On Monday and Tuesday I attended the Making Things Happen intensive in Raleigh, North Carolina. I didn’t really know what to expect. I went into this conference hoping for answers about boundaries, and I left feeling armed with a bunch of ideas. I came away feeling really empowered.
Some of the attendees were probably looking to make really big changes, but since I wasn’t one of them and I wanted to share what I got out of it with you guys in a little more detail.
The name of this thing speaks for itself. The purpose is to make things happen. We also talked about a lot of big picture stuff, but since execution is often what I struggle with, I want to focus on this: what am I going to do now that I’m home?
Well, the first thing I did this morning was clean off my desk. We talked a lot about distractions and the importance of taking care of little things, like your workspace. And just a few glimpses of Lara Casey‘s office will make you want to clean house. I cleaned off my desk, went through some piles, and threw a bunch of stuff away. It felt so good.
I’m also going to start keeping my phone face down on my desk at night. Oftentimes my phone is the last thing I look at when I go to sleep and the first thing I pick up when I wake up. It’s not healthy or productive. I tried this out last night and it was great. I read before I went to bed, and believe it or not I actually woke up, sans alarm, at 7:20. That’s kinda crazy for me, you guys.
It’s funny because in the car on the way to MTH I had this thought that I wanted to create a goal binder. I like setting goals, but I have trouble keeping up with them when they’re buried in a notebook somewhere.
Well, sure enough, I was so inspired by Nancy Ray and her practice of goal setting and budgeting with her husband, Will. Last night when I got home I went out and bought a binder (it’s what that card is sitting on, I’m kind of obsessed.) I’m determined to make goals happen for me and Brian. I’m not sure that I’ll be sharing them on the blog- I think I’m going to keep them just for us. But if you’re looking for a great example, Nancy shares her goals monthly on her blog. So cool.
I’m also going to set office hours and really try to stick to them. I’ve been doing a really bad job on the whole work-life balance thing lately, and something’s gotta give. I’m hoping that implementing some more structure in my day will help me get more done and have more time to rest.
And finally, I also have to mention that staying with Whitney English probably doubled the value of this trip for me. She just has a crazy amount of knowledge and experience. You can’t not learn something when you talk to her. I drove home from North Carolina to Virginia yesterday with my mind just swimming with ideas about the direction of my business. Let’s just say I have some pages to make.
I also got to meet so many amazing women! Even though there’s not a lot of talking or networking at the actual event, dinners were a prime time to get to know the other ladies in attendance. I feel so inspired today!
What are you going to make happen today?
What a pretty binder! I’m sure that will help inspire some goals. :) Today I’m going to call my first wedding photographer and start figuring out who we want to use!!
I’m glad you had a lovely time at the conference. I’ve been meaning to sleep with the phone outside of the room since reading Jess’s post but it hasn’t made it out yet. I need to get on it ASAP. I’m glad you found this helpful and I’m sure your business will flourish from what you’ve learned.
I have a question! I try to keep up with the ladies who run the MTH conference (such great advice!) and I’ve noticed a big religious influence on their blogs and IG feeds. Because of that, I’m wondering, was there a strong religious focus to it all? I really think I would love the conference and have even thought about going in 2014, but because I’m not traditionally religious, I wonder if it would be for me. Anyways, you can just email me if you want to! xoxo :)
I’m with ya- I’ll email you tomorrow! xoxo
I find that tricky too Eliza – you’re not alone. I just try to take away the parts that are inspiring and try hard to accept others are on a different journey with their faith which unlike me they are really keen to share. I haven’t been to this one, but my experience is at conferences it isn’t such a big part as people usually accept others aren’t there for religious purposes. That would be a different type of conference and advertised that way?
I feel the same way. The IG posts have overwhelmingly long Christian essays attached to them. I have nothing wrong with religious themes, but some of those posts come off as almost aggressive. #brevityisgood
Kate – sounds so great! I’m going to check out those links. I’m really hoping I get inspired like this at Alt in Jan. I am religious about my desk being tidy – it really helps productivity. You know how your mum always told you to put your toys away? I think we need this as adults too!
I’m so jealous that you got to go to MTH! I’ve been wanting to attend for a while now. I feel like we can all get something from it. I really love the idea of having a goals binder…I’d love it if you’d share sometime! Just so I can see how someone else keeps track (that’s the hardest part for me).
I love the idea of a goal binder! I was just thinking about how I’m going to implement my goals for 2014, and I think combining my original idea with a goal binder would be perfect! In fact, I might even put it to use before the new year! Thanks for sharing your experience…. I’ll have to see about attending next year :)