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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
Saturday Aug 14, 2021
Saturday Aug 14, 2021
Humans are inherently negative. Let me explain.
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 what we know is that humans are inherently negative. Let me explain.
We humans have a negativity bias, which means that we’re wired to notice threats in the environment. This is the evolution of humans watching guard at night to not be attacked by a lion. This is why we get scared in a dark alley when someone is chasing us. Let’s hope that never happens. But, this is a good thing – it’s kept our species alive.
But as we evolve, we don’t just want to be alive. We also want to be happy. Now we are not faced with a lion in the night, but instead, a global pandemic or anything else you see on the news.
When there is too much of a focus on the negative, gratitude can be a way to nurture a more positive focus, literally using it as a sword to cut the negativity and teach the brain to spend more time on the feel-goods and less time hanging on to the things that suck.
Gratitude builds on itself. We know the brain changes with experience, so the more that gratitude is practised, the more the brain learns to tune in to the positive things in the world. This isn’t something that tends to come naturally. But the saying, what you focus on grows. This is how we start to shift the mind from focusing on the negativity and instead seeing the good, because we are intentionally focusing on the gratitude. Our brain can’t help itself, it wants to give you more of what you focus on. And that, my friends, is the magic.
So, I invite you to focus on the good today and just see what happens. If you are called to share, I’d love to hear what you are focusing on over at @everydayhappinesswithkatie on social media.
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 Aug 13, 2021
Friday Aug 13, 2021
The research indicates that gratitude is more powerful with the things you do than the things you own (even if what you own is amazing).
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 what I’ve learned is that gratitude is more powerful with the things you do than the things you own (even if what you own is amazing).
Research has found that we tend to feel more grateful for experiences than for things we have. There doesn’t seem to be any clear reason for this, but one of the theories is that experiences are less likely to trigger social comparisons. While ‘things’ can seduce us into comparing what we have to what other people have, experiences are more likely to shift our focus to our own personal circumstances, and expand feelings of appreciation, happiness and contentment.
This got me thinking about all things summer vacation to holiday gift giving. How am I parenting and what are we focusing on here. I feel, like a lot of parents, that my kids have everything they need to be “happy”. They, of course, always want something more. I don’t blame them, it’s part of human evolution.
But what I can do is model this ‘gratitude for the experience’ behavior. It can show the children (and anyone around us) where to focus our energy. So, that’s where I’m going to focus, on the experience because the research seems to indicate that showing gratitude for the less tangible things in our lives stops us from acting and being seen as ‘entitled’, or ‘spoiled’, neither of which generally adds to your character.
Today, I am grateful for you, listening to this episode. If you feel called to be a part of this happiness movement, share this episode with 5 friends, I would be honored and you will get a little kindness boost. Know that wherever you are, I’m thanking you for helping spread the word. Tag me 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://bossladybio.com/everydayhappiness/
Thursday Aug 12, 2021
Thursday Aug 12, 2021
A follow-back study about nuns, happiness and life longevity has me so intrigued, I have to share the key factor. Tune in to today's episode.
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 in my research on the correlation between gratitude and happiness I came across an article In Positive Psychology that summarizes research on happy people living longer and one particular study about nuns has me intrigued… so I’m going to give you the high level cliff notes here and link in the show notes.
The question is: Does the happier you are, correlate to the longer you live? Yoichi Chida and Andrew Steptoe (2008) attempted to answer this question.
What we know is that happiness does positively affect longevity, for everyone whether they were healthy or sick. (Carr, 2011).
Healthy population studies have found that when participants exhibited a positive affect, like joy, happiness, energy and vigor, life satisfaction, optimism, and a sense of humor – there was a lower mortality rate (Carr, 2011).
Other researchers have done similar work and the Danner study is what has me fascinated. They completed a large follow-back study with 180 nuns in the US. All of the nuns had a similar lifestyle, diet, and schedule.
The nun participants wrote essays as they entered into their religious order. They wrote about themselves and their life from childhood to present day, and their hopes and dreams for their lives.
The nuns were completely unaware that their essays would be analyzed for a happiness and longevity study. The researchers found that, about 50 years later, 90% of the happiest nuns lived past 85 (years old), and only 34% who scored as the least happy lived past 85.
We can see that happiness can increase our longevity. However, what are the factors that determine happiness?
We’ve talked about how genetics plays a big part in our happiness. And circumstances come next. But that we have this remaining percentage of our happiness bucket that we get to influence. And that’s where the magic is.
This knowledge is an incredible gift because it indicates that we get to be an active participant in determining our future and it’s not purely left to chance.
While there are different ways to boost happiness, one way for sure is to bring about more happiness is gratitude.
Today, I am grateful for you, listening to this episode. If you feel called to be a part of this happiness movement, share this episode with 5 friends, I would be honored and you will get a little kindness boost. Know that wherever you are, I’m thanking you for helping spread the word. Tag me on social @everydayhappinesswithkatie.
Inspiration for this episode and the research mentioned comes from an article from Positive Psychology.
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 Aug 11, 2021
Wednesday Aug 11, 2021
Start with gratitude for what you have now, and you’ll see a shift in your overall happiness.
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 what we know is that gratitude hard wires you to be happy now.
So, I’m asking you:
Are you depending on something else for your happiness?
When you get that job?
When you have more money in the bank account?
When, when, when …..
If you place your happiness on something else, someone else, it’s hard to find happiness.
I invite you to ask yourself, how are you in control of your happiness? It comes from within.
it’s not these things that you think make you happy, it’s your choice to be grateful for them that is what makes you happy.
When you choose to focus on gratitude, you have less space and room for negativity in your brain.
When you are happy, you attract healthier happier people in your life.
So today, ask yourself, what are you grateful for, what are you happy with right now? Pick anything, perhaps the sun is shining, or you enjoyed a cup of coffee, just start somewhere.
And if you are enjoying this micro-podcast, please share it with 5 friends and perhaps, together, we can create more happiness. Know that wherever you are, I’m thanking you for helping spread the word. Tag me 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://bossladybio.com/everydayhappiness/
Tuesday Aug 10, 2021
Tuesday Aug 10, 2021
The research shows that when you act more grateful, you can make yourself more grateful and when you are more grateful for what you have (and not what you want), you are happier. So how do we do this? Listen in to find out.
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 we talked a while back in Episode 49 about acting “as if”. Well, the research shows that this also works for gratitude. When you act more grateful, you can make yourself more grateful and when you are more grateful for what you have (and not what you want), you are happier.
Well that seems simple enough. But, we’re complex humans and it’s just not always that easy, especially if we don’t have a consistent practice for doing it.
This is all about being mindful and intentional and turning your outlook to one of gratitude.
In an article in Psychology Today, they asked, how does gratitude make you happier?
The research says that one way is by stimulating two important regions in our brains. The area that regulates stress, and the area that plays a significant role in the brain’s reward system that produces feelings of pleasure.
In this article, it quotes Arthur Brooks' suggestion of three strategies to harness the positive effects of gratitude.
Practice interior gratitude, like keeping a gratitude journal
Practice exterior gratitude, like writing a thank you note
Practice being grateful for the little things, the things you often overlook, like clean water and a fully stocked grocery store.
So, I am grateful for you, for listening to this episode. I am grateful to you for sharing this micro-podcast and leaving a review on Amazon, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, wherever you tune in, if you are inclined to do so.
Inspiration for this episode and the research mentioned comes from an article from Psychology Today.
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 Aug 09, 2021
Monday Aug 09, 2021
Research indicates that expressing gratitude for your partner improves your relationship. Can you find something in your partner to be grateful for today? This also works for family relationships, whether it's a parent, a child, sibling, etc. If you are feeling a strain in your relationship, think about what you ‘are’ grateful for and see if that helps.
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 read an article in the Harvard Health blog that referenced studies that looked at how gratitude can improve relationships, it strengthens our connections with people. It said that “a study of couples found that individuals who took time to express gratitude for their partner not only felt more positive toward the other person but also felt more comfortable expressing concerns about their relationship.” This is incredible friends! This is literally something we can all do everyday, and the research shows that it actually makes a difference. It’s so simple.
It lights my hair on fire, it’s exciting to be reminded how powerful our brains are. A gratitude about my husband will now be a statement I never miss in my gratitude journal. What do I love about my husband.
This got me thinking about how I can show up, so the people in my life are grateful for me ;)
I have two affirmations around my immediate relationships that I want to share with you, as inspiration for your own affirmations.
I am an exceptional wife.
I am a calm, patient and present mother.
I hope this gives you inspiration for your own gratitude practice. If you are called to leave a review, I would be so incredibly grateful, it’s one of the best ways we can grow this micro-podcast and share more happiness together.
Inspiration for this episode and the research mentioned comes from a 2011 article from Harvard Health.
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 Aug 08, 2021
Sunday Aug 08, 2021
Hey thanks. No really, THANK YOU! Sharing with another person your appreciation of their impact on your life, big or small, not only boosts their happiness, it boosts yours too.
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 just wanted to say “thanks”
Giving thanks can be so simple, and yet - it slips by. How many times have you thought about going out of your way to say thanks or write that YELP review for excellent service, but got distracted or too busy. We’re missing opportunities to give gratitude all day long.
If you work with others, the research says that giving thanks actually helps employee productivity. Makes perfect sense, right. We want to reward good behavior and get more of it. This is what I think makes exceptional non-profits stand out above the crowd. It’s their massive gratitude for their volunteers.
I invite you to write a thank-you note. Not only can it make you happier (we’ve learned that kindness for others boosts happiness) but sharing with another person your appreciation of their impact on your life, big or small boosts their happiness too. Pop it in the mail or deliver in person. I’m working on making a habit of sending at least one gratitude letter a month. I invite you to join me.
In the meantime, if you’ve enjoyed listening to Everyday Happiness, please share it with your networks, I would be so grateful.
Inspiration for this episode and the research mentioned comes from a 2011 article from Harvard Health.
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
Saturday Aug 07, 2021
Saturday Aug 07, 2021
Have you heard of a gratitude frenzy? In today’s episode I share what mine looks like in hopes it will inspire you to think about your own frenzy.
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 in the morning, I try to practice a gratitude frenzy.
It goes like this:
- Open eyes
- Give thanks for the day, I’m alive.
- I am thankful for my husband sleeping next to me.
Then I get out of bed and let the frenzy begin.
- I am thankful for these legs that carry me through my day
- I am thankful for this running water that lets me brush my teeth, this toothpaste feels clean and fresh,
- I am thankful that I can go to the store and pick any toothpaste I want.
- I am thankful for clean water to drink.
- I am thankful the air conditioning is working
I walk downstairs and
- I am thankful I prepped my coffee for this morning
- I am thankful for the smell of brewing coffee
- I am thankful for the warm coffee that I get to sip that rolls down my throat and fills me with happiness
It is really simple and really basic. It’s literally just starting with a frenzy of good vibes. And, it kinda feels good. It’s not taking things for granted.
I’m curious what you would have in your gratitude frenzy.
And, if you’ve enjoyed listening to Everyday Happiness, please share it with your networks, I would be so grateful. This little ditty only grows and spreads more joy through the kindness of listeners like you sharing it.
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 Aug 06, 2021
Friday Aug 06, 2021
Semantics is a funny thing. What do you call gratitude? Does it 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 sometimes when I get caught up in semantics, I like to refer to “gratitude” as “appreciation”. Sometimes gratitude feels big and really I just appreciate a lot of little things, of which I am of course grateful for. But if you are sitting down to a blank piece of paper to write your gratitude and nothing comes to mind, ask yourself if you appreciate anything? Maybe that will help.
I often write that I am grateful for this cup of coffee I am drinking and that I woke up with two legs that carried me to my kitchen to make the coffee. I am grateful for the lights that turn on in the morning hours. Starting off super basic.
I think it’s semantics. I don’t have any research on this quite yet, but whatever you call it, gratitude or appreciation - we can all agree, including the research, that when you take a step back and feel that gratitude, it boosts happiness. And isn’t that what we’re after - especially if you are listening to this, right.
So, whatever you call it. I hope you take a moment and remind yourself what you appreciate today.
I love this so much, I’d love to hear from you. Send me a message on social @everydayhappinesswithkatie and tell me what you are grateful for today.
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 Aug 05, 2021
Thursday Aug 05, 2021
During the unstructured summer months, kids are off school and my routine is different. This led to falling out of my daily gratitude practice. Has this ever happened to 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 in my membership community the monthly focus is on gratitude. If I’m being really honest, I know the science and yet, I’ve fallen out of the habit in the unstructured summer months, of my daily gratitude practice. And during some reflection in late July, I think it was having an effect on my own mental state. I had been feeling more, well - blah. So it got me thinking, could we all use a boost, like a pep talk to be more mindful of our own gratitude.
If I was going to give myself a pep talk - which I needed, I might as well share this with you too. I mean, we’re in this together - right?
So gratitude is thankful appreciation for what we have, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, we are intentionally acknowledging the good. We’re telling our brain, focus on this. We’re telling the Universe, thank you and I like this and bring me more of this, please.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the drama of the day, the news, the social media, all the things… so I found that gratitude has really been a centering force for me and the research agrees. Gratitude is not only strongly associated with greater happiness - 10 weeks of a consistent gratitude practice can boost your optimism. It helps you deal with adversity and let’s face it, there is a lot of that right now.
Gratitude is a way for us to slow down, be intentional and appreciate what we have instead of always reaching for something new in the hopes it will make us happier. As entrepreneurs, we can often get caught up in the feeling of not being satisfied until we achieve the next thing, check the next box, crush the next goal, and gratitude helps us refocus on what we have instead of looking to something in the future. And, although it may feel contrived and insignificant at first, a consistent gratitude practice changes the neurons in the brain and boosts happiness and satisfaction (a key component of happiness).
So, what are you waiting for? Take a few minutes and think about what you are grateful for, right now.
Inspiration for this episode and the research mentioned comes from a 2011 article from Harvard Health.
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/