SUMMER REPLAY: Creating Effective Habits with Amy Porterfield

Episode Transcript

[00:00:00] Marissa: If you found us recently, welcome. We’re so excited that you’re here, and we’ve got some good news. So summer is the perfect time to actually go backwards.

[00:00:15] Joel: Like hit rewind. We are playing, that is to say we are replaying some of our favorite episodes while we are on hiatus. So think of this maybe as like the starter kit for you.

[00:00:28] Marissa: Yeah. And the truth is that you don’t have to start at any specific point. We try to create all of our episodes as really standalone episodes. This next one that you’re about to hear is gonna be perfect no matter if this is your first Focus on This episode or maybe your 25th.

[00:00:45] Joel: We’re glad you’re here and we hope you stay for the replay.

[00:00:48] We’ll see you soon

[00:00:54] Courtney: Verbs, I think the year was, I’m pretty sure it was 2018, and it was before I had joined the team here at Full Focus, and, you know, I was a director of marketing for a larger nonprofit, and I started listening to this person’s podcast. And honestly, I think it was the first time I had really heard a, a woman that owned her own business talking about marketing, and I think this specific episode was about, um, building the li- building somebody’s list.

[00:01:28] She actually had a guest on. It was… Honestly, I started just binging everything that this person had, uh, in their podcast. And then it wasn’t long after that, that I joined the Full Focus team, and this person was a speaker at, um, our Achieve Conference, which was a, a conference we had years ago, I, I think also in 2018, and I kind of fan-girled a little bit.

[00:01:55] Um- … little did I know, you know, however many years later it’s been, I can’t do years anymore, Verbs, because of the pandemic. I’m not sure still what year it is. Yeah.

[00:02:05] Verbs: It’s all topsy-turvy. Yeah.

[00:02:07] Courtney: That’s right. We have that person here on our podcast, which is, I, I, it’s just like a, a real moment for me here.

[00:02:15] Verbs: I can tell.

[00:02:16] I can tell, and that’s amazing. So just to tag to your story, uh, and we br- we mentioned this briefly at the top of the show, but I remember briefly meeting her at the same conference, but I’ll say anytime I hear her name brought up in a conversation, uh, of course anywhere around the company, there’s always good things being said.

[00:02:33] So would you please, Full Focus audience, welcome to the show Amy Porterfield. Morning, Amy. Well,

[00:02:40] Amy Porterfield: hello. Hi, guys. I’m so glad to be here. Happy Monday to you I, I love the applause. Yeah. I would like that for every- Yes … podcast I’m on.

[00:02:50] Verbs: It’s like a full studio audience that’s not in the studio. But here we are.

[00:02:55] Amy Porterfield: So good.

[00:02:56] Verbs: So Amy, for those of, uh, our listeners who may not know specifically what you do as far as in your business, can you tell us a little bit about what that looks like?

[00:03:04] Amy Porterfield: Yes. Okay. So I help budding entrepreneurs create online businesses, and I specifically focus on list building and digital course creation.

[00:03:15] So I’ve been doing this for about 13 years. Before I started my own business, I was in corporate. I was the director of content development for Tony Robbins. And so I took everything I learned from working with Tony and the team and moved it into entrepreneurship. And really what I focus on is helping people take their knowledge, know-how, and skillset and turn that into a thriving digital course that they can sell over and over and over again.

[00:03:41] So I’ve helped over 40,000 students through my online training programs, and my most favorite thing is to see people leave their nine-to-five job or leave a situation they don’t necessarily love anymore and move into becoming their own boss and building their own business. So that’s my area of expertise.

[00:03:59] And I have a podcast called Online Marketing Made Easy, and that’s where I talk about list building and webinars and entrepreneurship and getting out of the hustle mentality and getting organized and systems and everything in between. So that’s what I do online.

[00:04:13] Verbs: That’s amazing. If you have not had a chance yet to check out Amy’s podcast, you should do it right away.

[00:04:19] Um, so how about we get into today’s topic of discussion? We’re talking about habits, uh, how to develop h- healthy habits because I’m sure a lot of us have experienced when life starts to feel overwhelming and you, you see the things that really matter to you begin to fall by the wayside. Now, some of these ways that this shows up could be you staying up late to work.

[00:04:40] Uh, you find yourself missing time with your family. You know, you’re skipping workouts, you’re skipping meals. Your sleep starts to diminish. Uh, you forget the important details because your mind just feels so full. Courtney, I don’t know if you’ve experienced any of this at all, but I know we talk about habits- I have

[00:04:57] a lot on the show, but-

[00:04:57] Courtney: Never. No, I for sure have, and I don’t know about you two, but do you have things that, you know, only the people, like, super close to you would know? Like for example, I always say if my car is a disaster, things are rough. Like, you… Like, that is like a telltale sign for me. Um, or I used to say when I worked in an actual office that I would come into, it’s like if my desk was a disaster, you know, like, you could kinda know thi- so I’m curious, do y’all have any, like, telltale signs like that that are, like, you know, small things but, like, a big flag?

[00:05:33] Amy Porterfield: Oh, absolutely. I love that you say the car. I could totally relate to that one. And then I have a home gym, and when I haven’t seen the home gym in a week or two- Yeah … I know that I’m absolutely off track. I’m prioritizing the wrong kind of things.

[00:05:48] Marissa: Mm-hmm.

[00:05:48] Amy Porterfield: And then also when I start to go to bed later or wake up later.

[00:05:53] Like, I usually wake up at 5:30 AM- Yeah … every morning, but when it starts to go 6:00, 6:30, I know something’s off. I’m either really overwhelmed, really stressed, feel buried, and I just don’t wanna face any of it. Mm-hmm. So it’s usually my sleep patterns or my workout tend to suffer right away.

[00:06:10] Courtney: Yeah. Ferbs, what about you?

[00:06:12] Verbs: You know what, for me, I would say I do go to bed later because I, in my mind I tell myself if I have a little bit more hours of the day to process whatever’s going on in my head, then I’m gonna figure it out. Which never happens. It just makes it hang around there until morning time, uh, which, you know, makes the next morning a drag as well.

[00:06:31] But yeah, that and I would say most people would characterize me as a patient individual, but when I start to feel like I’m getting shorter in my patience then definitely something needs to, needs to happen, and I need to- That’s- … make an adjustment somewhere, so.

[00:06:45] Amy Porterfield: That’s a good one. Yeah.

[00:06:48] Verbs: So the truth is we need habits, activities we complete automatically that will help us stay on track and help us stay at our best.

[00:06:55] So trying to squeeze them in might just feel like one more thing to juggle, but habits simplify your life, not complicate it. You just need to know how they work, and that’s why we have our special guest, Amy Porterfield, here with us today, so let’s get into it.

[00:07:19] Welcome to another episode of Focus on This, the most productive podcast on the internet so you can banish distractions, get the right stuff done, and finally start loving Mondays. I’m Verbs here with Courtney Baker and Amy Porterfield. So happy Monday to you, Courtney, and happy Monday to you, Amy. Once again, thank you for joining us on the show.

[00:07:39] Amy Porterfield: Oh, I’m so happy to be here. Thanks for having me.

[00:07:42] Courtney: Yeah, this is gonna be a lot of fun. So what we have in store is really just a, a kinda conversation with you, Amy, about habits. So we have some questions we’re gonna throw your way, and feel free to throw ’em back at us. You know, this is- Mm-hmm … not just an interview.

[00:07:58] We can have a discussion about these, but, um, I think I’ll just jump in here. But we like to talk a lot about habits around here, you know, this isn’t our, our first time into this topic, mainly because of the power that the Full Focus Planner has in helping instill and install habits. So where in like your career or your even personal life, like when did you really discover the power of habits?

[00:08:24] Amy Porterfield: You know, I have, being an entrepreneur, I have heard about the power of habits forever and ever. But truth be told, I probably haven’t instilled habits in my life like I do today until just about a few years ago. And my first introduction to daily habits came through the Full Focus Planner, and specifically learning about morning rituals and shutdown rituals.

[00:08:49] Those were, like, the first habits that I was doing very consistently, tracking, holding myself accountable. And so really, truly, that’s how habits came about in my life.

[00:09:00] Courtney: Do you mind sharing just a little peek into what those look like for you?

[00:09:04] Amy Porterfield: Absolutely. So I take my morning ritual very, very seriously, and all of those things I do in the morning are what I consider my habits, and I actually even have a habit tracker.

[00:09:18] I have a coach that I check in with weekly, and sh- I have to send her my tracker every single day. And the reason for that is because I was getting very lazy. I’m, I’m very, uh, sometimes with habits I’m not as consistent as I want to be, so I had to bring in reinforcements. They’re that important to me.

[00:09:35] And so for my morning rituals, it’s things like 10 minutes of journaling, 10 minutes of meditation. I can’t do more than 10 minutes or it’s not realistic. It’s just not gonna happen. So I keep it really short and to the point. Um, including I wanna get seven to eight hours of sleep every night, take my supplements, work out, um, three to four times a week, and, um, in addition to that, make sure that I then show that I did all of these things when I finish them in the morning.

[00:10:05] So those are some of the things that, um, I do every single day.

[00:10:09] Courtney: You know, what I love about what you just shared is you said, “Hey, for meditation, like, it’s 10 minutes. Like, otherwise- Yeah … it’s not realistic.” It’s like you know yourself, you know? It’s like, uh, yeah, I, I would love to do 30 minutes of meditation, but that’s just not feasible.

[00:10:26] You know, I’m, I’m kinda putting words into your mouth here. But- No, it’s

[00:10:28] Amy Porterfield: true …

[00:10:29] Courtney: you know, your life’s season or, you know, what’s going on with your business, you know, and then you start, the ball starts rolling, you start missing it over time, and then it just gives you a sense of failure. It’s like actually the opposite of what you’re trying to achieve.

[00:10:42] Amy Porterfield: Oh, absolutely. Um, when I first started this tracker, I had drink a gallon of water every day. And I would miss it every single day. I’m like, “This is too hard.” Like, I’ve made it my mission now to drink water versus everything else, and it’s driving me crazy. So I changed it to just half my weight in, uh, water.

[00:10:59] Ooh. And that has served me well. But yeah, these habits have had to be tweaked along the way because if I’m not hitting them and I feel like, you’re right, like a failure every single day, like, I can’t have that. That’s not how I’m starting my morning.

[00:11:11] Courtney: Yeah.

[00:11:12] Verbs: Amy, you mentioned that, uh, habits are important to you, so much so that you had to bring in reinforcements just to keep them going and keep them top of mind.

[00:11:21] Uh, but what has, what has changed for you since you’ve started implementing habits? Was there specific, uh, you mentioned meditation or, you know, working out. What kind of adjustments have you seen kind of come into fruition since you’ve implemented these habits of yours?

[00:11:35] Amy Porterfield: Ooh, I love this question. So for me, a lot of my morning ritual is focused on decreasing my anxiety.

[00:11:43] And so in 2021 when I moved to Nashville, I had this overwhelming sense of depression and anxiety. It just hit me like a ton of bricks. Mm. And I’ve had a little of that- Mm … in my past, but nothing like what happened last year. And I don’t know where it came from or why it was there, but it really was debilitating.

[00:12:01] And so I made it my mission that I will do everything I can to lessen those overwhelming feelings. And so having these, I’ve changed the morning rituals to support my issues with anxiety so that I can start the morning with a fresh mind. And so the meditation- Mm … ha- always has breathing exercises in it.

[00:12:21] That helps immensely with my anxiety. And then just journaling all my thoughts and feelings and things I’m struggling with or things I’m grateful for puts me in the right state of mind. So really everything I do in the morning is to set me up so when I sit at this desk and I’m ready to go, my mind is clear, I am focused, I am free of worry because I already journaled about it and meditated through it.

[00:12:44] So it absolutely sets me up for a successful day. And when I skip those things, I absolutely notice a difference. So for me, like, my theme is let’s decrease anxiety. And I think anyone listening- Mm-hmm … if you’ve got this challenge that keeps coming up for you, how can you set up your morning to tackle it first thing?

[00:13:03] That has really been a game changer for me.

[00:13:05] Courtney: I love that. It’s, it’s like what do I need this ritual to be for me to be successful? And I think that looks different for a lot of different pe- I think a lot of times we hear other people’s rituals and we think, “Okay, h- let me, let me get my paper. Let me start…”

[00:13:21] Yes. “Okay, 10 minutes of this, 10 minutes of that.” You know, workout at 4:00 AM. You know, um, when really it’s like, okay, what do I actually need to be my best? And, you know, I love just your transparency, you know, even on your own podcast where you’ve shared about your anxiety and, and I think there’s probably certainly people out there that are struggling with that and can pick up some tips.

[00:13:42] But there may be other challenges people are having right now, and you can really craft that, uh, your morning ritual to really help you accomplish what is right for you.

[00:13:54] Amy Porterfield: Absolutely. You know, I did, on my own podcast I did an episode about morning rituals, and I had different peers share theirs. Love it.

[00:14:02] And right, exactly what you just said, one of my friends, Kate Northrup, she had just had a baby. And she came on and she said, “My morning ritual’s gonna look a whole lot different than everybody else’s-” “… ’cause it doesn’t include journaling or, or meditation or even working out. I am in survival mode, so here’s what my morning ritual looks like.”

[00:14:21] And I loved that, ’cause you’re right. We all go through different seasons. And I think every quarter you should be looking at all of your habits, not just morning ritual, but everything that you’re committed to doing. Does it still serve you in the season of life that you’re in right now? So yeah- I totally get that

[00:14:36] Verbs: And I think that’s so profound what you just said is remembering it’s not, “Hey, let me set them up at the beginning of the year or the quarter, and then it’s pass or fail.”

[00:14:44] It’s how do I continue to, to, uh, massage and adjust these so I can find the right rhythm in the right, in the season of life that I’m in right now, and, and figuring out how those work for you best. So I mean, again, uh, relocating across the country, having a baby, those are significant life events to where it would should prompt you to, “Hey, let me look at this and make sure that my rituals are serving me well, and I’m not just serving the ritual because I have it written down on paper.”

[00:15:09] Amy Porterfield: Amen. Yes

[00:15:24] Verbs: How can people in periods of transition really leverage habits? I know you mentioned, you know, that’s a significant move going from California to Nashville in the middle of a pandemic, no less. But do you have any thoughts around how people can really leverage those habits when they’re in a life transition?

[00:15:40] Amy Porterfield: Yeah. I think it starts with a question, and the question I would ask, and I have asked myself, is what do I need right now in this season of life? What would make me happy? What would bring me joy? What would lessen my depression or anxiety? Uh, what would make me feel more connected? Whatever it might be, but what do you need right now?

[00:15:58] And I don’t think that’s a question we asks, uh, ask ourselves enough. I know I don’t. Yeah. And so once you start with that question, what do I need right now? And for me, when I first moved to Nashville, and I moved, uh, uh, Michael jokes with me, he’s like, “You came at the worst time ever.” The dead of winter, uh, in February when they had their first ice storm in, like, 100 years.

[00:16:19] I’m like, what is happening for this Southern California girl? And so in that moment, I just needed to feel grounded. That’s all I needed. I was in a whole new place- Mm … uh, different weather, different people. I missed my family and my friends. I wanted to feel grounded. So there were things that I did, such as setting up the house as quickly as possible so it felt like home again, and going on walks with my dog like I did every day in California, and making sure I had that familiar feeling of I’m safe, I’m okay, this is o- this is a good move.

[00:16:51] We’re gonna make it work. So my rituals and my habits a year ago looked dramatically different than they do now, and I’d, al- I’d love to think that I’m always up-leveling. Sometimes I have to go backwards a little bit. So asking the question, what do I need right now, uh, I think is really helpful, especially when you’re in a transition.

[00:17:10] Courtney: This question kind of goes off that a little bit, but why, why do you think people get stuck, you know, when they’re trying to create habits or trying to install new habits?

[00:17:21] Amy Porterfield: Oh, I absolutely believe, and I take this from personal experience, we have too many, and we make them too difficult.

[00:17:28] Courtney: Yep.

[00:17:28] Amy Porterfield: Mm. Like, you, you were right when you said earlier, “I hear other people’s habits or rituals,” and I’m like, “I, I need those.

[00:17:34] I, I need to do all of those.” Like, drink a gallon of water, and then I’m like, I’m not the girl that’s gonna drink a gallon of water. It’s just not gonna happen. Or I’m not the girl that’s gonna work out seven days a week. Like, I hear people do that 75 hard, and I’m like, I, I, I just, that’s not my personality.

[00:17:49] So I think the biggest mistake is adopting somebody else’s, not knowing really what you want and what you need, and also having too many. That’s another thing. That’s another thing why I love Full Focus Planner, especially the, the list, um, not the list building. I, I’ve got list building on my brain every minute.

[00:18:06] The, the goal setting part where you don’t have 20 of them- Mm … and there’s a reason for that. Same thing with habits. I really believe we need to pare ’em down.

[00:18:15] Verbs: I will say this, anyone, ’cause I’ve done it myself, I’ve tried to set that habit of drinking a gallon of water a day.

[00:18:22] Amy Porterfield: Do you

[00:18:22] Verbs: do it? But you have to plan the r- I do not.

[00:18:26] I do not. Here’s the thing. Here’s the thing- I was like, “Don’t put me on the spot” … with drinking a gallon of water. Right, no. Here’s the thing with drinking a gallon of water a day. You, the, the whole rest of your day is affected and impacted by your trips to the restroom by drinking a gallon of water a day.

[00:18:40] Thank you. So you’re losing 10, 15 minutes of pockets of time a day just, uh, for restroom stops. But-

[00:18:45] Courtney: And full disclosure, when you’re doing back-to-back Zoom meetings- Thank you … this is a real pain point here. There is no, like, in, if you’re in an office, you know, it’s very natural to be like, “Hey, I gotta go run to the restroom really quickly.”

[00:18:58] Yeah. But when you’re doing back-to-back Zoom meetings, there’s no opportunity for that. We’ve gotta figure out as a society how to appropriately do that, okay? So we can talk about that. I agree. On this podcast, guys, we might be onto something.

[00:19:12] Verbs: Yeah. Totally agree. And appropriately find out how to do that is the key, the key word.

[00:19:16] I’m sure somebody has somewhere rigged something up. But, um-

[00:19:20] Courtney: Well, I also- … here’s a question … I have never been successful with the gallon drinking water. Um, I’ve tried all the things. Megan Miller and I, our CEO, both did the, uh, plant, uh, app. Do y’all remember this one? It was like- Plant

[00:19:34] Marissa: app? Oh, yeah.

[00:19:35] Courtney: Anytime you drink a, some water you would give your plant water, and it would gr- I forget the name of it.

[00:19:40] So, um, Nick, have you ever been successful? Because-

[00:19:44] Nick: No. Well, here’s the thing. If you’re gonna tell me that every time I drink water- … that I’m gonna help a plant, like, my shame response when I fail to do that is gonna just, I’m gonna be like, “I’m killing so many plants.” It’s never gonna work. Like- So true … the moment you said that I got, like, warm.

[00:20:07] Courtney: You are the best Enneagram four podcast producer ever. I just love it so much.

[00:20:10] Amy Porterfield: Oh, it’s so good.

[00:20:12] Courtney: Okay, for everybody listening, we have no tips on how to drink lots of water. No. This is not the podcast for you. That is

[00:20:17] Amy Porterfield: not what this is about.

[00:20:18] Verbs: None. Zilch.

[00:20:20] Courtney: Hm.

[00:20:27] Verbs: If you could speak to this a little bit, Amy, how can our imagining or our thinking become a habit? Or maybe just tell us a little about, a little bit about some of the practices that you use just to train your brain a little bit differently.

[00:20:40] Amy Porterfield: Ooh, I love this question. I believe, you know, I teach entrepreneurs, so I believe that 80% of your success as an entrepreneur is all about your mindset, what you think, what you feel.

[00:20:54] Mm. And I believe that thoughts create feelings, and feelings create actions. And so when we’re talking about habits and rituals or setting goals, it starts with that thought that you have. And so for me, what I do is I, I, uh, call it mind my mindset every day. When I have a thought that does not make me feel good, I ask myself, “Is that thought serving you?”

[00:21:18] And instantly, the answer is no, and I have to choose a new thought. This is… I would call this maybe a habit that I don’t necessarily track daily, but it’s a habit that I, I catch a thought such as, “You’re not as smart as the next person,” or, “You, you, you’ve lost some of your mojo. This isn’t working as it used to,” or whatever it might come up for me.

[00:21:38] Mm. I ask myself, “Is that serving you? No. Let’s choose a new thought.” And sometimes that thought just needs to be neutral like, “I’m doing the dang thing. I’m in it. I’m making it happen.” Or it could be something like, “I’m gonna crush this, and I know I can make it a, you know, a big success.” Neutral or really positive depending on how I’m feeling, but I have to always check in with my thoughts.

[00:22:00] It’s, it’s a really big part of my success, and it’s something that someone with depression and anxiety, I can go to a really dark place really, really fast. Mm-hmm. Um, the other thing I’ll say to that is I often check in with people. So if I’m struggling with a thought that’s not serving me, and I’m feeling a certain way that I just can’t seem to shake, I’ll talk to my husband, Hobie, or I’ll talk to a coworker or a peer.

[00:22:23] But I’m not shy to reach out and say like, “I’ve got a challenge here. Can you give me a little pep talk?” And I’ve got some girlfriends- Mm … that do the best pep talks in the world. So find yourself some friends that can give you those pep talks when you need it, and don’t be afraid to reach out to them.

[00:22:38] Courtney: I love that.

[00:22:38] I think that is so helpful, especially, I mean, I think that’s for anybody in any role. You know, we have those thoughts that just don’t serve us well in our positions, but I think so critical for entrepreneurs.

[00:22:51] Joel: Yeah.

[00:22:52] Courtney: And, you know, I think there’s two really great habits I, you know, I, I use that word loosely, but catching our thoughts and then making a habit when needed to reach out to the people that can help us.

[00:23:03] Um, are there any other habits that you think for people that are entrepreneurs, starting businesses might wanna consider? You know, again, we said earlier we’re not prescribing here, but maybe some that you would say, “Hey, these are worth thinking about.”

[00:23:18] Amy Porterfield: Oh, yes. Absolutely. The first one is to visualize, and if you could do this on a daily basis.

[00:23:24] This comes usually with my meditation or my journaling. Visualize the future that you want. Whether you’re a, an employee in a nine-to-five job wanting to move up that ladder or you’re an entrepreneur, it doesn’t matter, visualize where you want to go. And if you do this daily, if you see yourself there, how do you feel?

[00:23:41] What are you wearing? What are you saying? What are you doing? I think that makes a world of difference to project the life that you truly want. So that’s a habit that I tend to do daily through my meditation. And then number two is fuel your brain. Listening to podcasts like this, you’re already winning, my friend.

[00:23:59] You’re already doing it. Every single day I’ll listen to an audiobook or a podcast that will not, well, that will do one of two things. One, reset my mindset, or two, give me some strategies that I can apply to the business that I’m creating. And so either of those work amen- immensely well, but I have to make it a habit to fuel my brain.

[00:24:20] Verbs: Amy, what would you say to anybody that’s listening to the podcast right now? I mean, obviously we’re giving them ideas. Uh, like Courtney said, we’re not prescribing this, but sometimes people hear this information and they begin to feel overwhelmed just by the starting the process of developing habits.

[00:24:34] But what would you say to that person listening?

[00:24:37] Amy Porterfield: Well, you know, we can’t talk about habits without talking about one of the mack daddies of all habits, James Clear of Atomic Habits. It’s a, a book I highly recommend. So talking about Fuel Your Brain, I think is worth the read for sure. But one thing he says is that every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.

[00:24:55] So no single- Hmm … instance, he says, will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity. And so if you’re- Hmm … looking to make a change, if you’re looking to be different, show up differently, again, every action you take is a vote for the type of person you want to be.

[00:25:13] And I think that’s so incredibly important to remember, um, that when you’re setting these habits, habits, the goal is that you wanna be a certain type of person. Again, get clear on who you want to be, how you wanna show up, and then just know that each of those habits that you do, it’s a vote for you to be the better person you want to be.

[00:25:33] Mm. I think that reminder has helped me immensely.

[00:25:36] Courtney: I love that, and I, I feel like that vote for who you wanna become, and even the exercise that you mentioned of, like, visualizing, you know, where you wanna go, I feel like so, so many times, um, we run into people that actually don’t know the answer to that.

[00:25:53] You know, they’re not sure- Yeah, that’s good … what they want. And then, then they get to, like, creating their goals in their Full Focus Planner, and it’s like, “I don’t even know,” you know? Like, “I don’t even know where to start.” Um, is there any, you know, hope that you can kinda give for those people of, like, maybe a little, like, uh, a little fuel to just help them, like, hone in to, like, what do I want, you know?

[00:26:18] Is it a career move? Is it, you know, a, a, a 5K I’m gonna run? I don’t know. The list is endless. Um, but anything on that topic that you would share?

[00:26:29] Amy Porterfield: Yeah, so this is gonna sound a little bit weird. I’ve never actually explained it this way, but I feel compelled to talk about it. One of the things that I was talking about on my podcast a few weeks ago is this feeling of being envious or a little bit jealous of what other people are doing in my industry.

[00:26:45] It’s very easy for me to look online and think, “They’re doing so many big things-” Mm, mm … “and they’re, they’re doing it better than me, and look at them, and how did they get that opportunity?” And I start to feel a little envious. Well, what I talked about on my podcast and what I think could really apply here is flip that around, and when you feel envious or a little jealousy or just that little tinge that we all know what that feels like comparing ourselves, ask yourself, “What do they have that I want?”

[00:27:13] What do they have that I want? Because typically that feeling envious is that they’re showing up in a way that I wanna show up that way. I want that. Mm-hmm. So, um, one of my friends getting on the cover of Success Magazine. Uh, I’m just using this as an example. That could be something that maybe I have, I feel like, “Oh, how did she do that and I can’t?

[00:27:33] Oh, maybe I want something like that.” And then ask yourself, why do you want it? And so I think the why do I want that is the more important thing versus the ego of wanting to be on a cover of a magazine. But what will that get me? Yeah. What will, how will that serve me? Where will it move me forward? So I think you can tap into those feelings of wanting what someone else has and ask yourself, what about that do I want?

[00:27:54] And that can absolutely start moving you toward putting together some habits on a daily basis to get you to where you actually want to go.

[00:28:03] Courtney: I love that, and that can, that can work, gosh, across the board. I mean- Yeah … you see somebody that’s going on- Yes … an amazing trip- Yeah … you know, on Instagram, and you feel that, you know, thing.

[00:28:12] Yes. It’s like, okay, well why, why do I want that? And then, you know, like what, what would it look like to make that possible? You know, it starts to feel at least an inventory where you kind of have some things to think about of what do I wanna become, you know? What goals, what habits do I wanna be pursuing?

[00:28:31] Uh, I love that. I think that’s so helpful, Amy.

[00:28:37] Verbs: So the good news is you don’t have to feel out of rhythm or drop the details that matter to you. Through the power of habits, you can maintain your self-care, your focus, and your investment in the priorities that you care about. So Amy, once again, we’ve appreciated you so much, so much wisdom, um, so many good things that you’ve given us to think about, but do you have any final thoughts for our Focus On This listeners?

[00:29:01] Amy Porterfield: Ooh, final thoughts. I think my final thought would be that because I believe habits are so incredibly important, because I believe they are a vote for the person that you want to be, don’t do them alone. Find an accountability partner. It’s as easy as asking a friend, “Hey, I’ve got these habits. I put them in a tracker.

[00:29:20] Can you do the same? And every day we just check in with each other and let each other know, did we hit all the habits we wanted to hit?” Even just through a quick, uh, text message exchange or Slack exchange, you can have that extra support that you probably need, I know I need, in order to keep moving forward.

[00:29:38] So my last word is don’t do it alone. Find an accountability partner and you’re gonna be that much more successful.

[00:29:45] Courtney: And just to tag off that, Amy, I love everybody listening to this podcast. You’re either interested in productivity or you’re using the Full Focus Planner, and it’s such a phenomenal tool for those things.

[00:29:56] So if you’re like, “Yes, I’ve got to get habits,” I just wanna remind you in your planner, if you’ve never used your rituals, like go do that. Such a great tool to get started with your habits and just kind of make that part of your morning ritual, your workday startup, your workday shutdown, and evening ritual.

[00:30:14] So definitely check that out. And then of course, the goals section of your planner, if you wanna make a habit goal, and again, we talked about this briefly of kind of rolling these out slowly. Don’t try to do everything at once, but that’s a great way if you’re kind of like honed in to like, “Yeah, that, that is a habit, that is a thing I want, that I could create a habit to work towards,” go look at your goals section and maybe consider onboarding a habit goal this quarter.

[00:30:40] Amy Porterfield: Yes. So good.

[00:30:42] Courtney: Also, if you’ve never, if you’re not familiar with the Full Focus Planner, uh, don’t worry about it. You can go check out our Build Your Own Ritual kit, um, and you can download at that at fullfocus.co/printables. So we have a whole host of resources there, um, but that ritual one is gonna be really great for onboarding with habits Amy, it has been such a pleasure to have you here.

[00:31:08] Um, I, again, I said at the beginning, total fan girl over here. Uh, for everybody listening, if you’ve never checked out Amy’s podcast, Online Marketing Made Easy, you can find it on every podcast option. And Amy, I just realized the other day that your podcast is a HubSpot, part of the HubSpot Podcast Network.

[00:31:29] Yes.

[00:31:30] Amy Porterfield: Yes.

[00:31:30] Courtney: Which is awesome.

[00:31:31] Amy Porterfield: Yeah, it’s very cool. I love being a part of that network, so thank you so much. And thank you both for having me. Like, this is fantastic. It’s been so much fun, and I love talking about this topic. Absolutely. So I really appreciate it.

[00:31:42] Courtney: Thanks for being here, Amy.

[00:31:44] Verbs: And thank you all for joining us on Focus on This.

[00:31:47] Since we’re talking about habits, why not consider us making us a part of your morning ritual on Mondays and listening to the Focus on This podcast. This is the most productive podcast on the internet, so please share it with your friends. And don’t forget to join our Full Focus Planner community right there on Facebook.

[00:32:03] We’ll be here next week with another great episode, but until then, stay focused.

[00:32:10] Amy Porterfield: Stay focused.