10 steps to finish the calendar year with Presence, Purpose and set Priorities for the next year!

I love it when a plan works…this annual review was something I started back in 2016 and has expanded over the years into the format I share in this post. I feel that this review has so much value as I live my life more deliberately and by design.

You can do this in one sitting or over a longer time frame…it is totally up to you. You can do this in December or January or any time of the year. It is a great exercise any time!

Here is how it all started…

Our family was on a New Year Vacation at White Point Lodge in Nova Scotia. It was New Years Day and I was up at the crack of dawn to make sure I got to see the sun come up on the New Year….I love that my family sleeps in so I can have this beautiful peaceful me time in the morning.

I was so inspired by that early morning sunrise.

I happened to bring tarot cards with me and I found a New Years Spread that had 9 questions that got me thinking about the year that had just passed and the year in front of me. I had my journal and my fine point colored markers (is there any other kind) and a few hours to play before the ShanFamJam started moving for the day.

Once I was finished the reading and followed the next breadcrumb, I got to thinking about how I could review the year. I love to take pictures…lots of pictures and I had the most visual way to see what had happened the previous year. It was fun to look back at the memories of the past year. I made a list as I reviewed; documenting month by month the awesome film/TV/Organizing/client projects I got to work on, the travels, the experiences, the family highlights and the beautiful people I got to be with that year.

Patterns intrigue me…I see them everywhere. Once I was done the review I looked back at what had happened and noted the patterns, themes and breadcrumbs that I had followed during the year. It was fascinating and eye opening. I noticed things that no longer served me and I noticed things that had slipped out of my calendar.

This New Year morning of reflection and review piqued my interest about the 365 days in front of me and how I wanted to be more deliberate about how I would/could spend my valuable time.

Since that first annual audit I have added different elements to be more intentional and to help me to live a life by design.

Here is my process, use this, tweak it and share it if you feel inclined.

Please let me know how it has worked for you. xo elaine

10 steps to finish the calendar year with Presence, Purpose and set Priorities for the next year!

1. Start with a review of your calendar and pictures from the previous year. Make a list month by month of the highlights. This exercise is all about gratitude for the many blessings of the past year.
2. Then look for patterns in the past year.

• What made you smile and filled you with joy?
• What is missing?
• Who is missing?
• Who and what do you need to let go of?
• What do you want to repeat?

3. Pick out three amazing things the happened this past year. What made them amazing?
4. Ask yourself “How could I have made the year better?” and journal this.
5. More journaling…”What is important?”…journal what you are grateful for.
6. Choose three things to remove from your life that stood out from the past years review

Once you are done the review of the outgoing year it is time to set priorities for the New Year

7. Lets start with a Values exercise. Go online and google a list of values to work from. Record five that really resonate with you. Then pick the one that is most important. Now you have your north star… the value that will guide you in all of your decisions for the coming year.

This exercise is the foundation for the work I do around priorities. It is the key element to reclaiming time for what matters most.  To find out more about Recaliming Time check out Soul Sister Conversations podcast where I share how to prioritize your time for what matters most.      

8. Ideas for the next year

• Learn something new. Like playing a musical instrument or a particular art genre. Pick one thing and devote an entire year to it.
• Month long experiments like doing something new or letting something go, pick something for each month.
• Only make purchases that improve your well being
• Release work that drains you to make room for work that fills you up. It’s the 80/20 rule.
• Put important things, the priorities, in your calendar at the beginning of the year. Make them real. For example; time with family and friends, vacations, getting out in nature. Things that fill you up, bring joy and make you sparkle.
• Pick a word theme for the year and live by this, use it as a filter for how you show up.
• Create a vision board with words or pictures or both and set the energy/vibration for a new calendar year.
• Get a New Year tarot/spiritual reading, it is fun and thought provoking.

9. The big question for the New year, yes, time for more journaling. What to do you want to do more or less of based on what you loved/missed in the previous year.

And finally…drumroll…. number 10….

BE, BE more of who you are, BE present with this coming year.

I call this life by design and living intentionally. xo elaine

BONUS

Meet my friend Clare Kumar who has a great post on How and Why to choose a focus word 

I found this great article with 10 great questions to end the year intentionally, check it out!

I am currently reading making life easy by Christiane Northrup, she is one of my favourite authors and really this title says it all as I am entering the Third Act of my life. I am ready for easy!!!!! She has a 13 Holy Nights Ritual  that I added to my own December ritual and I quite liked this addition.

Do you feel like you never have enough TIME?

I have said this hundreds maybe even thousands of times and I will say it here again….your TIME problem is not a time problem.

It is a FOCUS problem.

Well….Good Morning…Episode #4 of Soul Sister Conversations – The Podcast has been released and Dana Lloyd and I are chatting about how to #ReclaimTime and what is #PriorityManagement with some solid TIPS on how to live your best life.

A life by design rather than by default.

Thanks for tuning in on your favourite podcast app, we are on (Apple podcasts, Google, Spotify, Breaker, Overcast, PocketCasts, Podbean, RadioPublic and Stitcher)

Enjoy our latest #SoulSisterConversation !!!!

Working IN the Business is the easy part! 

Get up in the morning, turn on the computer, check emails and go go go. Move through urgent requests and then to the distraction of social media. I can lose myself for an entire day, it is beautiful and messy.

Sound familiar?

It is the life of a Freelancer and it is a great way to earn a living using a skill set. Check out my Freelance story in Huddle.

It is what my day looks like most days,  if I haven’t planned. I love the freelance work I do and my clients are amazing. They have exciting projects and I get to help them move these projects forward. It is intoxicating.

How do I make time to ‘Work on the Business’ ?    

This is why planning and making space to Work on the Business is critical.

For me working on the business means crafting and writing content, like this blog post. Refining my Priority Management workshop for the next group and creating an online training program based on the Priority Management workshop.

These are the activities that move my business forward. They fill the pipeline with new opportunities to be of service, to share my skills and to create income that is not tied to my TIME. This income is beyond the billable hour.

This income provides freedom to use my time for other pursuits. Forest bathing, beach combing, time with my family, hanging and laughing with friends, cooking, travel, summer camping, hobbies (I need to work on this). We all have the same 168 hours every week and I have learned that if I am not clear about how to use my time,  someone else will gladly use it for their needs.

For the summer months  I have blocked out one day every week to work on my business. Projects to tend to and nurture (much like the garden in summer) and when Autumn arrives I will have something tangible to harvest.

This is simple however not always easy. Blocking out the noise and distractions of all the shiny objects takes focus and discipline. It means setting up boundaries around time and saying no, or not right now.

Working on YOUR business takes planning, and it is absolutely worth it! 

PS...if you are struggling with setting boundaries around your TIME 
I can help you with that!
  
 

     

You can’t manage Time!

When I shifted the title of my signature workshop from Time Management to Priority Management I had more than a few raised eyebrows.

I mean who was I to go against the flow of the over 60000 titled Time Management resources on amazon.com!  WOW…if there are this many resources to help people manage time better you would think that people would be happily going along through life with more than enough time to “Get Things done”.

Well people aren’t getting things done and they aren’t happy! 

Every day there are more resources, and, you can get on waiting lists for the upcoming latest greatest solution to your time troubles.

STOP!!!!

You can’t manage time…period. That was me making a point. Despite thousands of books and blogs to the contrary, it can’t be done. Time is intangible. Time is limited. You have 168 hours every week. So does your co-worker, your best friend, your Grandma and yes even Richard Branson and Oprah. Think about the people that you admire, your unofficial mentors. Yep, they all have the same 168 hours every week to live their best life.

So how are they deciding how to use/spend their valuable time?

Is there a secret that some people know and others don’t?

I think there IS a big secret and I am going to share what I think it is.

Priorities…it is all about what YOU value. If you don’t decide how to spend your time, everyone around you will.

There is a values exercise that I do in all of my Priority Management workshops. The first time I did this exercise the room was so quiet, I was uncomfortable, I thought I did or said something wrong. You see I am used to entertaining people and laughing participants are all good. Quiet contemplative participants scare the crap out of me.

What I learned that day is THE SECRET!!!!

Priority Management puts you in the driver seat of your life. You decide what works for you. Your values become the filter that everything flows through and if the request for your time makes it through the values filter then it is worthy of your precious time.

Most of the audience that day had never done a values exercise and their silence was the result of some epic ahas. They were gobsmacked…I was gobsmacked, we all had a moment of clarity and it was beautiful.

So many people have been through my workshop and they are living life. Their life, not someone else’s version of their life. I am living my life through a whole new filter because of this, a filter that means I am living my life on purpose, my purpose. It is a game changer and I am loving that I get to share this life-changing secret.

If you are interested in learning about the Priority Management workshop, coaching or more about me head over to my About page and while you are there please get a FREE copy of my ebook.

PS: If you head to my LinkedIn profile you can read stories(recommendations) from past participants.

Here is what Erinor Jacob-Levine had to say about Priority Management:

“Elaine provided a one-hour seminar to a group of women I was involved with. Her presentation on priority management changed my life. It helped me reassess what was really important to me. This was one of the factors that led me to change my job and career path”. 

Have a great day, go and be awesome xo Elaine

Sharing my Take on Time Management

One of the things I did with my Reclaimed Time was to join the gym. On a wintery February morning after visiting my Doctor and reviewing my recent blood work I knew I needed to do something…anything, to improve the numbers that were telling a story that I did not like. It isn’t the first time I have joined a gym, usually in January and I jokingly say after not going that I hope they enjoyed my donation.

Am I alone or have you done this too????

Anyhow…

Its Monday and I was being ambitious and booked a session with the Owner/Trainer before my presentation. I thought it would be awesome to get me revved up for the audience. OMG…not sure if it was Monday Brain or what but I could not maneuver my brain and my body into the same direction. I mentioned to Tony that I was speaking at a lunch meeting and I had better get my ass in gear or all would be lost. He asked what I was talking about at the luncheon and I excitedly told him about the messages I share with people on how to Reclaim Time for What Matters.

He then said that I am reclaiming time twice by taking care of my health….mic drop!!!!!!

YES!!!!!

I made space in my calendar for me and that is a whole lot of Reclaiming Time for this Momma who has spent so energy on my family and…by taking care of me now I am going to enjoy a healthier and perhaps longer life!!! I know so many !!! but this is all really big life changing stuff and I am super excited.

What would you do for you with a bit of Reclaimed Time?

The years of mothering, nesting and care giving are slipping into the past chapters of the book of Elaine. As I turn the pages these days I am meeting a new person. She is familiar…cousin familiar.

She is interesting and complex yet simple at the same time.

Think of a sunset and sunrise happening at the same time with two suns meeting in the middle of a crimson sky…one ending and one beginning.

How is it that this can happen to a person? Life is complicated enough without all these changes.

How will people react to this Elaine?

This Elaine wants to be free, to travel, sleep in late, stay up into the wee hours of the morning,…indulging in her own interests and desires. Without passing every action and thought through the filter of how will ‘others’ manage this shift.

But Elaine is more engaged in the forward momentum of the journey than the trappings that keep her bound to everyone around her.

Travel, film, TV, food, exploring nature, photography, reading, connecting the dots in life, creativity, pinning-tweeting-posting!

Deep, wide engaging conversations.

Watching sunsets in awe.

Seeing the people I love finding their own magical path to follow.

Breaking free of the shackles of life…cue Forest Gump running down a long dirt road, braces falling away.

Free…travelling free into a path of lightness and love and smiles and laughter.

Experiencing, feeling, being overcome with the joy of life.

Our writing lesson was to write for 10 minutes, the subject was ‘whatever is on your mind right now’. This was on my mind. Edited from its original version. 

Owl River Runners

Synopsis

Jaime joyrides on the back-roads of Owl River, population: sinking. She’s going nowhere fast, and it’s the same in life. BFF Paula pressures her to apply to colleges, papa Hal just wants to keep her out of juvie. However, Jaime can’t know where she’s going until she knows where she comes from. When ex-con Ray shakes her down for the whereabouts of a stash, Jaime learns her departed grandpa Graham’s family secret: he ran the biggest pot-ring East of Montreal.

Now Jaime must recruit Paula and hapless admirer Ricky if she’s going to outmaneuver tough-guy Ray, the corrupt police chief Hines, and a straight-laced deputy and lay claim to her birthright.

Owl River Runners – Danny Thebeau (Director/Producer), Donovan Richard (Producer), Chris Fulton (Writer)

Owl River Runners is produced by Elaine Shannon for the Indiecan $10K Canadian Film Challenge.

]]> https://www.elaineshannon.com/owl-river-runners-2/feed/ 0 2531 https://www.elaineshannon.com/simply-zen/ https://www.elaineshannon.com/simply-zen/#respond Wed, 14 May 2014 10:39:05 +0000 http://www.elaineshannon.com/?p=2294 ]]> Simply Zen is a 30 minute Community Based Regional TV show produced for Bell Aliant. The show explores wellness subjects and inspires people by providing practical and fun ways for them to improve their physical, mental and spiritual well being.

It’s real people telling stories about wellness. The ideas explored are practical and accessible to everyone. It is a down to earth show with an interview format and richly woven with visuals from the shoot location.

You can watch Simply Zen several ways:
• Video on Demand- To Access Community One content on FibreOP
TV: TV Remote – Press the On Demand button – English – TV shows –
Community One – Simply Zen
• Watch LIVE online on the Bell Aliant
Community One Channel at 10:30am, 4:30pm, 10:30pm, 4:30am
• Past episodes are also available to watch online on the Bell Aliant
website. Here is a shortened link to the
show. http://tinyurl.com/ch4xt4d .

Are you OK?

I have been asked this question more than once in the past few months.

It is a valid question considering these factors;

• I am LIVING large these days – a sure sign that something is amiss
• My skin looks like it did when I was in the grips of puberty – when we are unwell our skin can’t hide it
• My social calendar is quite open  – when people are not jet setting it must mean something

Just because you are a wellness enthusiast and host of a TV show about Wellness does not automatically mean that you are the epitome of health and wellness.

It can actually be quite stressful and can lead to some interesting behaviors (self sabotauging ones)

Getting Quiet and Listening

This February I launched an indiegogo campaign  to share a project that is bigger than me, however before I started this BIG project I felt like I needed to get quiet and listen to see if…

• a) I am in a place to be able to deliver on such a project
• b) this project is worthwhile
• c)  it is the right time for this project

This is what I am learning

If your body is hurting, pay attention and investigate

If you feel like you are in a fog, pay attention and investigate

If you feel like curling up under the blankets for days on end, pay attention and investigate

What does investigate mean?

Investigating can happen many ways.

Toxic Load and our health and well be-ing

By getting quiet and paying attention I found out a few things that have helped me

Some people work in banks, some people teach, some people build things.

How you do it matters as much as what you do.

Yesterday someone told me I was fortunate

Audentes fortuna iuuat, Fortes fortuna adiuuat, Fortuna audaces iuua and Fortes fortuna iuuat and,  Forest Fortuna Adiuvat

A Latin Proverb Which means

Fortune favours the bold, Fortune favours the brave, Fortune helps the brave, and Fortune favours the strong

Yes I am fortunate…and also bold, brave and strong!

The Divorce is a full length feature film produced by Elaine Shannon, written and directed by Robert Parsons of Let Em Laugh Productions. Executive Produced by Richard MacQueen (Roaming). The film was shot in various locations in Southern New Brunswick during the summer of 2013 and stars a large number of talented people from the Saint John area.

It is Elaine’s first venture into the world of feature film. She embraced the opportunity with open arms. Along with 1st Assistant Producer and co-founder of Let Em Laugh Productions, Julius Malco, they had the pleasure of learning from Hollywood filmmaker Steven Bernstein this summer at Twin Prop Productions.

Elaine Shannon (left), Steven Bernstein, Julius Malco at Twin Prop Productions Open House. Photo taken by Jamie Shannon.

For more information about this film, please visit www.thedivorcemovie.com.