What's Really on Your Plate?

Boulder = Bolder

Hey Uplifters!

How's your mental menu looking today? Chock-full of "What's for dinner?" with a side of "What's happening in politics/the Olympics?" and a generous helping of "Oh no, I forgot to reply to that email!"?

If your brain feels like a 24/7 buffet of questions, distractions, and random thoughts, you're not alone. It's no wonder finding time, energy, and motivation for those big, juicy life goals can feel tougher than getting the last bit of ketchup out of the bottle!

But what if I told you there's a way to clear your mental plate and make room for the good stuff? Enter the "Four Big Rocks" strategy!

#seenonmyrun

Wanna try it with me?

Choose Your Rocks:

At the start of each week, choose your four "big rocks" - the major priorities that truly matter.

• Context is King

  • What forces are at play this week? Consider the weather, cultural events, your calendar, and the state of your relationships, work, body, and mind.

• Reality Check

  • "What matters most right now?"

  • "What is this moment perfect for?"

  • "What's urgent AND important?"

Make them Visible:

Write your rocks on a Post-it and display it proudly. (Bonus points for glitter pens!). This is a micro-version of the Goal Object that Dr Marcia Morgan described in last week’s episode and her Monday morning “rock” rituals.

Rocks First, Pebbles Later:

Tackle those big rocks when your brain is fresh (hello, morning productivity!). Leave the small stuff for later.

Daily Check-In:

Glance at your rocks each morning. It's like a pep talk from your most focused self!

Passive Progress:

Move each rock as far as you can easily. Hit a block? No worries! Switch to another rock and let the first one marinate.

@theuplifterspodcastEarlier this summer, I found myself struggling to scratch off my to do list. At the end of the week, I didn’t feel like I’d accomplished much, but I also realized I was moving the mile marker on myself throughout the week. I was doing plenty, but it wasn’t necessarily aligned with my highest priorities. So, I created this for big rock method to help me stay focused on what matters most. Do you do something similar? I’d love to hear about it! #productivity #timemanagement #gentlereminder #prioritization

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Boulder = Bolder

Since I started planning my weeks this way, I’ve made bigger, bolder progress every week on the things that matter most to me. It’s so much easier to remember what matters when I’m loud and clear with myself about what I really care about.

It's not about perfection, though. It's about giving yourself clarity and permission to focus on what truly matters. Some weeks, your rocks might be mountain-sized career goals. Other weeks, they might be pebbles like "take a nap" or "call Mom." It's all good if it matters to you!

Now, I'd love to hear from you! What are your big rocks this week? Struggling to identify them? Come join us in our new Uplifters Unstuck Facebook group, where we’re gonna talk about this kind of stuff all week so that we can use our collective experience to make it easier to push the biggest rocks up the tallest mountains. We're all about sharing strategies, celebrating wins, and maybe the occasional rock pun (they're gneiss, I promise!).

Let's make this week rock (sorry, couldn't resist)!

Keep stacking those stones,

Aransas

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P.P.S. I’ve been nominated for a Women in Podcasting Award! It would mean so much if you’d vote for The Uplifters.

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Your Next Uplifter

Our next episode of The Uplifters Podcast is headed your way on Thursday. You’ll meet

Cher

Hale (she/her) the founder and director of Ginkgo PR, an agency that uses public relations to create a more equitable media landscape. As a Taiwanese-Black American woman, Cher is passionate about leveraging the power of the media to take back narratives that have been traditionally told for under-recognized authors and entrepreneurs.

Paid Subscriber Zone

✨ Huge gratitude to all of our paid subscribers! Your support makes all the difference.

✨ As always, all of my writing is free and you can listen to every episode of the podcast for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack, or wherever you get your podcasts. For those of you who are more visual or want to take a deeper dive with our guests and who want to support this work with a paid subscription, you’ll find the extended-cut video of my conversation with Marcia Morgan below.

✨September Subscriber Workshop: Let’s channel those good old back-to-school vibes for some focused reprioritization. We’re gonna use this as a working session to share ways we’re stuck in our progress, brainstorm new ways to overcome mental, physical, and even technical hurdles, and boost our momentum! You'll gain valuable insights from both your own challenges and those of your peers. You'll:

• Share your sticking points

• Gain fresh perspectives from me and resource experts

• Learn from others' experiences

• Leave feeling focused and energized