How to start: focusing on your goals
NOT sponsored by FullFocus (yet!)
You may have noticed I am dabbling with a new name for my Substack. I thought “Christina Pardy’s Substack” was a little bland. And, before writing my last post I googled “How to start a Substack.”… I also should be googling “how to figure out what you’re doing with your life after running a business for 10 years.”
Since I’m just getting started and I love trying new things - I thought I would center these posts around the idea of getting started. I will not only bring you along for the journey of getting started with… whatever it is I’m doing… but also insights into getting started on literally anything. Once I’ve exhausted my skill sets (won’t take that long!!) I will see if I can phone a friend for other tips and tricks in different fields or about different hobbies.
Over the past year I started being more intentional with goal setting and journaling. Around this time last year I felt like the amount of uncertainty I was dealing with was unwieldy. I had decided to sell STIK and was in the process of letting go of the team I loved so much, not ordering more inventory for the following season, giving up my office… the list goes on and on. I had to make so many difficult decisions and had no idea what the outcome would be that my anxiety was through the roof.
I needed a way to stay grounded and “control the controllable” that didn’t include frantically reorganizing our spice cabinet or refolding my clothes. Here’s what I did starting in January 2024:
Did dry January to clear my head. I journaled through the month to see how it effected things like sleep, energy, my weight, skin etc.
Started lifting weights and journaling in an excel spreadsheet about my progress - how much could I deadlift this week vs last?!
These two practices lead me to the FullFocus planner.
It was by creating these habits and journaling about them, that I figured out how to set big goals and break them down into smaller steps that are doable, satisfying, and eventually led to big accomplishments.
I am (once again), not sponsored here when I tout the benefits of the FullFocus Planner. Here’s my schedule almost every morning:
5:30am: My coffee pot magically starts brewing
5:45am: Alarm goes off
5:45-5:56am: I aimlessly scroll Instagram and then say WTF am I doing?!
5:56am: Put on my husband’s grey sweatpants and sweatshirt, brush my teeth, wash my face, put on loads of face oils and creams and some eye patches
6:02am: Grab my coffee, light a yummy candle, and pull out my FullFocus planner
Since my kids don’t wake up until 6:30am (next post can be “How to train your kids with the hatch light.. it is a game changer!), this gives me time to be reflective about the day before and intentional about the day ahead.
FullFocus planners are 3 month planners. At the beginning of each one, you write out your big yearly goals. Then you break them down into quarters. Then you break those quarterly goals into weeks and days. I believe that by doing this, I made something as lofty as “sell my business this year” doable by breaking it down. And I believe that the practice of daily journaling kept me on track.
All of this is to say - if you are in need of some focus, motivation, and organization - do yourself a favor and either buy one of these planners or get a journal and be consistent about writing in it.
And for what it’s worth, these goals do NOT need to be business related! One of mine was “get better at golf” and “plan more datenights with Alex.” Those were fun to work on :)
XO!
Christina
Love the full focus planner too!!!