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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
Tuesday Dec 21, 2021
Tuesday Dec 21, 2021
I’m obsessed with creating the “album of now” and like most of us, I could use a little inspiration. Send me an email at katie@kickstartwithkatie.com or a DM @everydayhappinesswithkatie. Listen in to hear exactly what this idea is and how easy it is to create.
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 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 heard this idea of creating an “album of now”. Let me explain. The concept is simple. You go around for a week or so, gathering photos of everyday things, the most boring ordinary things, from what is in your fridge, to the way your kids’ bedroom looks, to the grocery store, your car and the street. Literally taking a photo of everything the way it is RIGHT NOW.
So many of us forget the little things and at the same time, we wonder what it was like for our parents, or even our 18-year-old self. Can you imagine how fun it would be to look at your “album of now” from when you were 18 years old? Right? So fun.
So this idea is doing this for your future self. My daughter had to interview someone older, she picked our neighbor who is 70-years-old and the premise was: what was it like when you were 13. My sweet neighbor was like, I will never remember that … but of course, the questions were softballs and they both got through it.
This got me thinking, what if we had an album of now. How cool would that be? So whether you print it or save an album in your iPhone, consider creating an album of now, for your future self.
So, what are some things we could take photos of? Help us out. Send us a DM @everydayhappinesswithkatie.
Until next time.
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 Dec 20, 2021
Monday Dec 20, 2021
Waking up with gratitude or appreciation can change the trajectory of your day. Your days change your week and your weeks change your year and pretty soon, you’ve changed your life with this simple hack.
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 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 hear all the time that how you wake up matters. Do you snooze the alarm a bunch of times? Do you jump out of bed? Do you have a gratitude ritual in the morning? Are you sad and defeated to start your day? Or are you excited and ready for what your day will unfold? Do you have a morning routine that you enjoy?
All these things are habits in how we start our day. I think sometimes we don’t even realize it. It just is. You know?
I invite you to start your day with a gratitude frenzy to boost your mood, get you going and help you to show up as the best version of yourself.
A gratitude frenzy can be anything you want it to be. My friend Jenna always says, there are a million ways to do something, pick what works for you. So an example might be to start with gratitude for legs that carry you from your bed. The smell of the minty toothpaste that you get to buy, any type you want. Maybe you are grateful for a good night’s sleep.
And, if you want to get more advanced, it can be gratitude or appreciation for your partner, even going more meta and something you really like about your partner or how that person treats you. It can be gratitude for the day you are about to have. How you envision it unfolding.
This can all happen while you get out of bed, find your slippers, brush your teeth, these can be the running intentional thoughts that start your day.
Give it a try, I hope it’s as impactful for you as it is for me.
Until next time.
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 Dec 19, 2021
Sunday Dec 19, 2021
Creating a simple three-to-thrive for 2022 can boost happiness by boosting accomplishment.
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 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 thinking about this concept that I heard years ago, frankly, everyone has some version of it. But for me, it’s Three to Thrive. It was written on my 2021 goals that I revisited this past week as I am planning for 2022.
Three to Thrive. What are the three things I want to focus on to feel like I am personally thriving in my life. So not work tasks, but how I am living my intentional life.
My three-to-thrive are pretty simple.
First, I wake up early for my power hour (you can learn more about that in episode 199). This includes time for writing and creative work when I am most inspired and productive first thing in the morning. And, it usually includes a little self care and a quick review of my calendar before the children wake, because I have a more productive and peaceful day when I start this way.
Second, I focus on mind-work every day because the value exponentially outweighs the time. This I’m still trying to get the hang of. If I’m being honest, I didn’t focus on this in 2020 or 2021, the pandemic got the better of me. But in 2022, this is a three-to-thrive that I am intentionally reviving.
Third, I drink half my body weight in water every day because it is important to my health. I’m not a water drinker, so I need this to be top of mind.
This year, I’ll be writing my three-to-thrive in my 2022 planner so that I can revisit this often and commit to what matters most to me.
If you have any three-to-thrive ideas, we’d love to hear from you. You can DM us on social @everydayhappinesswithkatie.
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 Dec 18, 2021
Saturday Dec 18, 2021
THANK YOU, for 200 Episodes! It’s time to celebrate!
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness, where we create lasting happiness in two 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 today... it's a big day. I am in so much gratitude, in so much awe and so much appreciation because today is our 200th episode! 200 days of consistently creating "Everyday Happiness". I mean, how much stinking fun is that? It's been such a bright light in my day, and I hope it has inspired you to think about how you want to start your day.
This episode is really just short and sweet. We want to thank so many of our loyal listeners who are subscribing, writing five-star reviews, sharing with friends, all-of-the-things. Following, I guess it's called, on the Instagram, and Facebook, and YouTube, and all the places where you love to get your content.
You wouldn't believe this, but reviews really matter. I will be reaching out on a one-to-one basis, asking people for reviews. If you've been into my DMs, maybe you will get a DM from me again, asking you for a review either on Amazon Alexa Flash briefings or on Apple Podcasts because nobody knows what we're doing and the ripple effect we're having when we're in community with you, if we don't get reviews. And then, Amazon and Apple can do their thing.
So it's such an important part. But it's also the way that we get to show up. We get to create, like I said, this ripple effect of kindness, where we show up in the world in a better way, where we're more intentional. We're thoughtful. We're not being jerks because we've been thinking about
how we're going to create abundance and happiness and Intentional Margin® and how we're going to fill our cups so that we can fill up others' cups.
So I'm just super excited about where we're headed, where we're going, what's in store and
I am so grateful that you have decided to come along on this journey. Really, in this impact, in this space with us to create something that is like nothing we've ever seen before.
So thank you.
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 Dec 17, 2021
Friday Dec 17, 2021
Your ideal morning can be anything YOU want it to be. So many people have morning rituals, and you get to design your morning. Today I’m sharing how I start my day and it might surprise you.
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 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 let you in on a little secret, I don’t do my morning routine in the morning when I first wake up. It’s not until mid-morning that I settle into this ritual. Most people think this is totally backwards, but let me explain.
I do a productivity power hour in the morning as soon as I wake up. It’s when my brain is most on fire. For me, it’s like the long night's sleep was working overtime and when I wake up - I’m ready to go.
Honestly, it stresses me out to use my most productive focusing time on activities that don’t require that level of intensity.
Now I know lots of people that take a minute to wake up, for the coffee to settle in and for those people, maybe you are one of them, a light yoga practice, meditation, morning reading is just the thing you need to start your day.
But for some of us, jumping out of bed is all it takes and when we get a few things done, we feel accomplished and on track to tackle the day. After you’ve got something done and you are making your second or third cup of coffee, this is a perfect time to do your routine then.
I do get up early, but my morning looks different than most of the guru’s you’ll hear. I do a power hour (or two) of productivity, usually writing, before my kids wake up. I also chug some water and make my coffee.
Then it’s our family meeting at 8:00-8:25 every weekday, and then I’m off to drive them to school.
When I get home around 9:15, I’ve had a lot of coffee and I can focus on what my day has for me. That’s when I am proactive, I look at my big 3, my daily commitments, social media, affirmations and visioning how I want my day to go. This is also when I fill out my daily page, review my planner, say my gratitude, etc. Now, in full transparency, some of this I’ve glanced at the night before. I know what meetings I have the day before, so I’m not surprised at 9:15am. A lot of times, I’ve already identified my big 3, so it’s just a check-in and it takes about 15-30 minutes.
So, I’m curious, how do you start your day? We’d love to hear all about it, you can tag us or drop us a DM, we’re at @everydayhappinesswithkatie.
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 Dec 16, 2021
Thursday Dec 16, 2021
Why is it that we get 37 of the 42 things done on our todo list and all we think about are the 5 things we didn’t get done. Friends, this has got to stop.
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 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, okay, who’s with me. We get 37 of the 42 things done on our todo list and all we think about are the 5 things we didn’t get done. Right? I’m not sure why we do this to ourselves, but us women, especially us women, we’re so good at this and it seems to be universal.
I’ve added to my daily page this section that says “yesterday was a success because:” Why, because I feel we need to be reminded of all the accomplishments and the feeling of what we did do, as we start our new day, instead of putting that guilt on ourselves of what we didn’t get done.
Honestly, we could be superwoman and we are never getting done all the things that are on our own todo lists. I mean, who do we think we are when we are writing out our tasks for the day? It’s super-human the amount of tasks we think we can get done, let alone the caring for others and little humans in our lives that need us and they don’t care if it’s convenient - right?
Today, I wanted to tell you that I feel you. I feel that heavy todo list. I feel the spinning of all the plates. And I want to invite you to take a deep breath. And honor what you’ve accomplished. I’m doing this right along with you. We deserve to be busy and balanced when we set our Intentional Margins® and live in our priorities and have that clarity that guides us throughout the day. You can do it. I believe in you. If you need a little pep talk, jump into my DMs and I’ll reply to you personally. Until next time.
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 Dec 15, 2021
Wednesday Dec 15, 2021
It’s time to spread some cheer. Will you join me?
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 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 this time of year can be filled with stress, like we talked about yesterday, but it can also be filled with cheer.
It’s so fun to get and give unexpected cheer. It’s one of the happiness science secrets - kindness.
So today, this is short and sweet. I invite you to give a little holiday cheer to a stranger. It can be wishing a stranger a happy holidays, holding the door for someone and going a step farther and paying them a compliment. It can be a donation to a charity. It can be writing a gratitude card to someone. Whatever it is for you, I invite you to spread some unexpected cheer. Just imagine the ripple effect we could have.
And, if you are enjoying this micro-podcast, I invite you to subscribe and we would be so grateful if you would write us a 5-star review.
Until next time.
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 Dec 14, 2021
Tuesday Dec 14, 2021
The holidays can be so stressful. What can we do to minimize this holiday stress?
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 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 today’s episode is more of a reflection. And, if I’m being honest, a way for me to check myself and be intentional to show up as my best self. The holidays can be so stressful. There are so many things that we think we need to do that are not part of our routine. Decorate the house. Purchase gifts. Wrap all those gifts. Bake the cookies. Make bigger holiday meals. If you have kids, you add in all of their stuff too. There are holiday gatherings, more this time of year than other parts of the year. We’re spending more money, which can be so stressful. And then, we add in all of the personalities.
We all know this is coming, but for some reason, it seems to catch us by surprise, every year. This is your invitation to gather your thoughts, perhaps create an Intentional Margin® to sit quietly for a few minutes and reflect on why we do it all. Is happiness showing up for you. Is there a way you can tweak your responsibilities to create more happiness? Perhaps you can delegate some of the holiday cooking? Or scale back on your social obligations if they are feeling too stressful.
If you are anything like me, you’ll blink and it will be January. The happiness science indicates being intentional and in the moment is the best way to savor the experiences for more joy. Slowing down can be just the thing we need right now. I look forward to a slower paced end of the year and a time to be present with the people I love. I wish the same for you. Until next time.
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
Monday Dec 13, 2021
Monday Dec 13, 2021
Reflecting on how holiday traditions can make us happy.
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 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 holiday traditions are so fun, right? Today, I’m curious what your holiday traditions are. I love learning what people do, what is fun and how they bring joy into the holidays. Traditions are hopeful, they bring us happiness and it’s fun to have something to look forward to, that makes you happy.
In my membership community I asked this question and the answers varied from cutting down the christmas tree to being mindful and remembering the sentiment around the season and how it should last all year long.
For us, we have lots of traditions. Going to Christmas Eve church and then looking at Christmas lights around town is always so fun for us.
We also have a tradition of gingerbread house decorating with our dear friends Marcela and Emelina. We’ve been doing this with the kids for almost 10 years.
I’m obsessed with matching Christmas jammies, so that has to be a tradition at this point. Although, the children are less excited as they used to be.
Oh, also, when I decorate the tree, I play Kenny Rogers and Alabama holiday albums, like my mom did.
I stole a tradition from my sister, the wrapping paper under the tree on Christmas morning always has Santa on it. He’s so clever, his elves wrap my sister’s presents with Santa paper too.
I think it’s so fun to hear what traditions other families have, so please, share!! We need the ideas and you might just inspire someone else to start a new tradition.
Share on social @everydayhappinesswithkatie. Until next time.
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 Dec 12, 2021
Sunday Dec 12, 2021
This great idea comes from a listener and member of my online membership community. Share with us your ideas so we can feature you in an upcoming episode. Email us at: katie@kickstartwithkatie.com
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 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 after I recorded episode 192 - minimalist December, I had our weekly coffee chat in my community, where the subject turned to the busy holidays. And then, the most inspirational thing happened. One member, C Lee, said next year she’s blocking off a week to get all of her holiday must-do’s done - so she can enjoy the rest of the month.
She said she’s creating her own Intentional Margin® and blocking off the week after Thanksgiving and through the first week of December to get all of her “holiday chores” done - as she calls them.
You know, the things like addressing holiday cards, wrapping and shopping and decorating and grocery shopping and planning. She decided to block off this time in her 2022 calendar to do all of these things so she can relax in the merriment of the holiday season. I think this is a great idea. And I think she’s on to something. We all feel busier than ever during the holiday season, so how can we be proactive and have time, which is usually the thing we value most, to enjoy a little holiday cheer.
I hope this idea inspires you to look at December 2022 and think about how you would plan your ideal holiday season. And of course, we are looking for ideas, so I would love to know what you are thinking. Tag us on social media or send us a DM over @everydayhappinesswithkatie.
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