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Do you feel overwhelmed with your todo list? Is "creating fulfilling happiness" missing from that list? Everyday Happiness with Katie Jefcoat is here to help you. In 2-minutes a day, over time, you’ll discover how to reduce overwhelm and create lasting happiness through Katie’s signature method of Intentional Margins, happiness science, and musings about life. Start your day with a positive mindset. Many of us can get deep in the feeling of overwhelm. The anxiety of our own ambition can weigh heavily on our thoughts and emotions. We lay down and close our eyes at night and our chest begins to feel heavy. More items on the to-do list than the day before. How will we ever going to get off the hamster wheel of to-dos? When are we going to start living life for more than the hustle? As a recovering lawyer and passion driven entrepreneur, Katie knew something had to change. What she found is that you can have harmony, be intentionally productive and create massive impact, all at the same time - without feeling guilty. So she asked herself a simple question: "How can I get off the hamster wheel and how can I show others how to do the same? She knew she'd had a system for herself, but she’d never put it into defining words. On August 15, 2019, she sat down at her dining room table with her friend Jenna (her business bestie). Post-It notes covering the table. This is where she first defined the concept of Intentional Margins. What are Intentional Margins? INTENTIONAL MARGINS™ (n): A buffer of space and time to create harmony between your to-do’s and your priorities. Now you can get the support you need to manage your overwhelm, one little tip at a time. Regardless of the industry, Everyday Happiness blends inspiration with a pragmatic approach to finding Harmony. You'll be encouraged to throw “balance” out the window for a more achievable approach called harmony. Through Intentional Margins™, you'll be encouraged to develop what harmony means to you, by identifying your priorities at work and at home. Every day, we'll end the podcast help you feel equipped to jump off the hamster wheel of overwhelm and go out there and crush your day. --About the Host-- Katie Jefcoat is a community curator, speaker, author and motivator who supports ambitious women (and a few good men) move from feeling hectic to harmonious. As a recovering trial lawyer, she knows first hand what it feels like to have a demanding job. As an entrepreneur with a passion that lights her hair on fire and a busy family she’s in the thick of it with you. Many people strive for balance and think overwhelm is just a part of life. Sadly, the hustle culture and our never-ending to-do list is creating a life where our priorities are getting the leftover scraps of time. Katie introduces people to what she calls - Intentional Margins™ - a kind of life in which they reduce randomness, create harmony between their to-dos and their priorities and intentionally enjoy the meaningful parts of life - without feeling guilty. Without exposure to a different way, we remain stuck on the hamster wheel of to-dos and never find the “balance” we yearn for. Katie works diligently to expose her community to different ways of doing things, because she fundamentally believes we deserve to make time for our priorities. We deserve to live a life of harmony. And it’s within our control to create it. Katie curates a smorgasbord of content related to managing your calendar, handling overwhelm, setting boundaries, reducing randomness, saying no, self-care, the power of your choices, and more in her Intentional Margins™ Membership Community -- which she calls the coziest virtual coffee shop (on Facebook). Connect and learn more at www.katiejefcoat.com.
Episodes
Sunday Aug 28, 2022
Sunday Aug 28, 2022
Who believes in you? The people we surround ourselves with are critical to our happiness. Check out this episode on Believing Mirrors and the people we see in them!
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in about 2 minutes a day, through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life.
I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and I was reading a chapter in my friend Julie’s book about believing mirrors. I will link the book in the show notes - it’s really good.
So, in this chapter, Naked in Alaska, she talks about this incredible wisdom from her friend Valerie. As women supporting one another, this makes my heart sing.
The concept is pretty simple. It’s having someone in your life that not only believes in you and tells you, but that reflects back to you all of your strengths.
I created an entire online community to remind other women that you are doing a great job, that you belong and that we believe in you. We have a woman in our community creating a bread baking company, starting out in a church and getting retail orders from coffee shops in the town she lives in. That’s incredible! We are encouraging her and cheering her on like it’s out J-O-B.
Of course, I just read Julie’s book, I didn’t have this language of the believing mirror, but this is so deep in my core, that it made my heart sing when I read this chapter.
We all DESERVE to have people in our corner. Not in the cheap seats, but in the ring with us, reminding us that we’re amazing in our own individual authentic way.
I believe the great tragedy of the times we live in is that we’re too busy to recognize what is most important in the moments we are in them. We are pulled in so many directions, including having a mini computer in our pocket to distract us from what’s right in front of our eyes. I’m guilty of this - which is why this is on my mind so much.
So, I encourage you to make a list of 3 people that are YOUR believing mirror AND, create an #IntentionalMargin to spend time with those amazing brilliant thoughtful individuals.
Post a story on Instagram on tag me @everydayhappinesswithkatie and tell me who your people are! Let’s celebrate them!
And if you enjoyed this episode of Everyday Happiness,make sure that you hit the subscribe button wherever you are tuning into today, so that you never miss an episode.
You can find Julie DeLucca-Collins here: https://www.goconfidentlycoaching.com/
And on social here:
https://www.instagram.com/julie_deluccacollins/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/goconfidentlyjulie/
https://www.facebook.com/jdelucca
Get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox by subscribing at: https://www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness
And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram
Links: https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/
Saturday Aug 27, 2022
Saturday Aug 27, 2022
Random acts of kindness so greatly improve the happiness of ourselves and those around us that even something super small can make a huge impact. Learn more about it today!
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in about 2 minutes a day, through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life.
I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and acts of kindness matter so much that scientists have studied human behavior around acts of kindness and what they found is that kindness is contagious. This is when you help a stranger … when you show up for someone on their worst days. It not only makes you feel good for doing something nice, it makes them feel good for receiving something nice. And, it creates a ripple effect, you can’t help but want to be kind if someone is being kind to you.
The science says that people will help a stranger, as long as they think it is the normal thing to do. So, just think if there’s hundreds of thousands of people all acting in kindness - making it the normal thing to do. It’s helping the elderly woman cross the street, or helping someone in the grocery store find that elusive item.
But, let’s not forget we also get that personal happiness boost that comes from acts of kindness toward others. Seems like a win-win to me.
There are all these big stories of acts of kindness and I’m sure you can think of one as well from waking up the passenger that’s sleeping through the last final call at the departure gate to paying for the coffee in the line of the person behind you. These can be big or small.
Doing things for others gives ourselves a richer sense of community.
Perhaps today, it’s checking in on a friend, that is a wonderful act of kindness.
Spreading kindness can give you a sense of meaning and purpose and frankly it just makes you feel good. I invite you to spread some kindness in exactly the way that feels right to you today.
And if that happens to be writing a 5-star review, I’ll be shouting your name from the rooftops very very soon in an upcoming episode.
If you are loving acts of kindness, grab some Kindness Cards in our shop over at https://www.katiejefcoat.com
Get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox by subscribing at: https://www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness
And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram
Links: https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/
Friday Aug 26, 2022
Friday Aug 26, 2022
We can talk ourselves in circles with theories and ideas, but it doesn't matter if you don't take them into the world with you. Today, I give you a real-life example of how kindness can make a meaningful difference in someone's day.
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 2 about minutes a day, through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life.
I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and back in Episode 116 I mentioned how social media is like my virtual coffee shop. It’s how I choose to show up and interpret all the things I scroll by. Well, last Fall, I was scrolling through Facebook and stumbled on a friend's post that was so heartwarming, it’s worth sharing this little story here, for you.
He said he was at the airport, and had the dreaded Southwest Airline C boarding group. Rather than be grumpy he thought to himself - what would Ted Lasso do? So he chatted up a lovely mother & daughter celebrating the mom's 90th birthday. They went ahead and boarded. When he got on the plane all he saw was an ocean of middle seats….but they had saved him the best seat on the flight, right in front. When he landed in West Palm Beach, Florida, he completed the karma circle by getting their bags and helping them to their Uber. The best part is he said in his post, “life is so easy and enjoyable when you are nice to people”. And I couldn’t agree more.
My friend wasn’t nice to “get” anything in return. He was just nice. And even more importantly is this real life example that kindness is contagious.
If you haven’t watched Ted Lasso yet, it’s a feel-good TV show that streams on Apple TV. I’m a huge fan of the show because it shows the main character, Ted, as a really nice person and sharing so much kindness without any strings attached.
If you feel called to spread a little kindness, share Everyday Happiness with your friends, subscribe to the show wherever you listen, write a 5-star review (Amazon and Apple links are in the show notes) and be part of the wave of early adopters that believe happiness and kindness matters.
And remember, Kindness is Contagious.
Get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox by subscribing at: https://www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness
And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram
Links: https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/
Thursday Aug 25, 2022
Thursday Aug 25, 2022
We get busy! It can be hectic, crazy, and downright overwhelming. BUT, you must choose to value your intentional margins. See what I mean in this episode of Everyday Happiness.
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in about 2 minutes a day, through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life.
I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and I got a text from a friend the other day. She was having trouble getting anything done. She was feeling super reactive and has a list that was not touched. She couldn’t see her way into being proactive because she was putting out fires. Whether they were urgent or not, they were what she was focused on. Have you ever felt that way? I feel like I felt that way just last week. It happens.
But she said something that made me stop in my tracks, she texted me “I am so busy, I don’t have time to create any intentional margins for myself”. Oh wow. It was like a dagger to my heart. I knew she needed margin more than ever, she was spiraling.
I wrote back “if you are so busy you can’t afford to take a few minutes for yourself, well then, you can’t afford not to”.
This is the truth friends, the days will pass, the years will pass, it will never be less busy next week. You will look back regretting the time where you were not intentional and present with the thing that mattered most right then.
This is some loving straight talk, how are you spending your time matters. Usually, where you spend your time is where your priorities are. Check yourself. How are you spending your time?
The reality is, we all need to check in with ourselves. You’re doing it mama, I’m cheering for you, I am rooting for your success and most of all, I am hoping that you are designing a fulfilling life that is perfect, just for you. Without the guilt. No one has time for that. You’ve got this.
And remember, Kindness is Contagious. Spend a little time being kind to yourself today.
You can also get everyday happiness delivered to your inbox, by subscribing at www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness.
Get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox by subscribing at: https://www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness
And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram
Links: https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/
Wednesday Aug 24, 2022
Wednesday Aug 24, 2022
I am a visual person, so analogies help me to learn. I heard this wonderful analogy about soccer and setting intentions; tune in to hear it!
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in about 2 minutes a day, through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life.
I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and I want to share with you two analogies on choosing priorities.
First, imagine you can have a parking garage full of cars, we’ll call these cars your priorities in this example, but you can only take 2 or maybe 3 out for a spin at a time. So the idea is, write down all the things you want to prioritize, and then decide what matters most to you right now, and work on those.
I also talk about tasks and your goals as soccer balls. I can’t remember where I heard this analogy, but it stuck.
Imagine lining up 10 soccer balls on the edge of the field. Right on the out of bounds line. All perfectly in a row exactly centered on the line. Now, you can make 6 kicks. Do you kick 6 balls one kick or do you kick one ball 6 times. Hmm…. If you focus on kicking one ball six times, you can reach that goal faster. It’s just where we put our attention.
I guess, as I am talking, it’s like the Dave Ramsey of credit card debt, doesn’t he say to pay off one card in full versus a little extra to a lot of cards? I feel like he says that, right?
Anyway, intention matters and I invite you to look at your list of priorities and decide where you are going to put your attention for the next little while, and see what happens.
And remember, Kindness is Contagious.
Get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox by subscribing at: https://www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness
And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram
Links: https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/
Tuesday Aug 23, 2022
Tuesday Aug 23, 2022
Do you have items in your house that bring you happiness? Today, I share a story with you about my items that provide happiness and why!
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in about 2 minutes a day, through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life.
I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and last year my family cleaned out my grandmother's house, after over a hundred years in the house. My great-grandparents built the house, my grandfather was born in the same room he slept in as an adult. There is a lot of stuff. And a lot of people have feelings about this stuff. My grandparents had 17 kids - there are a lot of people that have feelings and opinions on the stuff. So, it got me thinking. What stuff would make me happy? It’s nostalgic. It’s not of value monetarily, but that connection to your ancestors, the ones that came before you.
As much as I want to declutter, (if you listened to episode 447, you know all things decluttering), it also makes me happy to walk to my basement and pass by my grandfather’s framed records from his days in a polka band. It makes me happy to open the cabinet under the TV with the knobs that came from a piece of furniture that traveled from Germany to the US when my great-grandparents immigrated. My grandmother gave me these knobs when she was alive and shared with me their significance. It’s so special to me. These things are not tucked away in a box for posterity, but part of my everyday life.
My mother in law was moving and I told her how much I liked this little painting of a chickens it was a mama chicken and three baby chicks - it said, “Dear Lord, help me to endure my blessings” the little chickens looked like they were running around like crazy. Her mother painted it free hand, 40 years ago when her kids were little and it hung in her bathroom. She gifted it to me, and I see it when I walk into my bathroom.
And so, it’s not about the quantity but the quality. None of the things that make me happy are objectively valuable, but they make me happy, and that’s value enough for me.
I invite you to look around, what are the things that really matter to you. Whether it’s a family heirloom or the perfect accessory that makes you smile when you see it.
Share with me what that is, I’d love to know. I’m over at @everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram.
Until next time, remember, Kindness is Contagious.
Get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox by subscribing at: https://www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness
And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram
Links: https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/
Monday Aug 22, 2022
Monday Aug 22, 2022
Everyone has a different idea of organization, minimalism, and clutter, but what matters is how you perceive it and how it affects your happiness. Tune in to learn more!
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 2 about minutes a day, through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life.
I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and I just returned from a week on a cruise ship and it got me thinking again about happiness and minimalism. We tried to pack light, but four people were in a tiny stateroom and it felt like there was stuff everywhere.
When I returned home, all I wanted to do was purge and declutter. And for me, it was this exercise of really looking at what I had in terms of material possessions and what I needed.
I’m in this phase where I want to purge everything in my house. I can’t stand to look at anything. I have a little boy that leaves a trail of things wherever he goes. And I know, I am going to miss those little trails of knowing exactly where he has been all day when he’s all grown up and out of the house, but man, does it make my brain feel messy.
What I realized for me, is that the “clutter” I was seeing was totally affecting how I was feeling. If I was seeing clutter, I was feeling overwhelmed and disorganized.
When my space feels cluttered, to me, everyone is different, it feels hard to focus. If you walk into my house, you are not going to think it looks cluttered, I get that, but I know it’s there. I see the little things that are not in their place and it literally drives me crazy.
And to put a cherry on top of this conundrum, my family wants no part in the decluttering.
I’m so curious if I am a lone wolf on this, how does clutter make you feel? How much does your feeling of happiness have to do with your physical surroundings? Ya know? For me, the calm comes from the act of decluttering and the experience of living (for about 5 hot seconds) in the decluttered tidy space.
Until next time, remember, Kindness is Contagious.
Get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox by subscribing at: https://www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness
And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram
Links: https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/
Sunday Aug 21, 2022
Sunday Aug 21, 2022
There are times when we are tired, burnt out, or simply out of ideas when it comes to being grateful. That is when we may need to rely on an outside source or an alternative method. Tune in to see what I mean!
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in about 2 minutes a day, through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life.
I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and I was on a coffee chat in my membership community the other day and one of the Margin Makers, that’s what we call our Intentional Margin Community Members. And one Margin Maker was talking about another, saying this woman was glowing and had really made a shift. When she was asked, what changed, she said that she had relied on the content in the community as her positive, mindfulness content, which of course, gave me all the feels and that she was practicing daily affirmations.
She was feeding her brain the content she wanted to focus on.
I talk about how important this work is. I have cards of affirmations that I’ve written myself. But I fell out of practice. And it sucks. As I reflected back in some journaling over the last few days, I’ve been more ho-hum and less bright and shiny on the inside. My outward cheerleader pep-talk may have been the same language, but my inner feelings were not aligned and I am feeling it.
So, what to do? Especially when you feel like your anxiety is at an all-time high and your emotions feel heavy. It’s not enough to just “say” affirmations, you have to actually believe them, and this is what got me caught up.
I’ve re-committed to daily gratitude and daily affirmations. I have a strong core belief that they make me happier. And, the research agrees.
Perhaps if you are feeling emotionally exhausted, a few notes of gratitude written on a piece of paper and a positive self-worth daily affirmation might help you too?
Share with us your daily affirmations, you can DM us @everydayhappinesswithkatie and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram
Remember, Kindness is Contagious. You can find Kindness Cards over in our SHOP.
Get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox by subscribing at: https://www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness
And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram
Links: https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/
Saturday Aug 20, 2022
Saturday Aug 20, 2022
Did you know that it is easy for humans to adopt each other's personalities, traits, and habits? Learn more about behavioral contagion and how it can affect you!
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in about 2 minutes a day, through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life.
I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and I’ve noticed that not only do birds of a feather flock together, but we have these friend groups, or heck, Facebook groups, we tend to take on the identity of others. There is a term that researchers call this phenomenon “behavioral contagion” and I wanted to shed some light on this theory because it’s so easy to get caught up without even realizing it. We also talked about this phenomenon in Episode 28 if you want to pop back over and take a listen, that episode has some good nuggets in it too.
Behavioral contagion is when we pick up the behaviors of others we are around. Oftentimes, scientists use the example of a college roommate with a thick southern accent, if you are from the Northeast, you might start to say y'all a little more often than you did before.
Humans actually do this quite naturally, in the case of an accent, perhaps that’s not a big deal. But what if it’s more personality traits? There is considerable research that indicates we humans are incredibly susceptible to taking on the traits of others. It’s just plain ‘ol science. It happens.
I invite you to take stock in who you are hanging around with. Are those people giving you what you need? Are they a positive influence in your life? Are you feeding the flame of anxiety or negativity? It’s actually pretty common for us to get caught up in rhythms and in situations that don’t serve us.
So, I’m asking myself:
What am I reading?
What am I watching?
Who am I spending time with?
Does this serve me? Do I want to tweek this at all? And I invite you, if you feel like it, to take stock in the past few months and look toward the bright future with some intention.
As always, if you want to continue this conversation, hit me up on social media at @everydayhappinesswithkatie.
Remember, Kindness is Contagious. You can find Kindness Cards over in our SHOP.
Get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox by subscribing at: https://www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness
And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram
Links: https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/
Friday Aug 19, 2022
Friday Aug 19, 2022
Do you have joy in your life? In this episode, we discuss tips on how to find and utilize JOY every single day to improve your happiness.
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in about 2 minutes a day, through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life.
I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and my friend Michelle hosts an interactive newsletter called Pieces of Michelle. Link in the transcript. A while back, her newsletter was about being intentional about finding and creating JOY. Her journal prompts included three questions:
- What does JOY mean to you?
- What memories of JOY do you have?
- What do you associate with JOY?
Have you ever sat with your thoughts and asked yourself, what makes you happy?
Michelle has cultivated an intentional desire to seek out joy and she shares some of her ideas, including:
- To create a JOY Inspiration Board ~ fill a piece of paper with images and words that bring you or remind you of JOY.
- Go on a JOY Hunt ~ notice what it is that brings you JOY, in your daily surroundings.
- Keep a JOY Journal ~ write 5 things each day which made you smile, brought happiness, or fed JOY.
- Talk about JOY ~ all the time!
- Write “joy” in capital letters, whenever you write ~ enJOY, enJOYment, JOYful etc.
These are such a practical and tangible way to think about emotions and just to have a little bit of fun when it can feel like the world is heavy with all the things going on. I hope this inspires you as much as it did me and that you go about your day and take notice of what brings you JOY and gives you a little boost of happiness.
Join me over on social to continue this discussion. I’m at @everydayhappinesswithkatie.
Remember, Kindness is Contagious. You can find Kindness Cards over in our SHOP.
Get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox by subscribing at: https://www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness
And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram
Links: https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/
Find Michelle Here: https://michelleeades.com/