It's About Time | Time Management & Productivity for Work Life & Balance

The holidays don't have to be something you just survive. In this episode, I revisits episode 152 to share what I consider the most important step toward actually enjoying the season: taking care of yourself, from building self-care routines to setting boundaries when others push them. I also shares details on the Sleigh the Season Challenge, a five-day event kicking off Monday, November 9th, to help you get a handle on the holidays before the hustle begins. Save your seat at https://abouttimechallenge.com.

Imagine it's mid-December. Your calendar is stacked, your to-do list is never-ending, and you're running on fumes. Sound familiar? It doesn't have to be that way this year. In this episode, I'm sharing five simple steps you can take right now to get ahead of the holiday hustle before it starts. You'll learn why waiting until December guarantees chaos, how to lock in the traditions that matter most, and the small systems that keep you calm all season long. Plus, I'm opening registration for the Sleigh the Season Challenge, a 5-day live coaching experience happening November 9 to 13, designed to help you head into the holidays with clarity, peace, and a plan. Save your spot at abouttimechallenge.com.

Apply for a free time management coaching session: https://freetimecall.com.

Full shownotes: https://abouttimepodcast.com/343

What would your calendar say about who you really are? I sit down with Kimia Penton, a transformational leader, keynote speaker, educator, musician, and author of Power, On Purpose, who leads large-scale innovation, AI, and business transformation initiatives for a Fortune 10 company. Together, we unpack why time management is really identity management and how Kimia planned ahead for her empty nest season by planting seeds early. She also shares how she decides which opportunities are most aligned, why every yes comes with a cost, and the one question to ask when your calendar no longer reflects your values: Who are you afraid to disappoint?

Apply for a free time management coaching session: https://freetimecall.com.

Full shownotes: https://abouttimepodcast.com/342

Do the last three months of the year feel like an avalanche you just get swept up in? In this episode, I reveal why the busiest season deserves the best plan. I also show how giving October, November, and December each their own job can make the end of the year actually feel good. You'll learn what to do in October so the season doesn't sneak up on you, what you need to plan in November,, and how to be present in December while setting up a calmer new year.

Apply for a free time management coaching session: https://freetimecall.com.

Full shownotes: https://abouttimepodcast.com/341

Ever close your laptop at the end of the day and walk into your evening still stuck in work mode? I sit down with Rebecca Olson, executive life coach, speaker, and host of the Ambitious and Balanced Working Moms Podcast, who helps high-achieving working moms create sustainable work-life balance without sacrificing their career ambitions. Together, we talk about the difference between having intentions and actually being intentional, how she turned stressful school mornings around by deciding what mattered most, and her work-to-home transition, including a simple two-minute visualization. Plus, Rebecca shares how she builds her inner cheerleader with talk tracks recorded in her own voice.

Apply for a free time management coaching session: https://freetimecall.com.

Full shownotes: https://abouttimepodcast.com/340

Ever feel like your calendar is packed but you still feel completely empty? In this episode, I sit down with Jason Bohrer, author of Resilient: The 7 Pillar System for Peak Performance On Demand, to talk about why chronic overwhelm is not a discipline problem, it is a capacity problem. Jason and I unpack why your calendar works like a mirror of your nervous system, the simple deposit and withdrawal exercise that reveals where your energy is really going, and a 90 second reset you can use anywhere to shift from reactive to regulated.

Apply for a free time management coaching session: https://freetimecall.com. Full shownotes: https://abouttimepodcast.com/339.

Do you have a graveyard of online courses, workshop replays, and summit recordings collecting dust in your inbox? You're not alone — and there's actually a psychological reason you keep buying and never following through. I help you break the cycle so you finally get your money's worth, and I'm even sharing a free course tracker to help you get started. You'll learn how to make every course you own visible in one place, why having a reason for where you start matters more than the topic itself, and the simple two-step trick for separating the learning from the doing so you actually finish what you start.

Apply for a free time management coaching session: https://freetimecall.com. Full shownotes + Download the free course tracker: https://abouttimepodcast.com/338.

What do you do when your calendar is already full and you cannot change a single thing on it? In this bonus episode, I share five practical ways to protect your energy on the days you cannot protect your time. You'll learn a sixty-second gut check to run before your day even starts, how to use the tiny margin between back-to-back commitments to reset, why picking one thing to let be good enough can save the rest of your day, and how to tell if this is just a busy season or something bigger.

Apply for a free time management coaching session: https://freetimecall.com.

Ever feel like burnout is just the price you pay for ambition? In this episode, I talk with Alison Campbell, founder of unBurnt and former Chief of Staff at a billion dollar SaaS company, about what it really takes to protect your energy while building something big, even without a playbook to follow. I uncover her simple daily check-in practice for catching overwhelm early, her four-step real-time reframe for resetting after a stressful moment, and why chasing an A-plus on everything is quietly setting you up to burn out.

Apply for a free time management coaching session: https://freetimecall.com. Full shownotes: https://abouttimepodcast.com/337.

Is there a project on your list that has been sitting there for months, quietly taunting you every time you open your planner? In this bonus episode, inspired by my conversation with journalist Stefanie O'Connell, I uncover three simple strategies for finally moving big, intimidating projects off your list and into motion. You'll learn how to create deadlines that actually stick, shrink an overwhelming project down to a doable first step, and build the kind of accountability that keeps you going when motivation runs out. If something has been stuck for way too long, this episode is your push to finally start.

Have you ever done everything right, spoken up, negotiated, leaned in, and still gotten passed over? I sit down with journalist and author Stefanie O'Connell to talk about why confidence and hustle were never the real problem. Her new book, The Ambition Penalty, digs into the data behind the myth that women just need to ask for more, and why the fix has to happen at a systemic level. In this episode, I uncover why one shocking stat about men's leisure time left me fired up, how external deadlines can get you unstuck on big projects, and what it takes to create lasting change at home and at work.

Apply for a free time management coaching session: https://freetimecall.com. Full shownotes: https://abouttimepodcast.com/336

Ever catch yourself judging your own procrastination instead of understanding it? I open up about nearly missing a deadline I actually cared about, and the moment I realized the problem was never a lack of discipline. In this episode, I unpack why capable people still get stuck, why willpower can't fix a problem it was never built for, and the one shift that changes how you handle whatever you're avoiding right now. You'll learn why your brain resists the things that matter most, how to stop mistaking overwhelm for laziness, and the first question to ask yourself the next time you stall.

Apply for a free time management coaching session: https://freetimecall.com. Full shownotes: https://abouttimepodcast.com/335

Have you ever wondered why the invisible work of running a home, a family, or a team always seems to land on you? I sit down with certified habits and identity coach Monica Packer, author of the brand new book Sticky Habits, to talk about why women must approach habits differently. Together we uncover why two thirds of invisible labor happens before anyone even notices it, the surprising way we keep it hidden from ourselves, and the first real steps to start sharing the load, both at home and at work.

Get Sticky Habits by Monica Packer: http://abouttimepodcast.com/stickyApply for a free time management coaching session: http://freetimecall.com. Full shownotes: http://abouttimepodcast.com/334.

Ever feel burned out even though your schedule looks totally reasonable? Nothing is technically wrong, but you still feel drained. I uncover the research-backed reason burnout isn't always about hours, and reveal the one hidden trigger that no amount of rest can fix. You'll learn why values conflict quietly drains you even when everything looks fine on paper, how to spot it in your own work before it wears you down, and a simple first step to start naming what actually matters to you.

Apply for a free time management coaching session: https://freetimecall.com.

Full shownotes: https://abouttimepodcast.com/333

Ever feel like putting in the hours should get you noticed for your hard work, yet your effort keeps going unseen? In this episode, I talk with award-winning marketing professor Vanessa Errecarte about personal branding as one of the best investments of time. We unpack her framework for finding your distinctive edge and building visibility in just one hour a week.

Apply for a free time management coaching session: https://freetimecall.com.

Full shownotes: https://abouttimepodcast.com/332.

Looking for a quick fix? In this episode, I'm sharing seven quick and simple techniques you can start using today to boost your productivity. But here's the honest truth: these hacks alone won't fix your overwhelm. I reveal what actually will, and how to build the real foundation that makes every hack you try finally stick.

Apply for a free time management coaching session: https://freetimecall.com.

Full shownotes: https://abouttimepodcast.com/331

Do you know your family's wifi password, your kid's shoe size, and exactly what happens if you disappear for a week? I bet you're the only one who does. In this episode, I sit down with Julie Fried, host of The System for Everything podcast and a former wedding planner turned systems strategist, to talk about why systems aren't about getting more done, they're about worrying less. Julie shares the three systems that save her sanity as a working mom, why checklists are a sign of respect for your own brain, and the story behind her Entrepreneur's Death Folder, a tool that helps business owners, and honestly everyone, build a plan for when life happens.

Apply for a free time management coaching session: https://freetimecall.com.

Full shownotes: https://abouttimepodcast.com/330.

Ever notice how the second something feels hard, you reach for AI instead of working through it yourself? This week, I'm digging into a brand new term, "Smoothout," coined by journalist Ellen Scott to describe what happens when we hand over every challenge to AI and slowly lose our edge. I uncover why our brains actually crave friction, why that's a good thing, and where the line is between using AI as a smart shortcut and using it to avoid skills we still need. This isn't about quitting AI. It's about staying intentional with what you hand over, and what you hold onto.

Apply for a free time management coaching session: https://freetimecall.com. Full shownotes: https://abouttimepodcast.com/329.

Ever feel like you're building something meaningful with no village in sight? In this episode, I sit down with Maddie Hamann, co-founder of PACHA, to talk about life as a mission-driven entrepreneur and mom. I uncover what it really looks like to build a regenerative food company while raising a daughter, and why community isn't optional when you're doing both. Maddie shares how she left a career in Earth Science for a slower, intentional pivot into entrepreneurship, and what it means to lean on a literal village instead of doing it all alone.

Apply for a free time management coaching session: http://freetimecall.comFull shownotes: https://abouttimepodcast.com/328

Have you ever felt so overwhelmed that you couldn't even imagine what your life would look like on the other side of it? In this episode, I share five real stories of women who felt exactly that stuck, and what actually changed for them. You'll hear how a packed calendar turned into time for a hobby again, how scattered to-do lists turned into a sold home, and how mom guilt gave way to real clarity. None of them started by fixing their calendar first. I reveal the one step that came before all of it, and why you can't see the other side of overwhelm from inside it.

Save your spot for my free workshop on 6/24/26: http://abouttimeworkshop.com Apply for a free time management coaching session: https://freetimecall.com.

Full shownotes: https://abouttimepodcast.com/327