Dawn Barclay

Helping you align all that you do with your core values

Moxie Business: Creative & Courageous Business

Online Planning Tools (Resources)

I’ve been looking around lately for a better planning/to-do tool that I can use online and will sync to my phone (I’ve used One Note for years but it’s really slow on the phone). It was beginning to take as long as it took me to switch from my IPhone to Samsung (months), so I went exploring last week.

I’m actually really happy with paper and pen. It suits me. But I’ve been out and about a lot recently, and, well, I’ve got a brain like a sieve.

In 100 Days to Done , people were talking about how much they weren’t into planning, and this came up at the right time. So for you, here’s the same information I popped to them in an email.

Here we go (personal opinion ahead, and ones I love you may hate and vice versa). I’ve not included the ones that are $47 upwards a month, or ones with just a free trial period, or ones that are plain old pants unless you upgrade.

Oh, and this isn’t a great big review list. It’s just me, one person looking for something that fits her needs of finding something that will do personal plans and business projects.

This one is great. I love it. It’s called Asana. I’ve just been using the free version so far, and if you’re using it just for yourself and personal projects it’s fab. For business, awesome. Writing, creative projects – yup, it’s lovely.

This one was a bit clunky and reminded me a little of my email inbox which scares the hell out of me some days, but it was easy to use and the focus is on to-do lists. It’s called Toodledo. But, sadly, I can’t just use something because I really like the name! Or could I? No. No.

Another one with a snazzy name called Remember The Milk: free and upgrade. The free version didn’t include syncing to my phone so I left it.

For personal/family organising there is this one called Cozi. Definitely focuses on family planning (as in family organizing, not actual family planning, you know, ‘how many numbers of children will we have sorta planning). I actually liked this. What did make me giggle was you can message each other, perfect if you’ve all stopped talking. Oh, and it’s got a wee journal area too. Nice.

This one isn’t as eye catchy as Asana, but still really good. It’s called Producteev. I liked it, same functions as Asana, but I didn’t choose  because I preferred the user experience of Asana.

There’s this one called TodoIst I liked it for work and play. But again, for the free version you don’t get access to all the tools.

Oh, and Slack, which we were talking about on 100 Days on Facebook. But it’s more a collaboration tool, rather than personal products and goals tracking tool. Still slick.

Others:

Plenty. Google ‘to-do list project management or goal planning tools’ and you’ll see a lot more. Be safe though. Where it says ‘Sign Up, It’s Free!’ do your digging around the site, is it? Or is it just free for a wee while? Remember, if you sign up for any you are bound to be sent plenty of emails asking you to upgrade. And Dawnie ‘stay safe online’ tip: don’t pay for free, or check how easy it is to cancel! I’m just saying.

And remember,

Paper and pen do the job too.

But it’s the person using the tools that really does the do.

Okay, over and out. I hope that doesn’t send you off down Internet Squirrels land too much.

Much love,
Dawn

Letting the Old Ways Fall

In any change, there comes a time when you know that old ways are not supporting the new:

Habits
Thought patterns
Behaviours
Routines
Actions

Growth, change, development can be terrifying because what we once we believed as our truth can feel like it’s dying and being eroded away. Transformation has to involve a period of letting the old fall. If it doesn’t, nothing has changed.

But in the ‘period of time’ when it’s happening it can feel like we have nothing to hold on to, that the world as we believed it was doesn’t feel real anymore, or that what have always known for us is coming to an end.

Depending on what you are working on right now, is there something that needs to fall away in order for the new to emerge?

For business, it could be a habit, strategy, piece of work that no longer supports who you have become or what you want to share with the world.

It could be a relationship you are part of where the old rules of how it went no longer apply or a restricting what it could become next.

For your career/work, it could mean letting fall a lifetime of learning in a specific area as the work no longer fulfills you or drives you.

Sometimes we hold on to the old ways because we don’t have enough clarity of the new, yet. So, we hold on tighter. This restricts the growth and nothing can emerge. It takes courage to release the old ways. A trusting that you can put it quietly down now and still remain standing with all the knowledge, learning and wisdom of the old.

What could emerge if you let it fall: what you know in your heart, needs to be … with courage … released?

A Donkey, A Man, His Son & A Lesson In Trying to Please Everyone

A remix of an Aesop’s Fable …

Once upon a time…

Well, let’s say in 1167, a man left his farm to collect supplies and buy new stock from market. The market was held weekly in the fairy-tale walled city of Carcassonne in Southern France, a three day walk away.

He and his son traveled together, along with their donkey. 

When they entered the fields outside the ramparts the man was riding on the back of the donkey, and his son was leading with rope.

They made their way between workers tending to crops, and no sooner had they passed they heard a woman say, ‘That’s disgraceful, look at that vile man, what kind of a man is he, how selfish, him being carried and his son walking’.

The farmer felt so guilty he got off the donkey, put his son the back and he took the rope.

They crossed over the lowered bridge to the ramparts, where local food sellers were setting up for the busy day trading ahead.

No sooner had they passed when the farmer and son heard a passer-by shout, ‘What an ignorant child, look at him sitting on the back of that donkey and his father having to walk, he need taught some manners?’.

People PleasingPin Image

The boy was embarrassed and ashamed so he asked his father to join him and the ride the rest of the way, both on the back of the donkey.

They entered the square whereby a group of women, setting up their produce to be sold pointed at them both screaming, ‘You should be ashamed,  both of you sat up there, that poor donkey. You are both pathetic creatures’. 

They both decided to get off and walk the rest of the short way.

Outside a local inn people were eating and drinking, upon seeing the boy and his father they started to laugh and point, bringing out others to look at the sight, ‘What a fool. An ass. A perfectly good donkey and they walk!’

The father turned to his son and said, ‘Nothing we do is right. Someone will always disagree with the way we are doing things. Even without the full picture. From now on we make up our own minds of what we believe to be right’. 

And the moral is?

Yours, whatever you want it to be.

Quit Worrying What Everyone Else is Up To. Stay On Your Own Ground.

Have you heard of a man called Cliff Young?

No? Gather round.

Once upon a time there was a man called Cliff Young.

He was born in 1922 in Australia. He grew up on his parents sheep farm and the best way to herd the sheep, according to Cliff, was to…um..run after them by foot.

He gave up sheep (the farming of them that is) in his adult years and became a potato farmer instead. But him being a potato farmer really has nothing to do with this part of his story. 

Where was I?

Oh yes.

Fast forward to 1983, while the rest of the world was shimmying along to Billy Jean or stomping it to Beat It by Micheal Jackson, Cliff, now 61 years of age, entered himself into a marathon. Not the usual 26 miles, easy-peasy-squeezy marathon. No, he decided on the (now defunct) Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultra-marathon, a mere 544 miles (875 kilometers).

He trailed at first.

Lagged behind the main runners.

But here’s where it becomes a story of awesome…

Instead of sleeping during the first and second night of the race, like every other runner did, he kept on running.

Not stopping.

He won the race by a 10 hour lead.

It doesn’t end there.

He completed the race in 5 days, 15 hours and four minutes. Knocking 2 days of the fastest record held.

Why?

Well. The first time I heard this story that answer was ‘he didn’t know he had to sleep’. Further digging I read that he said, ‘As a young sheep farmer it wasn’t unusual for me to run for 2/3 days at time straight.’

He didn’t do what everyone else was doing.

Whether he did or didn’t know about the sleeping arrangements is irrelevant really.

He just didn’t follow the crowd.

Go with the herd.

Do what was expected.

He ran in his own unique way.

Not for one second do I believe life is a race. Meh. But I do think it’s about stepping out and away (if needed, required, wanted) from the herd in order to just get on, hit your own darned ground, and get busy on running with your own thing.

No looking over the shoulder.

No comparing.

No wondering what the hell everyone else is up to.

Get it?

Excellent.

Task: For today. Just today. Only one little day. Or a day soon when Cliff Young pops into your head. No looking over your shoulder. No glancing at what others are up to. No comparing. No ‘wanna be like’. Today, stay on your own ground.

It’s Okay to Have a Change of Heart

If something can change, it was never permanent to start with.

You can disagree now with what you defended then. You can make other decisions now, that weren’t in the plans then. You can do whatever you like now, even if hadn’t crossed your mind and heart back then.

Values, beliefs, plans, ideas all made with the very best intentions can change in a heart beat.

You may have started down a path back then, convinced you were heading the right direction, only to discover that it’s not really what you want now.

That’s okay.

You are allowed to have a change of heart.

The plans you spent years on may not fire you up and inspire you anymore. What you poured your heart into once, you may want it back now for something else.

See, you planned back then with the all the information you had about you at that time. Not for the person you are today. She wasn’t even around when you began.

Everything changes.

People change.

So will you.

Want to start over? Begin.

Want to rip it up. Tear it.

Want to remove it? Press delete.

Want to try something complete different? Today is a very good day to begin.

There is nobody policing you to say that you…you…the one who did indeed pour their sweat, tears, time, resources into one thing can do a 180 and start something else.

  • You don’t have to explain your choices to anyone.
  • You don’t have to make others understand your decisions.
  • You don’t need to regret or feel guilty for changing your beliefs.
  • You don’t need to see an idea to the end because you had the idea in the first place.
  • You can change your mind freely.

You are going to change, this is certain.

Do you remain attached to beliefs, values, plans or ideas (that were never permanent to begin with) or set free those that fit who you are today? 

Even though it may be hard to release what no longer serves you, even though it may feel like you are giving up parts of yourself as you let go of the attachment and perception of who you thought you were, what do you choose? In the giving up, what do you gain instead?

Meet yourself where you are at today. Serve the world from the person you are at this moment, not from the you that you once were.

And remember, she will change too. If you want to get attached to anything, become attached to change.

Go on. Let it go. Rip it up. Decide otherwise. Choose again if you want to. It’s okay.

 

There is No Challenge In a Day You Cannot Walk Through…

FIRSTGLANCE

There will never be two days the same for you. Ever. That alone may bring a sigh of relief or one of frustration.

Some days will be so easy as they present unexpected wonderful surprises. Other days will present unexpected challenges that you are required to overcome before you move forward and get done. Some days you will be in the flow, swimming with the current: on these days you will experience joy, bliss, flow, momentum and other days you feel like you are dragging yourself along the dirty silt at the bottom.

Some tasks will be easy. Some tasks you will fly through because you know exactly what it is you have to do, and how to do it.

But you will have other days…

Some will be a challenge. Some tasks will stump and confuse you. Some tasks you will avoid because you don’t find them pleasant. Some days you will see what needs doing as an insurmountably hurdle, sure you’ll be able to put it off, but only for a while, before that also needs done.

There is no good day. There is no bad day. They are just days. Easy. Hard. Challenging. A breeze. Simple. Complex.

You can’t control what happens in a day, but you ALWAYS are in control of how you feel as the day walks to meet and pass you: hour by hour, moment by moment, instant by instant.

“The best way out is always through.” wrote Robert Frost. Take each day as it arrives. One day you may choose to start with what challenges you, perhaps not today, but one day soon. Avoiding is 100x harder to sit with than going walking right through. You only need to remind yourself of a time in your past when you thought, ‘What was I worried about? Why didn’t I do that sooner?’

Nothing will ever be presented to you that you cannot handle. Sometimes the challenge is not the challenge itself, but the challenge is how you take it in your hands. How you take it down. How you start to unpick it piece by piece. How you decide and take action into moving it into the ‘done’ pile.

Have a day.  The one you want.