#14 | when it's time to get organised

Inspiration, daily routine balance & practical organisation tips + New TikTok PlayBook, 🎁 5 Canva templates for social media & AI Prompt for organisation

Mar 03, 2024

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💡 If listening to music helps you focus, you can listen while reading:

cosy nights. 💤 midnight lofi mix

These days, an intense urge to write took hold of me. I write daily, but this time it was different. Ideas for my new book began to emerge. To the point where at night, my mind was filled with stories (which makes me extremely happy when it happens), and the excitement only grew.

It's amazing how good it feels to be inspired, isn't it? I believe it has a lot to do with the reflections I shared in the previous newsletter.

But whenever inspiration strikes, I get a little scared. Happiness and excitement turn into high-focus inspiration and a desire to leave everything else behind. But I've left many things behind, and every day I still think about the things I could still give up. But there are things I don't want to give up.

So I start.

To overcome the fear of what new excitements might bring, when inspiration hits hard, I try to follow two simple rules: start and keep everything simple to test. Over time, I can find ways to delve a little deeper into each thing and to give more time and dedication when needed.

But it's scary because starting many things at once usually makes my life a real mess, with that feeling of "oh my God, I won't be able to do everything I have to do".

So I, being addicted to YouTube videos and methods, have been trying to find the perfect routine for a few years now.

And no, I haven't found it.

Excitement comes and still disrupts the routine, but I've put together some things that are helping me deal with it a little better, and I'll share them with you here:

Energy prioritisation:

I aim to maintain a regular routine that brings me energy, focusing on healthy eating, exercise, and meditation. This is the part where I can be most demanding of myself, but without exaggeration. The goal is to keep the mind functioning to deal with the next things on this list.

Priority list:

I organise a priority list every Friday, updating it as necessary. At the end of the week, I copy the list into a new document to review at the end of the month and observe how my weeks have varied, and from there, I set up a new week. I always focus on: Prioritising sources of anxiety first, Breaking into small real and meaningful activities, and Making them easy and calm to start. And of course, I remember to pay attention to smaller activities and complete them quickly.

Scheduling:

I keep a board with the schedules I wish to follow when I'm in an "ideal" week - the one where things work as planned, adjusting it weekly as needed. This helps me identify where I can improve and where there's room for new activities. I create time blocks for different activities, like personal projects, and go from there based on the priority list.

Simplified organisation:

I use Notion to keep my ideas organised, from meetings to notes and ideas to test. With folders and files within each thing, well-named and organised by order of use. For example, as soon as I finish sending this newsletter, I open a document in Notion and start organising everything on my weekly list. I keep everything created and easily accessible because we never know when inspiration will hit.

The notes sometimes get messy, but I always try to organise everything at the end of the day in places where I can find them again later. The more I do, the easier it gets. If you want to try Notion, here's my link (: It's my favourite place to keep this "second brain".

Acceptance:

Finally, I've accepted that things don't always go as planned. Some weeks will be a mess, some weeks will be super productive, some activities will take longer to complete, and others will never be completed. And that's okay. You can't do everything at once, and I've accepted that the important thing is to start, make sense in the long run, and bring me happiness (very Marie Kondo style).

Even if I can't do everything I would like, I can still do what I like. So I start slowly, without putting too much pressure on myself, testing the waters and growing from there.

This week, I'm celebrating having added a new template on Etsy, having written a few pages for my book, and having managed to keep the other things going while doing this, even if not ideally. And that's how I go on, keeping life going and trying to keep space open for what's still to come.

It's always a challenge, but it's amazing when we feel like we're understanding more about ourselves along the journey.

✨ To be inspired! Things I've seen around...

→ a very pleasant morning routine

→ interactive website that combines sounds and colourful animations: patatap — you can have fun

→ “The critical voice that was haunting me - since yesterday - was mine. Only mine. It was inside, not outside.” (in portuguese)

→ “after directing that loving kindness to myself, the hope is I will have that capacity to direct outwards.”

💡Social Media: TikTok's New PlayBook

TikTok has just released a super insightful PlayBook with over 30 pages to help businesses with creative strategy on the platform. I know many of us are still trying to understand this whole TikTok thing, right? So this guide is a good help as it's full of tips and ideas divided into three main stages: Ideation, Production, and Optimisation.

In the Ideation phase, they highlight the importance of knowing your audience inside and out, showing your brand's personality, and keeping up with the latest trends. Plus, they have some good advice on how to integrate sound into your videos effectively.

In the Production phase, they offer options for both the more independent and those looking to collaborate with creators. Whether you're filming and editing on your own or teaming up with someone, they've got you covered.

And finally, in the Optimisation stage, they talk about how Smart Fix and Smart Creative help you adjust and update your ads to keep them always running.

Honestly, if you're interested in TikTok, it's definitely worth a read.

Download now to read!

⛏️ Creation Tools - 5 Templates for Social Media (:

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about how I can make my social media posting routine more effective and consistent, as you may have noticed from my recent comments... An approach that usually brings good results, both for me (when I organise to do it) and for my clients, is to prepare the posts in advance and take advantage of resources that streamline this process.

Canva has been a real lifesaver in this regard. Although it has some limitations in ready-made templates, its variety of resources makes the process of creating images and videos much easier and faster.

While I'm organising my own social media, I decided to create a set of templates on Canva, inspired by my first product on Etsy, to help maintain consistency in posts. And you know what's best? This is another gift for newsletter subscribers!

This mini Canva template pack is ideal for promoting books and was made to help both authors and entrepreneurs and anyone who wants to give their posts a special touch. There are five models that include book mockups, quotes, and events. It was made in English, but they're super easy to edit and customise with your own information.

So don't waste time, download it now, it's free! (:

🤖 AI Prompt - To Organise Yourself

Since we talked about organisation, I have to say that artificial intelligence has been super useful for me in this regard. It helped me set up tables, identify patterns, and plan my schedules. Inspired by this experience, I created a simple prompt.

💡 Open ChatGPT or the AI of your choice and type:

"Hello chat, I'm looking to improve my time management and organise my daily schedule more efficiently. Currently, I have [describe your available times, such as free mornings or busy afternoons] and my priorities include [list your top priorities or tasks]. I would like to create a flexible schedule that maximises my productivity and well-being throughout the day. Can you help me create a table or spreadsheet with suggested times and flexible spaces to adjust as needed? Please confirm if you understood and ask if you need more information."

I'm posting more on Stories. Check out my Instagram profile and let me know what you think! (:
As I mentioned earlier, there's a new template on Etsy! I made version 2 of my first template and I'm pretty proud of the result. Take a look if you need help promoting your book on social media.

If you received this edition and have any comments to share, reply to this email or comment on Substack! I would be very happy to exchange ideas with you!

when the inspiration hits...

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