How I Keep Organised and Plan My Week

I really love meeting new people and over the last few weeks, I’ve been working with a whole new team across a completely new industry. The most asked question I’ve had to respond to in the last 3 months in this role is how on earth are you so organised?

I admit, right now it’s a little bit nuts.

I work full time, I own and am growing a small business and I solo parent about 70%, of the week. I worked SO hard to get my business off the ground that I’m working non-stop to make sure it continues to do well. One of my friends recommended that I hire an SEO company (https://whitepeak.io/seo-agency/) to help my website gain more traction. I’ve already put in a lot of work, so I hope it doesn’t take me any longer to achieve this dream because I want to move onto my next venture, and that is to look for a new location for my business. Don’t get me wrong, I love where I am now, but if I want my business to grow, moving is definitely something that should be on the cards. I’ve already started the process of looking for new furniture and even commercial flagpoles for sale because I want to create a flag that tells people that this is my business. I want them to know where they are walking into as soon as they park their car on the lot. It may seem a bit extravagant now, but it will look great if this were to happen.

Of course, before this can happen, I still need to work on growing my business to reach new heights. But I’m lucky that it has been so far so good. However though, I only learnt about companies like Voltage Control who offer professional facilitation AFTER I had set my entire business up — it would have been so much easier had I known about them beforehand! But, I still managed to create my own business so I am happy with myself. I just love learning so am also about to embark on learning a new skill….eeek. I’m not sure I really need to add study in the mix right now but my brain is ready for something new, even though my schedule probably is not.

When I tell people about my current situation they are firstly amazed that I am still smiling and then I get the face. The PITY face!

Comments such as poor you, I don’t know how you cope and It must be so hard. And yes, sometimes that’s the reality. Sometimes I do wonder how I am I going to cope, how am I going to have the energy to get through the day and come home and be present for my little person. But mostly, it’s not like that at all and there are a few things that keep me going.

My partner and I have purposefully reviewed our current situation. We are both eyes wide open about how our work/life schedule is bonkers. We are also actively working towards changing that situation one step at a time.

Anyway, let’s get back to what I’m supposed to be talking about. How I stay organised.

The title of this blog post is a little misleading. if I’m honest I plan my schedule 4 – 8 weeks in advance and then keep myself organised and up to date by reviewing that a week out.

Here are my top tips to being organised:

Online Calendar

Whether it’s your email calendar or some other tool. I really can’t emphasis enough how important my calendar has become and even more so now with a husband and child. My husband work on a rota basis and that’s always my starting point for planning. Luckily we get this information in 8 week chunks which is really helpful.

I schedule everything into my calendar and I mean everything, from the obvious like Edward’s travel dates, meetings and appointments to reminders to drink water, eat lunch , exercise and go for a walk. I even schedule time to do nothing at all.

The best thing about using an online calendar for me is that I can instantly share it with others. With one click I can send to a friend or colleague who is wanting to nab some of my time.

Colour code – every activity or person has a colour code so with a quick glance I can tell whether the appointments over the next few hours are related to work, business, personal or something else.

Twice a day

I only do emails twice a day. Which might sound a bit odd but after reading the 4hr work week years ago and implementing this strategy it made such a huge difference in my productivity.

When I wake up in the morning I check my email, accept any meeting variations, assign priority flags and schedule proposed times in my calendar to carry out any work. I thin sit and respond to any emails necessary and I log out of my email until early afternoon.

This allows me to actually get work done without distraction or interruption from email. I have also turned off that annoying pop, that informs you of every new email in the corner of your screen (if you are using outlook). Just seeing that pop up breaks my attention every time and then I have to try bring myself back to what I was doing and my thought process. By turning off my notifications I can focus on the tasks I need to do and staying productive. I also put a lot of effort into my office wall art which apparently boosts productivity, so that I am surrounded by colour all day.

What about urgent requests – I work on the principle that any urgent requirements people will walk over and have a conversation or pick up the phone and call. Most people don’t even get through their inbox on a daily basis, let alone see an urgent request come in without any other prompt.

Lastly, I try to keep my inbox as clear as possible. I file all my emails by project, workstream or person as I read them and my flag system allows me to track my workload or things I need to respond to.

Swallow the Frog

The first time I came across the term swallow the frog I kept thinking of the Disney film where the princess kisses the frog. I wonder what would have happened if she’d eaten him instead.

I know I’m a total weirdo!

Swallowing the frog is probably my number one productivity tip and here’s why. How many times have you go your to do list, and there’s something in there that you find boring or worse will mean you have to have a tough or awkward conversation with someone? And then you leave it until the end of the day, and then somehow by sheer magic it ends up tomorrows to do list.

Yep you got, that boring or awkward task is your frog and the sooner you get on with it the sooner you can stop overthinking it, stop procrastinating and get on with your day.

Swallow the frog, feel good about it and even reward yourself when you get it done…. WoooooHooo

Sunday Review

Every Sunday evening before the week begins I review my calendar. Bug Ed for any changes to his schedule as he’s rubbish at remembering to tell me changes, and reconfirm any personal plans for the week.

It’s a very simple step but it really helps set me up for the week and then I’ve started off not chasing my tail.

I hope you found those tips useful. Leave me a comment as I’d love to know if you are miss organised or running around like a headless chook.

In Joy

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Hi, I'm Alisha

I coach women (and businesses) how to value themselves and their female talent. I guide women through a process of releasing limiting beliefs, building their personal wealth and how to navigate the parental transition journey to create a truly flourishing life.

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What Bali Taught Me (That I Already Knew But Needed to Remember)

What Bali Taught Me (That I Already Knew But Needed to Remember)

I’m writing this from Bali, somewhere between a freshly squeezed juice, a pool and a wedding.

And something has already shifted. It always does when I genuinely stop.

I want to share what came up. Not because it’s unique to Bali. Because I think it’s available to all of us, if we let it be.

The Last Time I Was Here

The last time I came to Bali I was single, no kids, and deep in a Kundalini yoga and meditation phase of my life. I spent the first half of the trip in full spiritual immersion and the second half, because I’ve always loved a bit of balance, drinking cocktails on the beach and dancing under the stars until the early hours.

Both halves were exactly right for who I was then.

This time I arrived with a husband, two boys, and a wedding to celebrate. And yes, there was still a dance floor involved at some point. Some things are just non-negotiable. 💃🏾

What struck me most wasn’t how different this trip felt. It was how much of me felt exactly the same underneath all of it. The same woman who needs stillness and movement in equal measure. Who finds clarity near water. Who comes alive on a dance floor and also genuinely loves a morning of complete quiet.

Returning to a place at a different point in your life has a way of showing you who you’ve stayed.

What the Quiet Taught Me

When you step away from the noise long enough, things become clear that were impossible to see up close.

For me this trip it was this: I’d let the pace creep back in. Gradually, quietly, the way it always does. The early mornings on the phone. The evenings half-present. The low-level hum of tasks that never quite switched off.

Nothing dramatic. Just the slow drift back toward a version of myself I’d worked hard to move away from.

Bali reminded me of the difference between functioning and flourishing. I’d been functioning beautifully. I hadn’t been flourishing.

That’s useful information. And I wouldn’t have had access to it without stopping long enough to hear it.

What I’m Taking Home

A renewed commitment to the structures I know work for me.

Movement scheduled like a meeting, non-negotiable. Two email windows a day instead of a constantly open inbox. Evenings that belong to my family, not my business. And the regular, protected breaks that make all of it sustainable.

These aren’t new practices. But the trip reminded me what it actually feels like when I honour them. And that reminder is worth more than any new productivity system I could have come home with.

Something Coming in July

I’m coming home with something brewing.

Reset & Rise is on 24 July. It’s a 90-minute online masterclass for women who know something needs to change but aren’t quite sure where to start.

We work through what’s keeping you stuck, what needs to shift, and what the next real step looks like. It’s practical, personal, and it works.

Details dropping very soon. If you want to be first to know, book a Discovery Call and I’ll make sure you hear about it before anyone else.

Book your free Discovery Call here: https://calendly.com/alishawaterman/exploration-session

In joy, Alisha

What Happens When You Actually Stop

What Happens When You Actually Stop

Tomorrow I’m flying to Bali with my family.

And I want to write something honest before I go.

About what it actually feels like to step away. Not the Instagram version. The real one.

The First 48 Hours

I won’t pretend it feels completely natural from the start.

There’s always a low-level restlessness in the first couple of days. A quiet voice asking whether something important needs you. Whether things are okay without you.

I’ve learned not to fill it. Not to manage it or scroll through it or replace it with productivity.

Just to let it be there.

That’s harder than it sounds. For women who are wired for achievement, stillness can feel almost dangerous. Like falling behind. Like failing. The discomfort of it is real.

But it’s temporary. And what comes after it is worth every uncomfortable moment.

What Comes After

Around day three, something settles.

The thoughts slow down. The background hum of responsibilities quiets. You start sleeping deeply. Finishing conversations without half your attention somewhere else.

And then clarity starts arriving.

Not forced clarity. Not the kind you squeeze out of a journaling session at 6am before the house wakes up. The kind that just shows up when you’ve finally created enough space for it.

This is what real rest does. It doesn’t just restore you to where you were. It recalibrates you. Shows you what you’ve been too close to see clearly.

What I’m Expecting to Find

The last time I was in Bali I was single, no kids, deep in my Kundalini yoga and meditation phase. I spent the first half of the trip in full spiritual immersion and the second half, because balance has always been my thing, drinking cocktails on the beach and dancing under the stars until the early hours.

Both halves were perfect.

This time I’m arriving with a husband, two boys, and a wedding to celebrate. Completely different chapter. Same woman underneath, just with a lot more life packed in since then.

I’m expecting Bali to do what it always does. Slow me down enough to hear myself think. Remind me what I’m doing all of this for. Send me home clearer than when I left.

And I’ll be sharing what comes up when I’m back.

You Don’t Need to Go to Bali

I’m not telling you to book a holiday. I know that’s not available to everyone right now.

What I am saying is that somewhere in your life, there is a version of genuine rest available to you. An hour on a Sunday morning with no agenda. A weekend afternoon you protect from productivity. Ten minutes of actual stillness every day.

The question isn’t whether you can afford to rest. It’s whether you can afford not to.

And whether you believe, in your body not just your head, that you are allowed to stop.

Because for so many of us, that’s the real work.

If this resonated and you’d like to explore what building more space into your life could look like, I’d love to have a conversation.

Book your free Discovery Call here: https://calendly.com/alishawaterman/exploration-session

In joy, Alisha

If Your Business Stops When You Stop, You Haven't Built a Business

If Your Business Stops When You Stop, You Haven't Built a Business

I’m getting ready to step away from my business for a couple of weeks.

And my business will keep running while I’m gone.

Not by accident. Because I’ve built it that way.

This isn’t a post about having it all figured out. It’s about something I had to learn the hard way, and something I think matters for every woman building a business or a career she actually wants to sustain.

The Job vs The Business

If your business stops the moment you stop, it’s not really a business yet. It’s a job that you happen to own.

There’s no judgment in that. Most of us start there. But it’s worth naming, because it points to the work that needs doing.

A business that can run without you for two weeks doesn’t happen by accident. It requires systems, scheduled content, automated processes, clear client communication, and the willingness to trust what you’ve built.

None of that is complicated. But it does require a decision made in advance that your time away is non-negotiable.

Because if it’s not non-negotiable, everything else will fill the space. Everything else is always there.

What the Prep Actually Looks Like

For me, stepping away meant all social content scheduled through Metricool before I leave. Email automations set up to capture enquiries. An out-of-office with a clear return date. Clients briefed on my availability.

Straightforward on paper. But it also required something less logistical.

It required me to actually trust that things would hold without me actively holding them.

That’s the part nobody talks about. The inner work of stepping back. The voice that says what if something goes wrong, what if someone needs me, what if it all falls apart without me there.

That voice is not evidence that you need to stay. It’s evidence that you haven’t yet fully trusted what you’ve built.

And trust, like most things, comes from evidence. From stepping away once and seeing that things held. Then again. And again.

The Deeper Point

Being able to step away is not a sign that you’re not needed. It’s a sign that you’ve built something real.

A business that can travel, that can hold itself while you rest, that doesn’t require your constant presence to function, that’s not a luxury. That’s the goal.

There was a time I would have been stressed out at the thought of leaving for a week. Overthinking, overfunctioning, preparing for every possible scenario, and then not really switching off while I was away because part of me was already bracing for the chaos waiting on my return.

I am genuinely not that person anymore. And the freedom of that is hard to overstate.

What would need to be in place for you to step away for two weeks? That’s a useful question to sit with.

Because you deserve breaks that feel like actual breaks. Not working holidays dressed up as rest.

If you’re ready to build a business and a life that can sustain you, I’d love to have a conversation.

Book your free Discovery Call here: https://calendly.com/alishawaterman/exploration-session

In joy, Alisha

Halfway Through the Year. How Are You Actually Doing?

Halfway Through the Year. How Are You Actually Doing?

June.

We are almost exactly halfway through the year.

And before you scroll past that fact, I want to ask you to sit with it for a moment.

Not to audit your progress. Not to tally up the goals you haven’t hit. But to give yourself a genuine, honest mid-year check-in.

The January Version of You

The intentions you set in January were made by a version of you who didn’t know what this year would bring.

She didn’t know which relationships would shift, which opportunities would arrive, which things would turn out to matter less than she thought.

So before you measure yourself against those goals, it’s worth asking: do they still fit? Are they still the right things for the life you’re actually living right now?

Some will be. Some won’t. Both are completely valid.

A Kinder Way to Check In

Instead of asking did I hit my goals, try asking these three questions.

What am I genuinely proud of from the first half of this year, however small?

What have I learned about myself that I didn’t know in January?

What do I want the second half of this year to feel like?

That last one is the most important. Not what do I want to achieve. How do I want to feel. Because when you know the feeling you’re building toward, the actions become much clearer.

Your Second Half Starts Now

You don’t need to wait for a new year, a new month, or a Monday.

The second half of this year starts right now, with whatever you decide today.

If the first half was harder than you expected, that’s not failure. That’s information. Use it.

If you’ve drifted from the person you wanted to be this year, you haven’t lost her. She’s still available to you. The question is just what small step brings you back.

I’ll be honest with you. There have been moments in the first half of this year where I’ve had to come back to myself too. Where the pace crept back in, where I caught myself running on residual energy again, where I had to deliberately choose to reset rather than push through.

The difference now is that I catch it faster. And I know what to do when I do.

That’s what the work builds. Not perfection. Awareness and the tools to come back.

The second half of this year is yours. All of it.

What’s one thing you want to be true by December that isn’t true today?

Start there.

If you’d like some support figuring out what that looks like for you, I’d love to have a conversation.

Book your free Discovery Call here: https://calendly.com/alishawaterman/exploration-session

In joy, Alisha