Productive Introvert Community with Mariella Franker, PhD

Have you ever noticed that after a meal, you feel really tired and sleepy?

I used to think that this was just normal and that you feel sleepy after eating because your body was digesting food.

I also thought that feeling tired all the time was just what it was for me because I was an introvert and therefore I just had less energy than more extroverted people.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

It turns out that high blood sugar was at least part of the reason why I felt tired all the time and why I had a lot of dips in my energy and my mood.

I’ve had issues with high blood sugar for some time.

When I was 24, my doctor told me that I was prediabetic and that it was only a matter of time before I got type 2 diabetes. At 27 weeks pregnant, I was diagnosed with pregnancy diabetes and needed to take insulin injections to protect my baby.

Thinking back, eating unhealthy food started in childhood for me and it wasn’t until my late 20s that this slowly started to change.

I’ve done quite a bit of research over the years about blood sugar, inflammatory disease like diabetes and healthy nutrition to try and get my blood sugar under control.

It’s a journey that I’ve been on for a while and one that I’m still very much still on.

Today, I’m going to share with you 3 things that I learned so far about blood sugar and eating healthy that helped me to have more energy, to have less mood swings and to have better concentration and focus.

At the end, I’ll give you two simple tips that you can use today to reduce spikes in blood sugar and improve your energy.

Topics:

- Why is blood sugar important?

- What is diabetes (difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes)

- What does this have to do with energy dips, especially for introverts?

- 3 things that helped me to eat healthy and to have more energy & focus

1. Experiencing the positive effect of healthy nutrition

2. Changing my environment to change my habits

3. Starting small vs going all in: what works better for you?

+ 2 tips from Jessie, the Glucose Goddess, that you can start today to reduce spikes in your blood sugar

- Veggie starter

- Vinegar hack

We all know that sleep is important. If you don’t get enough sleep, it impairs your mental ability, your ability to learn and remember things, it affects your mood and your body’s metabolism and immune system.

I got a request to talk about how to sleep better without sleeping more. So, let’s talk about that today!

I’ve had my share of sleep issues too. When I was in my teens and early 20s, I struggled with depression. Back then, sleep was an escape for me and I easily slept between 9 and 12 hours a day.

A few years later, the reverse happened: I started sleeping only 3-4 hours a day due to stress and that was one of the reasons I burned out when I was 27. My ability to focus and my energy levels plummeted and it took me years to build them back up.

When I had my first child, sleep became a whole new chapter and it was a challenge to get enough sleep with interrupted nights and nightly feedings.

I’ve tried a lot of sleep tips to try to get my sleep back under control and to sleep better.

A lot of introverts think that if they could only sleep more, they would stop feeling so tired all the time, but sleeping more is only one piece of the puzzle. If you want to get better sleep, there are a few other things to think about.

Today I’ll share 5 things that I’ve learned about sleep that have helped me to sleep better and to feel more energized during the day without actually sleeping more hours.

Why is sleep important?

Why a lot of introverts struggle with sleep

Number 1: Simply focusing less on sleeping more

Number 2: Training myself to fall asleep quickly

Number 3: Keeping a regular sleep schedule

Number 4: Paying attention to what I do during the day

Number 5: Intermittent fasting

— Related episodes:

Everything you need to know about introvert hangover: https://link.chtbl.com/068-introvert-hangover

— Resources:

In today’s chapter, we’re talking about time blocking. We’re diving into how to make a plan for your day to help you stay focused and energized, especially if you’re an introvert.

If you're interested in time management, or if you're struggling with procrastination, you might find time blocking helpful. Time blocking is like making a plan for your day. You plan your day by setting aside certain times to do certain things. Like saying: “I’m going on a call from 2pm - 3 pm, then I’m going to read a book from 3 pm -4 pm.

But there’s more than one way to do it.

I've tried time blocking many times over the years, and it was tough to find a method that worked for me. One that helped me make the most of my time and energy. As an introvert who runs a business from home and has a family, managing my energy is really important.

But time blocking can be hard to do.

Some of the introverts in Productive Introvert Community that I’ve spoken with say that they start using methods like time blocking and feel good at first because they're getting things done. But after a few days or weeks, they find it hard to stick to their plan. It takes up a lot of energy. They feel tired all the time and they start procrastinating on important things. Then they think time blocking doesn't work and they stop using it.

Often, the problem is that they're being too strict with how they plan their day.

They make a plan for the day and force themselves to stick to it no matter what. Or they try one way of time blocking and if it doesn't work, they give up planning their day all together.

Today, I’m going to tell you about 3 ways to time block to help you feel more focused and energized, especially if you’re an introvert.

The 3 time blocking methods are: activity time blocking, energy time blocking, and theme days.

I use these methods myself and they work great for me. But remember, what works for me might not work for me. That’s okay!

I'll also give you tips that can help you to plan your day in a way that works for you.

This week we’re talking about dopamine.

I feel that there's a bit of confusion about this topic. Maybe you’re wondering what does dopamine do? How does dopamine make you happy? How can I increase my dopamine? And is too much dopamine bad for you?

It's really normal to be confused about this topic.

If you search online about dopamine and how it influences us, you might find things describing how dopamine makes you happy, how to hack dopamine to be more disciplined and motivated and how you can boost dopamine to be happier.

But you may also find resources saying that we’re addicted to dopamine, that instant gratification is ruining our lives and that you should go on a dopamine detox or a dopamine fast and delay gratification.

So, yeah… If you’re confused about this topic, you’re not alone…

I want to demystify this a little bit for you today to help you better understand how the brain works and how you can stop fighting and instead start working with your natural processes more.

Calling dopamine the happy hormone is a bit misleading and I’m going to tell you why.

There are two sides to this:

1. what is dopamine and what does it have to do with happiness? and
2. what do we humans actually need to be happy?

— Resources mentioned in this podcast (I’m not affiliated with any of the resources that I share on the podcast, I just share them out of personal interest and to give you context about these topics)

Today’s chapter is a little bit different than the usual episodes. I’m going to share with you small ways in which we’ve add more meaning into our life as a family. This chapter is Christmas themed and I’m going to share with you Christmas tree journey - I’ve tried all sorts of different trees over the years - and why we stopped having a traditional Christmas tree.I’m also going to show you our special memory ornaments. This started as a silly idea a few years ago and it’s now grown into a tradition that I really love. Instead of putting regular ornaments in our tree, I started decorating our tree with memory ornaments. These are small items that we’ve collected throughout the year. They’re holiday souvenirs from travels and that we’re gotten from people, they’re hand made gifts and pictures. The memory ornaments make decorating the Christmas tree and looking at the tree during the Holiday season even more meaningful and joyful for me. If you’re catching this on the video podcast on YouTube, you’ll be able to see some of the memory ornaments from my family that I’ll share with you. So, I invite you over to YouTube if you want to see, I’ll leave the link underneath wherever you’re finding this podcast. If you’re on audio only, I’ll do my best to describe some of these to you!

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Learn more about healthy habits for introverts

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Today, we're diving deep into a phenomenon that many introverts experience but may not have a name for: the 'Introvert Hangover'. This is a state of physical and mental exhaustion that can occur after being in a highly stimulating environment, often involving a lot of social interaction.

We'll explore how to know if you’re having an introvert hangover (for example you may be extremely tired, feeling unwell, have headaches, and have trouble concentrating). We'll also discuss why this happens often happens to introverts after activities involving lots of socializing or stimulation and what the science says about this.

One of the key topics we'll cover is the relationship between introverts and extroverts and dopamine (also known as “the happy hormone”).

Dopamine is associated with pleasure and reward and it affects introverts and extroverts differently. Introverts are more sensitive to dopamine, which could explain why they get overstimulated more easily than extroverts.

But it’s not all about the challenges. We'll also delve into energy management strategies for introverts. We'll discuss how recognizing the situations that overstimulate you and taking micro-breaks during these situations can help manage your energy better.

I’ll share practical advice on how to prevent or recover from an introvert hangover, emphasizing the importance of understanding and respecting your own energy needs. Remember that understanding your energy needs is the first step towards effective energy management and time management.

I hope this podcast gives you insights and inspires you in some way to learn how to naturally excel and how to develop healthy habits that support you as an introverted solopreneurs.

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I do a lot of research, read loads of books and online sources. I’m also I’m a certified introvert coach, I work with private coaching clients, I’m an introvert myself and I’m the mom of an introverted child.

In this podcast, I’m going to talk about things like energy management and time management, how to stay focused and gain clarity about what’s important to you, how to leverage natural discipline, and how to make meaningful contributions to others and find fulfillment in the things you do.

And we’ll drill down to what this all means for you on a daily basis: what lessons can you take from all this research to develop healthy habits so that you have the energy to work on your goals without daily routines that feel forced or that last only 2 weeks.

Today, we’re talking about the book Surrounded by idiots by Thomas Erikson.

This book is about the four types of human behavior also known as the DISA or DISC profile.

If you’ve ever wondered why there are some people who just don’t seem to understand you and some people who you just can’t seem to get through to, then spend the next 15 minutes with me for some insights & inspiration from this book.

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Resources (I have no affiliation with these resources and just share them with you if you want to know more about these topics)

Hi there, introverted solopreneur 🤗

If you work solo most of the time like me, it can get tough to stay motivated. You may have asked yourself: “How do I stay motivated?” or "What should I do if I'm not motivated?”

My answer: focus on the small wins.

Especially in the midst of the holiday season, there’s so much pressure to do this or that. It’s a busy time and one person might be telling you to slow down and take a much needed break while another might be urging you to make this your most productive month this year yet..!

Whether you’re in a season of slowing down or ramping up… focusing on small wins is a great hack to boost motivation and to show you the progress that you’re making.

You don’t have to wait for the end of the year to appreciate how far you’ve come either.

In this video, we'll delve into the power of celebrating small wins, an important way to maintain motivation. Even with the distractions and challenges of solopreneurship. It’s often overlooked but these small moments of progress are key to staying motivated.

I’ll share with you how I made celebrating small wins a regular part of your routine to give you some inspiration how you can boost your motivation levels consistently.

Celebrate your introverted solopreneur journey. It's about understanding that motivation isn't a constant state, but something that ebbs and flows. And most importantly, it's about equipping you with the tools to navigate this journey with confidence and resilience.

Join me to talk more about these topics. Let's keep the motivation alive and continue to build the businesses we love by celebrating every small win along the way.

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“I lack focus”

“I just don’t know what to focus on”

If you’re feeling like this around your business or even your life right now, then this episode is for you.

In this episode, we delve into the power of small changes and how they can create a massive impact on your life and business.

We'll explore the 80 20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, a concept that suggests 80% of your results come from just 20% of your efforts. This principle is a game-changer for solopreneurs, helping you focus on what truly matters and maximize your productivity without burning out.

Next, we'll discuss the concept of “easy habits” or “small caps.” These are small, manageable changes you can incorporate into your daily routine. They may seem insignificant at first, but over time, these habits can lead to profound changes in your life and business. I'll share a personal anecdote about a small habit that completely transformed the way I experience biking in the rainy Netherlands as a practical examples you can relate to (and potentially implement the next time you happen to go on a bike ride in the rain 😆).

This video is a must-watch for introverted solopreneurs looking to make the most of their time, energy, and resources. Join me as we explore these powerful principles and discover how small changes can lead to big impacts to create a more productive, fulfilling, and successful entrepreneurial life.

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When our son was younger we loved playing with Duplo together as a family. We’d dump a big pile of blocks on the floor and start stacking. We could spend hours building and playing like that.

During one of our Duplo playtimes, I noticed something interesting: we each had a distinct way of playing with the Duplo blocks.

It reminds me of Your Habit Style: your natural style to help you build habits for an easy and effective daily routine.

In working with one to one coaching clients, I discovered three different habit styles: the Painter’s palette, the Builder’s mortar and the Chef’s cookbook.

Insight into the habit styles explains why some people thrive on structure, while structure can completely stifle others. And why sudden changes in daily routine can stress some people, while others welcome the playful flexibility.

Sometimes we'll see a lot online or get well-meaning advice that has been tailored to one habit style. If you're noticing that it doesn't work for you, you might just have a different habit style.

Loads of my introverted friends are booklovers. It’s one of the activities that recharges a lot of introverts and helps them to feel inspired.

There’s even a popular phrase out there that most billionaires read between 50 and 70 books a year.

Maybe you’re a book lover but you can’t find the time to read lately?

Or maybe you’ve never quite taken to reading books but you would like to read more, then keep listening.

Either way, If you’re looking for a way to get (back) into reading but can’t find the time, then this might help.

Here are 3 habits that helped me to read one book a week + a bonus reading tip if you’re struggling to get through a book.

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Free Resources

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This is a reading of one of my weekly emails. Would you like to get weekly stories and insights into what introverts really to develop healthy habits without daily routines that feel forced?

One of the biggest struggles when you’re a solopreneur is prioritizing a healthy lifestyle. You’re wearing all the hats in your company and you’re covering all the angles of the business. If you’re working from home too like I do: home tasks and work tasks can bleed over in each other and it can get chaotic in terms of what actually gets done.

How do you prioritize a healthy lifestyle when you’re wearing all the hats and working all the angles?

Of course there isn’t one answer to this because there are a lot of moving parts to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. But here’s one thing that I’ve found can be very helpful, especially for introverted solopreneurs: using a personal energy metric to assign priority to tasks.

I’m going to explain to you exactly what a personal energy metric is, why it’s important for introverted solopreneurs to have a personal energy metric, and I’ll give you the exact formula that I use to calculate mine.

Creating an objective metric for energy and treating it like a business metric, can help you to create sustainable healthy habits so that you can have a thriving business AND a healthy lifestyle.

What’s your take on this? Do you track metrics in your business and have you ever used something like a personal energy metric?

Is it something that sounds interesting enough for you to try or you you think that it wouldn’t work for you to have a more healthy lifestyle?

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Free Resources

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My new website is live! .. and there are at least 10 things I still want to change 😩

Perfectionism kept me from launching a blog site for years. Any perfectionists in the room? ✋

Lots of introverts get stuck because of perfectionism. Their work feels “not good enough” and they keep micro-editing to get to 100%.

It’s important to realize that introverts have a different process when it comes to making decisions and taking action. “Just do it” - although well meaning advice - can cause more anxiety than real progress for a lot of introverts.

In this next episode of the 5 min productive introvert letter series, I share a letter that I wrote to my mailing list about shedding those perfectionistic tendencies and feeling confident about your next step.

Check out my new website: https://www.thefrankermessage.com/

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Free Resources

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Hi there, it’s Mariella. We have a few new people in our growing community and I wanted to (re)introduce myself to you 🤗

Instead of a regular introduction, I’m going to answer 7 questions that I get asked all the time, especially when people meet me for the first time.

I’ve been asked these at parties, at social g2gr, there’s one that I was asked during an interview on another podcast and at the end I’ve included one that a close friend asked me recently.

If you’re new to this community, I hope that you’ll get to know me a little bit better today and if you’ve been with us for a while already, maybe there’s something in here that you didn’t know about me yet!

Here are my answers to the 7 questions I get asked the most:

1. Where are you from?

2. When did you move to Europe?

3. When did you find out that you were introverted?

4. Do you regret leaving science after 10 years?

5. What has helped you to find yourself as an introvert?

6. Where do you find clients?

7. Do you think you’ve found your purpose?

— ▶️ Related episode about if I miss being a molecular biologist: https://link.chtbl.com/miss-being-biologist —

▶️ Follow for new episodes each week!

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Free Resources

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Every romantic movie I’d ever seen: uber romantic wedding proposals where the man drops on one knee and declares his undying love.

My own wedding proposal on the other hand, was far less romantic (I don’t remember the movie proposals featuring empty take out boxes and shrugging shoulders…)

It’s not strange that I was a bit confused by my own wedding proposal. Afterall, most of what I’d learned about love and marriage came from movies.

The biggest decisions in life are oddly cloaked in obscurity, because we rarely talk about what it’s really like to make big decisions. But they don’t have to be!

In this 5 min episode, I share a letter that I wrote to my mailing list about proposals and expectations and that, after 14 years together and married for 6, I’ve learned that the uber romantic declarations of love often happen in the little mundane moments in life.

Free Resources

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The reason why people say that time is your most valuable asset is because it’s the only non-renewable resource that we have. Time however is something that we can never get back and never can get more of.

It makes total sense why so many of us are looking to improve our time management skills. The idea is that if you manage your time better, you get more out of the time that you have, you achieve more and you can live a more fulfilling live - whatever that looks like to you.

As a habit coach, I get a lot of questions about time management:

How do I make time to exercise when I already have a really busy schedule? How do I find a daily routine that works for me when my kids are keeping me up at all hours of the night? How do I make time to work on my own business when I’m still working a 9-5?

Recently though I’ve been asking myself if time management really is the thing to focus on. Is time really our most valuable asset?

Let’s talk about it. I’ll share my viewpoint as a certified habit coach for introverts and introvert myself and why I don’t believe that time is our most valuable asset anymore. It’s attention.

Free Resources

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It’s been a dream of mine to take off 2+ months a year. After I spoke about this in one of the previous episode, I learned that other people share this dream too.

In this episode, I’ll tell you more about my first experiment with taking a 2-month break from work and 2 essential habits that helped me with time management and energy management.

Are you wondering how you can make taking a 2 month break a reality in your life? I’ll share some practical advice how to approach this yourself. Watch the video for insights drawn from my own experiences and my role as a habit coach for introverts.

Discover why the magic lies in transitions – how we shift from one activity to another can make or break our ability to embrace change, whether it's a lengthy break, a new job, or transforming your dietary habits.

I'll share two powerful examples of habits from my life that can inspire you to identify a critical area in your own life and cultivate 1 or 2 key habits that will bring you peace of mind. Plus, I'll provide essential tips for creating a morning routine that truly works for you.

If you’re an introvert and you feel like you have no energy, you’re struggling to find a morning routine that actually works, or you’re looking for ways to improve your energy management and time management skills, then this episode is for you.

Catch part 1 about the 2-month break experiment: https://link.chtbl.com/2-month-break-experiment

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Free Resources

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It's time to announce the winner of the giveaway. Who's the lucky one to win a *custom* Habit Style Starter Kit? I also have an extra surprise in store! --- links mentioned in this video --- ✴️ Big change for the podcast (making your business work for you): https://link.chtbl.com/xsPr1KZb

--- free resources ---

PIC podcast was in the top 20% most shared globally last year and today there are listeners from 28 different countries tuning in. Isn't that mind blowing?! For today's episode, I wanted to share some achievements with you from the podcast and some comments that people have sent me about how the podcast is impacting them. Also, today is the last day to enter the free give away to win your *custom * Habit Style Starter kit. Your habit style is a blueprint that can help you to understand why certain habits and productivity techniques work for you and why others don't, and it makes it easier to make changes in your life that you wanna see without feeling like you have to force yourself to do things. Click on the link in the description to enter the giveaway. Good luck, I hope that your name comes out of my hat! --- links mentioned in this episode --- ✴️ Enter to win a free * custom * Habit Style Starter Kit: https://forms.gle/LuEo6VkzfMxmDhMC6 ✴️ Big change for the podcast (making your business work for you): https://link.chtbl.com/xsPr1KZb

--- free resources ---

I want share something with you today about a decision that I've made and that will influence the podcast and how often you hear from me. Don't worry, I'll say right away that the podcast will continue. But there are going to be a couple of changes.

I've decided to take a long summer break this year and I'll be taking time away from the podcast for two months. It’s a bit deal! I don’t think I’ve taken such a long vacation, well, ever…

It was always part of the plan when I started my coaching business. It was always one of my wishes that the business could potentially grant me: to be able to take extended periods of time off - at least 2 months a year. This year, I’m doing a “soft” version of that.

In this episode, I’ll share with you what I mean with a “soft” version, why now, and how this will influence the podcast moving forward.

--- links mentioned in this episode: ✴️ Building my podcast in 6 weeks: https://youtu.be/zH_CkiknBEg ✴️ What are the 3 habit styles: https://youtu.be/8HY1cfnTFp8 ✴️ Enter before July 6th, 2023 to win a free * custom * Habit Style Starter Kit: https://forms.gle/LuEo6VkzfMxmDhMC6 ---

Are you feeling tired all the time and do struggle to tap into creativity in your work? In this podcast, we explore the interesting concept of rhythm in our lives and how you can use your natural rhythms to better manage your energy and boost your creative process.

I recently listened to the BBC Earth podcast "Rhythm." that talked about different examples of how natural rhythms influence living things. From the Moonflower that only blooms under the full moon, to the natural cycles of the Arctic ice caps, rhythms shape our world. Even in our own creative processes, rhythms play a crucial role.

Discover how different rhythms, such as the circadian and menstrual cycles, can impact our energy levels and creativity. Whether you’re an artist (like a painter or content creator) or even if you do work that isn’t classically seen as creative work, you bring a certain level of creativity into your work in how you connect what’s in front of you with your experience.

We talk about how synchronizing your energy rhythm with your creative process can help to stop feeling tired all the time and to deliver on your promises. We talk about the three stages of the creation process: exploration, connecting the dots, and action. Gaining insights into your unique creation process and developing supportive habits and systems that align with your rhythm is one of the most effective ways to have more energy and to stop feeling tired all the time.

Also, don't miss your chance to win a free Habit Style Starter Kit designed specifically for you! In celebration of the 1-year anniversary of Productive Introvert Community Podcast, you have until July 6 to enter the giveaway.

Click the first link below to answer 1 question and your name will automatically be entered in the “hat” to win! There are even multiple choice options and - if you want to share your thoughts but you don’t want to enter the give away - you can also share your answer anonymously 😉

In this episode, we're talking about discipline and how it often creates a sense of struggle for many introverts. Many of my introverted coaching clients feel that they lack discipline or wish that they were more disciplined. They tend to get caught in overthinking, analysis paralysis or "research mode", where they constantly research and consume information without taking action. But there's an interesting contrast between how they perceive their own discipline and their actual behaviors: while they don't think of themselves as disciplined, they are really disciplined when it comes to activities that they're naturally interested in, sometimes spending hours honing their skills or knowledge. We often have negative associations with the word "discipline". Most people immediately think of punishment or being forced to do things that you don't enjoy. This is not surprising at all! But it's not necessarily true. Instead, let's explore the idea that discipline doesn't have to be hard or forced but can align with your natural interests and strengths. Let this podcast encourages you to reflect on your own associations with discipline and to reframe it in a more positive light. You can find ways to apply a natural discipline to your work that allows you to make progress and to create meaningful outcomes.

In this podcast episode, we're talking about getting out of your comfort zone. I share my perspective as an introverted solopreneur and habit coach and my personal experience of believing that failures were due to my own shortcomings. I felt constant pressure to push myself out of my comfort zone. However, I discovered that this approach doesn't work well for introverts. My mentor taught me a different perspective, emphasizing that it's not necessary to constantly be outside of your comfort zone. Don't get me wrong, working hard and being invested in something is essential if you want to have an impact but doing that for something you love is different from pushing yourself in areas that don't align with your values. Constantly being told to get out of your comfort zone often can cause introverts to block or to deplete their energy. Although, I acknowledge the intention behind the phrase "get out of your comfort zone" as a motivational tool it's important to understanding your own needs and to find a balance (or better yet, a harmony) between challenging yourself to learn something new and giving yourself permission to make it feel easy.

As I was working 1-1 with introverts and questions that they had about improving low energy, I noticed a common thread that was keeping them stuck: their habits. I discovered that there are 3 different habit styles: the Builder's Mortar, the Painter's Palette, and the Chef's Cookbook. In this episode, I'm gonna give you a short introduction on the 3 habit styles and why it’s important to know your habit style for example when you're working on a morning routine. Are you having trouble to adopt a morning routine or to make a habit stick beyond 2 weeks? Schedule a free call with me to reveal your habit style. In this 30 minute call, we’ll reveal your habit style and you'll get a 1-page summary of your habit style with a framework for your personal habit building process so you can stop feeling like you're forcing yourself to stick to a habit and to make it feel easy instead.

Lately, I’ve been struggling to stay motivated for the podcast. It’s not surprising, really. When we start a new thing, we’re excited and motivation is high. After a while, motivation dips and things get tough. That’s the moment when you need to make a decision: Will I keep going? Or will I let this thing go.

Thinking about where this barrier is coming from can help to make this decision. Do you really lack motivation or is something else going on? And is lack of motivation really the problem here..?

Most podcasts don’t last beyond the 1-year mark and, what do you know, we’ll be celebrating 1 year of Productive Introvert Community podcast in July! It’s really fitting that right around this 1-year mark, I start struggling to show up for the podcast 😆

In this episode, I share about how I’m navigating the decision to keep going with the podcast or to let it go. You’ll also learn about a written behind the scenes series that I’m sharing with my mailing list Productive Introvert Letters.

I've been struggling a little bit with actually coming on the podcast every week. It's a part of life. I don't know many people personally, who also host a podcast, but like other things in life, I imagine it's like this right up and down, up and down and that there come times when you kind. You fall out of love with something for a little while, and you have to re-find your rhythm.

This week on Productive Introvert Community: Why busy does not equal productive + 3 of my favorite productivity boosters.

A lot of the times when we feel stuck, we think that motivation is the problem. It causes us to either sit there and wait until we feel motivated or until inspiration hits and we do nothing (procrastinating, sometimes overthinking). Or we're all over the place, doing lots of stuff but never feeling like we're actually accomplishing anything ("business", sometimes overthinking 😆).

In today's podcast, we're talking about why overly relying on motivation is one of the biggest mistakes I see people make that keep them stuck. We'll talk about why overly relying on motivation isn't a very helpful long-term strategy and why it's more effective to focus on habits and systems instead.

I'll also give examples of 2 area's in my life where habits and systems have helped me a lot to feel more energized and productive.

✳️ Introducing more quiet time into my workday

✳️ Getting delicious and nutritious meals on the table for my family every day (as someone who doesn't like cooking!)

You have an exciting idea but then something unexpected comes up.

But when you finally have time to work on it again, you draw a blank…

If this happens to you regularly, check out this episode. We're going to talk about a simple habit that you can use to quickly get that focus back and to continue making progress on your exciting idea over time, no matter how much time (and life!) happens in between.

"What you do now is so different from what you did before, do you ever miss your old job?"  

I get asked this question regularly by people who have known me a long time, especially family.  

The short answer to this question is no.   

The long answer is in this podcast episode 😉  

I trained for 10 years as a molecular biologist and I used to spend my time either pipetting in a lab or behind a microscope. Even though, I enjoyed working in the lab and also the roles I had after, people are sometimes surprised when I tell them that I don’t miss my old job.   

The simple fact is that we all go through a natural evolution in our lives. Embracing this natural evolution in yourself as well as your roles in your work, leads to a more fulfilling and joyful life.   

What may have been right for you 5 years ago, may not be right for you anymore in the next 5 years. And that's very normal!  

We’re often held back from making changes because we think we’ll disappoint people or that having a fulfilling life just isn’t in the cards for us right now. 

I’m here to tell you that it is. It’s closer to you than you think to live a meaningful and fulfilling life and it’s simpler than you think to get there from where you are now. 

Why you need habits that are tailored to you? To tailor your habits to your personal situation, your personality and your life at the moment?  

There is A LOT of information out there about habits and deep down we all know that our habits have a big influence on our lives. The tricky thing is that when we look at people we admire and try to implement their habits into our lives, it doesn’t always work because we forget to translate it to where we are right now. What works for someone with 10 years in their business and a team of supporting staff at their headquarters doesn’t always work for a solopreneur working from home.   Your habits create an experience of how you move through your day. And you are the boss of that experience. You are ultimately the one who is in charge of how you organize your time and where you place your attention at any moment of the day.

Procrastinating is not the same as needing to take a break. Just in case there were any doubts, I want to call that out right now.

Those two things are not the same thing. There are clearly different signals when you’re either procrastinating on something or when you’re tired and you need to take a break. If you pay attention to them…!

I learned this the hard way after I burned out and in today’s episode, I’ll share the signals I use to distinguish and how you can tell if you’re either procrastinating on something or if you just need a break.

It’s one of the things we look at in my coaching program, the Joyful and Impactful introvert system.

Today's episode is about how you can go from doubting your contributions to having an impact with ease.

I'm going to be telling you about the Joyful and Impactful introvert system: my new signature program that has taken 2 years of development and training and countless years of research and experimentation.

I've gone through this program myself - in a quite literal way - and it is now helping other introverted solopreneurs from around the world.

In the next 15 minutes, I share 3 of the major shifts that this program has created and give you a few examples from my clients who have changed their lives using this system.

What you’ll learn

• Major shift #1: Understanding what motivates and drives you on a deeper level
• Major shift #2: Clarity about what impact you want to have and which actions to take in your daily life that align with that
• Major shift #3: How the “unspoken, effortless” things are often the things that light us up and that make your life more fulfilling in the long run.
• 2 examples from clients who have put this system into practice
• How to learn more about the Joyful and Impactful introvert system and how it can impact your life

I used to think (and say) that I was a low energy person. I also used to think that all introverts were low energy people.

This is not true.

Through experimenting in my own life and coaching other introverted solopreneurs, I’ve seen that making a few key changes can actually skyrocket your energy.

I’m not a low energy person and neither are you. You may be a person experiencing low energy right now and you can change that.

In this episode, we talk about the 2 biggest reasons why managing low energy might be hard for you if you’re an introverts:

• You’re not recharging enough or in a way that suits you.
• You’re not doing enough of the things that feel fulfilling to you.

**Technical issues this week, so bear with me on this one! The audio is a little bit wonky and isn’t synched up halfway through the video, so you’ll probably see some funny faces 😆 and hear a bit of static here and there. Sorry about this! Working on fixing it for fixed next week.**

I work with a lot of introverted solopreneurs and a thing that comes up a lot is feeling more motivated to do certain things in your business and feeling really unmotivated to do other things.

Like spending hours on your new website, but not sending out messages because you don't want to feel pushy. Or always going above and beyond for your clients but never looking at your expenses and leaving your tax return to the very last second.

Especially when you’re a solopreneur, you don’t have a team (yet) and you are the one doing everything in your business.

You’re also the one making the decisions. There’s no one there that you’re accountable to. There’s no one there to say: “Hey, this needs to get done today.”

There’s no one there to help you decide what’s the most important thing to do on a day to day basis.

There’s great freedom in that and probably one of the reasons why you’re an entrepreneur in the first place is to have that freedom and to be able to make those decisions for yourself.

But it can become a problem when you constantly find yourself working on things that don’t actually impact your business.

When the most important things never seem to get done, when you’re always putting out fires, or when you’re keeping yourself busy to the extent that you never have time to think about what you really want out of life.

In this week’s episode, we talk about what can you do about this. We’ll talk about why there probably isn’t anything wrong with your motivation, that many people talk about motivation when they really mean discipline, and you’ll learn a practical exercise to gain insight into what motivates you.

And then there was silence…

Have you ever thought about that moment when you’re in a conversation with someone and it suddenly becomes completely silent..?

Yikes, ackward..!

A few years ago, those were my first thoughts too.

Afraid of the ackward silence, as soon as I caught a glimpse of it, I’d quickly try to make a (bad) joke (that no one got) in an attempt to escape it.

Or the opposite: I’d be waiting -eagerly - for a silence to show up so I could finally step in and add something to the conversation but the silence never came and then the moment passed.

How can something so small we don’t even think of it as a thing create such a mix of emotions?

This week’s podcast episode is about “the silence”.

Silence in a conversation can do very different things for the natural communication style of introverts and extroverts.

Although seemingly unassuming, this “small” thing - in my opinion - is at the heart of the biggest misunderstanding between introverts and extroverts.

Do you feel you have harmony between work and home?

I didn't have a real plan for this episode and decided to share some of the things that were on my mind. Lately, it has been a struggle to find a new rhythm between home life and work life. It had me thinking a lot about this idea of balance - or better yet - harmony between the different aspects of your life.

If you're looking for support to find a better harmony in your life and how you can use your strengths as an introvert to achieve it, then schedule a free call with me. I'll help you come up with a tailored action plan to take your first steps.

I recently joined my very first panel discussion that was broadcasted live on LinkedIn. While decompressing at my dining table the next morning, I was thinking over some of the things that are helping me to feel good about “putting myself out there” as an introvert.

I’ll share 4 of those with you in today’s podcast episode.

1. Preparation is key but now in the way you may think
2. Trust your gut and give yourself permission to make it safe
3. Share your process rather than being the expert
4. Baby steps: building up slowly

At the end of the panel we were all asked: What’s one technique that you can share for introverts to be more productive?

My answer: incorporate some kind of daily reflection practice.

A daily reflection practice will help you make the best of your natural self-reflective process and to get the most important things done each day.

If you want to get started with a mini version of this practice, accept my free gift to you: the training bundle “From stressed to focused with this simple daily practice”

"People do not decide their futures. They decide their habits and their habits decide their futures." - Frederick Alexander.

I’m curious, what do you think about this quote?

As a productivity coach, naturally, I think a lot about habits. Which habits help us to be more productive, which things keep us distracted, cause us to loose focus or drain our energy. And there are hundreds if not thousands of resources out there about how to break a bad habit, how to get organized, and how to hack your brain to boost productivity

After testing a lot of things on myself - from nutrition to health apps - and after working with dozens of introverted entrepreneurs, I’ve realized one thing:

If you want to stop low energy and boost your productivity, you need a habit plan that’s unique to you.

In this episode we'll talk about what a habit plan is and why it's important to have one that's tailored to your needs.

This may be a controversial opinion: I don’t believe in new year’s resolutions.

Granted, a new start can give an incredible boost in motivation. A new calendar year, a new quarter, the start of a new week. Sometimes it’s just that little bit of extra juice we need to start moving. If the new year is one of the things that gives you a motivation boost, then grab onto that and use it.

But be aware: don't leave it on the page as a resolution.

In this episode we'll talk about getting started after the holidays and some changes that I'm making in 2023.