planner

Tuesday Thoughts and a Tip

~ CoachTiffanyBirkholz ~ Leave a comment

So I made a great video on FB live this morning and the connection cut off most of the sound. Boo. 

Here’s the summary:

  • When you wake up in the morning, focus on your thoughts. I try not to tell myself “you’re sore, you’re tired, you should sleep another hour” and instead tell myself “you’re sore, that’s awesome. Time to hit the mat and work out some soreness.”  Your thoughts determine your attitude toward your day. 
  • Along those lines, are you a Manic Monday kind of person or are you a every day is an opportunity kind of person? Instead of hating Mondays, make it a Marvelous Monday, a Terrific Tuesday, etc. 
  • Related to yesterday’s post, it’s important to make your list of requirements to know what you need to hit your goals. Then pick something that satisfies most of the requirements and commit to it. The deciding phase is the hardest for me. Once I commit it’s about checking off those boxes. Focus on what you hope to achieve with the program and go all out. 

In the midst of all this struggle and centering, I’ve also been homeschooling. Here’s my top tip as a “veteran.”  Last year I worked out of our kitchen so I could cook and do other things while the girls were working. This year I “gave up” the office and we only do school upstairs. It’s helped with focus and having the map up at all times, but it’s also helped with being able to leave things as they are and close the door. 

Monday musings

~ CoachTiffanyBirkholz ~ Leave a comment

It’s the 3rd and final week of the 3 week yoga retreat. My fitness partner, birthday buddy, and HS friend (isn’t it amazing that’s all wrapped up in one amazing person?) and I are totally struggling with the lack of endorphins. As busy moms we need the rush to jumpstart our busy lives. I think she’s going to add in some cardio. I’m going to tough it out. I needed something totally different after P90X and other extreme workouts. I needed this time to center myself and focus on making space not grinding. My time on the mat has really helped my life off the mat. For me, it’s harder to hold a pose and not be constantly moving, increasing weights, trying to beat my old records. I’m glad to have this time to grow and learn. 

So I’m at the “what’s next” stage. I have 5 weeks till our dear friends’ wedding and 5.5 till Core de Force comes out. As I lengthen and add flexibility, I’m moving better and walking taller. So here are my options as I see them:

PiYo to continue the length and strength and centering. Pilates and yoga based but more cardio action. 

Country Heat is another choice. I want to do another round since my first round included a week in Hawaii and I want to see what 30 days can really do when sticking to the program. 

Hammer and Chisel is another choice. I dearly love my weights and this workout is in the less than 40 min range which makes it beat out Body Beast and ChaLEAN Extreme. 

Insanity or Insanity: Max 30. My little one asked where Shaun T went because I haven’t been working out with him lately. 

Or I could do 1 phase of P90X3. Half hour workouts and lots of variety. 

I hate these decisions. I just need to commit to something and move on. 

So I need to become a satisfier. Figure out my criteria and figure out what satisfies them and  move on. 

✔️Less than 1 hour

✔️Exciting to do

✔️Burn off fluff

✔️Help me stay long and lean

✔️Easy food plan

✔️sculpt shoulders and back for bridesmaid dress. 

I might just have to map out my own hybrid in my planner and do it. 

Perfectionist Planner Paralysis

~ CoachTiffanyBirkholz ~ Leave a comment

Today’s the day! Today is the first day in the new 18 month Erin Condren Life Planner. Even though this is my 3rd one, I still get planner paralysis. It’s so beautiful and new and full of possibilities. 

Top: Vertical 2016 life planner, Bottom: new 2016-2017 neutral horizontal life planner

I like getting the new 18 mo planner even if I have one that lasts through the end of this year because it becomes a mid year fresh start. What are my goals? Why do I have them? How am I doing with them?

I switched layouts from vertical (after 2 years!) to horizontal in an attempt to try something new, use my brain a different way, and see if it will work better for my busy life. Now I’m paralyzed. Afraid to do something “wrong” and mess it up. It’s totally silly. Time to get past the fear and love every bit of this planner, what it will help me do, what it will help me record, and the sanity it brings to momlife. 

It had to be done

~ CoachTiffanyBirkholz ~ 5 Comments

So last June when Erin Condren does their release of new planners, there was a glitch. An amazing glitch which let me get a 12 month life planner for $20. Except I didn’t get a 12 month. They sent me an 18 month. 

So last July I switched to the new amazing 18 month planner. And now it’s getting very fat.  

left 2014-2015 , r 2015-2016!

So I decided to be brave and uncoil both and recoil them the way I wanted them and dumping the 6 months of overlap. 

 

clamped off the sections

The 18 month coils have come a long way!

 

2014-2015 left, 2015-2016 right

All done!

 

all done! there are even extra note pages in the one for this year and I moved the important notes! win!
   
It wasn’t bad at all once I got past the initial anxiety of uncoiling. Next time I’ll use a planner friend’s tip and hold the pages together with an unbent paper clip. It will keep the holes together.