“I love missions. My mission is to help high performers, innovators, and creatives reclaim joy in their work. Everyone should be able to create meaningful and purposeful work and bring their whole self to that. If you have felt frustrated before that you aren’t productive, it isn’t a character trait. It is a skill that everybody can learn.”

Lieve Hendren

Lieve is my sister and she’s absolutely brilliant. She is a strategy consultant and certified human potential coach. She helps high performers live with joyful productivity, purpose, and well-being. She focuses on behavioral science, embodiment, time management, and health coaching. Speaking firsthand, she knows what she’s talking about. 

In this conversation, Lieve shares some great insights and strategies, some of which are exclusive sneak peeks into her private coaching sessions!

GO AHEAD AND LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE HERE:

THE COURAGEOUS FOUNDATION FOR GOAL-SETTING:

#1 STICKING TO GOALS

One thing I learned from Lieve is how to stick to my goals and make them come to fruition. In our conversation, she emphasized that goals are important because goals create a pathway to hope. Having hope means you have a goal, a pathway towards achieving goals, and a belief in your own abilities and confidence. The way to approach the goal-setting process is to make it challenging and meaningful in our lives. 

HOW?

Have a goal for the year and break it down to 90 days like quarterly planning. We need to keep our goals fresh and break them down further into clear monthly goals. Then, we can see what we are doing and how it is contributing to our quarterly and annual goals. We can go even further into goals that make up a successful week and get all the way down to a single priority for each day.

When creating a funnel like this, it is setting you up for success towards your bigger life’s mission. It also creates the deepest kind of intrinsic motivation. Instead of being stuck on a hamster wheel, we can begin to see ourselves driving towards a clear purpose.  

#2 THE POWER OF BALANCE

Lieve also shares one of her favorite books: Essentialism by Greg McKweon. McKweon highlights how the word “priorities” in the plural form did not exist until 1800’s. The real word (priority) is in the singular form, which means we can only have one main objective. If we have too many, we easily get pulled into too many directions and don’t make much significant progress in any area.

We can still have other goals, strategies, and objectives, but having one priority in the microlevel is an important part of maintaining the sense of balance many of us crave.

#3 SINGULAR AND MULTIPLE GOALS

I remember when I attended Lieve’s New Year Goal Setting Workshop, I chose 3 goals for 2022. I loved how I could set myself up with multiple goals and not just one. At the same time, however, she helped me learn so much about the importance of maintaining a single, daily priority in pursuit of multiple goals. On the microlevel, a single priority helps us stay motivated and keeps our brain focused. It’s the smallest building block that, over time, paves the way for our ambitious goals to become realized. A daily priority also highlights a really important consideration for all of us, which is the idea of how we want to show up for our goals in our day-to-day routines.

With regard to multiple goals, we recognize that we have different part of our lives. Some areas are personal and some areas are professional. Following Lieve’s lead, I’ve been able to learn how to not just pour myself into one area, but how to also devote energy towards more than one core pillar of my life so that nothing falls by the wayside.

#4 C-O-R-E

In this episode, Lieve also debuts the following way to remember her goal-setting approach. Listen now to get the full walk through!

C-O-R-E goal setting covers four areas and will help you set up for success:

C – CHARACTER BASED – Intrinsic core values, deep & personal connection of meaning & purpose

O – OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE – Just enough of a challenge, but not out of reach

R – REALISTIC – Rooted in reality

E – EMBODY – Activating your body, emotions, and senses

Setting a goal is a sacred journey, because we are uncovering who we are and what we are bringing to the world.

#5 REBOOT

Lieve is also a productivity expert, and she shares with us that the quickest and easiest way to make a shift from spinning into overwhelm is to have a shutdown ritual. People have a habit of working nonstop, refusing to shut down, and constantly trying to tick something off the to-do list. Instead of this approach, Lieve advocates for us to give our brains enough time to calm down and have a clear space.

Having a simple ritual of this sort mentally sends your brain a signal that your work-day is done. Then, you are going to have clear and creative headspace for the next day. You are going to wake up with clarity and you know with confidence that you can win your day!

#6 SAYING NO

Lieve recommends the strategy of Marie Forleo: Deciding to say “No.” When it comes to overwhelm, we have the power to stop the snowball effect of feeling like we are drowning in too many things to do by simply addressing the feeling. Even a simple self-talk habit of telling ourselves “I don’t do overwhelm” is a great tool to use.

Another approach: Find your wins and celebrate them! Try shifting gears and put something positive in your brain. Studies shows that people focus 80-90% more on falling short than focusing on succeeding, but perspective is everything and a little positivity goes a long way in maintaining a sense of control over all that is demanded of us on a routine basis.

Next time you find yourself overwhelmed, list your wins and celebrate each one. Get out of the negative emotional state and create some mental clarity by reflecting on how you can flourish for the rest of the day.

#7 PRESENT AND PRODUCTIVE PLANNER

I am proudly plugging my sister’s presentandproductive planner which I personally use and love. It is absolutely life-changing!

She created this planner journal to bridge the gap between knowledge and implementation. Half of the planner-journal is planning, goal-setting, and mind-mapping all in quick, simple steps. The other half is geared towards cultivating a positive mindset, addressing our fears and anxieties, and asking the tough questions.

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I encourage anyone genuinely interested in reaching out and schedule a 1:1 discovery call with Lieve. She has a great program for time management where you just connect and figure out some next-steps to unlock a more productive, more efficient, and more fulfilling routine on all levels. Additionally, you’ll get tools to help you not only achieve but also enjoy your work on a daily basis.

Send her a message here: lieve.hendren@gmail.com

Visit her website at http://presentandproductive.com/

Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lievehendren/

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I want to hear from you and your thoughts about goal-setting. What are your most trusted tips and hacks for goal-setting?

Let me know in the comments below.