7.5 mins - PRAYER / AFFIRMATIONS / VISUALIZATIONS — prayer is my mediation; I express gratitude I think about what I have been given and blessed with. Affirmations are pre-written out. Some I have kept for over a decade and others are new. But with each I spend time visualizing. If I ever go long in any area it is usually here—trying to really capture and see what I want to affirm.
20m - Inspiration reading: Next I try and read and ponder inspirational text. This can be words of stoics, poetry and / or books of scripture
15m - Prior Week Review: Now I am in a state to really do a hindsight and understand what went well, what didn’t go well, what still needs to be done, what is taking energy, what do I need to give more energy to
15m - Upcoming Week Review: Then I start with my schedule to make sure I understand and ground myself in what I’ve already committed to, what needs to be moved and then what do I need to add so I am ready to meet with my assistant and team on Monday morning and make that time effective.
Lastly, I finish up with an hour of journaling and project planning. This is a rotating time depending on the week of the month and is generally the most important work for me to stay on track with goals. Here's how I break it down:
Week 1: Parental Focus
Father / Son Interviews —sit down with each son and see how they are doing
Plan 1on1 for the Month — this is a monthly outing that rotates but a chance for my kids to feel like an only child so making sure I have it scheduled
Review Parenting commitments and Principles
Week 2: Physical
Review doctors appointments, make to dos to schedule any necessary ones
Exercise Review (make sure there is a plan)
Nutrition Review
Determine any deadlines or commitments such as a race or another commitment
Week 3: Financial
Review personal balance sheet
Review open tasks
Make any planned donations
Pay retirement / pay self
Review Financial goals
Week 4: Fun / Hobbies
Review bucket list
Review goals around hobbies / having fun
Look at potential trip planning
Week 5: BONUS (once a quarter)
Make up for any lost time on the above or a missed session
After these 2 hours I am really ready to focus on family and faith. So, the rest of the day revolves around family time, whether that’s taking a family walk with our dog Mia, learning how to skateboard with my three boys, reading a book series out loud together, family movie night or playing board games—my kids love board games. Sundays are meant to be refreshing, to have some fun, and to get centered for the upcoming week. For me to feel refreshed I need to have that time with my wife and kids.
It's Monday morning and your calendar is booked with meetings from 9:00am to 6:00pm. A meeting gets cancelled and all of a sudden you have a free hour in the middle of your day. How are you going to spend this time?
Generally, I’m an early am exercise person but If I’m feeling energized, I love to sneak in an extra outdoor run or walk. On those Mondays where I’m feeling as if I’m already behind on the week, I would take that spare hour usually with a Clean Simple Eats protein shake in hand and chip away at my inbox which admittedly is the bane of my existence!
What’s a habit or ritual that helps you be your most productive self?
I have a sheet of paper with personal goals, meaningful quotes, and pictures that I put together years ago, hung up by my bathroom mirror. Every morning while brushing my teeth I read through it, I realign with what is most important to me, who and what I’m grateful for, and remind myself of my goals. I think, “How can I make efforts towards that goal today?” Those few moments of inner thinking while brushing my teeth, help me prepare for the upcoming day and help me become my most productive self.
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We hope some of Nate's practices inspire you to make the most of this Sunday. Let us know what you thought of this week's newsletter by hitting reply and sharing your feedback!
Happy Sunday,
- Mike, Pooja, and Alden
WHAT'S IN OUR JOURNAL
In what areas did we succeed?
In January, we took an important step in diversifying our advertising channels. Over the past year, we've relied primarily on Facebook and Instagram to get the word out about our work. In January, we took a big swing and teamed up with Whalebone Magazine to form a partnership that will help tell our story, and reach a new audience.
What are some of our favorite memories of January?
Over the past year, the three of us have spent very little time together in person. In January, we got together and made a huge donation of journals and school supplies to four different schools in New York. Man, it felt good to be back together.
In what ways did we fail?
We'll be the first to admit that we did a really poor job of forecasting how much inventory we would need to keep up with a busy January. As a result, one of our best months ever has also been one of the most stressful, as inventory levels are low and shipping times to our customers are delayed.
4. If we had to name a few of our regrets, what are they?
If you recently received a Holiday post card in the mail from us, you might be wondering, "Why did they send these out in January?" Well, we didn't.. These postcards were sent out in early December, but given the delays at USPS, the delivery of these postcards did not go as planned, and we lost quite a bit of money and potential revenue in the process. If we could do it again, we'd send them even sooner, or, not send them at all.
5. What do we need more of?
Like most people, we need more human interaction. January was a cold, dark month in New York City, where face-to-face conversations were hard to come by. With that said, we want to hear from you.
We hope this exercise is a helpful way to recap the month of January and get you ready for the month ahead. Let us know what you thought of this week's newsletter by responding to this email.
Take care,
Mike, Pooja, and Alden
If you find that your goals are big and daunting, break them up into bite-size pieces.
For example, Pooja wants to read 12 books this year. On the surface, that sounds like a lot. So instead of thinking about the big picture goal of twelve books, she set a goal for herself to read for 10 minutes per day. At the end of the year, the result will likely be the same, but the journey will be much less stressful.
Throughout the year, check in on a monthly basis to reflect on the progress you are making.
And share your goals with friends and family. If you get the word out, others will help hold you accountable.
WHAT'S IN OUR JOURNAL
This week we thought it would be fun to share some of our individual goals for 2021:
Michael Reiney: "Far too often in 2020, I would roll out of bed and immediately sit down at my desk to begin working. On the mornings where I went on a walk, got some exercise, or went out for coffee, I was infinitely happier and more productive. One of my goals for 2021 is to carve out some time between the time I wake up and the time I begin working."
Pooja Patel: "In 2020, like most of us, I spent far too much money ordering takeout. This year, as a way to save money, get healthier, and learn a new skill, I am committed to cooking more. I'll be using this cookbook to help me get started."
Alden Bohrmann: "This year, I want to focus less on being busy and more on being present in my work. Deep work > busy work."
Aside from these personal goals, we've spent a lot of time as a team planning for 2021 and what we envision for The Scribes. We are incredibly excited to get back to work and we are forever grateful to have you on this journey with us!
FREE SHIPPING on all orders!
You won't receive your order before before Christmas, but we can promise that you won't pay a dime for shipping.
If you haven't already, check out our newest journal, The Optimalist. This journal might just be your perfect companion to 2021. (a very thoughtful gift, too.)
Enjoy your Sunday and Happy Holidays!
Mike, Pooja, and Alden
To-do lists are key.
But.
Why does the day often end and you feel dissatisfied with what you crossed off?
It's because you are doing to-do lists wrong according to Mathias Barra.
Check out this article, where he explains the two types of to-do's; The No-Way-I'm-Not-Doing-This List and The I'd-Like-It-If-I-Could-Do-This List.
What's in our Journal
Q4 is here, and for eCommerce businesses like ours, it's game-time. This week, we want to let you know how we are planning for the busy season.
More inventory + New products.
In just a month or two, we will launching a few new products, one of which is sure to be your friend come January 1 when you start having 'New Year, New You' thoughts. More to come on this.
For anyone who has ordered The Quill recently, you might have noticed that the pens weren't individually packaged. Packaging shortages are soon to be a problem of the past, as we've made major investments in more pens, and more packaging. We've also had multiple requests for blue ink. To those people - we got you.
Marketing.
We want YOU to help us tell our story. Over the course of Q4, want to focus on promoting and creating content alongside our customers. So when you buy our products, make sure you leave a review, and if you do, you might just see your own words across all of our advertising channels.
Giving.
As you probably know already, giving back is core to what we do. Just in time for Q4, we designed and produced 1,000 new 'Student Scribes,' ready to be donated to schools and non-profit organizations. If you have a cause in mind that you think we should support, let us know and we'd love to lend a hand.
And last, but not least, our very own Pooja Patel will be speaking on a panel with other leaders about life as a female entrepreneur. We hope you'll tune into this event on Sunday, October 11 at 7:00 p.m. All ticket proceeds are being donated to Girls Inc.
As the sponsors of the show, we too, will be donating to Girls Inc through the proceeds of our journal sales. To support the event, our business, and Girls Inc, buy a few journals with promo code 'GoingBeyond'.
Talk to you next week!
- Mike, Pooja, and Alden
If you know Pooja, Alden, or myself (Mike), you'll know we love the How I Built This podcast by Guy Raz.
Each week, Guy shares inspirational stories of 'innovators, entrepreneurs, and idealists, and the stories behind the movement they've built.'
These powerful stories are now in book form! This week, we are reading the How I Built This book, and we suggest you do the same!
What's in our Journal
If you happen to live in Seattle, Tampa, or Columbus, keep reading!
We are excited to be working with Tangible Collective, an innovative retail company that provides short-term retail experiences for online brands, like us! If you live in one of these three cities, stop by The Tangible Collective location and check out the up and coming brands they carry.
The retail space is certainly changing, and not always for the better. With that said, it's great to see companies like Tangible take an innovative approach to in-store shopping.
Talk to you next week!
- Mike, Pooja, and Alden