D. Allison Lee LLC

I’ll be the first to admit that failure used to be a huge fear of mine. Do you feel that way too?

(don’t get me wrong, I don’t love the idea of falling short)

Making a conscious effort to overcome the fear was and continues to be a work in progress for me. But that shift in mindset has allowed me to take the power away from being scared and instead launch it into embracing when a failure might happen.

Here’s what I realized when I began to work on my failure mindset:

✨ Failure is going to happen, no matter how hard I try to prevent it. It’s simply inevitable.

✨ The anxiety and other negative feelings surrounding failure are also inevitable. However, they fade and don’t stick around forever.

✨ There are many, MANY important lessons to learn from failure. In fact, it’s hard to find a pathway to success that isn’t paved with some bumps or misses.

A project's failure provides something essential and powerful: The next step.

That's right. There's always information to be gathered from what didn't work, which can help guide you to decide what to do next. You'll pivot, change things up, try another course of action, and know that you'll take the next step with a lot more knowledge.

(basically, you’ll lean into learning from what didn’t work AND let those learnings direct your next step)

I’d love to know, what have you learned from a failure? How did it change your path forward? Jump into the comments and let me know.

Listen, some days are just going to be crap. 💯 That’s the reality for all of us and small business owners are no exception.

While you may not be able to change the inevitable crappy day, you CAN change how you react to it and how you treat yourself in the process. .

Why not start with extending grace and little kindness to the person you’re closest to – YOU?!

If you’re anything like me, you expect a lot from yourself. And when it’s been a hard day, I can be much harder on myself than is necessary.

If you find yourself in the same situation, here are two simple ways to silence your harsh inner critic and to be kinder:

💙 Accept that things will not go as planned, that you’ll mess up, and that things won’t always be perfect. You don’t need to gloss over the negative feelings; in fact, you should sit with them, just not wallow. You are HUMAN. Things will happen.

💙 Be mindful of how you speak to yourself. Choose your words purposefully and think of how you might move on from the crappy thing you’re experiencing. And remember that you wouldn’t be harsh and unkind to your best friend or partner. So why do that to yourself?

(both steps take consistent practice and you’ll marvel at the results)

One more thing – On those tough days, it always helps to surround yourself with some support from other entrepreneurs who get it.

You’ll find that support (and lots more!), inside the Thrive-Hive, my free group for entrepreneurs. We’ll be there to listen, offer advice (if you want it), and help you to not feel isolated. The link to join is in my bio or you can DM for your invitation.

When it comes to extending grace to yourself, how do you do it? Is it a challenge or something that you’ve worked on to improve? Hop into the comments and let me know!

The one about how pea plants 🌱can influence your productivity practice.

Yes, you read that right! Here’s the story:

In 1906, Vilfredo Pareto (an Italian philosopher and economist) discovered that 20% of his pea plants generated 80% of the healthy pea pods. This uneven distribution led him to discover this 80/20 split in other facets of life (like wealth and manufacturing productivity).

His generalization became that 80% of results will come from just 20% of the action.

What does that mean for you and your productivity?

If you apply effort first to the most important and relevant tasks, those tasks will have the greatest impact on your overall workload.

In other words, you’ll get more done. 🚀 Yes, please!

When faced with an overwhelming to-do list, ask yourself “How large of an impact will be made by finishing this first?” You can use that as a guide to where you should spend your time. Less impactful tasks get lower on the list while those that impact the most will rise to the top.

So what small number of tasks are responsible for producing the majority of the results you want to see? Let’s look at an example.
Perhaps you’re a solopreneur with these 10 tasks that must be completed in 7 days:

▪️ Sign up two new clients
▪️ Organize and clear desk
▪️ Attend virtual networking event
▪️ Finish presentation slide deck
▪️ Take digital course on time management
▪️ Publish a new post on Instagram
▪️ Complete a high-paying project
▪️ Write and publish a blog post
▪️ Reply to emails
▪️ Gather tax documents

To apply the 80/20 rule, start by identifying the two tasks that will bring in the best results or have the highest impact.

Those 2 tasks could be:
▪️ Getting two new clients
▪️ Completing a high-paying project

Now that you’ve found your top 2 tasks, you can focus your effort on completing them first. The remaining 8 tasks may still be important, but they might not have as significant an impact on your bottom line.

Over to you: What’s the big impact item on this week’s to-do list? Jump into the comments and let us know. You’ve got a group of peeps ready to support you!

If you want to get more things done (i.e., be more productive!), it doesn’t need to be complicated.

In fact, all you need is a simple equation to help you consistently get things done:

📌 harder tasks + high energy times = GETTING THINGS DONE
📌 easier tasks + low energy times = GETTING THINGS DONE

Your energy influences how well you manage your time and when they’re working well together, you’re more productive.
(which means you’ll be focusing on the right things at the right time)
Here’s what you need to do to find your sweet spot and the energy management equations that work for you:

🏃🏾‍♀️ Determine your high energy times
🚶🏽‍♀️ Pinpoint your low energy times
🧠 Define the harder tasks that require more of your brain power

🫰🏽 Identify your easier tasks, the ones that require lower critical thinking skills.

Now you’re ready to put everything together to GET THINGS DONE.

To help you get started, here are some examples of how you can categorize tasks:

*High Energy*
Writing blog posts, articles, course content
Working on projects
Creating client proposals

*Low Energy*
Unsubscribing from emails
Scrolling through the socials
Organizing or tidying your desk

So now here’s what I want to know: What task do you like working on when your energy is lower? What about when it’s higher? Meet me in the comments to let me know.

Productive: having the quality or power of producing especially in abundance.

I’m not about to argue with Merriam-Webster’s definition but I think we can personalize that more, right?

Here’s the first thing you should know about being productive: you get to decide what that means to YOU.

The most important thing you can do when deciding to become more productive is understanding just how unique it will look to you. Let’s set you up for success by making your productivity as unique as you.

🔵 There’s no list you need to check off to determine whether you were productive.

🔵 There’s no threshold you need to meet to declare the day productive.

🔵 There’s no one productivity practice that works for everyone.

Here’s how I would define being productive:

Having the clarity, energy, and focus to efficiently move my projects forward. Because when I do that consistently, I’ll have time freedom. ✨

(not gonna lie though, I still love a good list of “all the things”)

Now it’s your turn: How would you define being productive? Hop into the comments and let me know!

Save this post to create your own blog reading list! 👇

If you’re ready to grow as an entrepreneur, I’ve curated a list of a few of my favorite blog posts covering a large range of topics. These will benefit you no matter where you are in your journey, whether you are taking the first step, working towards scaling your business, or a veteran.

📚 “Brilliant Books for Business Owners.” If you’re someone who loves to learn, I have a HUGE list of books for you to pursue and also included tips on how and where to get started in your reading journey.

📱 “Digital Detox: 7 Days to Unclutter Your Phone and Build Better Mobile Habits.” If you have a love/hate relationship with your phone, this one's for you. Learn how to create a healthier relationship with your phone in a week.

🧘 “Mindset Magic: 3 Simple Practices to Thrive” is for anyone ready to learn the importance of having a positive mindset and needs a few easy ways to begin.

💻 “8 Ways to Stay Focused When Writing” provides tips, tricks, and hacks for blocking distractions and productively writing your next blog post (or book).

When you’re ready to read, use the link in my bio to head to the blog page on my website. From there you can either scroll to browse all the posts OR use the search bar to find one of the four mentioned here.

Don’t forget to swipe through to see which blog(s) are a good fit for you. I can’t wait to hear which one you’ll read first.

Let’s talk about becoming your own personal cheerleader.

If I asked you to name some of the important tools in your successful entrepreneur toolbox, what would you share with me? Things like branding, your favorite productivity app, accounting software, or a contract?

If positive self-talk isn’t part of your success toolbox, it should be.

Here’s the truth of this journey: You’ll often find yourself walking solo. And being able to lean on yourself to get pumped up is a skill you can learn – and rely on – when that journey gets bumpy.

🏋️ When your business is feeling messy and out of control, self-encouragement can bring you back into focus, despite the chaos of the world around you.

🏋️ When you’re surrounded by positivity, you’ll start feeling a little happier and begin to see things with a bit more optimism.

🏋️ It’s easy to lose yourself in your business. Positive self-talk reminds you that you are and should remain a priority and deserve to be supported. And gives you a chance to focus on yourself.

Just like a muscle, positive self-talk needs consistent training to get strong. Here’s my training program:

🥰 All I’ve got to do is just take the next step. That’s the only thing I need to do at that moment. Just take the next step. (huge impact on my productivity and mindset)

🥰 I’m capable because of all the amazing things I’ve accomplished, not to mention the hurdles I’ve navigated. (yes, I can do hard things!)

🥰 It’s okay to feel uncertain or nervous sometimes. I don’t need to brush away these feelings. (it’s normal and there are things I can do to get back on track)

What are some ways you practice positive self-talk?

If you’re someone who internalizes things, keep reading.

Friends, you gotta let it out. The negativity, the self-doubt, the fears. You aren’t any of those things but if you allow them to fester inside of you, they’ll keep weighing you down.

(albatross, meet neck)

So what happens if you aren’t comfortable being vulnerable with speaking the negativity out? Well, you start getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.

I know that idea sounds scary and stomach-churning worthy, and if it makes you shift in your seat, you aren’t alone.

But here’s what happens when you “speak out” the negativity:

🗣️ You release its energy inside of you

🗣️ You have the opportunity to understand yourself more and figure out how to deal with the situation

🗣️ You open yourself up to receive kindness and help

You're training your mindset so that the next time something negative happens (and you know it will because this is life) you’ll be better prepared to deal with it.

I recently “spoke out” the negative and while it made me a tad bit uncomfortable, the amount of love and support I received back was well worth it.

(what a gift it is when people show up for you ✨)

What do you think? Are you willing to start being more open when you are hitting roadblocks? Hop into the comments and let me know.

Do you believe in magic? 🪄

Let’s talk about the magic of mindsets for entrepreneurs.

(no wands needed!)

If you’ve been around for a bit you know I’m a strong believer in entrepreneurs mastering their mindset. Without a strong foundation, dealing with the ups and downs of this wild ride is going to be a challenge. When you consistently strengthen your mind, you can handle self-doubt and setbacks.

(and thrive in spite of them)

Plus, let’s talk about productivity. As an entrepreneur fueled with positivity, you’ll have greater mental clarity and motivation which means, you’ll get more done.

Sounds great so far, right? Let’s release your inner power with these three quick mindset hacks:

✍🏽 Journaling: Journaling is a powerful tool for self-discovery and reflection. It’s also a great way to reduce the cognitive load brought on by having way too many things in your brain at the same time.

🧘🏾 Meditation: Meditation is a practice of quieting the mind and focusing your attention. It can significantly reduce stress and improve focus, both of which are essential for peak productivity.

👯‍♀️ Connect with Positive Peeps: The people you surround yourself with will have a profound impact on your outlook. And when those people are other positive and motivated entrepreneurs, you’ll reap the benefits.

Ready to start the journey of mastering your mindset? Read the full blog post and get the scoop on apps that can help you massage your mind by clicking on the link in my bio or messaging me.



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I’m convinced that entrepreneurs have the best sense of humor. And it’s because we have to have one!

The ups, downs, swerves, and changes in altitude aren’t for the faint of heart or for those who don’t highly value the healing power of laughter. 😆

When things get tough, we have to laugh: at the tough situation itself, the funny reel your bestie DMed you, or the silly joke your nephew told you.

As Bob Newhart says in his quote, laughter allows us to step back from the situation, process it through humor, and then keep moving forward.

Change your mindset, have a laugh, and tackle the next item on your list, friends.

(your future self will thank you especially when they realize how productive your laughter helped them to be)

This makes me wonder, where do you find your laughs?

These are the things that bring on the laughs for me:

😂 The silly things my kiddo says
😂 Watching anything featuring Jim Gaffigan or Robin Williams (and depending on my mood, Tom Segura)
😂 Dancing around and singing like I’m a rockstar

Hop into the comments and let me know who or what makes you laugh. Bonus gold stars if there’s an account you can tag!

What do you look for in an ideal client?

Some of your first thoughts might be:

💙 Pays invoices on time

💙 Good communication

💙 Willingness to listen and mutual respect

💙 Honoring boundaries

And yes, those are all important.

But here’s what I think is the important quality to have in an ideal client: empathetic understanding.

These are the clients that you don’t have to stress about sharing that things have gone sideways and a deadline won’t be met.

These are the clients who will hear what’s going on and tell you to take care of your well-being first.

These are the clients who will adjust their expectations when the unexpected happens.

In turn, you give the empathetic understanding right back! You’ll take it in stride, be flexible, and roll with the punches when something unanticipated happens in their life.

(we all get lemons thrown at us sometimes 🍋)

I would be remiss without mentioning that this is likely something you will have to build too, especially if you are just getting started. Not everyone will be in the position to be able to turn clients away. And that’s okay. As you continue to scale, this can be a great goal to have.

What do you think about empathetic understanding? Is this something you value in your life as a service provider? Hop into the comments and let’s get the conversation started.

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Can you find me? 👀 Look closely, I’m there.

And I’m excited about The SuperMom Summit happening next week. 🦸 It’s a Free 5-day virtual event featuring 25+ coaches and speakers (including me) who will share productivity, time management, and tech tips.

My topic: “Productivity Paradox: Why More Apps Can Mean Less Done” 📲

🎟️ Get your Free Ticket:
https://secretsofsupermom.mykajabi.com/a/2147514238/f2oF8dVU

My friend Lori Oberbroeckling is the host of the summit and her goal is to help ambitious moms do more in less time without having to experience burnout.

So, if you set some big goals earlier this year, but you feel like you never have the time to reach them, ⏰ or if you're wondering if you'll be able to do all the things you set out to do by the end of the year, hop into the summit to get some actionable advice.

(even if you’re not a mom)

🎟️ Get your free ticket using my referral link: https://secretsofsupermom.mykajabi.com/a/2147514238/f2oF8dVU

I know you’re going to find some familiar faces in this year‘s Supermom Summit!

Who are you most excited to hear from? Tell us in the comments!

Need a free ticket? Grab it at thesupermomsummit.com!

In case you didn’t know, I’ve been blogging for 15 years! (yes, you read that right) So, if you’ve got a productivity challenge, I’ve probably got a blog post that will help! 🤣

Here’s what you can expect from any of the blogs: solutions. I’ll always provide tips, tricks, and tools I’ve personally tried or tested so you can get started immediately without any of the guesswork.

Without further ado, here’s a roundup of five of my favorite blog posts:

💻 5 Tech Skills of Highly Productive Entrepreneurs which covers the essential digital tools for any business.

📓Journaling for Solopreneurs has everything you need to get started journaling including prompts, apps, and tips for building habits.

📱 Digital Life in Disarray? Use These 5 Steps to Get Organized will guide you through organizing your digital life.

🦆 Why Small Business Owners Struggle with Productivity (and How to Fix It) gives you everything you need to get your ducks in a row.

💪🏽 Good Multitasking: 8 Ways to Creatively Do Two Things at the Same Time will have you getting stuff done in a way that makes sense.

The posts are easy to find. Use the link in my bio to head to the blog page on my website. From there you can either scroll to browse all the posts OR use the search bar to find one of the fice mentioned here.

Which one will you read first?

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It’s June. You are already halfway through the year, and maybe you haven't hit all your big goals. Maybe you are burned out by all the things. Maybe you WANT to get more done, but TIME is not on your side.

I believe that investing in yourself doesn’t always have to mean loads of money or time. Sometimes, what you need is to infuse some new skills and a brand new outlook to get you over the half-year hump and kick-start your motivation.

This is where The Supermom Summit comes in!

Access to a mountain of extraordinary experts for…FREE?!

Unheard of … until now. 🙌

I have joined forces with 25+ powerful female experts who have all shared their best-kept secrets to help you get more done in less time without the overwhelm and burnout. You’ll have the opportunity to hear me share why too many apps may actually be harmful to your productivity. I’ll chat about common mistakes people make when using productivity apps, the steps to stop feeling overwhelmed by apps, and my recommendations for the best productivity apps for busy women.

Will you join us June 17-21 for this virtual summit? You can participate from wherever you are!

Productivity experts will be there to support you with:

➡️ Tips and hacks
➡️ Mile-long to-do lists
➡️ Forgotten self-care
➡️ Motivation & momentum

Getting your FREE ticket couldn’t be easier. HEAD to the link in my bio* to grab it now or use this link* ➡️ https://secretsofsupermom.mykajabi.com/a/2147514238/f2oF8dVU

(*this is an affiliate link and I will receive a small commission if you sign up)

Will you join me in feeling accomplished when you work towards a goal, whether it’s 15 minutes or the whole day?

I hope you don’t mind if I get a little vulnerable in this post.

I’ve been working towards a big goal this year and have found it frustrating that I don’t always have hours to devote to getting it done. That frustration has led to some days of ignoring the goal and not working towards it at all.

That’s not a great feeling. 😒

But recently, I’ve been shifting my mindset. Instead of not feeling like I have enough time, I’ve been working on my goal in 15 minute increments.

RESULT: I found that chipping away at items on a long to-do list HAS made a difference.

(I tell clients to do this all the time, so I really shouldn’t have been surprised)

⏲️ The goal seems less overwhelming because I’m breaking it into smaller pieces.

⏲️ I’m making progress every time I sit down to work.

⏲️ Getting things done has revamped the way I think about the goal and given me some much needed wins.

And hey, if nothing else, working 15 minutes on something is a (big) step up from working 0 minutes.

I want to know what you think. Could you devote 15 minutes today to working on a big goal?

Failure friends, I’m talking about failure.

(why, what F word did you think I was talking about? 😉)

Failure is going to happen. It’s inevitable, in life and in business.

We’ve all experienced that feeling: you get a pit in your stomach while a wave of negativity washes over you. Something has gone wrong and you’ve got a failure to now deal with.

No one likes that feeling. I know I certainly don’t.

Recently though, I’ve begun to see failure a little differently. It’s a learning experience.

Failure can show me what doesn’t work and can reveal the next step I now need to take. It shows me the new pathway to my ultimate goal.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Failure is still painful. But now I’m able to see past it. I can learn, recognize what is being shown to me, and press forward.

(even while I’m grumbling about how much it sucks)

How do you feel about failure? Is it something you dread or embrace? Hope into the comments and let me know.

Let’s take a mini deep dive into cognitive load.

(and yes, it does actually have something to do with productivity, I promise!)

Here are the basics:

Cognitive Load is the theory that explains that your brain can only process and store a small amount of information.

(if you’re an entrepreneur, I’m sure you’ve experienced this before)

When there are more than 5-9 items being retained in your memory, you will see a drop in your productivity because you feel overwhelmed and take longer to process information.

(again, we’re all nodding along here, amirite?)

So, what can you do to balance your cognitive load? Here are some tips:

🧠 Break those complex and larger tasks down into more manageable, smaller bits.

🧠 Keep your brain locked in by limiting distractions like notifications and emails. A great way to do this is by time blocking your tasks.

🧠 Begin your work day by deciding on the 1-2 priority tasks you will work to accomplish.

🚀 BONUS: Get everything thing out of your head! That way you can sort, categorize, and choose your top priorities. A “brain dump” is a perfect way to do that.

(and can help!)

Let me know in the comments if the science behind your productivity is interesting to you. Should I do more posts on this topic?

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Keep reading if you want a simple way to jump start your daily productivity.

Enter the Two-Minute Rule!

If you aren’t familiar, the Two-Minute Rule was popularized by David Allen (author of Getting Things Done). The method is a simple one, which is why I love it.

Any task that can be completed in two minutes or less should immediately be done. Some examples are emails that only need a quick response, phone calls that will only take a couple of minutes, tidying your desktop, or unsubscribing from a few emails.

(that last one is my favorite!)

In other words, those tiny tasks that don’t require a ton of energy and need to get done.

Here’s why I love the method:

💙 You’ll knock items off your task time while kicking procrastination to the curb

💙 You’ll get some easy wins that will propel you forward to tackle more time consuming tasks

💙 It’s perfect for those folks who like to ease into the day and need a warm-up before diving into more complex tasks

Who doesn’t love the endorphin boost of gold stars?

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

PRO TIP: The Two-Minute Rule doesn’t just apply to your work life. It works great at home too for things like sorting out the mail, taking out the trash, and paying a bill or two.

What are some things you can bang out in under two minutes? Jump into the comments and let me know. When you’re there, you can read a few I’m tackling today!