Imagine a day where every minute is meaningful—not just towards your professional achievements but also your personal life. You can boost productivity through the power of habits.
My guest, Marla Regan, is a certified productivity strategist who understands the art of self-management.
From the importance of starting your day with high energy to creating evening rituals that prepare you for a restful night, Marla’s wealth of knowledge will help you rethink your routines.
You’ll discover practical tips on setting boundaries, communicating effectively with family and colleagues, and managing unexpected interruptions.
In This Podcast Episode, You’ll Discover
- How to stay productive at work while remaining fully present at home.
- Practical tips for streamlining tasks and minimizing stress.
- The importance of establishing routines and systems for efficiency.
- Ways to identify and modify habits that may be holding you back.
- Strategies for setting clear boundaries to maintain work-life balance.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a busy parent, or someone who wants to make the most of every minute, Marla’s strategies can help you achieve a balanced and fulfilling life.
Episode Key Takeaways
- Start your day with your highest energy levels and take breaks to recharge.
- Plan your evening routine to set yourself up for a successful and productive morning.
- Communicate effectively with family and colleagues to manage interruptions and maintain focus.
Quotes to Remember
- “Developing good habits can make you more productive and healthier.” – Marla Regan
- “It’s not so much the time management that we are managing, but it’s our energy that we are managing.” – Marla Regan
- “Habits are that little shortcut that your brain takes.” – Marla Regan
Related Episodes
Episode #67 Strategies for Achieving Greater Work-Life Balance
Episode #38 Quiet Distractions and Increase Mental Focus
Episode #37 How to Live Your Purpose and Find Daily Fulfillment
Your Next Step: Contact Marla Regan
About Marla Regan
Marla Regan, a certified Productivity Strategist and Family Manager® coach, owns Organized Time.
Since 1997, she has been transforming the lives of her clients, helping them tackle mental and physical clutter.
Her expertise and warm, inspiring approach profoundly impact clients, coaching them to greater efficiency and effectiveness in their personal and professional environments.
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Marisa Shadrick [00:00:14]:
Welcome everyone to another episode of amplify your authority. I’m Marissa Shadrick. I’m online marketing strategist and certified copywriter. And I have a special guest with me today that I know you’re absolutely going to love her. She is, not only one of my clients, but she’s a dear friend. She’s a dear friend. Her name is Marla Reagan. She’s a certified productivity strategist and family manager coach, and she is the owner of OrganizTime.
Marisa Shadrick [00:00:44]:
She’s been doing this since 1997 and she’s been transforming lives for her clients, helping them tackle both the the mental and the physical clutter because we could have both. Her expertise is amazing. She is warm, inspiring. She has a wonderful approach to organization. She coaches clients. I was one of her clients as well. She coached me during the season of chaos to, greater efficiency and
Marla Regan [00:01:17]:
Thank you. This is fun. This is long overdue. Right? I think so. Thank you.
Marisa Shadrick [00:01:21]:
This is fun. This is long overdue. Right?
Marla Regan [00:01:24]:
I think so. Yes. I I
Marisa Shadrick [00:01:26]:
loved how you phrase that about the physical and the mental clutter because that is so true. Maybe we have everything organized in our living room looks great and our laundry is done, but we could have mental clutter. Do you wanna explain a little bit about that? We’ll open with that because that one caught my attention.
Marla Regan [00:01:43]:
Absolutely. Yesterday, I was driving home, from Louisiana, and, one of my clients called and she said, you know, we’re so close. We’re so close, but we need to go through my closet because that’s really beginning to bother me. And I thought, you know what? Yes. You know, we’ve got little pockets of clutter here and there. And for a little while, it’s okay. It’s okay. But all of a sudden, it’s like a little light bulb goes off in your mind and you think, oh, no.
Marla Regan [00:02:15]:
I can’t handle that anymore. It’s time to go through that. It’s like, you know, having your Christmas tree still up in February. You decide, you know what? That is enough. It’s time for it to come down. It’s time to get the Christmas lights off the house and and so that’s that’s basically. Yeah.
Marisa Shadrick [00:02:35]:
You know? I don’t know if you wanna try to, you know, hang some hearts on the tree in February, but it’s probably better to get it down. Right? Yeah. Especially if it’s a real one.
Marla Regan [00:02:45]:
Oh, no kidding. It’ll come down by itself. It’s a real one. Timber. Right? Exactly. Yes.
Marisa Shadrick [00:02:54]:
You help people, not only a personal lives but also in business life and I know as an entrepreneur, you’re an entrepreneur yourself. Organization is a big part. Right? We have to have not only structure and planners and systems and workflows. Mhmm. Where do you start when it comes to an entrepreneur about helping them if they’re in the midst of maybe, growing their business
Marla Regan [00:03:19]:
and
Marisa Shadrick [00:03:20]:
they still wanna have some work life balance? What do you recommend?
Marla Regan [00:03:24]:
I recommend knowing exactly what you wanna do, when you wanna do it, and it’s not just business. Michael Hyatt calls it the double win. You’re winning at work and you’re winning at home. And when you have those two things in place and in order, then you’re going to have present productivity, which means when you’re at work, you’re mentally at work and you are on task. But then when you’re at home, you’re mentally at home and you’re on task at home. And you’re not looking at your phone while you’re at home or you’re not looking at your your cameras at home to see what your dogs are doing at work. You are definitely in your lane in the proper place at the proper time. And that is so very important.
Marla Regan [00:04:16]:
And when you know what what, projects are coming up and you look at your calendar and you do what is called calendar blocking so that you can get those tasks done for that particular project. It may be 30 minutes. It may be 3 hours. It depends on the size of the project and all of that. But what you’re doing is you’re preparing yourself and yourself mentally as well as physically and everything around you for the project that you’re working on. So that when the time comes, you’re gonna go into a meeting or whatever, you’re prepared. You’ve done your homework. And you put that time aside to do the homework.
Marla Regan [00:05:01]:
So you’re not studying till 2 AM like we did in college. You’re actually ready to go. You’re rested, and it’s all a go.
Marisa Shadrick [00:05:12]:
So Yeah. So it sounds like just by having a place to put what we need to do on a calendar or whatever organizational tool you use, it it sounds like what you’re saying is gives us a sense of relief that we’re not gonna forget about it. It’s already scheduled somewhere on our calendar to block off time, and that’s how we can shut it off at the end of the day because that’s that’s the thing. When we’re busy, it’s hard to shut it off.
Marla Regan [00:05:40]:
You’re right. You’re right. And that needs to be planned all by itself. If you know that you have a family at home, then what time are you going to work until? When are you going to set that alarm so that you can look at where you are, start putting things away, tidying up your workspace, whether you’re at home or in an office. It doesn’t matter. What time are you going to start? Leaving yourself clues for the next work day so that when you do come in, everything is ready for you to get down to work. You’re not gonna have to tidy up when you get back into the office. It’s all put away.
Marla Regan [00:06:23]:
It’s exactly where you need it. You know what you’re still looking for, like an email or a phone callback or whatever little thing that you still need information. So
Marisa Shadrick [00:06:39]:
Yeah. That sounds You know? That sounds really helpful. Yes. Because I think the time blocking too, one of the things that I had to do this year was to block out a couple of days during the week where I didn’t take any calls, like discovery calls or when people are inquiring. I do that 3 times a week, but there’s 2 days, Monday being one of them, that is more like a in in office day, and I catch up on a lot of things. And that way, if my week is really busy, I know well, I’ve got Monday where I can work on that without any interruption. Is that kinda what you’re talking about? Absolutely.
Marla Regan [00:07:19]:
Absolutely. It is. And I say that you need 2 things on your calendar. 1 is catch up time, and I think every entrepreneur needs an administrative time. And it is a block of time where you are looking at, what do I still need for this client? What do I need for this presentation? What do I need for this meeting? And you’re getting everything all prepared, and you know that you have what you need when you need it. The other thing that we need on our calendar is do nothing time. We need self care time that is so very important. And whether it is you’re gonna take a lunch break and go outside and enjoy, a glass of tea and just and just breathe fresh air, you come back refreshed and ready to go again because you have taken that mental break as well as the physical break.
Marisa Shadrick [00:08:21]:
Yeah.
Marla Regan [00:08:22]:
And, that is so, so important.
Marisa Shadrick [00:08:24]:
I think that the tendency is to think, well, I don’t have time to just go outside and take a 30 minute lunch. I’ve got so much to do. But what I hear you saying is that when you come back refreshed, you’re probably more productive because you’ve refueled and you’re giving yourself a little a little break. Is
Marla Regan [00:08:42]:
that right? Absolutely. You’re gonna
Marisa Shadrick [00:08:44]:
make less mistakes. Counterproductive. Uh-huh.
Marla Regan [00:08:46]:
It sounds counterproductive. But on the other hand, you’re gonna make less mistakes. You’re gonna come back and you’ve given your brain a break. Mhmm. And your brain is gonna go, I’ve got a great idea.
Marisa Shadrick [00:08:59]:
Yeah.
Marla Regan [00:08:59]:
You’re gonna go, woah. Had you not had that break, you may not have gotten that great idea that’s going to boost you and improve what you’re doing. So
Marisa Shadrick [00:09:10]:
There are times depending on when I wake up in the morning because client calls can be early, sometimes they’re in the afternoon, just depends. So I don’t always start at the same time. That’s one of the things that kind of throws me off. But I know at the end of the afternoon, if I’m having to read something twice, or look at something and say, where do what was I doing? What was I working on? I know that it’s it’s time to quit. It’s time to quit and start fresh because I’ll be able to get far more done in the morning with a fresh brain Yes. Than trying to push through till, say, 5 o’clock if I’ve gotten up super early that particular morning.
Marla Regan [00:09:45]:
And that brings up another point, Marissa, is it’s not so much the time management that we are managing, but it’s our energy that we are managing. And if you know that you are sharp early in the morning, then by all means get started early in the morning. And when you begin to fade and and okay. You know, it’s like what you said. It’s like, why did I come into this room? It’s time to take a break. And another thing is to stay hydrated.
Marisa Shadrick [00:10:16]:
Yeah.
Marla Regan [00:10:16]:
And that is super important. Of course, it’s gonna get you up and get you moving a little more. However, it’s very important for brain health, body health to stay hydrated during the day. So
Marisa Shadrick [00:10:30]:
So when you talk about this because it’s interesting, the the title time habits. Mhmm. It sounds like it’s a a real focus on building good healthy habits when it comes to productivity and those those negative beliefs that taking this time, 15 minutes, is detrimental to me. Re framing that and realizing that it’s not or at least trying it to prove that it’s not. So is it where does the habits come in?
Marla Regan [00:10:59]:
Well, habits are things that, it’s a shortcut for your brain. Your brain doesn’t have to figure out, okay, I have to stand up, I have to turn around, I have to go to the door, I have to turn the doorknob. You’re not thinking about every little bitty thing. You’re getting up. You’re getting out, and you know how to go downstairs and do what you need to do. So habits are that little shortcut that your brain takes. If you will think back the time when your mom said or your dad said, hey. It’s time to learn how to drive.
Marla Regan [00:11:34]:
And he hands you the keys or she hands you the keys and you go get in the car. Everything is so deliberate. You know, just having the key, looking, putting the key in the hole, and you’re looking at the mirror. I mean, everything is so slow and deliberate. And now do we even think about it? We get we grab our keys. We get in there, and we’re out the door, and we’re down the street before we know it. So we have cultivated that habit of getting in the car, putting it in gear, checking everything, everything’s good, and heading out down the street. But initially, it wasn’t that way.
Marla Regan [00:12:17]:
So that’s how a habit goes. And habits can be good, they can be bad. One one little habit that I have that is so funny, kinda sorta, is, I I turn my lamp off every night before I go to bed. And last night, I caught myself because my lamp was not on. My husband’s lamp was on. And I reached down and said, it’s not on. I don’t have to turn it off. But I was reaching because that was the automatic thing before I got into bed, was to turn that lamp off.
Marla Regan [00:12:57]:
So we have little habits that we’re really not even aware of. They’re just automatically built in. And if you’re not sure about one of the habits, move your trash can. You’re gonna go to the old place every single time.
Marisa Shadrick [00:13:14]:
So And put trash on the floor. So that’s
Marla Regan [00:13:16]:
not good. It’s like, oh, it’s not there anymore. We moved it. Yeah.
Marisa Shadrick [00:13:20]:
Yeah, that’s true. Yeah. So, I love that because the habits help us to do the things well, if we cultivate good habits
Marla Regan [00:13:28]:
Exactly.
Marisa Shadrick [00:13:29]:
Helps us to do things in a way that’s healthier, more productive. I love that. So what about so it sounds like you’re talking about evening rituals maybe and morning rituals. How do you start developing a habit? What if you don’t know that you’ve developed some bad habits? You just know that life is chaotic. Where would they start to build a habit for, like, a day?
Marla Regan [00:13:52]:
Well, I would start with what Brian Tracy says. Think with a pencil.
Marisa Shadrick [00:13:59]:
Mhmm.
Marla Regan [00:13:59]:
Get out a pencil and a pad and start writing down what you’re doing and what changes you would like to make. Oh. And it’s the changes that are going to take a little bit of thought and a little bit of maybe a habit tracker. I wanna get up at this time. I want to, brush my teeth, take my supplements, drink some water, do my devotions, and, you know, what are the things that you wanna do in the morning that is going to set you up for success for the rest of the day? Mhmm. And my big thing is in order to set yourself up for success for the morning, you have to start the night before. And that is looking at where do you need to be, what time do you need to be there, how do you need to show up, And get all of those things prepared. If you’re going to be out the door, then your bag needs to be packed up and ready to go.
Marla Regan [00:15:07]:
And also, I tell people, check your coffee because if you’re out of coffee, that’s gonna ruin your morning and you don’t wanna find out first thing in the morning that you’re out of coffee.
Marisa Shadrick [00:15:18]:
That’s for sure. It’ll ruin my morning.
Marla Regan [00:15:20]:
Exactly. So check on that because you could do something about it the night before. And you can run to the store and get coffee or you can make other plans. And so and that way you’re mentally prepared for either no coffee or whatever it is that you wanna do. So make sure every little thing that you’re gonna do in the morning, you’ve covered and reviewed with yourself the night before. And that way, I feel like you’re gonna get a much better night’s sleep because your brain isn’t ruminating about, okay, what am I gonna wear tomorrow? Oh, no. How how am I, you know, how am I gonna get there? And, no, you’re gonna be much more relaxed and better prepared. And when you’re better prepared, you’re gonna rest better.
Marisa Shadrick [00:16:09]:
So Yeah. I love that. Because you said what are you gonna wear? And it’s interesting because I hadn’t realized this until you said that. Mhmm. I’m in a really busy season right now because I’m preparing a a workshop for the end of the month. And so there’s a lot of thought in creating just the opt in page, how I’m gonna promote it, you know, technology. And so I knew that the next few weeks would be really, especially this week would be pretty intense. And so automatically, I said, you know, I’m not even gonna think about what I’m gonna wear.
Marisa Shadrick [00:16:39]:
I’ve got these, like, 7 dresses that I bought that the patterns are all different, but they’re very similar. I said, I’ll just wear those. I used to wear those in Nevada because it’s really hot in Nevada.
Marla Regan [00:16:49]:
Oh, my god.
Marisa Shadrick [00:16:49]:
But it’s not so hot here. And I just instinctively said, I’m not even gonna worry about what I have to wear in the morning, and that’s why I’m wearing a dress. It’s because I’m just gonna grab one of those dresses, and I don’t have to spend what limited thinking power I have on figuring out what I’m gonna wear. And I I must have done that instinctively because I’ve done that before. When I get really busy, I shortcut other things. And one of the things is emails. Boy, I am the quick to delete emails. I just look at the URL to see delete delete delete delete, and I don’t even have time to unsubscribe.
Marisa Shadrick [00:17:24]:
I do that another time. But if I’m really busy, I just go through and I don’t even poke around to see if there’s a webinar going on. I just because I’m focused on what I need to get done. And so I think that’s what you’re talking about, that when we develop some habits or some routines that we know worked, when we do have those busy seasons, we can kind of default into those routines that we know have been helpful for us. Yes. So that’s interesting because I hadn’t thought about that. Now what about when we do our part and we’ve got some good healthy habits, but all of a sudden you get an email from a client or somebody needs something from you yesterday. And all of a sudden what you beautifully planned to do that day gets interrupted.
Marisa Shadrick [00:18:08]:
How do we handle those situations?
Marla Regan [00:18:11]:
That’s a great question. You know, it’s you usually, you push your stuff aside. However, we can put boundaries in place and know that what is an absolute something that is nonnegotiable on your calendar that you know that in order to get from point a to point b, you’ve got to stay in your lane and do that. And if it is a yesterday thing, it’s either refer that to somebody else or think of it as you’re just not available mentally or physically for this particular client. And it is coming up with an alternative, to help them. You don’t wanna not help them. But what can we do to get at least something done so that it is a win win for both of you? But let them know, you know what? I just have a few minutes, and let’s see what we can do. Let’s see how we can get to where we need to go.
Marla Regan [00:19:18]:
And and does this have to be right now? Can I help you maybe this afternoon or first thing in the morning? You know, what what can we do because you’re building your business and yes, we are we’re servants, we have a servant heart. But it comes a point where that boundary needs to be put in place. You know, if you go to the grocery store at 5 minutes after their closing time and bang on their door, I’m sorry, but we’re closed. And so That’s true. We we need to have those hours of operation when we know when we are available. And that’s usually when we’re fresh, we’re prepared, and we know how to help who we need to help. So Yeah.
Marisa Shadrick [00:20:11]:
I think that’s true. And I think if people if you just respond, if it’s an email, for example, and you just respond, oh, I received your email. I just wanted to let you know I’m in the middle of a project right now. Is it okay if I get back to you tomorrow, or can we schedule something later this week? Because I wanna I wanna go deeper in this conversation. Just a response. Exactly. Not hearing anything crickets. No.
Marisa Shadrick [00:20:37]:
Drives people crazy. It drives me crazy because I don’t know if they got the email. I’m gonna hear back from them. But if they just say, oh, I got your email. I’ll get back to you tomorrow. Is that okay? You know, a lot of times people are okay with that because they get it. They get how busy you can be. So I love that not feeling the need to have to drop everything and making everything urgent.
Marisa Shadrick [00:20:58]:
Right?
Marla Regan [00:20:59]:
Right.
Marisa Shadrick [00:21:00]:
Including like, does that include, like, when my husband walks into my office and then asking me questions about something that happened today? And I said, well, can I can I talk to you later about that? Because right now I’m in the middle of something, and I was trying to figure out this technology stuff. So You
Marla Regan [00:21:16]:
know what? Oh my goodness. The exact same thing happened here today. Probably same time is going on in your office. I’m in the middle of technology. What do you need? I just need a kiss. I’m leaving. Oh, okay.
Marisa Shadrick [00:21:31]:
Exactly. So we we probably wanna be a little bit more gentle with those that we live with. But but I think they understand because too, I told my husband that I would be really busy next couple of weeks. And all he said was, well, let me know how I can help you.
Marla Regan [00:21:46]:
Oh, that’s great. Help you.
Marisa Shadrick [00:21:47]:
Yeah. So he’s very supportive. But I I give him the heads up. I think, you know, this is what’s coming up, and it’s just for a couple weeks. And other than that, everything will be fine. And, he just says, well, let me know how I can help you. And then he’ll even he’ll even go to the cook or something.
Marla Regan [00:22:02]:
That is huge. Yeah. That is communicating Mhmm. With the people not only in your household, but communicating with your team. Here’s where we are. Here is what I need help with. Here is why dinner will not be on the table at the normal time. Mhmm.
Marla Regan [00:22:20]:
And so once people know what’s going on
Marisa Shadrick [00:22:23]:
Yeah.
Marla Regan [00:22:24]:
There’s a whole lot more grace given. Yeah. And, and people don’t realize how important communication is.
Marisa Shadrick [00:22:33]:
Yes.
Marla Regan [00:22:33]:
And that is another thing that, I I I recommend this for families with small children or school age children to have a time where they come together once a week, usually on Saturday mornings. And if it’s hard to get your family to the table on Saturday mornings, then have cinnamon rolls. That’ll get them there every time. It smells wonderful. Yeah. See? You’re already at the table.
Marisa Shadrick [00:22:59]:
Yeah.
Marla Regan [00:22:59]:
And then and everybody has a planner. And I recommend that they have a paper planner. And everybody has a turn, mom, dad, and each child. Where are you gonna be? What’s going on at school? Do you have a test this week coming up? What projects do you have? This asking about the projects eliminates that going to get a poster at 7:30 on Sunday night.
Marisa Shadrick [00:23:24]:
Yes.
Marla Regan [00:23:25]:
So
Marisa Shadrick [00:23:26]:
I’ve done that with my granddaughter. She goes, I need to create this project. When is it due tomorrow? And I need a portal and I go, oh my gosh. Okay.
Marla Regan [00:23:33]:
So we’ll
Marisa Shadrick [00:23:33]:
go and get it. Exactly. But now nowadays though, they have portals in Yeah. For schools. So it’s a lot easier to see ahead of time if the teachers Yeah. Put all that information there for parents. So thank goodness for technology that we got portals and stuff we can check.
Marla Regan [00:23:47]:
Exactly. And then you can check that portal and then tell your child, okay, I see that you have a book report due. Where’s your book? Okay. I want you to sit down and read. Physically read your book or read it on Kindle, however they’re reading books these days, and spend this much time and then we’re going to talk about the book. So parents really need to be hands on and this is very important. This also helps entrepreneurs who have children and so that you’re having that double win at home as well as in the office. You know what’s going on at home and you know what’s going on with your children.
Marla Regan [00:24:24]:
This also gives you that present productivity at home to know, okay, here’s the list of things that need to be going on with your children and keeping them on track. And you are also giving them the time management life skill that kids just really don’t have these days.
Marisa Shadrick [00:24:46]:
Yeah. That’s true. That’s true. And, I think you’ve taught me well, Marla, because I’m re I’m thinking over the weekend Mhmm. Instinctively. Okay. The dresses was one example. The other thing I did was my husband was gonna go grocery shopping for me so I can get some things at home done ahead of time.
Marisa Shadrick [00:25:06]:
And I said, why don’t you get a few things so I can make some crock pot of jambalaya? Because he loves it. I love it. And I knew a crock pot, if I make it on Sunday, it’s gonna last a few days. And I said, I’m gonna be really busy, so I’m I’m gonna make a crock, and he loves it because it’s got all this chicken and sausage and shrimp, and it’s like delicious. Yeah. And so I made the crock pot. So I think you’ve taught me well because when I know I’m going into intense mode, I instinctively start thinking, where can I shave time and what can I do? And I I think that’s just not that we need it all the time. I mean, I’m really busy right now, but not regularly, I can cook every day or we’ll barbecue and have leftovers the next day or something.
Marisa Shadrick [00:25:50]:
But in those seasons when it gets really busy, especially for entrepreneurs, if they’re launching a product, if they’re writing a book or launching a book, you know, something like that, we get it, they’re really busy, but there is a way where you’re saying that we can make the most of each day if we just plan. Right?
Marla Regan [00:26:09]:
Yeah. Exactly. And what you’re doing by the crock pot cooking, it’s batch cooking because you know that for, and and if there’s any leftover, you can put it in the freezer for later. But, it’s also finding time to batch write to, you know, write your blogs. You don’t have to just write one. Write one for the whole month. Not one, but you know, for each week for the next month, and do your videos, batch your videos together so that you’re only having to get these things out one time, but you’re taking care of it for for a period of time. So, that is also a great time habit is to look ahead and let technology help you.
Marla Regan [00:26:55]:
Yeah. So, yeah.
Marisa Shadrick [00:26:56]:
I think that’s why repurposing Yes. Is such a buzzword for entrepreneurship because so much that we do, we repurpose because chances are someone is not gonna see it if it’s in written form. Right. And that has saved me a lot of time. Then you’re looking at just a few topics that you’re gonna be talking about in a particular month, and those topic ideas end up being a LinkedIn newsletter. It ends up being a podcast and ends up being a Monday marketing memo. It ends up archiving in my blog. It ends up on YouTube because I also record these in video and audio.
Marisa Shadrick [00:27:34]:
So you get a lot out of one topic that you’ve already researched and you know this is, you know, keyword driven and something that people are going to want to consume. So that’s a big one to be able to do that, and that has been so helpful. And you can get so kinds of, if you want, social snippets from that. And now technology with Canva, they have the bulk create now. I don’t know if you’ve seen that, Marla, but,
Marla Regan [00:28:01]:
not yet. But I will be looking.
Marisa Shadrick [00:28:04]:
I did record something for a program of mine that you’re in, so you’ll be able to see it. I think it went up yesterday. But Bold Create in Canva is a great way. I see it best for quotes, where you can have, like, a spreadsheet, a CSV file, and you import it, and it will create these quote cards in a second. It just boom. And then you just drag and drop some images behind it. It’s just like the greatest thing that I have seen. And so I love it.
Marisa Shadrick [00:28:35]:
So there’s things technology can help us save time. But I think the key because no tool is gonna help us if we don’t plan.
Marla Regan [00:28:43]:
Right? Exactly.
Marisa Shadrick [00:28:44]:
I think we need to plan and develop those habits. And can you help people find those pockets of areas that maybe they’re they’re not, maybe they could do it more efficiently.
Marla Regan [00:28:55]:
Mhmm. Absolutely. I have got a form and it’s called an ideal week. And it is when you just look at from Sunday all the way to Saturday evening, Sunday morning to Saturday evening, and you fill in with the things that you you normally do every week. And then you see these little pockets of time. Well, I’m working on this project, so I can I can really work on this project right here, and then I can do this here? And so you’re looking at where you want to spend your time, where you need to spend your time, where you’re going to decide, okay, at this time is when I’m going to stop work, I’m going to clean up my desk, and then I’m going home. Whether you are in home already, it doesn’t matter. You’re gonna leave your office, close your door, and then you become somebody’s wife, somebody’s mother.
Marisa Shadrick [00:29:58]:
I like that. I’m going to do that. I’m going to close my door when I’m done. I haven’t done that yet. So I’m going to shutting down the computer is kind of my signal. Everything is over with because I can’t do anything with my computer’s off. But I think I’m gonna close the door. Now, Marla has some amazing planners too.
Marisa Shadrick [00:30:13]:
If they wanna be able to get this one, worksheet that you’re talking about, how can they get that
Marla Regan [00:30:19]:
from you? If they would email me, Marisa r@organizedtime.com, I will be happy to email that to them and Oh, cool. Yes.
Marisa Shadrick [00:30:32]:
Now if they wanna talk to you and maybe get a little help now I know I hired you when it was a holiday. It was holiday season. There was a lot of things going on at the time and I was hosting. My family was coming. I had just started a keto lifestyle, so I had to have all new recipes for the holiday season. It was a hot mess. We needed the carpets cleaned. There was a cracked tile we needed repaired.
Marisa Shadrick [00:30:59]:
I mean, you name it. There was all kinds of things coming out of the woodwork. And you helped me just, like, step off the ledge, create a plan, and it was literally my husband said, it was the best holiday ever as far as the food and everything. And I was the most relaxed. I was able to enjoy.
Marla Regan [00:31:20]:
That’s the way it’s supposed to be.
Marisa Shadrick [00:31:22]:
Mhmm.
Marla Regan [00:31:23]:
Absolutely the way it’s supposed to be. A friend of mine who lives in Galveston, it was Christmas time, she was busy cooking and all this, and it started snowing. That is a very rare occurrence, Mhmm. Especially down in Galveston. I’m, like, what, 15 minute 50 miles from Galveston. So, but anyway, she said, I was so busy I could not stop to go enjoy the snow with my son. I thought, wow, that is that broke my heart.
Marisa Shadrick [00:31:56]:
Yeah.
Marla Regan [00:31:57]:
And I thought, no, you cannot be that busy in the holidays. This is not a you’re not a machine. You’re here to enjoy that time of year and enjoy your family and make those memories. So having a plan of action, a time when you know you’re gonna cook, when you’re gonna eat, when you’re gonna do all of the things you’re gonna do, that will absolutely give you that peace of mind and that’s what I’m all about is to give you
Marisa Shadrick [00:32:24]:
peace of mind. Definitely helped me. Absolutely. Organized person. Yeah. I’m pretty structured. And I have routines and I’ve developed habits. But during that time, I said, you know what? I need help.
Marisa Shadrick [00:32:36]:
And that’s one thing I think people have to realize when to raise their hand and say I need help.
Marla Regan [00:32:42]:
Yes.
Marisa Shadrick [00:32:42]:
And not say, well, if when things slow down, it’ll get better. A lot of times it doesn’t. So if they need to talk to you Yes. How can they get in touch with you? If they want to hire you, if they wanna talk to you, potentially have a maybe a working relationship with you, how can they do that?
Marla Regan [00:32:59]:
Well, all they need to do is, they can go to my website and click on let’s talk. It will take them to my calendar, and they can find a time. And, when we get together, it’s like a 20 minute chat, and I am all ears. I’m listening to see how I can help you do what you need to do. And, just like when you and I got together, you told me exactly what was going on, and I was able to come up with a good plan of action for you. And that is my superpower. I find solutions for people’s situations. It’s like one of those little itches that you just have to scratch.
Marla Regan [00:33:41]:
And I am looking for how can I connect you to, a program, how can I connect you to a tool, whatever? So,
Marisa Shadrick [00:33:52]:
and, yes. For entrepreneurs too, you help them because I know you’ve had clients, you’ve helped them with all of their documents and paperwork and organize all of that. Because so often it gets put in a box or something and they don’t know where everything is and maybe they want to write their will, you know, all kinds of things that you start thinking about having passwords and how do family members access those. You help them with all that stuff, right?
Marla Regan [00:34:21]:
I do. I do.
Marisa Shadrick [00:34:22]:
That’s awesome.
Marla Regan [00:34:23]:
Yes. Awesome.
Marisa Shadrick [00:34:24]:
So take it from me that someone who is very organized, I’m a type a, right? Checklists all the time, and I needed help. And I hired Marla and I also use Marla’s anytime planner. You can explain what that is. And I also purchased her journal, which is amazing. So she’s got some great resources, but I love the anytime planner. You wanna talk
Marla Regan [00:34:46]:
about that? Can they still buy that? Sure. The start anytime planner is available on my website. I also have a, a dated planner that I will be doing 2025 planner here pretty soon. And, but the start anytime planner is a place for you to write your goals at the beginning of each month and to review those and, keep up. It’s a there’s a 2 page month and a 2 page week, so you can look at all of your times. And I recommend that you think about what it is that you want to do and put it down on paper and then take it to your electronic calendar. Because then you can set alarms and set reminders for the appointments. And and even if it’s your little work time, you can set the reminder that okay, it’s time to stop that and go into doing something else.
Marla Regan [00:35:46]:
So,
Marisa Shadrick [00:35:46]:
yeah, there’s something magical about having a physical calendar and putting everything in there. It almost feels like it unlocks your brain. Yes. You can put everything in there. You can turn a page, write some notes down, and then prioritize. And the priorities get on my digital calendar.
Marla Regan [00:36:04]:
Right.
Marisa Shadrick [00:36:04]:
And then I can always go back and forth, and that way my digital calendar is in cluttered with all kinds of stuff. And also your, your journal is beautiful, by the way.
Marla Regan [00:36:13]:
Thank you.
Marisa Shadrick [00:36:14]:
And very nice. That’s your latest project. That’s the latest one that you’ve released, and that is also available on Amazon? Yes. Yes. Yeah. Awesome.
Marla Regan [00:36:22]:
Yes.
Marisa Shadrick [00:36:22]:
Marla, this has been so great. I just love having you because you just you ooze this topic. You understand productivity so well. And you’re so patient with everyone. Right? You’re you were so patient with me as I was like, oh, I don’t know how I’m going to get all this stuff done. And you’re very patient with everyone.
Marla Regan [00:36:40]:
Well, there’s no judgment with me. You know, I understand. I, you know, was a mom. I was a military wife with 2 small children and, you know, I did not, you know, my husband was out saving the world. So, he was gone a lot. So I totally understand how it is to get up early, get the girls ready, get me ready, go to school. I was a school secretary for many years. And, you know, it was when they had, you know, take your daughter to work day, it was like, I do that every day.
Marla Regan [00:37:17]:
So
Marisa Shadrick [00:37:17]:
Yeah. Yeah. For sure.
Marla Regan [00:37:19]:
I understand, you know, that that I don’t wanna call it a struggle. It was life, and I understand. And you also have to be patient with yourself with what season of life you are in. That is so very important because right now you and I are both empty nesters. So our time is our own. But when we have children at home and we’re running a business or we’re working or whatever, we have to divide our mental space among family and work. Where are they? What are they doing? Okay. They’re too quiet over there.
Marla Regan [00:37:57]:
I need to go see.
Marisa Shadrick [00:38:01]:
I I, you know, I love that term because I am finally an empty nester now that I moved to Tennessee. Because for the past 11 years, my daughter and granddaughter lived with us. We’re all one family unit in California. Well, in Nevada and then last 2 years in California, and it didn’t feel like an empty nester at all. There was a lot of the the school projects and the homework and all the things that go on and listening when it’s too quiet. And now I finally, finally feel like an empty nester here in Tennessee. And it’s so much better because a lot of my clients are from East Coast and Central Time Zone. And it was really hard when I was Pacific time.
Marisa Shadrick [00:38:38]:
So I’m feeling the difference and the relief of just being in a better time zone too. But I don’t recommend that to move to another time zone, but it sure helped with what I was doing. So Yeah. Yeah. Thank you, Marisa, so much. Thank you. Any last words? I’m gonna put all the links also in the show notes on the replay. So any last words for people of encouragement or some piece of wisdom you wanna pass on?
Marla Regan [00:39:05]:
I would I would recommend find time for you. Take time for you. That is so very important. Because if you’re not rested and relaxed and rejuvenated, when you go into those projects and things like that, and that that that feeling of, I’ve gotta get this done. I’ve gotta get this done. Hurry up. Let’s get off the phone. You know? And that comes across to your clients.
Marla Regan [00:39:33]:
They they feel that tension in you. But when you have stepped back and taken time and you have prepared, then that more relaxed person, that person that is gonna give your client that one on one feeling that they’re the only one in the world, which you’re so good at doing, Marissa, I have to say, Then I I really feel like that is going to help you really be successful in your business.
Marisa Shadrick [00:40:04]:
So That’s awesome. That’s good advice. Yeah. Good advice. Thank you, Marisa. Again, I’ll put all the details in the show notes. Thank you everyone for listening. It really is an important topic, not only for your business, for your family, but for your health.
Marisa Shadrick [00:40:20]:
So contact Marla, get a hold of her. She’s just so open and so giving. You can have a conversation with her and it’ll probably be the best decision you ever made. So thank you, Marla, again. Take care, everyone. Bye bye.
