As Charlie shared last week, we’ll be putting a pause on our weekly newsletter, the Pulse, while we recalibrate some things. So for the next few months our monthly planning tips might be a little supersized. In addition to tips, monthly planners, and additional resources to help you through the month ahead, you may also find: reminders about upcoming events or recent appearances, plus our latest tools and other PF offerings. Person leaping a chasm. The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men           Gang aft agley, An’ lea’e us nought but grie ..read more

A bench at sunset. Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash. We're starting a new experiment by pausing the weekly Pulse for May, June, and July. While the Pulse takes a summer break, we won't be quiet. We’ll still be sharing and publishing posts and resources, including potentially kicking off the next season of the podcast in a new format. If you’re not into behind-the-scenes creator discussions, feel free to carry on and focus on something else that matters to you. :)  A pause, giving 80% of our readers the perfect moment to smile and move on with their day. When we moved Productive Flour ..read more

Cat stuck halfway through a small wooden house. Photo by Tomas Tuma on Unsplash. In an ideal world, we’d build a perfect road map, our schedules would actually be what we’d planned they’d be, and there wouldn’t be any disruptions to throw us off.  But in the real world projects get off track, and the more a project gets off track, the more likely it is to end up stuck. These concepts are drawn from the award-winning Start Finishing and its companion workbook, the Start Finishing Field Guide. If you’d benefit from a start-to-finish process to get more of your projects from start to finis ..read more

For those of you new to Productive Flourishing, here’s a primer on our Monthly Community Coaching Calls:  On the second Wednesday of the month we host a 60-minute community call that’s a mix of teaching, hot- support-seat coaching, and Q&A. The topics depend entirely on what you bring to us in a particular month, either live on the call or when you submit questions to us in the comments below. This is a great chance for you to have your burning questions answered or to get some focused support on a project or problem facing you in your work, business, or life. These monthly calls a ..read more

Chess pieces together, and apart. Markus Spiske on Unsplash We tend to think that good leadership is about our qualities as individuals. The media also emphasizes the idea of the ‘powerful personality’ that drives the success of prominent leaders. But, as it happens, leadership isn’t all about you as “the leader” — separate from (or worse, better than) others, once you’ve proved your special personal abilities.  It’s actually mostly about others.  Hubert Joly, former CEO of Best Buy, wrote in the Harvard Business Review about his 5 main principles of leadership. They are:  B ..read more

Thanks to everyone who joined our April Monthly Community Coaching Call (MC3)! This month, the questions and conversation centered around the three goals of any business activity — cashflow, visibility, and opportunity.  This month we discussed: Learning to center yourself as the "talent" in your business  Building an audience and content strategy with a niche personal brand Prioritizing as a new solopreneur wearing many hats Leveraging opportunities unique to this moment and your experience  Improving as an editor in a new genre Exploring the pros and cons of the co ..read more

Chalk on a sidewalk that says, “YOU GOT THIS”. Photo by sydney Rae on Unsplash During last week’s Quarterly Planning Session, before setting our goals and objectives for the quarter ahead, Charlie had us pause and time travel into the past. It seems counterintuitive to spend time looking back when you are primed and ready to move forward, but by doing so, you’re better able to see where you are now. Why?  Because it can be really hard to get to where you most want to go if you don’t know where you’re starting from. So after our round of victory laps where members shared their Q1 wins, C ..read more

Thanks to everyone who joined our Q2 Planning session! If you missed it or want to revisit it, Pro members can find a link to the recording below, along with session highlights, resources, and details about our upcoming Q2 calls. We all know quarterly planning is a good thing to do, but in the whirlwind of business, life, and all the random things that interrupt our days, we can forget that. These sessions are an opportunity to slow down and work through the steps of the wayfinding process, which asks these four questions:  Where am I? Where am I trying to go? How do I get there ..read more

Photo by Mark Paton on Unsplash For the last few months, I’ve been experiencing an irritating and persistent ringing in my right ear. It lasts for weeks at a time and, at times, increases to what I can only describe as high-pitched static, like that jarring sound that used to come out of radio speakers as you changed stations. (As I write this, I realize there is a whole generation that will have absolutely no clue what I’m talking about. Anyway…) When the tinnitus started earlier in the year, it was sometimes impossible to concentrate on anything else — but over time, I’ve learned to mostly ..read more

For those of you new to Productive Flourishing, here’s a primer on our Monthly Community Coaching Calls:  Once a month, Angela and I host a 60-minute community call that’s a mix of teaching, hot- support-seat coaching, and Q&A. The topics depend entirely on what you bring to us in a particular month, either live on the call or when you submit questions to us in the comments below. This is a great chance for you to have your burning questions answered or to get some focused support on a project or problem facing you in your work, business, or life. These monthly calls are part of a ..read more