When I started to work on my own business and do some freelance consulting last year, I had to unlearn so many things.

One of the first adjustments was to fix my own day because I was not working on a rigid structure of corporate work anymore. With that said, it is really easy to slack off and procrastinate (which is one of my bad habits, yes!).

That is why I am so happy to have met Kim of Mom On Duty blog, who is an Online Business Manager, and my classmate in one of my classes with Martine (my mindset coach). Kim introduced me to time blocking which has become very helpful, especially when I audit my time.

So today, I would like to share with you some of the practices I learned to help with my productivity:

1. Goal-setting. I would usually have my “big words” for the year (this year, it’s COMPASSION AND CONNECTION) and this is my anchor for the year. Then I would have one or two big goals for the year (in 2019 to write a book and become a certified aromatherapist; in 2020 to become a certified coach and find a hustle outside of corporate) then my year is further broken down into mini-goals per quarter. In this way, I get to recalibrate (if needed) what I need to do to achieve my goals.
2. Time blocking. Kim does her time blocks in Google Calendar and I tried for a time but didn’t really work for me. I execute my time blocks in an old-fashioned way via my whiteboard and notebook. I try to wake up early so that I have time for myself and for my soul practice before I start on my ‘actual’ tasks. It helps me create a semblance of structure so I can stay on top of the things I need to do, which I write on my…
3. To-do list. Yes, I still do this and I would normally do this list at the start of my workday which is usually at 10:00 am. Some experts say that you need to do it the night before but for me, I don’t like to load myself too much of the nitty-gritty of the next day. However, this only applies to my daily tasks. There are of course tasks that are already planned in advance, meetings, conferences, client calls, etc that are already plotted and taken into consideration.
4. Apps and Templates. Apps that make life easy is something I invest in so I don’t need to spend every single hour in the processes. I use scheduling apps, pre-made templates that I can customize, Canva (which is a lifesaver, gosh!), automated invoicing. I have a long way to go but I continue to check what is available in the market so that I can maximize the use of my time.
5. Meditation. I would usually start my day in prayer and meditation. I would usually spend at least 30 minutes at the start of the day, experimenting on my favorite meditation at the moment (currently doing Rapid Transformational Therapy from Marisa Peer). Meditation has helped me curb my anxiety and just take a breath to step back and see things in a clearer, more profound way.
6. Sharpen the Saw. They say that the majority of people stop learning by the time they are thirty years old. I would not like to be part of this set so I always find ways on how I could learn to further improve my craft. Rest is also part of this so I try my best to slow down, read a book or write because I find joy in these things.
7. Yummy soul tools. Essential oils, gardening, cards, crystals, incense. I have them all and they keep me grounded and happy! This can look very different for each one so find what resonates with you.

Each one may have a different set of practices on what keeps them productive. It is always best to know what works for your personality (as an Enneagram 3, structure and achieving something are what makes me tick as I learned from Soulprint Coach, Tetz Agustin) and based on your self-observation.

How about you? What are your productivity practices! Share with me in the comments and let’s learn from each other!

Love,
Balot

I have been blogging since 2005 but it was not until 2020 that I have put in some serious effort to grow and make use of my social media channels and digital assets to communicate my products and services to the market. 

As a certified aromatherapist, a mom, and a life coach, I started to consistently post content on my Instagram, Youtube, and website, specifically on health and wellness. I published relevant topics from essential oil recipes to coaching to daily snippets of my mom life. That was when my followers really grew. I was able to find a tribe that resonated with what I was teaching and got several brands to partner with me in the process.

In the same year, I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the micro-influencers of a local parenting magazine in the Philippines. I didn’t realize that I would grow so much in this role and funnel it back to the other things I do.

Being an influencer does sound lucrative but let me share with you some lessons I have learned in the past year: 

• Being an influencer is not all glitz and glamour. You have to do the work.

You have to create strategies. You have to plan your content. You have to take photos that your audience would resonate with. All of these you are most likely to do on your own when you are starting so be prepared for that. 

• Be honest and authentic.

Gone are the days of mass marketing. People love word-of-mouth and referrals from family, friends, or someone they look up to. This is why influencer marketing has grown so much in the past years. As an influencer, people in your circle would most likely take your word when you talk about a brand or a collaboration. Make sure you believe what you endorse because, in the long run, your audience will know if you are truthful in the things that you say (and yes, this includes what you post on your social media, too!) 

• When you are just starting out, being an influencer may not yet be your “main job.” 

Like another influencer in my Intellifluence circle, Tim, he didn’t really plan to branch out into influencer marketing. He is a Los Angeles-based online fitness and nutrition coach, who just started posting about relevant content in the industry where he serves. Later on, he got offers for brand collaborations and that is where it started. Start small, dream big, and put in the work.

• You have to harness the influence you have on your audience.

In the cluttered world of social media and the digital space, you always have to deliver content that is relatable to your audience so that they keep coming back. To my first point, you have to consistently show up and connect with your audience. 

These are just some nuggets I learned in my short time as an influencer and there is still so much room to grow. I continuously study what other influencers do, especially those I follow and look up to in the health and wellness industry such as Adriene from Yoga with Adriene, Emily Fletcher, and Kayla Itsines. These ladies have been amazing in helping me create my own self-care program at home in the midst of the pandemic and I have learned so much from them with the content they deliver on yoga, meditation, and home workout. 

These influencers I look up to taught me that at the end of the day, more than the bells and whistles of being called an influencer, it all comes down to the service they put out to the world, creating content their audience can relate to, and being able to provide value in their lives. 

Anything else on top of that is just icing on the cake.