2019-2025 Archival Note:
This is an archive of my body of work (blog and Not Too Productive podcast) from 2019 to 2025.
As much as I’ve wanted to toss it all in the trash, I believe it matters to show the ideas and experiments that carried me to this moment, and to mark how things, and we, change.
Through my years as The Holistic Time Coach, I’ve learned so much. One of the biggest: people don’t actually need to be more productive or manage their time in isolated silos. The truth is, the system we live in is broken, and what we need is a radical new approach to time.
You can find and follow along with my most recent, more congruent work here.
If you see something here that you disagree with, I may… probably… agree with you. That’s part of why I’m archiving it.
Time management coaches are more important now than ever before: Here’s why
Life is beautiful and fragile.
Being human is amazing and challenging.
Staying true to ourselves is essential for living each of our one lifetimes with the most fulfillment, happiness, and health.
It's easier than ever before in our world to become consumed by all of our to-do lists, distracted by what other people are doing, and lose touch with ourselves.
A holistic time management coach is someone you can hire to make your life so much easier by supporting you with making time for, staying focused on, and being present with the things that matter most to you.
If you’ve been wondering what you can do to make more of your time and life, continue reading to find out why a time management coach is more important than ever before.
Time management coaches: An antidote to the state of the world
We’ve been living in an increasingly demanding and uncertain world that moves and evolves faster every single day.
American psychiatrist Edward Hallowell goes so far as to say, ‘Never in human history have our brains had to work with so much information as they do today… We have a generation of people who are so busy processing the information received from all directions that they are losing the ability to think and feel.’
Our societies are fighting against a global pandemic, the attention economy, burnout, overworking, addiction, individual and collective trauma, and so much more.
54% Gen Xers are burned out, whereas 68% of working moms are burned out (source).
As a result of the pandemic, it appears to me that we are collectively rethinking many things… one of which is the way we work and live.
I believe that’s why 47.4 million people have voluntarily left their jobs for better work (CNBC).
We are after more flexible working conditions, better wages, and a better quality of life overall.
More than ever, we have tuned into the fact that we have this one human life to make the most of.
And I don’t know about you, but I want an extraordinary one full of connection, purpose, impact, and meaning.
A time management coach is here to partner up with you to make the most out of your life.
Not your average time management coach
When the majority of people think about time management, being a productive superhuman at work and sometimes, at home, comes to mind.
I get tired just thinking about the way I used to think about time management.
However, here at The Holistic Time Coach, we’re about shifting our perception around time management.
Time is the fabric of life, and our humanness.
Time is the medium for meeting our needs.
Consciously choosing to spend our time is the most important thing we can ever do.
Time management, the kind that’s not just about being more productive at work, is about being a good steward of our life force.
Collaborating with time allows us to do all the things that are deeply meaningful to us and be the person we want to be.
The extraordinary life we crave goes from a distant wish to a real possibility.
Saying goodbye to getting consumed by all the to-do’s, distracted by what other people are doing, and losing touch with ourselves becomes possible too.
A holistic time management coach is someone you can hire to make your life so much easier by supporting you with making time for, staying focused on, and being present with the things that matter most to you.
How does a time management coach actually do that?
As a holistic time management coach, my role has 3 main elements. In order for someone to create and experience an extraordinary life on their terms, I assist someone in:
Playing in the possibilities to identify how and where they truly want to spend their time.
Discovering the unique skills and tools they need in order to spend their time how they want.
Integrating those skills until they become second nature with gentle support and accountability.
Want more details on what I actually do as a holistic time management coach? Click here.
Have you thought about what’s possible for you if you were able to stay focused on what matters most? If you were able to spend the majority of your time doing the things you want to do?
Let me know in the comments below!
Curious about what was possible for the folks I’ve worked with?
Click here to read from the amazing humans, entrepreneurs, and professionals I’ve worked with have said about working with me.
Themed Days: A surprisingly powerful way to make time to create
If you’re here, you’ve most likely got big dreams, a big heart, and somehow… never enough time to create the things you want to create.
Whether it’s writing, art, bringing new offerings into the world, or anything else that brings you joy.
Now if you’re a creative soul, traditional time management advice isn’t usually your cup of tea. For good reason, most of it feels shame-y and icky.
However, when used in a curious and compassionate way, I’ve seen the most anti-structure folks find a way forward that works for them and helps them do the things they’ve been trying to do for years.
If you’ve been struggling with never having enough time to create, themed days are here to help you make the most of your day.
Keep reading to learn more.
Why is finding creative time such a challenge?
Bills! Survival Mode! Valuing working/doing over creating! Self-sabotage! Limited capacity! Feeling undeserving of creative time! Etc! Etc! Etc!
There are so many reasons why finding time to create such a challenge, and so many things fighting for our precious time and energy. Know you’re not alone in this.
If you wear tons of different hats, finding a way to collaborate with time is extremely important. And themed days are a surprisingly powerful way to heal what might be keeping you from creating and finally, create.
Who might benefit the most from using themed days?
If you…
Never have enough time to create/make things for any reason. Often because you seem to always do other things.
Struggle with the “time is up” phenomenon (you feel inspired one day and would like to spend more time on something. Yet the schedule you’d made tells you that time is up and you need to move to your next time slot. UGH, the worst!)
Want to be more space + flowy + intuitive with your scheduling. Click here to read about why intuition is so important when it comes to your schedule.
Want to make easier or faster progress on a project you care about.
Find yourself multi-tasking or getting distracted more than you’d like to.
Struggling with being consistent and/or self-disciplined.
Resonate with any of these? Then themed days might be a good next thing to experiment with!
What are themed days?
As defined by Leonard Alexandru, themed days are about “Having each day of the week (or the work-week) dedicated to a certain topic or project.”
Blaz Kos shares, “Themed days are strategically planned days in your calendar which are completely dedicated to one single thing.”
I wanted to share both of those definitions as they might be helpful for your understanding. However, I’m a rebellious, creative, spiritual soul language is really important to me. How things are said makes a huge difference in being able to buy into and effectively use tools and strategies.
That being said, I would define themed days as, “Regular scared containers of time dedicated to deeply important things.”
Is language important to you too? Do you have a different definition? I’d love to hear it in the comments below.
How to create themed days that feel good to you
Identify the things that are deeply important to you (see definition of themed days above).
Open your calendar or the thing you use to visualize your time. See what time you have or can make available.*
If you don’t have something, pick someplace you’re going to use to visualize your time (I use my google calendar for everything!)
Pick a set amount of time (half-day, day, etc.) that you can turn into a sacred container.
Pair the important things with the sacred container, and that’s your theme!
After you’ve set up a themed day, you can get more granular and turn that time into smaller blocks of time connected to specific things you’d like to do.
Ask yourself what you need to have in place or do to commit to your sacred container.
This can range from communicating boundaries with others, changing your availability in your scheduling system, or sitting with it until the theme feels right to you.
These steps might feel simple, but they are profound when integrated. When themed days are properly set up, following them feels natural and 10x easier to do.
*A solid foundation for themed days is knowing your capacity, availability, and responsibilities and having a home for them. Again, I use a weekly schedule template in my google calendar to holistically capture all of this.
How I’ve historically used themed days in my life
When I was starting out with my business, I was also an engineer working 5 days a week. I themed out 3 hours each day of the week for all of the things I needed to do to grow my business.
Monday’s were CEO days (planning, reviewing, mindset, strategy).
Tuesdays were building days (develop offerings).
Wednesdays were writing content days.
Thursdays were grow days (networking, talking to people, etc.)
Fridays were bonus days to do anything I didn’t get to.
Now, my themed days have simplified a bit and have gotten more intuitive:
Monday’s are to create whatever I want to create.
Tuesday - Thursday are call-focused days (clients, networking, podcasting, etc.)
The rest of my time is off/unscheduled.
Watch out for these common themed day pitfalls
1. Automatically assuming themed days won’t work for you.
Of course, never try to force things on you if they don’t feel right. However, when we immediately think about why something won’t work for us, we won’t see what parts might work for us. Ultimately this keeps up stuck.
2. Not experimenting with your themes until you find what feels good.
Themes (aka what’s most important to us) are always evolving and changing. Try not to expect them to perfectly work at first, or forever.
3. Not being flexible in real-time.
Things come up in life and they change things. This is expected, and it doesn’t mean you or your themed days suck. You are completely in control of your themes, sacred containers, and time.
4. Overdoing it.
It can be really easy to overdo planning in an attempt to feel safe and keep uncertainty at bay. If you create many different themed days before integrating even one, it will most likely feel overwhelming and you’ll want to scrap it all.
Give yourself permission to get creative with time strategies!
Themed days are one of those things that can be used rigidly, ineffectively, and shame-y. They can also be used in a powerful, creative, and spiritual way.
When themed days are used with curiosity and compassion, I’ve seen even the most anti-structure folks find a way forward that works for them and helps them do the things they’ve been trying to do for years. You can too!
Want to set up themed days that’ll WORK (no messin’ around)? Read more about my Sustainable Schedule VIP Day.
Calendly Free Plan: How to set availability that respects your boundaries
When you are starting or growing a service-based business people need to book a session with you.
If you don't have a scheduling system set up, you need one ASAP. (See below to be convinced!)
More importantly than just having an appointment scheduler, knowing how much and when to work is huge!
Your availability is key to sustainably and successfully running and growing your business without burning out.
Imagine how much easier your life would be if you knew exactly how many hours you could take calls and could simply send people a link to book a call that works for them.
That’s why free appointment schedulers, like Calendly, were created.
In this blog, I'm going to step you through how to set your availability that respects your boundaries allowing you to run your business with more ease AND energy.
Why using a free appointment scheduler (Like Calendly) is so amazing?
When you use the Calendly free plan, you no longer have to go back and forth with folks on finding a time that works for both of you. It automatically converts time zones for both of you. Events will automatically be put into your calendar and send reminders to the person who’s signed up.
If you want to take all the decisions and guesswork out of this super-important piece of your business, saving your time and energy for the call itself, set up a free appointment scheduler ASAP.
A Calendly free plan is here to help you simplify and stay true to your boundaries. If you’re still on the fence about Calendly, Calendar.com has this really amazing and comprehensive guide and tutorial.
Once you’ve set up your free plan account (if you didn’t have it already), it’s time to dig into the real topic here. Your availability!
Why knowing your availability is so important
Your availability is a resource to protect and be a good steward of. Knowing when you work and being able to easily communicate your availability is so important. It allows you to…
Show up confident and on top of things with clients, partners, networking calls, and anyone else you might meet up with.
Allows you to join in other events and continuing education programs, knowing you can actually do it without stress and overwhelm.
Know and utilize other days in the week to rest and work on your business.
Show up for the calls you do have more energized and present… usually leading to better transformation, connection, and success for both parties.
Avoid scheduling conflicts.
Determine your pricing for your offers more effectively and realistically.
In summary, it allows you to sustainably and successfully run and grow your business without burning out.
Speaking of, burnout. Check out this major burnout red flag!
Don’t let this be you! (If this is you, no shame. I’ve been there, and I think everyone has at some point. I got you. Keep reading)
What goes into determining your availability?
So many things. Your availability is essentially the same as determining your capacity. If success, sustainability, and enjoying your life are important to you… it’s a non-negotiable to take into account these things below:
How many hours you WANT to work
Your hourly rate (directly calculated from hours you want to work)
Physical health: How much physical energy you typically have and how much energy calls take.
Mental health: How much mental energy you have and how much calls take.
External circumstances like kids, a partner, and other responsibilities.
Time zones for both you and your clientele.
Holidays/special days off/etc.
Once you have all this information laid out for you, you can determine your availability.
I’m a super visual person so before adding anything to Calendly, I like to set it up in my google calendar. I use a holistic and custom-made weekly template to show my availability.
Now set your availability in Calendly!
Log in (Sign up if you haven’t used it before)
Toggle over to availability. Make sure you have one availability called “working hours” and all your events are linked to it.
Add in your availability (I like to see it in list view.)
Double-check that your events use your working hours.
BONUS: In your events, you can add buffers to events so you won’t have back-to-back calls to recoup your energy and take a short break.
Don’t forget to keep your availability up to date when circumstances change in your life.
And that’s all you need to do to set up your availability in Calendly!
Did you know I can support you in holistically determining your availability for sustainable success?
Click here to read more about and book a Sustainable Schedule VIP Day.
3 Reasons why I no longer create quarter plans like I used to
How many times have you had so much you wanted to do, felt like you had to do it all immediately, and so just added it all to your plan?
Or have you ever made a plan, only to have life turn it upside down, leaving you lost and confused?
Yep, me too!
That’s one of the reasons I fell in love with quarterly planning.
I was tired of spinning my wheels trying to make progress towards my goals that seemed just out of reach.
If only I could find a way to focus, follow through, and control all of life’s curveballs.
That way was quarterly planning for me, circa 2018.
Now 4 years later, it’s time to share why I’m not planning in the same way anymore. Keep reading to find out!
What is quarterly planning?
If you aren’t familiar with quarterly planning, that’s ok! Quarterly planning simply asks you to think about and plan three months at a time, rather than a whole year or more.
When you break your year down into four pieces, it’s a lot easier to prioritize projects allowing you to stay flexible, focused, and more easily make progress.
What role did a quarterly plan play in my success?
When I first read 12 Week Year by Brian Moran in 2017, I was blown away.
At that time in my life, I was working an engineering job full time, teaching yoga part-time, planning my own wedding, and starting my own online yoga business. Just writing that out exhausts me.
I quite frankly had too much I wanted to do, and I felt like I had to do it all yesterday.
Quarterly planning allowed me to list out everything I wanted to do, and then attempt to prioritize.
Don’t be fooled, I continued to start every quarter with more than the recommended amount of priorities.
While I continued to do more than I realistically could, I was making progress faster because I was saying no to some things.
Looking back, quarterly planning helped me start to learn how to focus my time on the things that would actually move the needle.
Instead of buying course after course, I filled my time with what would actually grow my business: consult calls, coaching sessions, and networking.
Quarter planning was a major tool that created the momentum I needed to quit my 9-5, become a digital nomad, devote time to my relationships and my personal growth, and just live my life!
Then, once I started The Holistic time Coach, I was also able to put my own spin on quarterly planning and teach it to others.
Long story short: Quarterly planning, more specifically the often impossible skill of prioritizing played a major role in my success.
However, now 4 years after implementing quarterly planning in my life and business, I don’t need it in the same ways.
Whether you’re currently where I used to be and really need to prioritize better or you got that down and you’re trying to figure out what’s next, here are some of my thoughts:
Why I don’t create quarter plans like I used to
I deeply know my capacity, limits, and boundaries now
As I mentioned above, quarterly planning helped me put less on my plate than I naturally would have.
I now know tangibly how much I can put on my plate before I disturb my physical, mental, emotional, and/or spiritual health (my definition of capacity).
I don’t limit myself to 3 priorities, and I don’t need 3 priorities every quarter. I tune into myself and create a quarter plan that honors me instead of following someone else’s guidelines.
I also now generally put wayyy less on my plate. I look at projects and goals with a more realistic lens. I know what to say no to and have the skills to do that. And that’s helped me be more effective and live more authentically.
I trust myself more to (actually) follow my plans
I used to make a quarter plan that was a super detailed broken down action plan every month and every week. I also had a tracker to score and grade myself. (BLEGH!)
What ended up happening? I would never actually follow to detailed plans I would spend days creating, and never actually tracked my actions. It was too much for someone with already too much on their plate.
Looking back, I realize I didn’t really trust myself. I thought I had to do #allthethings in order to achieve my goals, so I could finally be happy. And more so, deeper down I really didn’t believe I could follow through, and so I proved myself right every quarter.
Until something clicked (more self-trust was the answer), I continued to make strict, rigid, detailed plans set up to fail me.
I can now trust that when I say I’ll do something, I’ll actually do it. I keep my word to myself, and follow through with the things that are deeply meaningful to me.
This has made my quarter plans more relaxed, open, flow-ey, and spacious helping me feel that through the day-to-day.
I simplified my life
I no longer have a job to balance while building my business. I’m able to focus on just me and my business… because I focused, made the most of my time, and took action.
I simplified my life in so many ways. I no longer have all these habits and external goals I’m constantly striving towards. Deep down in my heart, I feel more complete and content than I ever have.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m still constantly growing and healing. But there is a difference between that and setting a ton of goals and believing I’ll be happier once I achieve all of them.
I know it sounds cheesy, but I genuinely go with the flow and am open to whatever opportunities the universe presents to me. And lucky for me, I have the space and time to listen! My quarterly planning reflect these beliefs.
Where to go from here?
If you’re reading this, you might be thinking to yourself, “now what?” The beautiful thing about that is you get to decide!
If you have a ton on your plate, and you don’t want to feel stressed and overwhelmed all the time anymore, quarterly planning can really help you.
I invite you to check out my holistic quarterly planning worksheet.
If figuring out what a life of knowing yourself better, trusting yourself more, and enjoying a slow, peaceful yet ambitious life is important to you, learn more about working with me one-on-one.
I’d love to hear more about what you’re going through and if I can support you in discovering a new way of moving through the world.
Don't know how to slow down and enjoy life more? Here's how she did it.
At a point in your life where you’re trying to slow down and enjoy life more yet don’t exactly know where to go from here?
You know a lot of the systems you’ve been using and the old ways of thinking about time and productivity aren’t serving you anymore and you’re not sure what else things could look like?
You’re not alone.
The pandemic has made quite a lot of people
Rethink what they’re doing with their lives
How they spend their time, and
Finally, realize they have needs and desires…like slowing down… they need to listen to.
Learn about how Kasia slowed down and the massive impact it had on her business, relationships, and health.
Tell us who you are and what you do.
Hi! I’m Kasia, a specialist in the field of menstrual cycle disorders, and a graduate of pharmacy and clinical nutritionist at Wiecej Niz Hormony.
Why did you want to work with me?
I was at a point in my life where I was slowing down, and I knew a lot of things I used to do didn’t work for me.
My systems didn’t work because I was trying to fit myself into them, instead of the opposite.
I didn’t know how to create my own flexible structure.
What doubts did you have before working together?
I was trying to figure out if I really needed this or if it was just a whim.
I was worried that I would place all of my future hopes in it, and I didn’t want to do that to myself again.
Of course, financially I wasn’t sure if it was the best time or if it wasn’t worth it…. BUT it was one of the best decisions of my life.
What has been your favorite part so far?
Every part!
I am in the center, and I am able to make decisions for myself. There are no shoulds and pressure.
The space you created for me is so calming and loving.
You ask me so many questions… permission to tell you something, what our next steps are.
I feel taken care of!
What would you say was the biggest thing that changed for you?
I let go of all the shoulds and musts and prioritize myself. Even though it sounds so simple and everyone talks about that, I didn’t do it because I thought there are still things I should do, rules to follow in order to be successful in my life and business. I now put myself first when it comes to my schedule and to-do lists.
My business grew and I earn more money.
I finally know so much more about myself and my needs.
I decluttered my life from so many things that don’t serve me.
I’m so much more in tune with myself, respect myself more, my time more.
My google calendar doesn’t scare me anymore, finally!
…and so much more. I could talk about this forever.
Who would you recommend me to work with?
People who are struggling with finding the perfect time management system.
People who want to live more in tune with themselves, want to discover their values, and want to live a peaceful joyful life.
Any last thoughts?
It was one of the best investments of my life working with you.
It completely transformed my life in a way I couldn’t even believe was possible.
Want earning more money while feeling in tune with yourself to be way less stressful and painful? Apply to work with me here.
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