Hello,

By the time you read this I will have completed what has possibly been my busiest month of the year. I will have launched two group programmes , spoken at three events and been the master of ceremonies for a conference for the first time. It has been a month in which I juggled more than I would normally, more than I was comfortable with and, critically, more than I should have done. My usual epic planning skills got stretched to the maximum and, inevitably, as happens when we work at overcapacity, things started to go wrong. I learnt a lot this month, not necessarily things I was unaware of, more a deeper understanding of where my limits are and what I want to focus on with the time I have.

It really brought home to me that even when we plan everything, if we do not plan in enough buffer time to cope with the unexpected, then we are still setting ourselves up for failure and just because we have learnt something once doesn’t mean we won’t push the boundaries of it in the future. For me, I will always go back to what I know will work, the simplest actions to create the greatest reactions and the systems which underpin them. When it comes to time planning and managing my capacity The Ideal Week format has never failed me, it only breaks when I break it. Which is why I recorded it as a free masterclass for you. If you haven’t watched it yet, I strongly encourage you to do so. And if you have watched it but not put it into action yet, now is the time.

Speaking of time, I have a time-limited offer for you. Claudia of Bridge2More is offering a lucky few of you the chance to pick her magical marketing brain for free. Claudia is offering 20-minute sessions for Notes for the Curious readers to delve into a marketing challenge they are facing in their business. You can sign up for your free session using the code: ​NFC​ at this LINK.

And another offer with a time-limit on it is the tickets for the WIT Regatta which begins on the 29th of October in Amsterdam. It is shaping up to be an amazing event, with fascinating panels all through the week. You do not need to be working in tech to participate and I firmly believe that there is something for everyone in this conference. I will be participating in the Lead from Every Chair panel and moderating the When Women Turn on Each Other: Why it happens and how to fix it on the 30th of October. I would love to see as many of you there as possible. If you don’t already have a ticket then my code: regattaspeakerfriend will give you 35% off the ticket price.

Now we’ve saved all that time and money, let's get on with the Notes...

1) More Content in Less Time

Once upon a time, if you wanted to have a viable online business you also needed to have a blog. But not just a blog, a blog that you had new content pumping out of on a regular and consistent basis. Usually at least once a week. The landscape of “content” for business is changing though, now we have social media, we have video and so many other ways to get our message out into the world. What hasn’t changed though is that if you want people to get that message, you actually have to put it out there. Consistently, over and over again. If your time is anything like my time though, you don’t have enough of it and when you are time crunched creating new content is often the first thing that drops off your list. Creating content consistently (try saying that fast five times!) needs a system. Luckily for us, the people at Co-Schedule have designed a content creation system for us time-poor creatives, read it, adapt it, let me know how you get on.

2) Improve Your brain, With science

I am fascinated by neuroplasticity, the study of exactly how adaptable our brains are. I’ve often wondered, if I had more time, could I train myself to be better in certain areas. This book dives into that premise in a year long brain training experiment. Fascinating.

3) Don’t use these words if you want to appear confident

Language is so powerful. We often don’t realise how the language we use shapes other people’s impressions of us and the information we are trying to convey. Here are some words to avoid when you want to express your opinion clearly and confidently.

4) happy sleep

Sleep. I love sleep but right now sleep doesn’t love me. I’ve been seriously tracking my sleep for a few months now because I have been more tired than I should be. During that time I also upgraded my sleep tracker (I now use a Fitbit Versa) so I have also been learning about deep sleep and what an average body needs from sleep cycles. Short conclusion, I am definitely not getting what I need. Whenever I have sleep worries, I turn to my friend Christine Hansen who runs the brilliant, website, podcast and book series, Sleep Like a Boss. Because I already know a lot about healthy sleep habits from her, I’m diving deeper into the ten more unusual saboteurs that might be disrupting my sleep. I’d love to hear about anything that has worked for you in getting healthier sleep patterns.

5) what does it mean to be a leader?

This panel discussion hosted by Shonda Rhimes and featuring Valerie Jarrett, Mieko Kusano and Chloe Arnold was such a frank and honest look at what it means to be a female leader today. The emphasis placed upon listening as a leadership skill is so important, not just the acknowledgement that you need to be a good listener if you want to be a good leader but also the recognition that as a leader, people are listening very carefully to you at all times. I’ve been working on the six key practices of community building recently and the very first one relates to the importance of listening. Mieko Kusano also touches on the cultural differences which influence leadership she experienced when entering the US workplace as a Dutch woman. So interesting.

Until the next Notes,

Emmy

P.S. Both the Change Maker Programme and The Collective are now in session. That means that my group offerings are now closed until 2019. Between now and the end of the year I am only offering my Business Brainstorm sessions and VIP Sessions and they are almost full. If you would like my help in your business between now and the end of the year, please don’t delay in booking a session. I’d love to help you reach that goal you set for yourself at the beginning of the year, and it’s still possible. Let’s work it out together.