2017 was definitely a year of growth, clarity and challenges. There were many moments that shaped my path and forced self-reflection that in turn inspired a movement in my life towards continual self growth, self love, and self challenge. One of the key tools that really shaped my 2017 has been my daily introduction of motivational and inspirational podcasts. Podcasts have been a great source of tips on management, self-care, wellness, and provided a continual stream of positivity each day. A daily dose of inspiration and motivation can go a long way in keeping you focused on your goals. This daily dose of motivation can take many forms including books if you are a reader, podcasts, or even just daily notes on your wall.

At the start of the new year it is always important to put your intentions, goals, and self affirmations on paper as a contract to yourself to progress yourself along the path you desire.  Ask yourself key questions and really decide what will make you happy in the New Year. Write down all the things that make you happy and figure out what you need to do to live in happiness, peace, and love. In your career, where would you like to see yourself within the year and what tools do you think you need to reach the next level. In your life, take a look at your relationships and decide if they are benefitting you or hurting your self progress and positivity. De-clutter your space and your life of things that hold you back or influence you towards negative habits. Look within yourself and truly figure out what can be holding you back from your happiness.

You have been blessed with a new year of life, a new year of grace, and a new year of progress. You will never get back 2017 and you only live each day once. De-cluttering, organization, time management, and a clear sight of your life goals and happiness will be a major key in living each day more purposely.

Comment down below how you have put purpose into your 2018!

 

The New Year is just around the corner and it is a good time for a change. It is also a time to evaluate your habits and leave your bad habits in the past and generally to just get rid of the old to make room for the new. A great skill to bring into the New Year is time management. Time management is essential to setting your goals and completing your goals. It is also a great way to keep track of your progress and know when it is time to set your mind on one goal and also when it is time to relax and have fun.

Here are a few tips to managing your time more effectively for the New Year:

Plan Your Week On Sunday

Plan to take a few minutes on Sunday to plan out your week. Your overall week will run more smoothly if your start your week and day off with a plan. A key factor to keep in mind is that your energy levels fluctuate during the week and you should plan your days with this in mind. For example, you can plan your low priority and low energy items for Monday, complete your more demanding tasks on Tuesday and Wednesday, schedule meetings for Thursday and utilize your Friday for planning and networking. It is a lot easier to get things done when you don’t have to think about what you need to focus on in a specific day and time frame.

Create A Daily Plan and Block out Your Day

Plan to block out your day the day before including tasks to complete, meetings, lunchtime, dinner, time, breaks, and when your day of work is complete. Also, when blocking out time keep in mind intricate details of a specific task and block out time for each detail needed to complete the task. Blocking out your day will allow you to execute your day more effectively without having lose time thinking about what you have to do next or tempting procrastination.

Schedule Your Demanding Tasks In The Morning

The morning is a great time to focus and get things out of the way before your mind is cluttered with other demands and thoughts. Use the morning to complete tasks that you may feel less obliged to do mid day.

Make The Most Of Your Waiting Periods

Utilize your waiting period effectively. Do you have a long commute on a train to work? Do you have a long wait before a flight? Use the time to complete small tasks like sending an email, making a call or even outlining a paper. Use these moments to get yourself ahead of the game.

Actually Organize Your Email

Emails can be stressful when it is all organized. Create folders according to the type of emails you receive and level of urgency. It will help to stay on top of what is going on, what you need to reply to and also not get overwhelmed by receiving a large volume of emails. A good trick is to create a filter that automatically sends a certain email address straight into a mailbox folder that you created. It helps to keep track of the emails that are being received.

Use Your Calendar

Get a dry erase calendar and fill in a visible schedule on your wall. Use your calendar to keep track of deadlines and even add locations to events being attended.

Comment down below how you manage your time best!

Hey Fran Hey

Francheska Medina AKA Hey Fran Hey is a lifestyle influencer from Harlem, NY. As a result of a chronic illness, Francheska was forced to seek out alternative medicine, nutrition, and fitness which helped in her healing herself. It was this change of lifestyle that changed the trajectory of her life towards a more holistic and conscious lifestyle. Francheska now uses her platforms, social media and podcast The Friend Zone with co-hosts Assante and Dustin to continually share beneficial lifestyle and wellness tips.

Ashlee Ammons and Kerry Schrader

Mother and daughter duo are a collective force to be reckoned with as founders of  Networking app Mixtroz. Each have an impressive network as Ammons worked as Lebron James first intern and as an event producer for big names such as Jay-Z, Coca-Cola, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Oprah Winfrey. Her mother, Schrader also has major connections with a history of working under companies like Ford and Sears. The inspiration behind the app came to fruition from a simple Sunday conversation that spiraled into an genius app that makes makes meeting people at networking events a lot easier.

Amanda Johnson and KJ Miller

Amanda Johnson and KJ Miller are #BOSSWATCH material because as smart, educated, Harvard grads they saw a need in the cosmetics world and filled it. Mented Cosmetics includes a line of nude lipsticks and nail polishes perfect for women of color. All their products are also vegan, paraben free, non-toxic and cruelty free.

Dana Chanel

Dana Chanel is a blogger, motivational speaker, and follower of Christ. Dana Chanel is just a regular girl who had big dreams. Hailing from Brooklyn, she grew up with 8 brothers and sisters and money was tight. However, she didn’t let that stop her aspirations as she attended college while working at a strip club as a receptionist to pay her expenses for school. It was one fateful book called Becoming A Woman of Prayer that inspired a spiritual changed that inspired a movement in her life. In her spiritual journey she catalogues her experience and motivation through her blog A Sprinkle of Jesus and her social media which eventually led to a bigger movement that has inspired others towards discovering Christ. A Sprinkle of Jesus is also available as an app where you can have access to real life experiences and daily inspiration and scripture to turn around your life.

Shelah Marie

Shelah Marie is the founder of Curvy, Curly, Conscious Collective which is an online community celebrating women of color and teaching them to love themselves unconditionally. Every Sunday night, Shelah dedicates time to a Periscope “Soul Study” where she goes through meditations and self love exercises to inspire women towards love.

1. Reading – Take out time in your day to read and be inspired. Inspiration and motivation is important to see how other people have made success in their lives. Reading is also great to continue to learn and sharpen your skills. Starting to read is as simple as just reading about your interests.
2. Exercise – It is important to incorporate activity or exercise for one hour a day. Successful people understand that exercising allows for them to perform at their highest capacity each day.
3. Personal Care – Many people who work hard forget about themselves but it is important to make personal care a priority. Personal care is essential to success and surprisingly 89% of self made millionaires sleep more than the average person.
4. Build Positive Relationships– A support group is essential to success because being surrounded by positive, supportive, and motivated people will boost your creativity and help motivate you even more in your projects.
5. Set A Plan and Pursue Your Goals – It is easy to set a plan but successful people actually pursue their goals. Keeping long and short-term goals at the forefront of your mind and clearing a way to reach goals is important for success.
6. Personal Care – Successful people sleep more than average people and it is imperative for creativity and cognitive functioning.
7. Plan Your Day The Night Before– Planning is an essential part of productivity and creates an expectation to complete tasks and have a productive day. There are many successful people who plan out their day the night before to ensure their productivity in the following day.
8. Rising Early– Rising early and positioning yourself for a productive day is also imperative because if you set aside time to prepare your mind for the day through meditation, music, or just a moment of silence or prayer can help your day go by more efficiently.
9. Value Solitude – Successful people value their solitude and can spend time alone to think and to set their mind on their goals. Setting out time to be alone and attain clarity and time to know your self is imperative for personal growth.
10. Express Gratitude – Successful people can appreciate the good in their life and are optimistic and gracious. Many people wallow in the dissatisfaction of their lives but sometimes the road to success is as simple as appreciating what you have and figuring out how you can use your blessings.