Latest / The Nonprofit Podcast / Ep 158| Boost your nonprofit's impact with smart time management - Kelly McLaughlin

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Ep 158| Boost your nonprofit's impact with smart time management - Kelly McLaughlin · The Nonprofit Podcast

• 0:04
  SPEAKER_01: The Nonprofit Podcast, powered by DonorBucks.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_01: Do you ever finish a busy day feeling like you've worked nonstop only to realize your to-do list barely got shorter?
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_01: Are constant distractions pulling you away from what really matters?
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_01: Has the momentum toward your nonprofit's ambitious goals started to stall?
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_01: If any of this sounds familiar, you are not alone.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_01: The nonprofit world moves fast, and with endless tasks competing for your attention, it's so easy to feel stuck in a cycle of busyness without getting real progress.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_01: And it is time to break that cycle.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_01: I'm Jenna, Education and Community Engagement Manager here at Donorbox.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_01: We are here each week with practical actions you can use today to increase donations and take your nonprofit to the next level tomorrow.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_01: And today I am joined by someone who knows exactly how to help us reclaim our time and sharpen our focus, Kelly McLaughlin, founder and CEO of From Scratch Fundraising.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: Kelly is all about helping nonprofit leaders and fundraisers prioritize what truly matters and actually get things done.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: She's also a donor box ambassador.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_01: So she knows firsthand how the right tools and strategies can make a huge impact.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome, Kelly.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_01: Before we dive in and get into the nitty-gritty of productivity and all of that good stuff, I would love if you could share a bit about From Scratch Fundraising and the work that you do with nonprofits.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, thanks.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_02: So I founded From Scratch Fundraising because I have worked at giant nonprofits and teeny tiny nonprofits.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_02: And the main difference that I see is the ability to invest in that professional development and getting the training that nonprofits need.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_02: And so when I started From Scratch fundraising, I wanted to make sure that small nonprofits had access to quality training, consulting, all of that at a budget they could afford.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_02: We offer three different programs to help organizations start and scale their individual giving programs.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_02: We try to build a lot of efficiency into the individual giving programs so that nonprofits can really focus on mission because our target market is those smaller organizations where, you know, CEO stands for Chief Everything Officer, ED stands for everything director.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_02: And those are our people, those are our clients.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_02: And so that's who we serve in our three different programs.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: The work you do is so important, honestly.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know a single nonprofit leader who doesn't feel stretched too thin.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_01: And let's be real too, productivity isn't just about working harder, it's about working smarter.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: That being said, even with great tools, right, we don't always have the right habits and focus.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: And it can still feel like there's never enough time.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_01: I know that you've got some great insights on how we can get back in control of our time.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_01: I want to start with the biggest culprit.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: What do you think is the number one productivity killer for nonprofit professionals?
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um, yeah, I think I think the biggest issue we have is, and I don't want to call it prioritization.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_02: I think nonprofits are really rooted in urgency.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_02: We were founded because there was an urgent need in our community and we then we we live in urgency.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_02: The problem is when we're dealing with the most urgent thing, sometimes the most important thing doesn't bubble to the surface.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_02: And urgency and importance are not necessarily the same thing.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_02: And so that's something that I often am talking to my clients about is it might be urgent, but is this the most important thing?
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_02: And that's where I often point out the Eisenhower matrix.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_02: It's that quadrant system of scaling things from not urgent to urgent and not important to important, and figuring out where in the matrix does everything fit, right?
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's actually a really, really helpful tool where we'll take our to-do list and put it in those different quadrants.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_02: And sometimes people are really shocked that well, this project I've been really focused on is really not all that important when I list everything there.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_02: So we're just responding to urgency, and I think that really leads to a lot of stress, a lot of lack of productivity.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_02: And then when you don't feel productive, you get more stressed, so then it's harder to be productive, right?
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_02: So externalizing that and and using tools like the Eisenhower matrix can be a really helpful.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_02: I think that's the number one.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_01: It's like we're constantly like in reactive mode when we're jumping between tasks.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: And by the end of the day, it's like, wait, did I actually make progress on anything important?
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: And and I know that's something we think a lot about too at DunnerBox, like how we can help nonprofits spend less time on admin work and more time on fundraising and impact.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_01: But even again, with the great tools, you're not intentional about your time.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: But if someone is like stuck in that cycle, where do they even begin to break out of it?
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we've heard that advice like break big goals into smaller casts, and it's supposed to make them feel more manageable.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: But I think we've all had those moments where we break something down so much that we get lost in that busy work.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: So why does this strategy backfire so often?
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_01: And how can we actually make it work in the way that it's supposed to?
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_02: First and foremost, what I do a lot with my clients when they're feeling that kind of overwhelmed, I sit them down and brain dump, just brain dump everything, get everything out, right?
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_02: I like to say your head is the least secure place to store information, right?
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_02: I right have a Sunday night ritual of just like sitting down and I look over my project management stuff, but also, you know, 50% of the time stuff doesn't make it into that either, right?
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_02: And so just seeing it out on paper can can be a game changer, right?
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_02: And then kind of step back from the brain dump and sit down and look at, okay, but what are the main buckets, right?
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_02: So when I was a uh director of marketing and development, I had my marketing work, the development work, I was working on a capital campaign, we had a membership program.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_02: And so I had a lot of buckets, and that's a lot of things to go in each bucket, right?
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_02: And so I would brain dump and then I would put it in each of the buckets, right?
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_02: And so what's what's going on in each bucket?
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_02: Then when once we see them siloed off in the buckets, I take a minute, okay.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_02: I've brain dumped, I've gotten everything out of my head.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_02: Now, what I'm gonna do is think about what are the most important things in each of those buckets.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_02: So, what's the most important stuff that I've got on my plate for marketing?
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_02: What's going on right now with the capital campaign?
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_02: It's really helpful.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_02: I actually have one of those giant post-it notes is my goals for the month.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_02: And it's each of those buckets and my main goals so that it's right there in front of me.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_02: So that if I'm doing a task and it's, oh, it's urgent, it's really helpful to like glance up and be like, oh, that's not moving me towards any of the goals right now.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_02: And then I take a second to say, okay, so if it's not moving me towards my goals, do I still need to do it?
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_02: Is it something like paying my business insurance?
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I need to do that.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_02: But also sometimes things will come up that it just isn't a priority.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_02: I can't, I can't make this fit.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_02: So it's gonna go away, even though it feels urgent and like it could be really helpful.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna let that go, right?
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_02: And so having those clear goals and then make your buckets.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_02: And then beyond the buckets, um, you want to make sure you're living into the goals that you set for those particular buckets.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_02: I like to say it's about work-life harmony, not balance, because balance feels like I've got to have equal on each plate and everything.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_02: And I don't think that's true for anybody in the nonprofit industry, right?
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_02: Is we're so passionate about our missions.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_02: Our work life fuels our spirit in so many ways.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I think that's fine.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_02: And I think we're if like work-life balance makes us feel guilty about I'm supposed to have a personal life too and give that time and attention.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_02: And for me, it's about harmony.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_02: It's am I fulfilling all of my physical, spiritual, emotional needs?
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_02: And sometimes, let's be real, it's not that like work is awful and home is perfect, right?
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_02: For me, it's about do I want to clean the house or do I want to help a client with something that urgently came up?
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_02: And it's okay to have those two things working together and in harmony because sometimes getting on a call with a client and making sure they have a breakthrough gives me the energy to go scrub a toilet, right?
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think understanding that like when we talk about those buckets, you need to look at all the buckets all at the same time.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_02: It's not I work, I look at work buckets at work and I work at home buckets at home.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_02: It's I need to look at all of this holistically to see what are the goals, where's the energy?
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um, because one of the things that for me was a breakthrough understanding time management and productivity is it's not about time management, it's about energy management.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_02: And we can manage time better when we're managing our energy well.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that's the main thing.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_02: Figure out where the balance is.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I try to do this like once a month, is just this like overall, okay, how did that, how did this bucket go last month?
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_02: How is it looking next month?
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_02: And how are they all gonna align up this coming month?
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_02: So that's something that's really, really helpful to put that together, right?
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that totally shifts the way I think about goal settings.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_01: And it's not just about like checking these boxes, right?
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_01: It's about making sure that small tasks actually connect to something meaningful, working smarter, not harder.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, could you give an example of a few different boxes for someone who's launching a fundraising campaign, what those boxes could look like?
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_02: So when I'm managing a fundraising program, for example, what I look at is the donor funnel.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_02: You know, there's there's the acquisition, there's where are we finding new donors?
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_02: There's the nurture side, soliciting, stewarding, and then upgrading, right?
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_02: Those are the points along the journey to think about.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_02: And so I'm looking at what am I doing in each of these buckets at all times, right?
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_02: We look at every single month, what are we doing on each of these things so that we can be clear about it.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_02: Looking at the whole thing holistically, which we often don't do, right?
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_02: Um, that's one of the things that that when people come to me and have that sense of overwhelm, it's because their fundraising program is, oh, we're doing this campaign, we're doing this gallop, this event, we're doing a thank you thing.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_02: And that's why we're exhausted because we hustle and then we drop, and then we hustle and then we drop.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_02: And don't get me wrong, I really think cycles are important, right?
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_02: But unfortunately, what I think that creates is we talk to our donors a ton and then we go away, and then we talk to our donors a ton and then we go away.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_02: And so what I'm trying to do make sure that there is a steady drip of communication with donors all the time, so that it's not, oh my gosh, everything is writing on this one campaign or this one thing.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_02: Because we've we've been doing this steady drip, our donors hear from us all the time.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_02: And I realize that saying that to somebody who's completely overwhelmed is like, Kelly, what do you mean that I've got to like talk to my donors all the time?
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_02: But that's what makes fundraising so sustainable is when we are thinking about it holistically.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_02: How does the whole journey work together for each individual donor?
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_02: How does it work for our workflow so that we're able to do all of it all the time?
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_02: And that's those are the systems and the processes that we build with our clients.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_02: And that's the other thing that we teach them is okay, your stewardship program looks like this.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_02: And here's how you build efficiency, and here are the processes, and there's a standard operating process.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_02: And so when we put on our to-do list the newsletter, we know exactly what the newsletter entails.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_02: We know exactly how to do it.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_02: We have a process and we're not doing it for the first time every time.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_02: And so that's how we build sustainability into the programs and really amp up their productivity.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_01: That makes that makes a lot of sense.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_01: And and this brings me to something else that I've seen you talk about, which is time boxing and time blocking.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, what is the real difference between time boxing and time blocking?
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: And how can someone figure out which one actually fits their work style to fit into this framework?
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_02: For me, time boxing is the idea that we're gonna kind of plan out our ideal work week.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_02: That is where I sit down and say, ideally, I need two hours a week for admin, and that's best for me at 4 p.m.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_02: on a Friday because I'm brain dead, right?
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_02: Or I really need three hours a week to write fundraising campaigns.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_02: And so I need to do that when I'm fresh.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_02: So Tuesday mornings is where I am gonna put that box.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_02: And so time boxing for me is that ideal planning.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_02: In an ideal week, this is when I would like these things to happen.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_02: And I teach my clients to do it two different ways.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_02: We can one create those very specific boxes for the very specific buckets that we have.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_02: The other thing for clients who are don't know on any given day am I gonna have two hours of admin or seven hours of admin, I tend to encourage um theme days as kind of a way to do time boxing.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_02: So um I like to say like you have marketing Mondays, right?
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_02: And then Tuesday was like for all of upcoming fundraising things, and then Wednesday was admin day, and then Friday is focused on doing donor thank you calls, stewardship stuff, all of that kind of work.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_02: That's another way to do time boxing that doesn't feel so restrictive to people.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_02: Sometimes theme days can be an entree into the time boxing idea.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_02: Time blocking for me is when I actually have specific tasks and I put those on my calendar like they are meetings.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_02: They can work really nicely together because we can think of what does my ideal week look like?
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_02: What in an average week do I need to get done?
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_02: And so where are those boxes of time so that I know I have that time available?
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_02: But then you can then time block, which is okay, and here are the actual tasks in each of those buckets.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_02: What I always say is that's where doing the time boxing and time blocking is really powerful, really helpful way to push back to say, okay, look, this is my week.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_02: These are all the priorities.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_02: So if you want me to do that, then you know the lowest priority thing is this.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm gonna have to bump that next week.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_02: Is that really the choice we're making?
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_02: Um, because your boss doesn't necessarily know what's on your player.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_02: So that's what's really helpful to is then you can clue your team in to what's really going on with you and help them see, no, I'm blocked this week.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_02: So either I'm going over time or we got to move some things.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um and I find that really, really helpful.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_01: I I think that's such a great distinction.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_01: I love this idea of time boxing as a more flexible approach.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_01: And it feels like it allows for both structure and adaptability, which is so important.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_02: I and one of the things I say is the more unpredictable your job is, the more blank space you need to leave.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so I have a client who runs a early childhood center.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_02: That's there's a lot of unpredictability in that.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_02: So one of the things we developed with her time boxing is an hour at the end of her day is always blank because something's gonna get punted.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_02: And we've started leaving her Friday afternoons empty.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_02: So anything that gets punted, she can punt onto Friday afternoon, right?
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_02: Because that's a way to adapt this system to be something that's realistic that she can live into.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_02: Obviously, if you have more control over your job, you can time box and time block all the hours in your day.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_02: But I do tend to say, even in the most predictable of jobs, leave an hour or two because something's gonna happen.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_01: That makes a lot of sense.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_01: And and I know this is something you're gonna go even deeper into in your upcoming live workshop.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_01: And it's Friday, April 18th.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_01: So if you're listening and you're thinking, I need to figure out the best workflow for me, this is your chance.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_01: Kelly is an amazing teacher.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_01: I love learning from her.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um, this is your chance to dive into the details and structure a system that actually works for you.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_01: So the link is going to be in the show notes.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_01: So be sure to grab your spot.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_01: And speaking of structures, tools can really help here, I think, whether it's using a CRM like donor box CRM to manage donor follow-ups or uh email scheduling tools to take a lot of mental load off and help you plan your schedule better.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I know that not all tools are created equal.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_01: So, what's one tool that you think nonprofit professionals are totally sleeping on but should be using right now to improve their focus and their productivity?
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_02: I'm I'm a big, big, big, big advocate for um CRMs, donor CRMs.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_02: If you're flying without a CRM, you're losing so much productivity.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I always tell my clients, if you tell me you don't have a CRM, you go talk to donor box and then we'll keep talking.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_02: Um The second thing, I don't see a lot of nonprofits using project management systems.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that is a big downfall.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_02: I think project management systems, well, they're not really marketing to nonprofits.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that's a big problem because then nobody's aligned.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_02: That's how we get out of sync, that's how we get inundated with the urgent instead of being able to keep our eyes on the prize.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_02: I'm pretty platform agnostic in terms of which project management system you use.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I've personally used Asana because they do have free tools for nonprofits.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_02: They currently use ClickUp for my company, but full disclosure, I had to hire somebody to help me build it because it's it's so customizable, but now it's magical the amount of productivity I've gotten back and time I've gotten back.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_02: But there are so many out there.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_02: And I like to say the one that you're gonna use is the best one for you.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_02: So for me, that's primarily, you know, look at look at them all.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_02: You can usually do free trials and see which one you and your team are gonna like.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_02: Uh but project management systems really, I mean, are they worth are they worth it?
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_02: Are they worth the set?
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_02: Then it's it's understanding that you gotta make time for it because you know, it's a gift to future you.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_02: Future you will be less stressed if you take the time now to do it, right?
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: That can make such a difference, right?
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_01: And yes, it takes a little bit of time to set up those systems, but you can box out that time, right?
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_01: If you said it's a gift to future you, right?
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_01: And you're just adding another thing to manage if you don't just do it, right?
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_01: And and I think too, I mean, if you don't do that, the biggest challenge is staying on top of memory.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_01: And once you have one in place, it makes just checking in so much easier, right?
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_01: And and this is where daily reviews can come in.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_01: But like, let's be honest, most of us don't actually do them unless we have these systems in place.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_01: So, how do we actually fit daily reviews or reflections into our already hectic schedules?
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_01: And how do we make them a habit instead of just another thing on the to-do list?
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I so I actually have a Ralph Waldo Emerson quote on my wall, and I'm not gonna get it right, but it's um it's it says, finish each day and be done with it.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_02: You have done what you could.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_02: Some absurdities have crept in.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_02: Forget them as soon as you can.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_02: You need to begin tomorrow with as free a spirit as as possible.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I that's paraphrasing.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_02: I didn't get it right, but it's I have that quote on my wall.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_02: And every single night before I go to bed, that's when I do my daily review.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_02: What I do is is write down what went well and why did it go well?
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_02: Was it a fluke?
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_02: Is it something I can control or learn from?
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_02: That's the first thing I answer.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_02: And then I look at the flip side.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_02: What didn't go well?
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_02: What would I want to improve?
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_02: To what degree?
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_02: Again, was that a fluke and out of my control?
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_02: And what what is within my control to do better next time?
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_02: And I find that that actually lets me release so much stuff.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_02: And I will say the reason I've stuck to it is because I sleep so much better once I've gotten all of that out of my brain.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then I look at my planner for the next day.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_02: I use all the tech tools.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_02: I also have a paper planner.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and how I actually time block is I'll take my calendar and I'll take my project management system and then I time block it on my paper planner with all kinds of colorful markers and things.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, because that's what's fun about planners.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and so that's kind of then how I plan the next day.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_02: And then I go into the next day really, really well prepared and I'll have slept well, I can get up, I can meet the day, I know what my priorities are.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_02: And again, when you know what your priorities are, it's that gift to future you.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_02: It's the ability to reduce your stress level the next day by taking 10, 15 minutes the night before to do a thing, right?
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_02: It was it was a really hard habit to build, but once it was like once it became something I did regularly, I can have those challenges and still.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: Get so much done, right?
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_02: So that's yeah, yes, that's so doable.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_01: I can have the most productive work day.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_01: I've gotten everything done.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, why do I not feel relaxed?
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_01: Why do I not feel relaxed?
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_01: I did everything I needed to do.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_01: It was a great day.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_01: So I think that we often overcomplicate it, but slowing down, slowing down is the biggest way to reset, right?
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_01: Just taking a few minutes to reset and refocus can make such a huge difference.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_01: And well, how you sleep, but like how your next day goes.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_01: All right, we've covered a lot already.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_01: So let's say someone is listening right now and they're feeling totally overwhelmed and they're thinking, all right, I need to get it together.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_01: What are two or three immediately actionable productivity tips they can start using today?
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I think the brain dump buckets option is really great.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_02: Um, just get it out, get it out of your head.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_02: Um, because I think that's 90% of the overwhelm is because it's spinning in there and you're trying not to lose it.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_02: But just that brain dump, just set a timer, 15, 20 minutes, whatever spare time you have, and just write furiously till you get to that point of quiet is really, really key.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_02: And then looking at them in those buckets, I think that would be thing number one for folks.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_02: And then I think the opposite, if you're really not sure what is next, I think really thinking through what are the goals, right?
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_02: For each bucket, what are the big picture goals?
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_02: And then I've had clients say, Oh, I should do this.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, well, what are you what are your main goals?
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_02: And and it it comes out, it's just like, well, just because everybody else is doing it doesn't mean you need to do it.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_02: So like lose that because it doesn't move you towards a goal.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that's the other thing is make sure you're aware of where the should is coming from.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um, because I think sometimes when you excavate a should, you realize it's not coming from inside the house, right?
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_02: It's coming from somewhere else.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_02: And the more you really embrace that, wait, where is this coming from?
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_02: Why do I feel this way?
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, oh, that's actually somebody else thinks I should do that.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_02: But you know what?
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_02: That doesn't fit in my priorities and stuff.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_02: I'm just gonna let it go, right?
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I think being able to release that and be aware, release your judgment of other people too.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_02: Don't tell other people they should do things either, right?
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but I think brain dump, make sure you're setting goals, but then also really examine where that feeling of I should be doing this is coming from.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_02: I think that's one of the best ways to beat the overwhelm.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I love it.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_01: So simple, but so powerful.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Kelly, this has been amazing.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like I'm always walking away with so many practical takeaways when I get to chat with you.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I know our listeners uh will too.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_01: And and if you're again, if you're listening and you want to go even deeper, don't forget to join Kelly's live workshop on Friday, April 18th.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_01: She'll be sharing even more strategies to help you stay focused, get organized, and actually move the needle on your big goals.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_01: And again, the link is in the show notes.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_01: So go ahead and grab your spot.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_01: Kelly, thank you so much for being here today.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you, Jenna.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks for having me.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_02: It's always so much fun when we get to hang out.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_01: It's always so much fun.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_01: And thank you for joining us on the nonprofit podcast.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_01: I hope you've left with the confidence to take a small step today that will make a big difference tomorrow.
• 25:29
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• 25:38
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• 25:41
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• 25:43
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• 25:45
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• 25:57
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• 26:01
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