speaker
I love it. Thank you so much.
00:59:37
Speaker
And we are back and it is time for pits and peaks. Caitlin, do you want to go first? Sure. i have a peak. I accepted a part-time position at a med spa in my town. So I don't have to worry about trying to hustle to make money on my blog anymore. And I'm very excited to be with adults and not in my house for 20 hours a week.
01:00:01
Speaker
Yeah. i feel like it was I feel like that was slightly anticlimactic when you told us like we should have been more excited, but we all knew offline already. yeah I don't want people to be like, wow, look at those cold-hearted. We're just like, oh, great. Yeah, we knew.
01:00:14
Speaker
Congrats again. We already did the yay. Bye.
01:00:19
Speaker
What will happen with Arbor? Will you have a sitter come? No, she's in preschool. So I needed a job. I straight up asked the preschool, are you hiring? Which you guys know, I don't ever want to work with children again, but I was going to do it if they were. yeah so there'll be a couple hours here and there that she'll be with just her dad or my mom.
01:00:41
Speaker
But yeah, it works out. Come January, she's in school whenever I'm working. So. Yay. my My older kids are not happy.
01:00:52
Speaker
i was like, why? They're like, what if we need you? Like you're in school the entire time I'm at the office. What do you, what, what, what am I supposed to be doing? Sitting at home, twiddling my thumbs, making you dinner until you arrive.
01:01:06
Speaker
No. It reminds me of the, uh, the Berenstain Bears book where mom gets a job. Have we talked about that? Yes. Yeah. I'm going to, I'm going to take that one out for them and let them read it. Yeah.
01:01:17
Speaker
Megan, do you have a peek for us? I have a peek on Instagram yesterday. i hit 100K. Yeah. It's been a long, a long time coming. I mean, it's crazy how long it took, but just been posting every day and, you know, the algorithm eventually Took it there. so Yeah.
01:01:39
Speaker
But yeah. And I, and it's funny. i asked my kids, I think I might put it in a reel. I'm not really sure yet. i all I interviewed them and asked. And of course, like Nico was the only one that was excited. Gianna was like, who cares? And Ava was like,
01:01:57
Speaker
so we're moving on to the next day. No one cares anymore. Charlotte. Charlotte. I have a pit. my I've bragged a lot about my garden.
01:02:11
Speaker
So my flowers and my landscaping around my house is looking beautiful. My vegetable garden, it's not the year. it It looks sort of shaggy. And I don't know if it's because doesn't get enough sun where I put it or if I haven't watered it or if I should have put like better soil in it before I planted. But last year I planted it so late and it looked really great.
01:02:31
Speaker
This year I planted it on time and it's looking so measly. So that's a bummer. I have to... Did you Google this though? Because... My mom sent me something the other day about some of the plants in our yard that just looked like they were fried and sad, and now they're coming back.
01:02:48
Speaker
But there was something that happened in Connecticut with the weather. I was going to say on the the weather this year, no? Doesn't that affect it big time, Charlotte, or no? i mean, maybe we've had a lot of rain, ah so maybe that's why my landscaping is feeling so happy, and maybe that's why the vegetables are not, because they need more sun.
01:03:06
Speaker
i also, it's... I just don't, I tend to the garden around my patio because I'll just go out there and weed. I'm not really, my vegetable garden, it's a little more set it and forget it. It's like a water if I know we've had a week of dryness, but I don't think that's enough.
01:03:21
Speaker
But I sort of don't pay attention until it's ready to go harvest. And we haven't had anything to harvest. So it's just sort of sitting there. I think I'm just not giving it enough love, but whatever. Yeah. Oh, well, that's a bummer.
01:03:33
Speaker
I have, this is not, this is not a my pit, but it's sort of a pit. My, son is really into our vegetable garden this year and he grew pumpkins from a seed which is pretty easy and the pumpkins are going insane and he's so excited but something keeps coming and eating no and i'm worried it's just gonna break his little heart and i tried to cover them in netting but they they're just i mean i don't have anything permanent and whatever it is i'm assuming rabbits are getting under the netting and one is growing up like a fence so i'm like hoping that we get one or two i don't know it'll break his little heart if he doesn't get one pumpkin so sad
01:04:05
Speaker
you know That is sad. Anyways, that's not mine. I have a peak. We'll end on a peak. I have been like using my phone so much less this summer and it's been really nice paired with the summer because especially with little kids, they're they're so busy and demanding anyways that it's been really nice to just like be with them and be outside and just feel less tethered to my phone. And my husband has been doing it. Well, my husband, obviously he doesn't have a smartphone. You guys know that, but um it's been really great. We've been having just like so much great time outside and yeah, it's just been really nice.
01:04:42
Speaker
I cannot imagine having a dumb phone. I just, I, every time you say it, I'm like, yeah, well I'm getting, I'm getting one in August, so i will let you know how it goes. Yeah.
01:04:54
Speaker
That frightens me. Yeah. There's so many things I don't, like, I don't want to be on my phone, but to give that up. Yeah. I just, so I, yeah, I dumped down my smartphone in April. I deleted everything off of it except for basically what's on a dumb phone.
01:05:10
Speaker
So I feel confident going into it that I'll be fine without it. So. Does it have Google Maps? It has a maps. It has its own GPS and map. And the map will tell you to like, it'll like Michael can look up the restaurant down the street and see the hours and stuff. So there's even that, like if he wants to know that.
01:05:30
Speaker
But yeah, it has podcasts. has music. has apps. I mean, it has maps, no apps.
Living Without Internet on Phones
01:05:35
Speaker
Google? Like Safari? No, no, there's no internet. No, absolutely not. Oh, I've deleted that off of my phone. I don't have internet or email on my phone. I have nothing on my phone.
01:05:45
Speaker
So if you're driving in the car and someone wants to know what movie so-and-so was in in 1988, you're just, you're hanging on that thread until you get home to your computer. Yeah. And by then we usually, for I mean, so we haven't had it. I can't tell you how many times Michael and I've been like, gee, I wonder who, and then we just never know. And we're like, okay, guess we don't just never no no Yep.
01:06:04
Speaker
That lifestyle is not for me. Good for you, Callie. So it's just when you're in your office on the computer. Yeah. Just, yeah, just my computer. I can do pretty much everything I need from the computer so much. So it turns out we have a few random apps for like home stuff, like our home security system, obviously. um And we have an eeek tablet that we keep in the and the kitchen that we can have those apps on.
01:06:29
Speaker
I love that for you. Yeah, I love that for you. Yeah,
Podcast Wrap-Up and Summer Break Announcement
01:06:32
Speaker
it's been great for us. We love it.
01:06:36
Speaker
All right. i don't have we ever decided on how we end this? We just awkwardly wave goodbye. We tell people to please leave us a review. And is this our last one before we're taking a little break? Should I say that we are taking August off, right? yeah so yes So we're taking a summer break and we hope that you guys take a nice little summer break too from, i don't know, whatever. We're not really taking a summer break. We're just going to be slinging sunscreen and snacks, but you know, yeah.
01:07:06
Speaker
We like to pretend that we are. More tiled at. Yes. Getting yelled at. Okay. Bye. Bye.