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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
Monday Sep 13, 2021
Monday Sep 13, 2021
I’ve been struggling with this concept of mindfulness because I kept thinking I had to do this perfect meditation. But when I flipped the script, I came around to what is mindfulness and how I could do it without meditating all day long.
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’ve been struggling with this concept of mindfulness.
Perhaps it's just semantics that I was getting caught up on, similarly with gratitude and appreciation, but being mindful is not easy for me and I’m not a girl who meditates.
But then I heard an explanation that was less about meditation - the kind where you try to think of nothing and more about being present in the moment. That’s still hard for me, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve started to change the way I think of mindfulness.
I started to flip the script and think about mindfulness as being present and something I can do all day, instead of a time that was strictly devoted to meditation. In a way, it was freeing me from the guilt of thinking I needed to meditate.
I learned, through my research, that Mindfulness is simply the art of being completely present in the moment.
I looked up mindfulness in the thesaurus to try to better understand and it led me to words like appreciation, present, thoughtfulness, state of consciousness, wholeness.
So I started to look at “mindfulness” as “being present” and that is where my journey has led me so far.
I haven’t gotten to the mindfulness state of pure awareness, beyond mental activity that is the state of being found in the Buddhism origination of mindfulness.
I’m just working on being present in the here and now.
It looks like being in the moment and not on auto-pilot, moving through life without paying full attention to the journey. I wonder if my less than ideal memory is because I wasn't present in the moment - for years - because I was already moving on to the next thing?
I’m curious, how do you describe mindfulness? What works for you? I’d love any tips you’ve got for me. I’m over 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
Sunday Sep 12, 2021
Sunday Sep 12, 2021
When I got this text from a friend, it was like a dagger to my heart - for her. She needed more Intentional Margin but was spiraling.
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 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.
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://bossladybio.com/everydayhappiness/
Saturday Sep 11, 2021
Saturday Sep 11, 2021
Today we explore two analogies that can help us look at our tasks and our priorities with intention.
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 share with you two analogies on choosing priorities.
First, you can have a garage full of car, 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.
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://bossladybio.com/everydayhappiness/
Friday Sep 10, 2021
Friday Sep 10, 2021
Are you curious about what other people are saying about Everyday Happiness? Listen in…
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 it’s time to shout out some reviews! Thank you for sharing, reviewing, and showing up for this community.
Michelle E says “love love love this 2 minute daily podcast from Katie Jefcoat. I’m 10 episodes in and I’m happier simply from listening to short thought-provoking insights into how to prioritize happiness”
Jennifer G says “Anyone looking for a daily does of happiness? This new two minute a day podcast with bite size tips are just what I needed. Access your podcast type from these links and also leave a review rating too!! Thank you Katie Jefcoat for curating the best happiness tips!!!”
Kristen P says” loved clarifying my north star in this episode”
It was episode 38 if you’re wondering.
From now on, we are going to shout out our gratitude for listener reviews right here on the podcast, and we’d love to say a public thank you to you! You can tag @ everydayhappinesswithkatie on social media and leave a review anywhere you listen to this. :)
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://bossladybio.com/everydayhappiness/
Thursday Sep 09, 2021
Thursday Sep 09, 2021
It’s time to pop the bubbly, grab your steaming cup of coffee because today is a B-I-G day! We’re celebrating 100 Everyday Happiness Episodes.
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 pop the bubbly, grab your steaming cup of coffee because today is a B-I-G day! We’re celebrating 100 Everyday Happiness Episodes.
I am so incredibly grateful for you, the listener that subscribes and shows up to get a daily does of happiness. I am growing in this space, I would like to think that I am improving and I am 100% feeding off of your energy, whether that’s on reviews (that you so much), on social media, in my email if you get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox, on Amazon Alexa flash briefings or, if I see you on the street. It is seriously one of the most fun and fulfilling projects I’ve done and I could not be more excited about where we’re headed - together.
One thing I know for sure, is that when you lock arms with the right people, magic happens and that’s how I feel about this community of listeners. This is to celebrate you! Thank you for sharing the episodes and the social media quote cards and telling your friends to subscribe.
Thank you for your support, your loyalty and your online friendship. I feel it. I really do. I feel like I have a marketing team out there working with me to spread kindness and happiness through this micro-podcast and I know, together, we will do big things.
Cheers to you and the next 100 Episodes! With an abundantly overflowing grateful heart, I’m Katie and I’m so glad you are here.
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://bossladybio.com/everydayhappiness/
Wednesday Sep 08, 2021
Wednesday Sep 08, 2021
After talking about clutter and my desire to purge things in my house, it got me thinking about the tangible things that do matter. This episode is a personal reflection of what things matter.
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 past month my family has been cleaning 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 98, 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 social.
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://bossladybio.com/everydayhappiness/
Tuesday Sep 07, 2021
Tuesday Sep 07, 2021
Do you ever feel like when there is physical clutter in your space, you feel overwhelmed? Today’s episode shares how I feel about clutter and I’m asking: How much does your feeling of happiness have to do with your physical surroundings?
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’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 of 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.
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://bossladybio.com/everydayhappiness/
Monday Sep 06, 2021
Monday Sep 06, 2021
This episode shares practical examples as a guide to writing your own daily affirmations.
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 we are chatting about affirmation examples.
For me, affirmations are a reminder to myself on how I want to show up for myself and others. Who I know I can be in this world. And why it’s so important to be truly authentic. And of course, to put out into the Universe what I am asking for. But I don’t believe affirmations happen because we say some things over and over, I think more likely, we say these things and it reminds us how we are to act. I think action is the key. And to some degree, noticing when you see those signs that you otherwise might miss, because it’s top of mind when you are actively saying and believing and trusting your affirmations. They are deeply personal and for most people, you have to write affirmations that are a reflection of you - these examples can help inspire your own affirmations.
And please, share with me what affirmations you practice or have written recently. I’m over @everydayhappinesswithkatie on social. Ok, now to the examples:
- I complete my project goals effortlessly and with ease and grace by always asking myself, “is this simple” and “what will make this effortless”.
- I am an exceptional wife
- I am a patient and present mother
- I am acting as if everything is possible
- I move through the world with intention
- I am inviting in inspiration for my next project.
- I fuel my body with healthy food
- I find joy in the journey
I hope this inspires 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://bossladybio.com/everydayhappiness/
Sunday Sep 05, 2021
Sunday Sep 05, 2021
What do you do when you are feeling a little ho-hum, ya know, when life feels heavy?
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 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? Tomorrow we’ll dive into some affirmation examples. Stay Tuned.
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://bossladybio.com/everydayhappiness/
Saturday Sep 04, 2021
Saturday Sep 04, 2021
What if there was part of your brain that really controlled the ‘ol saying “what you focus on grows”?
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 there is this saying, what you focus on grows. We’ve all heard it. And you can see in your own life how this happens, right? When I became pregnant, even before I told people, I was seeing so many pregnant women. When my husband and I bought a mini-cooper, we felt like all of a sudden we were seeing so many more mini-coopers driving down the highway.
There is this part of your brain, and I promise not to get to scienc-y, because this is way above my pay grade, but it goes like this:
There is this part of your brain, it starts above your spinal cord and it's about two inches long and about the width of a pencil, and what it does is really connect that subconscious part of our brain with the conscious part of our brain.
It’s called the RAS - Reticular Activation System.
It’s the gatekeeper of information that gets let into the conscious part of the mind. Our subconscious and our sensory organs are constantly throwing things at the RAS, if everything got to our conscious mind, I would imagine our brains would blow up. We need this gatekeeper to only allow the most important things through the gate.
We can use our conscious mind to tell the RAS what we want to see more of. Back to the ‘ol saying, what we focus on grows.
So, if you want to be a grateful, happy person, start a gratitude practice.
By doing this gratitude practice - you train your brain to be in this automatic happiness state. By training your brain, telling your RAS what you want to see more of, you create new neuro-pathways in your brain and this becomes the normal way of thinking.
It sounds crazy and unbelievable, but there are virtually every scientist that studies this brain stuff will tell you it works. Let’s notice happy moments and give gratitude or appreciation for them.
If you want Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox every morning, you can subscribe 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://bossladybio.com/everydayhappiness/