Do you feel overwhelmed by the checklist? Where do you place yourself on the to-do list? Do you even make time for yourself within a busy day?

In this podcast episode, Veronica Cisneros speaks about how to create routines in just 15 minutes with Cara Harvey.

Meet Cara Harvey

Cara is a wife, mom to a 13-year-old stepson, 4-year-old daughter, 2-year-old son, and a woman of God.

She works as a mom empowerment coach and her mission is to provide women with the tools, resources, and community to reach their goals, empower themselves, find their happiness, and live a life by design.

She does this via her blog, podcast, virtual community groups, and e-courses that help women learn to balance their lives, finances, schedules, health, and themselves!

Visit her website and connect on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Listen to Cara’s podcast here.

In This Podcast

Summary

• 15 minutes at a time
• How to insert three batches of 15 minutes in your week
• Push past the doubt

15 minutes at a time

We need to realize that we can have routines and flexibility at the same time and that its not about putting everything down in your list and filling up every white space on your planner, so that you can cross it off, its about asking yourself, ‘hey, what are my top priorities today, where am I gonna fit them in and how can I get them done?’

Take these few sessions at a time to pull yourself out of the hole. These tiny routines do not have to become a whole new checklist for you to stress about, they exist to assist you.

• Start slow and feel it out. Many people think routines are solid and unchangeable and this puts them off from trying them out but in fact, routines are little systems that you can mold and shift every day, week, or month to how you need them to serve you. Think of routines more as rhythms.
• Takedown the immense expectations to have a perfect routine from the get-go – this is both unrealistic and not possible, so do not hold yourself to an unattainable standard. With a good routine comes a lot of patience and self-compassion.
• Craft blocks of time in the day that you need to get things done within that day. If last week’s routine does not work this week, then you can change it up to suit what is happening now.

How to insert 3 batches of 15 minutes in your week

Routines can help you get there. I like routines because they give you structure but when you view them in a way that you look at them like rhythms, they also give you flexibility.

Instead of filling up your week with everything else before you put yourself and your personal to-dos down, work backward and put them first:

• Find blocks of time every day for 15 minutes for a goal that you are working on.
• Then 15 minutes for some kind of routine that you want to instill, just one thing, such as loading the dishwasher before bed or laying out your clothes for the next day.
• Putting in 15 minutes for learning a new skill, such as reading a new book or taking up a new hobby.

Put all three of these things down when you are planning your new week first, then add in all the other things like shopping and appointments and meetings. You will find that you still have time for all these things, but now you have added yourself as a priority.

Push past the doubt

Showing up, that’s progress!

• Adjust your expectations for what you plan or want to do so that you do not set yourself up for failure. Start with one small thing and try habit-stacking, which means to get into the habit of doing something throughout the week until it happens almost naturally, and then add another one. Do this until it becomes a new lifestyle or routine, a collection of small habits.
• Look at the numbers and ignore the emotions. You may be upset that you did not finish everything, but when you look at the numbers, you did one more thing this week than you did last week and that is progress. Celebrate any progress, no matter how small, and reward yourself.
• Accountability is important. Find an accountability partner to work alongside as you both complete your goals. Create a community of people around you that support and encourage you and remind you of your aspirations.
• Be mindful of who you are following on social media, stop the comparison game.

Grab your FREE Ultimate Weekly Planning Checklist!

Useful links:

• How to Create a Stress-Free Week with Toni-Ann Mayembe | EU 31
• Sign up for the VIP membership
• Join Our Girl Gang
• Empowered And Unapologetic Free Course

Meet Veronica Cisneros

I’m a licensed therapist and women walk into my office every day stressed and disconnected. As a mom of three daughters, I want my girls to know who they are and feel confident about their future. I can’t think of a better way to help other women than by demonstrating an empowered and unapologetic life.

So I started  Empowered and Unapologetic to be a safe space for women to be vulnerable and change their lives for the better before she ever needs to see a therapist. Whether you listen to the podcast, join the free Facebook community, join the VIP community, or attend our annual retreat,  you’re in the right place. Let’s do this together!

Thanks for listening!

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Empowered and Unapologetic is part of the Practice of the Practice Podcast Network, a network of podcasts seeking to help you thrive, imperfectly. To hear other podcasts like the Bomb Mom Podcast, Imperfect Thriving, or Beta Male Revolution, go to practiceofthepractice.com/network.