Monthly Momentum Call Library

Check out all of our Momentum Calls over on the Momentum Call archive.

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December 2019

Thank you for joining us on the December Momentum Call! This time we talked about the importance of looking back on your year (and decade) in order to move forward and have your new year’s resolutions stick, dealing with competing priorities and your own head trash, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

The Secret Lab is back! If you’re interested in some worksheets, planners and other tools that we have in the works, take a peek
Learn why it’s so important to look back on the past year (and decade) and recognize all of the lessons – both good and bad – that you’ve learned along the way in order to look forward, make more productive changes, and have your new year’s resolutions stick
How you can better learn to focus on the positives rather than dwelling on the negatives
What you can do to figure out your priorities while dealing with the bright shiny object syndrome and your own head trash
How you can reflect back on your year with the Annual Reflection Worksheet and expand that to reflecting back on the past decade
Why having debt may be tied to a story you tell yourself, and how you can move forward with meaningful work when you are in debt
How you can find a mentor or consultant that works best for you, and which questions to ask to make you sure find the right one
Why you might be self-sabotaging and what you can do to combat it

Click here to download.

November 2019

Thank you for joining us on the November Momentum Call! This time we talked about layering time blocks, projects, and tasks, how breadcrumbs can help you restart a project, when procrastination can be illuminative, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

October was the last full work week month of the year so be prepared for your time, energy, and attention to be elsewhere as the holiday season approaches. Remember to give yourself and others the gift of kindness and grace, and practice self-care
How to organize your calendar with time blocks (from Chapter 5 of Start Finishing), including how to layer in types of blocks, projects, and tasks
Why falling off the productivity wagon is normal, why it’s important to be flexible when you’re getting back on, and how breadcrumbs can help
How to stick to a deadline when you’re only accountable to yourself, what your capacity has to do with it, and how fear gets in the way
When triaging during an exceptionally busy time can be helpful, and how settling into acceptable mediocrity can take the pressure off
How adding a social component to your annual review can help stave off any negativity bias
Why the ice cream principle applies when you’re procrastinating on doing work you don’t want to do, and how the ways in which you procrastinate can be particularly illuminative

Click here to download.

October 2019

Thank you for joining us on the October Momentum Call! This time we talked about building your success packs, figuring out what’s most important amongst your competing priorities, using the two-hour rule to chunk down your projects, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

We’re already wrapping up the Start Finishing book tour – thank you so much to everyone who’s come out. We have one last stop on Monday, October 21st at 7:00 p.m. at BookPeople in Austin, TX. If you’re in the area, we’d love to see you there!
October is the last full work week month of the year! Even if you don’t celebrate any of the major holidays in November and December, keep in mind that other people in your life likely do, so plan accordingly knowing that their time and attention may be elsewhere
How to write a job description and hire someone you can trust with sensitive information, like financial data and other confidential info
What you can do to effectively build your success pack around goals of various sizes, and why you may be able to accomplish some of your smaller goals by yourself
When to decide if you should create a pseudonym for your writing, and how it may (or may not) affect your marketing tactics
How to stay focused when starting a new business when you have many small tasks to accomplish, plus what you can do to celebrate the small wins

Click here to download.

September 2019

Thank you for joining us on the September Momentum Call! This time we talked about navigating your creative growth and setting healthy boundaries, how to breakdown and organize your work with your personal projects, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

Start Finishing comes out in two weeks! Check out Charlie on tour across the country, plus there’s still time to pre-order the book to snag some awesome bonuses
September and October are the last full work months of the year, so now is the time to really push your projects forward, and to take on more heavy lifting and collaboration, before the holiday season starts to take over your time, energy and attention
How to fit your routines into your plans, and how to determine what is considered a project
Why when you start to take action on your passions and take risks on your stuck projects, your opportunities to grow may start to open up as well, and how setting healthy boundaries can help you to navigate the path you want to go down
How to organize your work with your personal projects, especially when breaking things down at a bigger level using the Yearly Momentum Planner
Why bringing on new employees can feel like a project in and of itself, and how you can build a delegation habit to help alleviate that stress

Click here to download.

August 2019

Thank you for joining us for the August Momentum Call! This time we talked about how to stack your time blocks, what you can do to cultivate more courage, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

Our Momentum Planning e-Course and 2020 Momentum Planner Digital Pack are now available! PLUS we are five weeks out from the launch of Start Finishing – check out where Charlie will be on tour promoting the book, and be sure to go see him at a city near you
Why it’s important to only have five major projects per chunk of time, keeping in mind that transitioning seasons may affect your energy levels
How to mesh together the concept of time blocking with spending your time to actually create, connect and consume, and how you may be able to stack some of those time blocks together
What you can do to cultivate more courage in your life and how you can take courageous action towards the things that scare you, rather than running away from fear

Click here to download.

July 2019

Thank you for joining us for the July Momentum Call! This time we talked about how habits can help make a brittle system more stable, creating an idea garden, confronting fear and having the courage to pursue your projects, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

Start Finishing comes out on September 24th, just over two months away, and Charlie is headed out on a book tour. Stay updated on where he’s headed, and if he’s in your ‘hood we hope to see you there!
Why you may have an expectations problem rather than a productivity problem, and how you can help to manage expectations during an especially distracting time such as the summer months
How you can handle a system that feels particularly brittle or unstable, and how habits can be so helpful in keeping those systems in place
What you can do to establish a brand new routine when everything around you has changed, and why cutting yourself some slack from your typical productivity levels during these transitional times is so important
What to do when you have many projects that you want to accomplish and realistically don’t have time for them all, but know that you want – and oftentimes need – to get to them eventually
How to differentiate between being ready and being prepared, and why the need for more information and content can actually translate into needing more courage

Click here to download.

June 2019

Thank you for joining us for the June Momentum Call! This time we talked about leaning into your seasonal energy shifts, how to keep track of your small tasks as you move throughout the day, handling transitions in your work or home, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

What you can do to better lean into the energy of a season, knowing that projects that are outside of your typical work flow are still projects that deserve your time and energy
How to determine if your direct sales work is a full-blown project, or something that simply requires a focus block throughout your schedule
What some good practices are for keeping track of the smaller tasks throughout the day, that are done in different locations where it can be easier to be more unorganized and lose focus
How mind-mapping or a project cagematch can help you figure out what your priorities are for the day, so you can have a more concrete plan for what is most important to finish
What you can do to handle the transition from working in an office to working from home, or any other type of drastic change in your work or home life, and how setting better boundaries can help you to be more successful
How you can recognize when you are using helping others achieve their dreams as a way to self-sabotage your own success
What the difference is between shifting up and shifting down for clarity of purpose and priority

Click here to download.

May 2019

Thank you for joining us for the May Momentum Call! This time we talked about creating more realistic deadlines, scheduling your time and setting your own boundaries when your work is oriented around other people’s timelines, the unique ways we all use the Momentum Planner, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

Charlie’s new book, Start Finishing, is available for pre-order! We hope to have our full community launch in the new few weeks, so stay tuned for more info or head to the website and sign-up to stay in the loop (plus download a free chapter!)
Why it’s okay to put self-care at the top of your priority list, even if you thought you had other plans for the day
What you can do when the seasons and, thus, your energy levels start shifting, and how you can stay on track or, maybe, allow yourself the space to take a break
How you can get better at creating realistic deadlines for yourself, especially if you’re in a position where your schedule is flexible
What you can do to better schedule your time when a lot of your work is oriented around other people’s timelines and deadlines
How you can use the Momentum Planner in your own unique way, particularly if you tend to skip using the Daily Momentum Planer
How to keep track of all the little things that need to happen to finish your projects, as well as the tasks that keep your personal and family life afloat

Click here to download.

April 2019

Thank you for joining us for the April Momentum Call! This time we talked about juggling multiple clients who require different energy levels, handling the inevitable accidental projects that pop up, the difference between “being ready” and “being prepared,” and so much more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

Charlie’s book, Start Finishing, comes out in September! We’re just starting to compile our street team. Interested in helping out? Head to our street team page to get more info and see how you can get involved
At the start of the new quarter, now is the time to think about what happened over the last three months and what you want to accomplish during the next three
How you can prepare for the upcoming summer months when your energy levels may be shifting and how to stay productive when your energy may start to slow down or be allocated elsewhere
What you can do to stay organized when you’re working with many different clients who all need drastically different levels of time, energy, and attention
How to go about handling accidental projects and differentiating between creating when the inspiration strikes versus intentionally working on projects that are the most meaningful to you
What you can do to get out of a job that you are no longer passionate about and how you can take the skills you have learned (and the small wins along the way) and shape them into a finding a role that may serve you better
Why you may have a hard time getting into the flow of a creative project and what you can do to gain momentum (and if you are stuck on a writing project, why the 300 words trick may help you to get started)
How to handle transitioning into the next level of your work, despite what negativity you are experiencing (either externally or internally), and how to let go of the idea of needing to “be ready” when it serves you better to be in the mindset of “being prepared”

Click here to download.

March 2019

Thank you for joining us for the March Momentum Call! This time we talked about why leaving yourself “breadcrumbs” before you break in a project is so crucial to set yourself up for success when you pick the project back up, how to know when to push through vs. when to prepare for a delay, creating healthy boundaries to prioritize your creative pursuits with your work, and more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

Why leaving yourself “breadcrumbs” and other notes on your progress during the break of a big project is so helpful for setting yourself up for success for when you are ready to pick the project back up, and what different types of crumb trails can be helpful for different types of struggles
How you can use our Momentum Planner to balance your priorities in a sales-based job while also allowing time and space for plans to change
How to determine when to push through and finish the work to release a product vs. when to communicate with your customers that there will be a delay
What you can do when you feel anxious, nervous, or ashamed about jumping back into an abandoned project, and why taking a look at the story you’re telling yourself can help you to gauge how to proceed
What you can do to get your family involved in using the Momentum Planning Method and how, more importantly, creating healthy boundaries can help to create more structure to better implement new systems
How you can set yourself up for delegation success and why setting up better systems can make running your business smoother
How you can better manage your time and boundaries between pursuing your passion and doing the actual work that pays the bills

Click here to download.

February 2019

Thank you for joining us for the February Momentum Call! This time we talked about reviewing your progress mid-month or mid-quarter, how to determine which tasks and projects fall under which time-blocking categories, how to get back into your creative flow, and more!

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

What you can do in the middle of the month, or the middle of the quarter, to check back in on your goals and stay (or get!) on track
How you can determine what tasks and projects fall into which categories when planning out your week using time-blocking
Which types of programs and systems you can use to help best manage your social media marketing (and if you need suggestions, we use MeetEdgar and Preppr)
Why consistency in content marketing is one of the most important things you can do in order to keep up engagement
What you can do when you start feel burnt out, and how you can try to prevent it in the future
How to get back into your creative flow when things outside of your control have affected your work and patterns, and why those forced breaks might be a good way to re-evaluate where you want your energy to go
How to introduce team members and co-workers to Productive Flourishing content and processes that can help to make you more productive
How to tell if you are working or simply procrastinating by avoiding doing the things you need to do
What you can do to realistically plan when starting something that you’ve never done before

Click here to download.

January 2019

Thank you for joining us for the January Momentum Call! This time we talked about how you can better plan for the upcoming year, focusing on the bigger projects that matter to you (which may include taking time to care for yourself), how using a project cagematch can help you to determine the aforementioned potential projects, why simply saying “no” might be the best thing you can do to free up more space, and so much more!

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

How you can kick off the new year with enthusiasm and excitement, while still transitioning back to work from the holidays with ease and self-care
Why during transition periods, like the beginning of a new year, it’s so important to keep your expectations in check and try to stay balanced with what you want to do and what you’ll actually do
How you can use a project cagematch to determine which of your projects are most important for you, and what your true values and priorities are
How you can better plan your year by using a review to narrow in on your goals and ambitions, and how also using our mid-month review can help to keep you on track
What you can do to use our Digital Momentum Planner Pack in conjunction with the printed and bound Momentum Planner in a way that works best for your unique schedule and projects (and why working on yourself and your home most certainly counts as a project)
Why looking at your year as a whole can offer up more space for the bigger-picture things that matter most to you, and why saying “no” might be the best thing you can do
How you can determine the “how” and also the “why” when it comes to hiring your first employee, and why Paul Jarvis’ book Company of One may help

Click here to download.

December 2018

Thank you for joining us for the December Momentum Call! This time we talked about the importance of doing an annual reflection, what to focus on in your business when you’re overwhelmed or in transition, how to deal with an especially difficult year, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

How this time of year is perfect to do the Annual Reflection Worksheet and what the best practices are that will help you reflect on what has been good, focus on what you need to celebrate, and decide what your goals are for the coming year
Why self-awareness is so important, and yet, why it is so frequently ignored — and what to do to pay more attention to it
What aspects of a business to focus on first, since you can’t do it all at the same time, and how to balance it all to get your best work done
How to use your list to help you figure out what to focus on by sending out a questionnaire and how to transition to a new direction while keeping your current audience engaged
How to get yourself to follow your plan once you’ve created it, and what to do first when you have competing priorities, overwhelm kicks in, and you need to get those to-dos out of your head
Why using the 10/15 split can help you stay on target with the plans you’ve made from day to day and how to be aware of what you’ve accomplished and how to plan for your next day
What to do when you’ve had a difficult year and are having a hard time seeing success and preparing for the next year, and how to be gentle and kind with yourself when you’re not feeling especially productive
How to get clarity on your next move when you’ve been doing the same type of work for a while, and what is needed to take that next step into something new when you’re in the “messy middle”

Click here to download.

November 2018

Thank you for joining us for the November Momentum Call! This time we talked about how to take care of yourself during the upcoming holiday season, what you can do to navigate the confusing times during uncertain transitions, how to determine what smaller tasks need to take place to complete a bigger project, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

What you can do to prepare yourself and your business for the upcoming holidays, and how you can take better care of yourself physically and mentally during these potentially stressful times
How to determine what kind of projects can fit within the constraints of the Weekly Momentum Planner, and how to better balance between your work projects and your personal projects
What you can do to bounce back after getting let go from a job, and why sometimes it may be the best thing to happen to you and your future endeavors and passions
How to be gentle with yourself during difficult times of uncertain transitions, which may include taking self-care days and reaching out to your community of supporters
How you can jump back into a planning or productivity system when you’ve fallen off the wagon, and why starting at the monthly level may be the best place to begin
What to do when you have a new project and need to identify the mini-projects that have to happen to accomplish your goals.

Click here to download.

October 2018

Thank you for joining us for the October Momentum Call! This time we talked about making space for self-care, finding positive habits to set yourself up for success, the importance of running your victory lap, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

Why you should make it a priority to make your workplace a place that’s conducive to creativity, and creating that space in whatever unique way that works best for you
What you can do to make more space for self-care in order to be more productive at work, especially when you aren’t used to a self-care process
How you can get into a place where you are using thoughtful, positive habits to set yourself up for a smoother day
Why celebrating your accomplishments and “running your victory lap” is an important move in feeling more fulfilled in your success and big wins
How you can best get started with using our new printed and bound Momentum Planner
What you can do when you want to pivot or expand your customer-base while not abandoning the people who were in your previous niche
How you can improve your ability to better estimate the amount of time it will take to complete your projects

Click here to download.

September 2018

Thank you for joining us for the September Momentum Call! This time we talked about how to shift the the negative narrative you tell about yourself, setting boundaries with clients from the get-go, how to stay focused when interruptions seem to keep happening, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

How to shift the narrative you tell yourself on how you come across to the world and how to determine if it’s time to update this outdated story in order to be your best self and maximize your potential
How getting to the root of the negative stories you tell yourself can help to identify your patterns and thus potentially allow yourself to start changing negative habits
What you can do to set better boundaries in the beginning of a client relationship to keep the business and also stand up for yourself (and stay sane)
How you can try to weed out not-so-nice clients, and how to deal with those that turn into that type of client
What you can do to actually stay focused on your goals during your focus blocks when sudden interruptions seem to continuously happen
How to stay focused in September and October, and how to make the most of these last two full working months of the calendar year

Click here to download.

August 2018

Thank you for joining us for the August Momentum Call! This time we talked about time-blocking and how to use the various blocks to fit within your own unique rhythm, easing into transitional periods in your life, and more!

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

How you can use time blocking and three focus blocks per week and per project to help you get through a thrash period
What you can do to be effective during all types of projects, even ones outside of your business, like projects regarding your health, family, or relationship
How you can use the 10/15 split to set-up time for high-level project planning so you can stage and sequence with success
What the difference is between the four different types of focus blocks, and how to incorporate them into your day and week
How to best plan out your weekends, and how to work with your own unique rhythm to determine if you want to take that time to be productive by resting or by working
What you can do to ease the transition between different periods in your life

Click here to download.

July 2018

Thank you for joining us for the July Momentum Call! This time we talked about how you can stop yourself from going cold on projects, why you might be stalling out creatively in the middle of the day, what you can do when you’re trying to find a new job while being emotionally drained by your current job, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

What going cold means and why bigger projects — ones that require physical as well as mental strength — can go cold quicker than smaller projects
How you can stop projects from going cold in the first place and what you can do to get back into the swing of things when something’s been left behind
Why your emotional state, perhaps influenced by current events, news, or social media, can play a major roll in your creativity and productivity, and how using time blocks can help you get back on track from those disruptions
What you can do when you feel like you stall-out creatively in the afternoon, and why maybe it’s okay to tap out when you feel done
How you can use heat-mapping to best use your own unique energy to be most productive, even if that doesn’t look like working a traditional 8-hour day
What you can do when you are struggling to find a job while you are currently emotionally drained and unhappy at your current job
How you can create healthy boundaries as a parents to stay focused and productive, and how differentiating between distractions and interruptions can help you to manage your expectations

Click here to download.

June 2018

Thank you for joining us for the June Momentum Call! This time we had a fantastic talk about how we can surrender in an effort to let go and move forward, what to do to overcome inertia, using self-compassion above all else to start and stay flourishing, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

We are launching our Academic Momentum Planner, the same Momentum Planner that you know and love, formatted to run through the upcoming school year, July 2018 through June 2019
How we look at the concept of surrendering and begin to let go of a struggle in our work, relationship, or life in general, and how to let go in an effort to move forward and lessen the suffering
What you can do to overcome inertia, and how to differentiate between inertia and lack of motivation
How to push through your plateau to find the courage and energy to reach for your bigger, higher goals, even if that means creating negative incentives to give you the push to hustle forward, turning your goals into tangible results
What you can do to manage your expectations and continue to take care of yourself, especially when life is throwing you curveballs
What some of the things are that you can do if you’re on the path of transitioning from an academic career path to an entrepreneurial career path
How you can use time blocking with more intention, and how to use time blocks to be more flexible for your unique, individual needs, wants, and energy levels

Click here to download.

May 2018

Thank you for joining us for the May Momentum Call, where Angela did a fantastic job taking over as I was out sick. This time we talked about what you can do to prioritize your many different projects, how to remain positive when the people closest to you are negative, carrying on when life decides to throw a wrench in your plans, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

How to prioritize your many projects when you feel like you have a million things going on and you’re being pushed in so many different directions
How to work within the restraints of the Momentum Planners, and what you can do to filter your focus around a limited amount of projects at a time, using the Individual Project Planner as a guide
What you can do to keep your spirits up when those around you may be naysayers to your ambitions, and how important it is to have your own tribe of folks around to encourage and support you
What you can do to set boundaries and manage your time when you have outside factors that dictate your schedule – particularly if those factors include family members
How you can build your plans around the fact that they are likely always going to be changing, and how to process those changes from a place of self-care

Click here to download.

April 2018

Thank you for joining us for the April Momentum Call! This time we talked about the importance of starting today to live your best life, how to create plans and routines that bring you joy, what you can do to honor your time and energy, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

Why you don’t need to wait for any specific day or time to start working toward your goals to improve your life
What you can do to cultivate productive habits, routines and plans, and what you can do to stick to them
How you can use the 10/15 split to plan and build momentum in your day, and how technology may play a part in helping or hurting that routine
Why it’s more important to manage your expectations rather than your productivity, and how you can use time blocking and focus blocks to manage your time
How you can change your mindset from being “anti-schedule” to creating a sustainable schedule that is positive and helpful for you, and how using the productivity heat map can help
Why building healthier boundaries around your time and energy can not only add more harmony to your life, but to those around you as well

Click here to download.

March 2018

Thank you for joining us for the March Momentum Call! This time we talked about various ways to plan, making space for yourself, how to create better boundaries, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

How we can use the disturbance of Daylight Saving time to help reassess your energy levels and patterns
How you can best use our Momentum Planners if you spend a lot of time on the road for work, and how you can condense the planners in the printed form to help when you’re moving around a lot
What kinds of graphic organizers can be best for scheduled communications within a team, and how Asana or Trello can help
What types of programs you can use on your iPad to work in conjunction with your Momentum Planners
How you can work through resistance (especially if that resistance is your inner-critic), and what questions you can ask to give yourself the push you may need
What you can do if you are feeling stuck in creating new products or projects, and how you can motivate yourself to start creating more even if there’s no one to hold you accountable
How you can shift your schedule and create some new boundaries that work for you instead of working for your client

Click here to download.

February 2018

Thank you for joining us for the February Momentum Call! This time we talked about Medium, creating morning routines, figuring out your energy levels and energy blocks, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

How you can best utilize February to kick things back into gear after recovering from the holidays and settling into the New Year
What you can do to use Medium and other blogging platforms to help with your creative endeavors, and how you could use it in an effort to monetize
How you can set yourself up for success with a morning routine filled with self-care and productivity
What you can do to figure out your energy levels and how to focus in on them, especially when those energy blocks might vary from day-to-day
How to best use the Productivity Heat Map worksheet to prioritize the tasks in your day around your energy levels
Why it’s important to say no to folks, especially in a work-related or work-from-home situation, and some ways you can do that

Click here to download.

January 2018

Thank you for joining us for the January Momentum Call! This time we talked about how to break down your quarterly benchmarks, planning for long-term goals, how to prioritize on-going work with your emerging projects, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

Why it’s okay to ease into coming back to work in the new year, and to give yourself space to get back into the flow of things
What benchmarks are, and how to understand them within the context of the Quarterly Momentum Planners
What you can do to plan for bigger, life-changing, long-term goals in your personal and professional life, especially when you have a ton going on and a lot on your plate
How to determine if you have too many projects going on, and how to prioritize and balance your daily, on-going work with those projects.
How you can narrow down your plans for your business and stick to the core of your business to get things done
What you can do when you are constantly overcommitting to other obligations and commitments, and how saying no is a one-word sentence and can actually be a positive thing

Click here to download.

December 2017

Thank you for joining us for the December Momentum Call! This time we talked about the importance of celebrating the wins when reflecting back on your year, how to set up healthy boundaries, keeping your energy for hobbies outside of work, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

Why it’s important to start with the celebrations when reflecting on the year that has passed, and why it’s extra crucial to focus on self care during this time as well
How you can communicate with friends and family about the sacrifices of being an entrepreneur, and how you can set-up healthy boundaries when you work from home
What you can do to better balance short-term projects with your longer-term projects and how you can use time blocking to help
Why you need to review all of the things that have happened in your business over the year (even if you had a bit of a business depression), and how you can evaluate the external or internal factors that may have caused these things to happen (whether positive, neutral, or negative)
How you can stay focused on your work-related tasks but still have energy to enjoy your hobbies outside of work (and vice versa)
What you can do to try to become more of a morning person, and why you may just need to be honest with yourself with what your daily capacity is

Click here to download.

November 2017

Thank you for joining us for the November Momentum Call! This time we talked about what staying productive during the holidays might look like, how to better plan your projects and tasks, what you can do to determine your priorities, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed:

Why anything that takes time, energy and attention is being productive, even if it’s not necessarily focused around your business but rather around spending time with loved ones during the holidays
Why taking the time to do a family scrum can be super helpful for figuring out your priorities during the holidays
How to start chunking your projects down, and how to determine how far out you should be planning your projects and associated tasks
Why it’s important to prioritize your list-building strategy and how we can help
How you can use the project cagematch technique to determine not what projects and goals are most important, but which values and priorities are most important
How to determine your priorities or know what to cut out of your life, particularly when dealing with health issues
Why working with the planners in a Monthly, Weekly, and Daily order may work better for you, versus starting with the Quarterly planner first

Click here to download.

October 2017

Thank you for joining us for the October Monthly Momentum Call! This time we talked using focus blocks throughout your day, using our Momentum Planners with digital organization systems, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights about what we discussed:

Why October is the last full working month of the year, so now is the time to do your heavy lifting for the rest of 2017
How to differentiate between the “heavy lifting” in your workload versus the everyday admin work that needs to get done, and how to determine which of your tasks are actually your frogs
How you can use focus blocks in determining your energy for various tasks throughout the day
Why you can use our Momentum Planners as a dashboard to work in tandem with digital organizational systems like Asana
What you can do to integrate your objectives and key results within the quarterly and weekly planners, and why you should focus more on the causes of your goal rather than the goal itself
Why it’s so important to do what works for you, and why there is no one system that will do everything for you

Click here to download.

September 2017

Thank you for joining us for the September Monthly Momentum Call! This time we talked about the importance of using September to your advantage, how to use your focus blocks with the heat map, and much more.

Here are a few highlights about what we discussed:

Why September is one of the most important months of the year, as October becomes the last full four-week working month
How you can use heat-mapping in conjunction with your optimal focus blocks, and how you can use boundaries to work for you
What you can do to set focus blocks around the parts of your day when you notice that you’re getting derailed
Why it’s so important to manage your time, find your rocks for the day, and to complete your “biggest frog” first
What you can do to balance your personal projects and errands with your business-related projects, and why being busy isn’t the same as being effective
How to carry out your intentions when it seems like a big, overwhelming process

Click here to download.

August 2017

Thank you for joining us for the August Monthly Momentum Call! This time we talked about the difference between being good and being amazing, figuring out how to figure out your path, the pitfalls to avoid when embarking on a mentoring relationship, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights about what we discussed:

Why it’s so important to reflect on what we’ve learned and how we’ve grown throughout the year, and where we’d like to see ourselves growing into the rest of the year
What the difference is between being good and being amazing, and how you can tweak what good and amazing looks like for you
Why thinking about how you want to spend your days can help you shape how you want to spend your life
Why it’s so hard to be clear on knowing what you want, and how your society, community, and past can influence that
What causes a conversation to shift from reducing deficits to building and creating flourishing, thriving components of your life
What pitfalls to avoid and other helpful tips when embarking on a mentoring relationship
How to use the Momentum Planners for both personal and professional uses, especially on a day-to-day basis

Click here to download.

July 2017

Thank you for joining us for the July Monthly Momentum Call! This time we talked about summertime energy shifts, how to chunk your projects down, using fear to your benefit, and much more.

Here are a few highlights about what we discussed:

How to manage the energy shifts during the summertime, particularly if you’re a parent with kids back in the house
How to manage your summertime mindset to get out of a lull, release the guilt, and focus your time in a more effective manner
What you can do to chunk your projects down to help you accomplish your goals
How the Epic Launch Playbook can help you with your product launches as well as membership launches
How to use fear and your disciplined habits to help you get to where you want to go, and how the book Triggers may help
Why using a 1-10 scale can help you to determine where you are in life

//productiveflourishing.com/?download_id=59a80c4f1f44d0335a9804906045c281

Click here to download.

June 2017

Thank you for joining us for the June Monthly Momentum Call! This time we talked about resistance and how to push through, positioning your roadmap, and much more.

Here are a few highlights about what we discussed:

How to deal with thrashing during a writing project and work through your fears to wade through the resistance.
Why control (or lack thereof), vulnerability, and attachment can create resistance in certain subjects of your work.
How to position your roadmap and determine your services as different destinations on the road trip.
Why what we create is the start of a conversation as opposed to the end, especially when it comes to writing feeling “permanent.”
Why you’re always starting over, whether that’s with your mental health, career, or projects.
Why you need to give yourself the same kindness you’d give other people when you’re going through a tough time.
What you can do to maintain, create, and reinforce productive routines, and how you can use habit stacking to help.
How to prioritize your day as a full-time entrepreneur and using focus blocks to keep you on track.

//productiveflourishing.com/?download_id=e0df13ca814f21749f9f3070b3be9f5e Click here to download.

May 2017

Thank you all for joining us for the May Monthly Momentum Call! This time we talked about transitioning from build mode to vacation mode as summer approaches, Charlie’s self-care routine, how to push through fear, and so much more.

Here are a few highlights about what we discussed:

Our new course, Start Finishing Your Projects, is now available on Udemy!
How to effectively transition from build mode to vacation mode, wrap up your projects, and set yourself up for success when you’re ready to go back to build.
Why we made the switch to using Rainmaker as the platform for our website and what our experience with it has been like.
Who has influenced Charlie creatively in the past year and how that’s impacted his life, including books by Liz Gilbert and Marshall Goldsmith.
What Charlie’s daily self-care routine is like and what his biggest obstacles are to staying focused mentally, spiritually, and physically.
How to use focus blocks to prioritizes the things you want to get done, and how you could potentially create more time by spreading some things throughout your day.
What Charlie does to push through fear when he’s doing something scary or new.
What the difference is between offering high-value coaching vs fit calls.

//productiveflourishing.com/?download_id=0ad426443c4133b4448ad14e3ce41891
Click here to download.

April 2017

Thank you for joining us for the April Monthly Momentum Call! We had a great chat kicking off quarter 2, talking about being authentic, vulnerable, and finding the motivation to get the job done.

Here are a few highlights about what we discussed:

How to be transparent about your boundaries within the working world.
What to expect in the first 90 days of a new job, and how the book The First 90 Days can help.
How to dance the fine line of being vulnerable while not oversharing.
The myths of authenticity and what you can do to cultivate it with self-compassion.
What you can do when you are lacking the motivation you need.

//productiveflourishing.com/?download_id=3bbe7e6c3622920b3fddf75e4e0c53c9Right-click here to download.

March 2017

I want to give a big thanks to everyone who joined us for this month’s Momentum Call! We had a lot of positive conversations this month, mostly centered around how to figure out which projects and passions matter to you and how to balance them with making a living.

Here are some more highlights about what was discussed:

If you’re lacking focus and looking for some more accountability, then our Momentum Group just might be right for you.
What to do when you’re intimidated by deadlines, and how to get through the hump of trying to figure out how to meet them all.
How your branding should affect your sub-titles, and how they will evolve and change.
How to focus your priorities and use your Google Calendar in conjunction with our Momentum Planners.
When to use the “pay as you want” model and how to use it to have a sustainable income while still keeping your integrity; especially when using this model with unscalable things such as services.
How to prioritize your start-up in relation to having a sustainable income source, and how to best factor in investors.

//productiveflourishing.com/?download_id=28fec1f2c33bcbd0f48d8404fff27762Right-click here to download.

February 2017

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our February Momentum Call! We had a great conversation with a wide range of topics, continuing our focus on getting you back into the swing of things after a rocky past couple of months.

Here’s what we covered:

How our new Momentum Group could be a good fit for you to help get the important stuff done.
How to handle employees that lack basic life-skills and, thus, basic soft-skills.
What to do to get back on track after a setback, and how to instead focus more on the bounce back.
How to go about forecasting financials for a small business.
What to do when you feel guilty about raising your prices and how the book Get Clients Now! can help.
How to use The 5 Why’s to get to the root cause of your business issues.
What the difference is between “Opportunity” and “Visibility” in the Cash, Opportunity, Visibility exercise.

//productiveflourishing.com/?download_id=39054e3913dc89755db21d1dbce52a7a Right-click here to download.

January 2017

Thanks everyone for joining me on the first Monthly Momentum Call for 2017. We had great conversation about managing your projects, setting routines, and not letting fear stop you from living your best life.

Here’s what we covered on this month’s call:

How we plans things here at PF, including the importance of setting an agenda and mapping out our own Quarter 1.
How to chunk your projects down to set your yearly goals.
What to do to stay accountable when you’re a solopreneur and on a team of one.
How to establish better routines (vs. projects) for your business.
How you can plan with the concept of living your purposeful life while still preparing for not knowing what’s around the next corner.
What the difference between aspiration and intention is.
How to best use Asana and work it into our daily routines, and how to use it in conjunction with Slack.
How to deal with fear stopping you from taking action, and how to deal with resistance.
How to differentiate your routine of writing vs. the projects you have, and using Erika Lindemann’s book A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers to help you out.

//productiveflourishing.com/?download_id=2b9f7f3854b470c58ad399f27b0f6218 Right-click here to download.

December 2016

Thanks everyone for joining me on the December Monthly Momentum Call. We had some great discussions about finding the best mastermind for you, balancing your passions with your business, and how to deal with the random drama that pops in to your life.

Here’s what we covered on this month’s call:

How to be lean into instead of fighting your productivity this time of year, and being aware of needing to balance holiday festivities with your work.
How to best utilize a mastermind or mentor, and how to make the most out of your support groups.
What you can do to get the motivation to keep going.
How to use the Monthly Momentum Planners for your own unique needs, and other tips on how to work with the planners.
How to balance doing what you love to do with having a successful business.
Why learning to be a good student can help you be a better teacher, and how Gay Hendricks’ book The Big Leap can help.
What to do when the mini crisis and conflict within our lives just won’t go away.
How to reduce decision fatigue in all areas of your life.

//productiveflourishing.com/?download_id=850c756517be9032a6190ae5bb65fb50 Right-click here to download.

November 2016

Thanks everyone for joining me on the November Monthly Momentum Call. We had some great questions dealing with grief, stress, and overwhelm, as it was clear we are still trying to move forward in dealing with this year’s election results.

Here’s what we covered on this month’s call:

How can you build your audience and gain more traction on your website (and how SumoMe can help!)
How to stop self-sabotage and old repeated patterns when you’re feeling guilty for doing well
What you can do to leverage what you have to help others less fortunate, and why Gay Hendricks’ book The Big Leap can help
How to get back to work after dealing with trauma and grief — because you are not a robot! We also recently covered this topic on The Creative Giant Podcast
What you can do when you feel stuck and overwhelmed
What are your intentions for the upcoming holidays
What conversations we’re having at the Creative Giant Campfire on Facebook

//productiveflourishing.com/?download_id=4f1c863e389b48937466f761c67a0979 Right-click here to download.

October 2016

Thanks everyone for joining me on the October Monthly Momentum Call. Those who joined me asked great questions about juggling multiple projects, positioning yourself as a coach or consultant, and much more.

<br /> //productiveflourishing.com/?download_id=6bc156fd48d5319ace53b8c116061556 Right-click here to download.

September 2016

Thanks everyone for joining me on the September Monthly Momentum Call. Those who joined me asked great questions about branding and project management, and a couple of people even made commitments they intend to fulfill by the next MMC.

Here’s what we covered on this month’s call:

What conversations we’re having at the Creative Giant Campfire on Facebook
How to navigate different mediums and platforms when another person/group has the same brand name as you
How to juggle multiple projects and ensure that each one is getting equal time, energy, and attention
Why your business needs to be a client of your own company’s services
How to phase out a service that your business offers so you can spend more time on your true passions
Why Peter Sims’ book, Little Bets, serves as a great framework for creative entrepreneurship

//productiveflourishing.com/?download_id=e81a47ad07bf50cb55b7373229295656 Right-click here to download.

August 2016

Thanks everyone for joining me on this Monthly Momentum Call. We covered a lot of ground on the subjects of business strategy and scaling barriers to productivity (namely: illness, over-commitment, and societal pressure).

Here’s what we covered on this month’s call:

What the PF team is considering changing in the upcoming operational year
What’s going on in the Creative Giant Campfire on Facebook
How to manage your workload when health issues limit your productivity
Viewing productivity through the spoon and creative block frameworks
How Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People can help you focus your energy on things you can control
Why a slower strategic plan may get you where you want to go faster (expanding on my Anchor wave)
How to work through the shame that results from societal expectations to provide more for your family
How business models have changed in recent years
Tips for strategically positioning your content within various business models
What GATES stands for and how it may lead to more effective strategies for your business

//productiveflourishing.com/?download_id=54ae3a47fe998a2d55f77bf5050f8a17 Right-click here to download.

July 2016

Thanks everyone for joining me on this Monthly Momentum Call. I appreciated your allowing me the space to express where I am emotionally with recent events. Like I said on the call, it’s important to acknowledge where we are emotionally and still leave room for things that bring us joy (including our work). You all asked some great questions about business operations and project management. Here’s what we covered on this month’s call:

Dealing with emotional strain while facing the pressure to be “on” in the workplace
The tension that exists between experiencing joy in your own life and feeling sorrow for global human suffering
How to provide support and solutions for your business’s operations without over-managing employees
How to create a schedule for a project when it’s difficult to measure how long different tasks will take
What platforms are best for managing group projects

//productiveflourishing.com/?download_id=502ceeb03aa1f04ce680ddc52eb03dc8 Right-click here to download.

June 2016

Thanks everyone who joined me on this month’s call. This was the first call that I tried adding Facebook Live to the broadcast in addition to the usual GoToWebinar. This caused a few tech hiccups, but we were able to keep the conversation going during the troubleshooting. I pulled questions from both venues and covered the following topics:

How to build awareness and an audience for your podcast
Why it’s a good strategy to have multiple podcast episodes recorded before launching it
Tips for staying productive during the summer
How to create a strategy when you have several goals and priorities at the same time

//productiveflourishing.com/?download_id=4e698b5073e7f42e5e76b7742f48f847 Right-click here to download.

May 2016

This call was centered on how to make the most of May before the summer slowdown, what simple steps can help you overcome perfectionism, and what to do if you’re struggling to get new clients. We even had a few participants make pledges to meet goals by next month’s call.

Here are the topics we covered on this call:

A guided exercise to help you identify your summer productivity challenges
Strategies to avoid project slowdown
Questions to ask yourself if you’re struggling with perfectionism or impostor syndrome
How to differentiate mindset and skillset challenges
Questions to ask yourself to gain more clients
Falling-back vs. falling-forward strategies

I look forward to seeing progress, as well as new Creative Giants, on the call in June.

//productiveflourishing.com/?download_id=5f0d8a9ed2fa8b00ed5b7b9ab7c7f9f5 Right-click here to download.

April 2016

This MMC was a great launching pad for the spring quarter. Those who participated asked some great questions—here’s what we covered:

How to determine whether your work/life balance problem is actually over-commitment
Why determining which tasks are urgent and which are important keeps you organized and productive
How to deal with people who regularly interrupt your workflow
How to set healthy boundaries between coworkers and roommates in order to maintain productivity
The trick to writing manageable monthly objectives

//productiveflourishing.com/?download_id=408ddca3e5d6bd8634e1e1d2cc79ac0c Right-click here to download.

March 2016

We all get behind on projects at one time or another, but do you have strategies for managing projects you’re behind on? Our work as Creative Giants is set up like a conveyor belt–ToDo’s keep coming our way, and unless we know how to defer the things we can’t get to, things start to pile up and break down.

On this call, you’ll learn about:

How to defer projects based on prioritization, urgency, and renegotiation
How to be compassionate to yourself when you’re behind
What systems you can create to gain and maintain momentum on projects
How to hold yourself accountable for commitments you make to yourself
Where to start when you need motivation to write content
How to recover from and prevent burnout
How to manage creative constipation
What project thrash is, and how to interpret it

//productiveflourishing.com/?download_id=bc5e31473aec1c8452f39e439fff51cc Right-click here to download.

February 2016

Did you start the year off with a vision of what success means to you? The natural tendency is to have big aspirations for the new year, create a giant castle in the sky, and then have unrealistic expectations for how to achieve your vision. January is the month when we tend to extend our reach beyond our grasp, making February a great time to stop and reevaluate our goals and milestones.

Defining the concept of success was an overarching theme during this month’s call. We also discussed:

How to manage and craft your personal brand and website when you have a diverse range of products
How to remain at the helm of managing your services when other people have a stake in the business
How to identify your three levels of success
What approaches you can take in marketing the experience people have when using your services
How to navigate the financial and legal requirements of having independent contractors work for you

Thanks to everyone who joined me on the call, and for asking great questions.

//productiveflourishing.com/?download_id=f86b246f2044d55e84e79ecb484fb52c Rich-click here to download.

January 2016

This call was a great start to 2016. Thanks so much for your questions–I hope my answers have inspired momentum that will carry you through the next call. 🙂

Here are the areas we covered on this month’s call:

How to choose a centralized theme to focus on during 2016
How to plan your days by using four kinds of “blocks”
How to incorporate restoration into your day (no, sleep doesn’t count)
What it means to be a thought leader

//productiveflourishing.com/?download_id=ff60fbc45e6eef7ed64fac2f30c1b42e Right-click here to download.

December 2015

This call’s main theme was centered around project management. Thanks for your great questions! Here’s what we covered:

Moving is a project: how to prioritize your “must-do’s” vs. your “let go’s”
How to prioritize your time, energy, and attention when you don’t have enough for all of your current projects
What mindset to have about launching and maintaining a website (hint: it’s not perfectionism)
Defining the three different levels of success, and how to quantify yours
How to get over displacement frustration and make it your ally
Charlie’s real-world advice for starting and managing your podcast

Right-click here to download.

November 2015

Thanks to all who joined us for the November call. We had a bit of a tech snafu in the middle of the call, but most of it got recorded. You’ll get to learn about:

- What it’s like having an editor in the creative process of writing your book
- How to work through challenges with website development
- Strategies for marketing your business in an authentic way
- The beautiful and confusing nature of web writing and what it means to curate vs. create
- How to turn “random stories” into opportunities to display your business values

Right-click here to download.

October 2015

This was a jam-packed call featuring great questions. Thanks to all who joined us! Here’s the ground we covered:

How to deal with fear of criticism when you want to publish your work
The definition of “milestone”
How to let go of sentimental attachments that are overcrowding your life
Deciding which writing approach suits your content
Why having five project slots in the planners allows you to gain momentum
Evaluating your workspace to ensure it fits your needs

Right-click here to download.

Recordings are unavailable for August and September due to technical difficulties.

July 2015

Some great questions were asked on July’s call! Thanks to all who joined us. Here’s what you’ll learn from this call:

Tricks for setting aside time for unexpected life events
How to manage projects when traveling is a frequent interruption
Ways to deal with the urge to “run” from something you don’t want to do
What to do when you suddenly have free time
The distinction between overwhelm and overload
Why making progress is better than talking about completion

Right-click here to download.

June 2015

We had some great questions on the June call…thanks to all who joined us. This month you’ll learn about:

What to focus on when you’re launching a new small business
The importance of finding an edge or extreme to play up in your marketing and strategy
Niche vs. Theme specialization
Asana as a default tool for project management and how awesome Zapier is
How to make your business stand out in the marketplace

Right-click here to download.

May 2015

Thanks to everyone who joined us on the May call. In this call, we talk about:

The three different perspectives of pricing you must consider before setting your price
The block and bucket method of planning your days
How to decide between offline networking and online networking
How to start getting feedback for a business concept before you’ve made a product or service to show people
The considerations for rolling out a price increase

Right-click here to download.

April 2015

Thanks for another great monthly momentum call. In April’s call, we discuss:

How to figure out how to prioritize your time to make room for social media
4 ways to make sure your goals are translated in your day-to-actions
Why it’s important to understand the seasonal energetic cycles and plan your work around them
How living as if life were a white board helps you experiment freely
What to do when you’re not sure what to do in your business

Right-click here to download.

March 2015

Site updates and why Charlie decided upon the “New Here” page
How to change the stories you’re telling yourself about bookkeeping
Using a psychographic calendar for your marketing approach
Facebook marketing and leveraging Facebook groups for your business
Overcoming barriers concerning your personal finances

Right-click here to download.

February 2015

Recording unavailable due to technical difficulties.

January 2015

We had some technical difficulties for the first portion of the call, but there were some great insights about managing projects when your work lies in multiple domains.

Right-click here to download.

December 2014

There were some great questions asked about managing your business during the holidays. The topics we covered include:

Navigating the different stages of your business when you’re afraid of rejection
Finding the balance between family and work during the holidays
Tips for setting deadlines around the holidays
The cheapest cost-per-lead marketing approaches

Right-click here to download.

November 2014

Thanks to everyone who joined us on the November call. We had lots of new listeners and it was great to get to know some new Creative Giants in the tribe. In this month’s call we talked about:

Why you’ll be subject to a schedule shift this holiday season even if you don’t celebrate the same holidays
What to think about in your business for the holiday season
How to to keep your projects going when people are in and out for the holidays
The key to making better, more clear deadlines
How to make smart and strategic decisions about how to grow your business
How to overcome the inherent loneliness of working independently
How to know if you’re a creative giant
The 5 ways we generate value
How to prevent blind spots in your business
How to plan appropriately

Right-click here to download.

October 2014

Thanks to everyone who listened in on the October call. Just a reminder that October is last 4-week work week in the year! This month we talked about:

How to scale fast without imploding and what to ask angel investors
The key to pivoting successfully
How to use your local environment to help you build your business
Why you know what to get done but you can’t get it done
The best way to create a new business model
How to determine what business market to aim for first when you have lots of ideas
How to choose a business coach

Right-click here to download.

September 2014

Thanks to everyone who joined the September call. If you missed it there are lots of great tidbits in this one. You’ll learn more about:

What you can do to get peak productivity for your own life
How to categorize your time
How to stay focused when you work from home and/or on long-deadline projects
The difference between distractions and interruptions
Moving through Stage 1 of the Small Business Life Cycle
An important rule for businesses with websites
Tips for Rocking your Speaking Engagement
Book recommendation for business plans

Right-click here to download.

August 2014

Thanks to everyone who attended this month’s call. We had a lot of great questions and got to go deep into a conversation around catalytic moments. Listen in to learn more about catalytic moments and:

How the cultural system changes your work modes
How to explore moving from one career to another
How to restructure your work day into creative blocks of time
How to schedule catalytic moments and who to schedule them with to improve your odds of success
The 300-word exercise to get over feeling stuck
The 4 phases of the creative process
The difference between being a creative pro and being a leader
When the best time is to build your website, mission, and vision when you’re just getting started
Selling from a place of service
How to find the space in your life for the things that nourish you

Right-click here to download.

July 2014

Thanks to everyone who took some time out of their Mondays in July. In this month’s MMC we dove into the following topics:

An important tip for avoiding the compare and despair game
How to balance business development with client work or other big projects
The simple secret of scheduling
The 4 phases of creativity
Re-thinking self-promotion
How connecting can help you increase your creativity and the likelihood of catalytic moments
How to know what to schedule when

Right-click here to download.

June 2014

Thanks to everyone who joined us on the call.

Some fun news: Look for the second edition of our book, Small Business Life Cycle, which will be released in about 10 days.

We went a little deeper this month into what’s getting in people’s way:

How to reach your important goals, given that your energy and capacity, and everyone else’s too, is changing for the summer.
How to get your important work done AND enjoy the summer.
June 20th: plan for the drop in sales, readership, and engagement.
How to get back on track when something big comes along and disrupts the progress you’ve been steadily making towards your goals.
How to get un-stuck when you have so much to do that you can’t seem to get started on anything. You don’t feel good working, or relaxing, or doing stuff that’s neither (like working in your garden.)
How to promote your own work in spite of the discomfort of asking people for something and of self-promotion. How to do what needs doing and succeed by embracing the certainty of rejection.
Quote by Henry Ford: “It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste.”

Right-click here to download.

May 2014

We had lots of new attendees this month, which meant lots of great questions from people with new and interesting businesses and business challenges.

In this month’s call we talked about:

How to de-bottleneck a process
Creating simple Micro-Systems
Why it’s important to focus on the yay-sayers when it comes to promotion
Social media best practices for your business
CRM applications for managing contacts and logistics
Prioritizing strategic anchor points before creating a plan of action
Heat-mapping your creative energy

Right-click here to download.

April 2014

Thanks to everyone who joined us for the April call. We did a little more teaching on this call then normal, especially around systems and creativity. Don’t forget to join us for the next Creative Giant Coworking Session if you’re ready to take the learning to the action stage and start doing.

In this month’s call we covered:

The systems we recommend for organizing your business’ processes
When you need a better system vs. when you need a better process
Dealing with delegation at an organizational level
The four stages of the creative process

Right-click here to download.

March 2014

This month’s call was so packed with great information, it seems like it lasted only 15 minutes. Don’t worry, we’ve got a full hour’s worth of useful content in here, though. One of the things I’ve been trying to do more of for years now is share my library – I’m starting to do more of that on these calls, so listen for the book recommendations and have a pen and some paper ready to write them down. Don’t forget to check out some of our newest offers as well!

In this month’s call we covered:

How to choose the right business model
The difference between your end customer and your end client and why it matters
The differences between Joint Ventures, Affiliate partnerships, White Labeling, and Licensing when it comes to intellectual property
How to get to your why and why you don’t really need a process
The number one thing you can do to ensure success in early-stage businesses
How to prioritize your ToDo’s
How to make it easy for other people to refer you and your business
How to scale 1-1 coaching/consulting

Right-click here to download.

February 2014

On this month’s call, we started out with a reminder to the guys about Valentine’s Day and then talked a little more about Creative Giants before diving into the questions. Some really great, deep questions got asked. In fact, we had the participants saying during the call they couldn’t wait to listen to it again! We also talked a good deal about new stuff coming up, including our new podcast, The Creative Giant Show, our new printed planners, and our new products we’re developing. But beyond the sneak peeks and behind the scenes insider info, the learning was top notch this month and we appreciate everyone who shows up willing to do the work, be transparent, and answer tough questions.

On this month’s call you’ll learn:

A streamlined process you can build to find out if your potential clients are a good fit
What makes a customer a qualified lead
How to get over asking one of the most awkward questions in business
The danger of confusing your product with your brand (hint: they are not the same!)
A sneak preview of the printed planners and upcoming PF courses
How to figure out when it’s the right time to start building a team and get over your fears of not being able to afford the help
The 3 questions you need to ask at all times in your small business
How to identify Scope Creep and determine which new projects to move forward with

Right-click here to download.

January 2014

Our January Monthly Momentum Call was a little different yesterday.

I highly recommend you take the opportunity to listen in on this one – it’s a mini planning workshop that takes you through some goal setting in a different way then you might be used to. Even if you’ve already done some planning for your business or your personal life, go through this process and see if things change.

On this month’s call, we:

Defined our goals
Specified those goals
Dreamed bigger
Learned how to commit to goals
Asked ourselves the most important question in determining whether we are setting ourselves up for success or failure
And shared a strategy that may surprise you for becoming a “good enough” expert
Plus, we started the process of creating a plan to take action on the goals.

Right-click here to download.

December 2013

Thanks to everyone who joined this month’s call and any call in 2013. Our last conversation of the year was action-packed with specific solutions to your business and planning problems. Be sure to join us again next year on the second Tuesday of every month at 2pm Pacific for our Monthly Momentum Calls! We’d appreciate if you invite your business friends too. Happy Holidays!

On this month’s call, we talked about:

How to manage your time during the holidays
The middle ground between work and play
How to decide what to focus on
How to bootstrap your new business and still find success
How to take consistent action
How to build your email list the right way

We also referenced the following PF articles. Always a good idea to refresh your memory on some of our core concepts:

Right-click here to download.

November 2013

Thanks for everyone who joined us for the call. The theme this month was all about displacement. Listen in to learn more!

Some of the things we talked about:

How to plan and set expectations for the holidays
How to choose core satellite tasks for the Founder and hire someone else to do the rest
System tools for sharing content virutally, collaborating in teams larger than four people, and managing information and data as a creative knowledgeworker
When to go virtual and when to go local
How mom’s can work productively during their chief creative times, even when they have distractions
How to flourish productively so your business can productively flourish.

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October 2013

Thanks for tuning in to the October Monthly Momentum Call. This month, we talked a lot about project planning and time management. Check out the recording below to listen to the entire call. Some other things you’ll learn include:

How to refocus a team when fatigue sets in
When, and when not to, collaborate when making big decisions
How to break down projects into tasks
How to figure out how long a project is going to take
How to plan for massive projects alongside other normal business operations
How to know how much time you need to spend on big projects vs. your normal work
The breadcrumbs concept and the two-hour rule
Why you don’t need to worry about someone stealing your idea
The mindset role in planning
The 5 levels of success

Right-click here to download.

September 2013

This month’s call was all about the practice of life and business. Some specific things you’ll learn from listening to this call include:

The importance of giving yourself recycle time after transformative events
What to do before leaping across The Penny Gap
How you really should be calculating your hourly rate
How to resell a product or service that maybe didn’t do so well the last time you offered it
What the Red Shift is and why it matters in business and life
Tips and advice on the best productivity/organization apps, systems and products on the market today
The three questions you need to ask to strategically plan for the rest of 2013
The three basic things you must do in all small businesses
How to introduce yourself at the beginning of a speaking gig without sounding like a pre-recorded robot
How to successfully deal with stress and overwhelm at the end of each day

Right-click here to download.

August 2013

Thanks to everyone who joined in on the call and asked a question. A piece of wisdom from this month’s call: “Action expresses priority.” ~Ghandi

Here’s what we talked about this month:

A new motto for sales
How to make a decision on the best learning opportunities for you and your business
What it takes to determine when it’s the right time to hire a VA and how to delegate tasks
The difference between core tasks and satellite tasks
Ways to create a daily schedule to ensure you’re spending your time on the stuff that matters most

Right-click here to download.

July 2013

Thanks to everyone who joined in on the call and asked a question. Here’s what we talked about this month:

What goes into auditing your own brand
How much time you should spend strategizing before you create an offer
How to encourage engagement on your blog
How and why you need to do keyword research
The best way to define your avatars
The million dollar question all coaches and consultants should ask

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June 2013

Thanks so much to everyone who joined us on the call. The conversation was really great and I know you’ll get a lot out of listening to this one a couple times through. A few things we talked about:

How to be authentically you and still be effective in the world in life and business
Why everyone must read “Your Brain at Work”
How to place energy & effort on things that are best for you and the value of selling yourself
Managing cash-flow in a growing company
A drill-down on customer avatars
Marketing Messaging 101
Converging audiences to build your network

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May 2013

May’s call was rocking, as normal. We talked a bit more about business than we normally do and that’s all good. Here are some of the topics we covered:

How to build a virtual community when your community doesn’t understand computers and the Internet
What advertisers are really paying for and how to segment your advertising categories
How to sequence your educational content to have the best results
How planning for success is simpler than preventing failure
Tips and strategies for becoming more proactive in your business

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April 2013

Here are a few things we talked about:

Assumption parity and deciding between different courses of action with equal weight on being right or wrong
Content marketing strategies and how to manage the free bar
Product development and how to take existing content and charge for it
Stage 1 of the Small Business Lifecycle and how to decide what to do when you feel like you have to and want to do everything
The emotions of launching and creating win-win vs. no-win scenarios when planning
How to manage your time with time blocks and high value activities

And more!

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March 2013

Here are a few things we talked about:

How reality changes and it’s best to change your plans to match reality than try to make reality fit your plans
How to work on different offerings at the same time
How to use the Maven-Connector-Salesperson [link to post on PF] framework to structure your work and relationships
How to tell your CEO no when it’s hard to do so
How to handle perfectionism – and how it might be feeding you [insert link to “How is your Perfectionism feeding You]

And more!

Right-click here to download.

February 2013

Here are some of the things we discussed on this month’s call:

Structure, creativity, and guacamole. (Really.)
What to do with blocks of creative time that get squirrely – and why you may not need to do anything different
How we often have to firewall our creative time and not confuse the urgent with the important
Why automating your time tracking may not serve your goals
How Customer Relationship Management software can support your work – and some ways to solve the problem with the care and feeding of CRM systems

Right-click here to download.

January 2013

We covered a lot of ground on this call! Here are some of the topics we covered:

What to do when your plan involves unforeseen steps, and not get overwhelmed (interdependencies within projects)
How to manage an ever-growing task list
Determining whether hiring an employee is right for your business needs and financial parameters
Your options for someone keeping you accountable in your business

Right-click here to download.

December 2012

Here are a few topics we discussed:

How to decide whether an outside office is right for you
How to do top-down planning and why it can be so challenging
How to develop and maintain productive habits

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November 2012

There was a discussion in this call about getting clarity in your plans that you’ll want to hear. I believe it was spurred by Linda’s question, but the gist is this: if you’re looking for more clarity on why you’re doing something, zoom down a level of perspective. If you need more clarity on what action to take, zoom down a level of perspective.

Right-click here to download.

October 2012

This month’s call was actually a webinar of Charlie’s presentation at SOBCon NorthWest, called “5 Overlooked Principles of Execution.”

Since this is a large-ish video file, we recommend downloading it to your computer and watching it from there. (It’s 115mb so it might take a few minutes.)

Right-click here to download.

September 2012

This was a really jam-packed call–thanks to those who helped shape it! Here’s what you’ll learn about:

Where to invest your time and money when your service-based business is in the hole
What three questions to ask when considering rebranding, and how to rebrand without losing momentum
Rebranding vs. brand tilting
How to hone in on your client base by asking the right questions
Managing a business while being a fulltime student
Why it’s okay for things you embark on to not work

Right-click here to download.