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November 2022

November 30, 2022

The Evergreen Planner System

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Posted in Lifestyle Planning

Planner season is in full swing, and during this time of year, we always find ourselves reflecting as a team about the origin of the Evergreen Planner system. There are so many planner systems out there, so why did we decide to jump into this business? What is it that keeps us going year after year?

The answer is simply that we created a product that has drastically transformed our daily lives by giving us a planner system that enables us to stay on track with what matters most to us even in the most mundane of daily choices. And we care deeply about making sure this product is available to other women who care about intentional living in the same way we do.

We created a product that helps you translate your vision for life into strategic, daily choices and it’s been incredible to see it become a tool that not only helps us, but one that women around the world are using to make intentional living intuitive.

A Planner to Declutter Your Mind

There are so many details to manage in our modern lifestyles. Even the simplest of lifestyles often include a small business (or three), school schedules, household tasks, hospitality, travel itineraries, etc. That’s a lot of information bogging down your valuable attention reserves!

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November 16, 2022

My Favorite Time-Management Hack for Managing the Mundane as a Creative

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Posted in Productivity Hack

The Pomodoro Method

Tonight, I (Shelby) am using what’s called The Pomodoro Method—but with my own twist (which I’ll get to in a minute).

The method was developed by a university student who had a kitchen timer shaped like a tomato (pomodoro means tomato in Italian). With his original time-management technique, you use a kitchen timer to discipline yourself to short, focused bursts of work, with short breaks in between.

Typically, the breakdown is four rounds of 25 minutes working with 5 minute breaks in between (which equals about 2 hours of focused work). Then after the four rounds you get a longer break (around 25 minutes) before repeating the process. My shorthand for this particular application of the technique is 25-5 x4.

I used this technique a lot when I was freelancing. The work I was doing would often get very granular and repetitive. Sometimes the monotony would make me throw in the towel—especially when I thought about needing to do eight hours of the same tasks. The Pomodoro Method kept me on track, while also legitimizing the need for breaks.

How This Hack Came in Clutch Today

I mentioned at the beginning that I’m using this hack right now—with a twist. Here’s what’s happening: I ended up unexpectedly having a free night. The kids are at the grands, the husband is working late, and the house is blissfully quiet.

It’s also a royal mess. Shortly before being ushered out the door, mine were just two of the nine kiddos running around the place. The “event” wasn’t planned—we just live in a tight-knit community with a lot of cousins. I typically do not let my children leave behind a mess for others to clean up (and neither do the other parents involved), but I happily prioritized more time for a leisurely visit over our normal habits this time.

I figured I could whip the place back into shape as soon as they were out the door.

But as I was tying on my apron and rolling up my sleeves, inspiration struck. I wanted to write more than I wanted to clean my house. (I know there are other creatives out there who resonate with this dilemma.)

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November 2, 2022

A video review of the Evergreen Planner

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Posted in Lifestyle Planning, Planner Review

“Do you struggle with consistently using your planner? Do you ever get lost in your planner, and feel like you spend all your energy figuring out how to use it instead of making progress on your actual goals? You need the Evergreen Planner, my friend! This planner was designed by three entrepreneurial stay and home mamas who know what it’s like to wear a lot of hats and juggle lots of plates. This system was designed for women like you, who also need to keep track of lots of responsibilities and see how they all interact with each other.” – Rachel Tenney

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