updated April 1, 2022
Oxford was 3 hours from our current home in Toledo, it was unusually warm, and the air conditioning in our van was acting up.
By the time we arrived we felt sticky, a little irritable, and the floor of the van had been swallowed up by kid blankets, pillows, coloring books, shoes, and a lot of other mysterious items.
But we were excited to FINALLY be looking at some houses. We all felt it.
We met our realtor at the first house and then after that he suggested he just hop into our van with us and give us the grand tour of the area.
HOP IN. TO OUR POST-ROAD TRIP VAN WITH FOUR KIDS.
He didn’t bat an eye at the pretzels embedded into the seats.
He was so gracious and spent hours driving us around. I knew then we could trust him.
Half of my Sol Planners so far have been used to track my goal of buying a house, but finally at age 37 and with 4 kids in tow, Chris and I bought a house last summer.
Although it took three times longer than I had hoped, my Sol Planner was a big piece in me tracking the right things towards this goal.
So much of buying a house is outside of your control and plans, so I thought I would use this as a case study to show you how you could use a planner to track a goal like this.
You might be tempted to write out a goal like this:
GOAL: BUY A HOUSE
Step 1: Save up a down payment.
Step 2: Find a house.
Step 3: Pack, move in, unpack.
You might even break it down like this:
Step 1: Save up a down payment.
Step 2: Find a house.
Step 3: Pack & move in.
⬆️ This is too vague, too open to variables, difficult to track, and even more difficult to see progress.
Buckle up because I’m about to show you some next level goal setting.
We begin with a basic step of breaking down a goal. A couple things to notice in this example:
I bet that’s not new to you. Breaking down a goal into month-size objectives is something most goal-oriented people know how to do.
If those steps already seem basic, how would you break them down even further? (you might have to zoom in to get a good read)
This is what it might look like:
If you can’t read it, these are some of the items listed that if not identified, could get neglected, pushed off, or surprise you and knock you off track.
Schedule a budget meeting.
Decide what credit cards to pay off.
Pay bills.
Review budget.
Set aside amount agreed upon at the budget meeting.
Pay off credit card.
Brainstorm where extra money can be found.
Sell something.
Stay motivated by finding a podcast about money.
Some of these might just naturally happen if you don’t write them down. But the cool thing about writing it down is this: you get to check it off 🙂
And that helps you see progress. Which is motivating and increases the likelihood that you’ll stick with your goal.
It also makes it feel doable, holds you accountable, and builds character as you consistently work on something.
Ok that was just quarter 1. Most people don’t save up for a down payment in 3 months.
Here's what the next quarter might look like:
Mapping it out looks like calculus but it's just the repetitive process of breaking your goal down into smaller, doable, action-oriented steps.
Small enough so you know exactly what to work on each week. This will set you up for progress and big wins!
Don't overlook the simple (almost mundane) weekly steps. This is the path to goals achieved.
Everyone’s goals are different and the paths we take to achieve them are more unique than the ice cream flavors found at Jeni’s (my personal fav is the coffee flavor although since moving to Oxford we have Graeter’s Ice Cream here and now my fav is Black Raspberry Chip).
Although our goals are different, you’ve told me that you like seeing other people’s goals and how they went about using their Sol Planner to achieve them.
So send me your goal and I can break it down in a case study for us all to learn from.
I’m also cooking up a beta program for this summer that will go over higher level goal setting and time management for those running both a business and a home/personal project.
It will bring your Sol Planner to life.
For now, let me know if a case study is helpful and if you have a goal you want me to break down.
Your sol sister,
]]>It was my favorite place on earth.
When it was time to leave and begin our 3 hour drive home, my dad would let us stop by the Trading Post on the way out and we could pick ANY piece of candy we wanted.
It took me approximately 45 minutes to select my one piece of candy. (I’m sure my dad just loved this 🙃).
As an adult, I relive this same joy-filled decision making process every time I’m in the pen aisle at Michael’s. It takes me at least 45 minutes to scribble on the little test pads, scrutinize the nuances of gel colors, analyze how much it might smear, and ignore the question in the back of my head asking me how many pens does one really need.
Sooo, wanna know my favorites?
I made you a categorized list. 🤓
I recommend getting these at your local art supply store but if you prefer to order them from Amazon, I included the links to my favorite color, style, or point thickness of each pen.
Long time favorite. They're happy, they're reliable, they give me lots of colors to choose from. I've been using them for years and haven't found a pen that I love more. I prefer the click top style over the capped style.
Runner ups:
Sharpie Gel Pens (LOVE the thick point and quality of this new pen! Very limited color selection though)
Pilot G2 Gel Pens (great quality, just not as fun looking and colors are not as bright. It's as if the G2 Gel pens lead with a handshake and the Inkjoy Gel pens lead with a hug. Know what I mean??)
HONORABLE MENTION CUSTOMER FAVORITE:
Pilot Frixion Erasable Pens: I can’t leave out these because this comes up over and over as a customer favorite. For me, this pen doesn’t deliver enough color brightness but it's VERY cool that it's erasable. Perhaps I should try it in a thicker point but those seem more difficult to find. The 0.5 fine tip is the most common.
I have a lot of pens in my pen case. I just love when the body of the pen is the color of the ink. They get bonus points for that in my book. I find myself grabbing these pens not necessarily for a large block of writing (I use the Papermate Flair pens if I need to write a lot with a felt tip, which I don't find myself doing very often), but I use these more for creating bold headlines on my notes, outlining a table or box, or underlining words. It's the extra punch that helps my planner and journal pop.
Runner up: Papermate Flair
Mildliner Double Ended Highlighter (bullet/chisel tip)
I can't have enough of these! Looooove all the color options. Love the bullet tip for actual highlighting, and the chisel tip for underlining, writing large titles or events in my planner, and also for highlighting smaller font. So many uses for these little highlighters. Plus they're not super fat so I can fit more in my pen case :)
Runner up: Stabilo Swing Highlighters (lighter colors, great for really thin pages like the Bible)
When I want to write VACATION over a whole week of my planner, or WEEKEND, or ROAD TRIP, or anything big and exciting, I grab one of these. I also use them for highlighting notes.
Other things I use often alongside my planner...
Stickers > A whole pack of stickers perfectly designed for the 2022 Sol Planner.
Tote > large enough to fit my planner (I personally use the 8x10 larger size), my ancient 2012 Macbook, my stickers pack, a 2 inch binder, and my pen case.
Bookmarks (set of 4 comes with the 2022 Sol Planner)
Pencil pouch (vertical!) > started using a vertical case instead of horizontal and loving it!
Ribbon > I first saw this picture from a dear customer, Ellie, who had added a ribbon to her planner. I've since added a ribbon to my own, sometimes as another bookmark and sometimes just as a bow for cuteness.
Book darts > love these for bookmarking specific dot grid pages that I've taken notes on that I want to go back and reference.
your sol sister,
Next topic: color coding. Do you color code your planner? What's your system??
]]>updated April 1, 2022
I’d be lying if I didn’t share that sometimes there’s some overwhelm when I think about all my goals at once.
Haven’t written any goals this year yet? Have no fear, you get to start fresh. Click here to download an annual goal setting sheet.
A fresh Life Overview/Goal Review page is there for you on page 90 of the 2022 Sol Planner. I started you off with an easy step because this next one is the hardest. Sorry.
STEP 2: Choose 1 personal area and 1 work/school area to focus on for the next quarter.
Yes I said 1. You can get into some sneaky bad habits that destroy your physical and mental health if you don’t be careful. You. Can’t. Do. Everything. So stop it! Pick just 1.
I just did this myself and not gonna lie, my pits are a little sweaty. I had to prioritize one goal over another one and it forced me to decide what’s most important. This will help me on the weeks when there’s barely enough time to get one thing done.
These questions might help you narrow it down:
Once you’ve chosen your areas of focus, take a huge sigh of relief. Seriously that was the hardest part. Now you’re ready to break them down for the quarter.
STEP 3: Write your goals for your chosen areas on the top of your Q2 goal review page and break each goal into month-sized objectives..
(this is page 90 in the 2022 Sol Planner). If you don’t have a Sol Planner and want a pretty page to write this down on, click here to print this page and follow along.
Don’t overthink it. What progress do you want to make each month?
A lot of people stop here because you might think you’re done. However we have one more step to go and this is where the magic is. I wish we could always jump right to this step but it’s only magical when you do the work in the previous steps.
STEP 4: Next we need to break down your monthly objective to weekly actions.
(you can do this right on the same page).
If you’re clear on what needs to happen each week to bring progress towards your goals, imagine how effective you’ll be with your time. If you've followed the guidelines of the Sol Planner goal setting guide (found in the beginning of your planner or go here to download), then you know you’re putting in effort towards important and meaningful goals that are in line with your values. What better way to spend your time??
If you’re not clear on the progress you want to make THIS coming week, go back and break things down a little smaller until you’re crystal clear.
What’s something you can go do RIGHT NOW towards that progress? Go. Do. It.
your sol sister,
So when it came time to name my new planner business, all brainstorming started with the word “light” since that’s my last name. How could I NOT use that?! Any time I was on a team, or leading a group, I ALWAYS wanted to come up with something clever that had the word light. For many years I tried to come up with something. I got nothing. I had no good ideas. Even though there are many Bible verses & beautiful quotes that speak of light, nothing felt right and none of them seemed to fit with time, planning, numbering your days, or prioritizing.
Then I thought about the source of light. The SUN! The sun circles the whole earth, the sun marks the beginning and end of our days and marks the passing of time.
The word sol is the latin name for sun. I love that the sun is the way we track our days. As it rises and sets, our days begin and end. We can do nothing to stop, start or slow down the sun. We live by it’s rhythm. Everybody has the same amount of time given to them each day no matter your status and position in life. As we plan our days, may we do so with the knowledge that our days are numbered, each day is an opportunity, and time is a resource that God has entrusted us with. What will we do with it?
And I won’t deny that I was also drawn to the word sol because it not only represents LIGHT but it also conveniently reflects my initials (SarahO’Brien Light). How great is that?!
]]>Morning routine what?! How about just some solid sleep. That would be nice.
However, as my maternity leave was coming to an end, I knew that if I was going to have a shot at running a business AND being a wife AND being a mom to 3… well I wasn’t sure what I was going to do exactly to have a shot at that, but I knew I was going to have to get my mental game on lockdown. There was no room for negative thoughts to take over. There was no room for pity parties. There was no room for excuses.
Enter: The Miracle Morning. I have never been an early, slay your day, tackle-as-much-as-you-can-before-daylight kind of gal. I am most definitely a night owl. I come alive after 8pm. That’s when my mind is sharp, I have my best ideas, and I work most efficiently. Mornings on the other hand, I am in a deep fog. I used to hide under my covers until my children found me and started jumping on me. So it took some convincing for me to figure out how to even wake up before the nursing baby started stirring. Let alone do anything coherent. But I did. I figured it out [*disclaimer below*]. It’s the Miracle Morning.
I’m not going to try to convince you to get up early. You can google The Miracle Morning and read all about the S.A.V.E.R.S routine or even better you can read the book. However I do want you to think about how an intentional start to your day can change your whole day. In the words of author Hal Elrod,
“Focused, productive, successful mornings generate focused, productive, successful days — which inevitably create a successful life — in the same way that unfocused, unproductive, and mediocre mornings generate unfocused, unproductive, and mediocre days, and ultimately a mediocre quality of life.”
Once I began the intentional efforts of waking up with a focus, I learned it was less about how early I got up or what routine I was following, and it was way more about realizing that each morning, this moment, matters more than I wanted it to. Who I am becoming is tied to how I am living this moment out. I don’t like that thought at 6am. I don’t want 5:30-6:30am to count.
The mornings have become so precious to me now. Sometimes I’ll have as much as an hour to myself, most days it’s 30 minutes. Just enough to get my mind in a good place. To think about my day with intention and picture how I want to interact with my kids and with the people I work with. To drink delicious coffee. To read my Bible. To go through my prayer cards. To go for a walk. I don’t get to do all those things every single day, but I try to and I look forward to them as I set my alarm. You think I’m lying. My husband is a morning person and almost every day I am now awake before him.
I really believe some of the heart changes I had this year and the personal growth I experienced had space to happen because of how I started my day. It created resiliency. It gave me a daily chance to picture a good outcome to a challenging situation. What does this year hold for you? What could an intentional morning routine do for you?
[disclaimer]: If you happen to be responsible for really little people at this stage in your life, you just have to give yourself some grace. Day to day life is so unpredictable, you do not have a say in how all things go and not every day is going to go according to plan. However on the other hand, if you’re responsible for really little people all day, you also need some alone time. You need some sane, quiet moments. So at least try for it and hold tight to grace with all you’ve got [end disclaimer].
[The SAVERS routine: Silence, Affirmations, Visualization, Exercise, Read, Scribe]
Just keep at it. Don’t “reward” yourself with a break once you’ve stuck with it for a week. Keep going. You are changing a pattern. The author of The Coaching Habit says, “This stuff is simple, but it’s not easy. It’s hard to change your behavior, and it takes courage to have a go at doing something differently, and resilience to keep at it when it doesn’t work perfectly the first time (which it won’t).”
Silence and Visualization, don’t knock it. It sounds a little new-agey, but I actually think it’s really grounded. In the “Silence” time of your morning, you aren’t letting any other messages or labels or pressures influence you. It’s just you and God. It’s you being vulnerable and bare and raw. How freeing it is to be whom you really are. “Too much of your day is spent doing things you think people want you to do.” (Michael Bungay Stanier). Visualization can be a whole new level of taking your thoughts captive. Especially if you pay attention to how your physical body feels when you’re seeing a picture in your mind. It is NOT picturing yourself rich and then you will become rich. I’ll share an example. When my husband travels and I’m home solo with my kids all day and all night, I will picture myself as a joyful mom who values the opportunity to create new memories with her kids. I picture myself calm and not overwhelmed by my tasks. I picture my toddler having a meltdown and how I want to handle it. I even picture myself recovering from a moment of frustration and how I want to recover quickly from those moments. I find that I end up looking forward to the week and although it most definitely does not go as pictured, it’s like my mind knows subconsciously how to move all of us a little closer to it.
If you are in a season of pain or struggle, I urge you to implement the ideas behind the miracle morning to bolster your hope. “Nothing is more important than to learn how to maintain a life of purpose in the midst of painful adversity.” (Tim Keller, Walking with God through Pain and Suffering).
We need your best self and for you to be aware of who that is. Be willing to try an effective, intentional morning routine for this reason. In the words of Jen Hatmaker, “This really is your one wild and precious life. You matter so much. You are writing a good story for your children. Your community and church need you, your neighbors and family need you, God adores you and Jesus is obsessed with you. Here we are, your community of women running this race together, proud of you, moved by you. We’ll stumble; that’s part of the course, but we’ll leave no woman behind. Our generation will cross the finish line having loved God and people with all our might.”
Click here to download the Morning Routine worksheet.
]]>I recently took a road trip with my sister and on our way home after hours and hours (and HOURS) of talking, we turned on some music for the last hour or two. This song came on that had been my anthem last summer when I was going through a REALLY challenging season. I hadn't listened to it in months and when it came on... the emotions of that hard season just HIT me.
Even when it hurts like hell
I'll praise you
Even when it makes no sense to sing
Louder then I'll sing your praise
All the memories of frustration and confusion in that season came flooding back. During those months that's exactly what I did. I sang LOUD. I clung to the One who I hoped would bring a miracle or at least give me a crumb of blessing.
That wasn't that long ago but I felt changed listening to the song in hindsight. What had changed? What I wanted so bad in that frustrating season didn't have as tight of a grip on me anymore.
I made the best life decision when I chose to marry my husband Chris. When we said "for richer or poorer" I knew "poorer" would refer to the non-profit Young Life salary/social work grad school situation we had going on. Rough. But not disheartening at all back then. I embraced it. I didn't expect to be in that same situation 10 years later though.
I work hard, I earn decent income *most* of the time. I get up early, I go to bed late. I love to work. I love the world of entrepreneurial go-getters. I had so much hope for so long that we would be financially free soon and had hoped at this point we would be moving towards wealth, or at least security. After baby #3 and an understandable lull in my business, I came back from maternity leave willing to work harder than ever. And I did. I took every thought captive, got up early to read/pray/nurse/sing/pray, I tracked my activity and work, and I cried and cried and cried when I didn't see results. Not tears of sadness, tears of frustration. I was thinking things like, "Ahem. Excuse me God?! I don't know if you've noticed me working down here and trying to be obedient, but I have, and now you owe me a blessing. Right??" Or in sadder moments I would say to myself, "I'm sure God will notice and step in any moment now..." Have you been there? Do you hear the self-righteous, you-owe-me, crybaby pattern I was in?
Something happened gradually in my heart as I was reading/praying/singing though. The American Dream that has captivated me most of my life started loosing it's appeal to me. My eyes starting seeing things that I already had in a new, deeply appreciative light. When I thought about people around the world and not just people in America, I realized I am in the top 1% richest people in the WORLD. TOP 1%. If you're reading this on a computer screen or mobile device, you are too. Oh my goodness! When I let that sink in, and I had to fight the urge to brush that fact off as a non-relevant fact to me, I stopped asking God for financial freedom and PRAISED him for how financially free I already am. I'm free from worries the rest of the world carries around like a burden. My situation hasn't changed THAT much from then, but I am so incredibly happy and fulfilled and peaceful. My daughter asked me the other day if we were rich. I said YES! we are so rich. We are richer than almost everybody in the whole world. We have food to eat every single day and none of us are sick. Do you know how amazing that is?! We are so so rich.
Something else gradually happened in that tough season. As a therapeutic outlet at night, I started tinkering around on the computer with design and planner layouts. I needed a planner and couldn't find one that served me well. I started discovering and remembering strengths I had in the detailed, technical, creative realm. I worked on it slowly all summer. I started using the PDF pages I made and it helped me as a wife & mom with 3 small kids and a business to prioritize my week when everything seemed fuzzy. And not 3 months later, look what has happened. Those plans turned into a beautiful physical planner that will bless hundreds of women this coming year. That came from my season of frustration! What a gift.
This Sunday, during the last song we sang at church, the words of the bridge stood out to me. The first line sings, "I will rest on your promises" yes, I thought, that's what I did all summer. And the next line is, "My confidence is in your faithfulness" YES. I took that moment to quietly and happily squeal in the presence of God and praise him. This time it wasn't because I was hurting still, but because His faithfulness had changed me and I rejoice in what He's doing in me and through me. Because of the words I cried out in the hurt, the exclamatory song of joy felt all the more sweet.
Are you hurting? What do you want your anthem to be in this hard season? Who do you want to become as a result of this pruning?
This season WILL end. I encourage you to download the song, Even When It Hurts by Hillsong United, get in your car, crank up the music, and sing LOUD, especially this part:
And my heart burns only for you
You are all, you are all I want
And my soul waits only for you
And I will sing till the morning has come
Ain't that the truth?! When you're running a business in the direct sales industry who you are becoming and the quality of your character is paramount. To grow as a person at the rate of success you want to see in your business takes a whole other level of intention.
It's one of the things I love most about this profession, it's understood that every day counts. Since Mary Kay is my main source of income and what originally drove me to create a planner, I wanted to share how I use this version of the planner specifically for my business. There are some very specific things a consultant or a director needs in her planner and although at first glance the first edition of the Sol Planner looks like just a weekly planner, I want to share some tips for my #bossbabes out there who need a tool to help them be intentional not just with their time, but who to spend that time developing.
Let's start with the spread that is a blank grid on the left and the brain dump page on the right. I've used the grid to do story boards when I'm taking notes during a conference call or webinar, I also always have it open at my weekly meeting when I'm training to write down people's questions, and finally I write a lot of notes in this space during coaching calls with my consultants.
I think most of you know how to brain dump, so let's look at the top 3 priorities. This can be a game changer if you take the time to choose your top 3 AND decide to spend the majority of your time on those 3 things only. Take the time to look at your list of to dos and strategize what 3 areas or tasks would make the most impact towards your goals.
Ok so here is the left side of the week at a glance spread. In the planner it says "Ideas" with space to write below. That is my secret spot to really write down my "New & Few." These are the top 20% of your organization that is producing 80% of your unit's growth if you are a director. I also write down New Consultants here since they need extra TLC. Occasionally I write down a key friend in that space who I want to remember to pray for all week and let her know I'm thinking about her. And of course the daily to-do list on top. In the Mary Kay world we call that the "6 most" list.
The image explains what these sections are used for. The only thing to add is how much I love the reflection questions at the end of the week. It's tucked into the corner, intended for you to answer the questions at the end of your week or before you begin your brain dump for the next week. The power of open ended self-coaching questions!! Life changing.
I would love to hear what other pieces of tracking you absolutely need in your planner. I'm open to suggestions for the next version. I pray this tool serves you to "number your days that you may gain a heart of wisdom." (psalm 90:2).
]]>Yet in reality, it sounds like most of us spend our days running around, responding to crisis, putting out fires, and either ignoring, or at best forgetting, to get back with the people that matter to us. Why does someone at work or a loud acquaintance get the best pieces of us every day?
My first job after I finished my MSW, I was so pumped to start working at an elementary school as a social worker. And let me just tell you my plans for saving the world. I was going to basically change society. Grand plans! However, a few months into my job I looked from the hustle and bustle and wondered, what have I been doing all these months?! How as it been 6 months already?! Where am I even headed?! Every day I’m answering emails and running therapy sessions, and calling parents, but for what goal? I couldn’t believe how easily it was to get distracted and just live in a whirlwind of intention-less activity. I looked around me and realized everyone I worked with complained about their life and their job. It was like time froze for a moment while I looked around. I had this sudden fear that I was looking at my near future and I remember thinking, I gotta get out of here.
It wasn’t that job that was the problem though. It was me not having clarity on how I wanted to live and who I wanted to become. Who was supposed to teach me that? Everything was vague so nothing was being accomplished. I was incredibly lucky at that time and had an opportunity fall into my lap that ended up teaching me life lessons that has forever changed my life.
Most of you know I was blessed to have someone share the Mary Kay business with me and it put me in an environment where I was surrounded with incredibly grounded, successful, entrepreneurial women that taught me time management, prioritizing, and modeled for me what living an intentional life looked like. And it rubbed off on me. And this time, a few months into this job, I looked up and knew exactly where I was, where I was headed, and how I was at least attempting to get there.
Most people don’t have someone or something to teach them how to figure out what’s important and how to keep those things a priority. That is my heart behind this new planner adventure. I’ve taken what I’ve learned and worked to create a tool that could pass that knowledge onto someone else.
This is one page that helps you review your goals monthly so that when you're making your to-do list shortly after, your list reflects what's important to you.
One more thought about how we spend our day.
There’s a verse I’ve been reflecting on, 2 Corinthians 4:6. My last name is Light so I’m drawn to every quote and verse that references light. It says, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”
You guys! You have a light inside you, shining! And the light is in darkness so it can shine brighter. Every day you have an opportunity, a new chance to be the face of Christ and to live out your deepest values. The day is dark for most people, more light is needed. But if you’re too busy to even think about that, because you have so much going on, IT’S NOT GOING TO JUST HAPPEN. It takes intention, it takes some time to think about how you’re going to spend your time and who you’re going to spend your time with. And it’s so worth it.
I made the Sol Planner to help you stay clear, to help you make super SIMPLE, intentional choices with the time we have every day. Tomorrow the sun will rise again. Where will you be headed?
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