Making Lists with Monica Froese

Spreadsheets and calendars can be communication tools. It’s a burden on one person to know everything and control everything. – Monica Froese

On this episode of the Plan Simple Meals Podcast, I’m really excited to talk with Monica Froese, who left the corporate world after her daughter was born and now teaches mom entrepreneurs how to ditch their 9–5 careers and start thriving online businesses. I love just how organized Monica is—I think she has a spreadsheet for everything. That’s actually how we connected originally.

Monica talks about how she left her job and changed her mindset to fit in running a business, self-care, and more time with her daughter. We talk about how what you need to do expands to the time you have to do it—and how to use that idea to our advantage.

Monica is intense in her workouts and her business, but she makes sure she has down time. I’ve been really focused on how managing our calendars helps make time for the important things, and we talk about the different ways she creates space in her calendar.

We talk about:

• adding ramp up/ramp down time into our schedules, whether it’s time to shower after a workout or a day to deal with undone business after travel
• scheduling “no plans” days
• using tools like Google calendar and shared spreadsheets to communicate with your partner
• having a place for things—like mail or keys or Christmas presents—to save us time
• how Monica uses her grocery stores app to create a shopping list and help budget
• letting other people give our kids experiences that we want them to have that aren’t fun for us

BIO

Monica Froese is a mom to a 4-year-old with another child on the way. She left corporate to create a life that worked better for her. She runs her own business teaching mom entrepreneurs how to ditch their 9-5 careers and start thriving online businesses while balancing work and family at the same time. Monica says, “I don’t believe that women have to choose between their careers and family. You can have anything you set your mind to.”

LINKS

• redefiningmom.com
• Monica’s home budget spreadsheet
• Connect with her on Facebook, Google+, Instagram and Twitter @RedefiningMom and on Pinterest at RedefineMom

Doable Changes from this episode:

• SCHEDULE TIME TO WORK OUT. One doable tip I often give is to move your body for 15 minutes throughout the day, but sometimes you want or need a longer workout. The best way to get it is to schedule that time, including your ramp up and ramp down time. If you schedule 1 hour to work out, but don’t add in time to get to the gym or to shower afterwards, you won’t have a positive experience.
• STREAMLINE GROCERY SHOPPING. How can you streamline your grocery shopping? Monica uses an app from her store to create her grocery list. Whether you use an app like this or create your own master list that you update before shopping, a list will save you time and money (and keep you from unhealthy purchases). “If it’s not on the list, it doesn’t exist.”
• MAKE A LIST (OR A SPREADSHEET). If there are things you do over and over, make a list or spreadsheet to keep track of it. You don’t have to keep all the loose pieces in your head, and by sharing that document, somebody else can help out. For example, your kids can help pack for a trip or your husband can take kids to an activity that you usually manage. By systematizing repeatable tasks, you free up time for other things.

REALLY getting healthy as a family can be a big lifestyle change. But no matter how insurmountable it may feel, focusing on one doable change at a time can help you take small steps toward your big goal.

A healthy lifestyle is really made of lots of little things that when repeated regularly and added together over time make a huge impact on your life.

Choose one Doable Change every Sunday night — one thing that you are willing to play with for the week. The key is to keep it doable and fun! Write that thing on a sticky note or your phone so you remember it. Then put 3 things on your calendar that support it.

Choose from the changes above or download a list of 101 Doable Changes we made for you.

http://plansimplemeals.com/101-doable-changes/