Boundaries on Well Planned Series with Megan Flatt

Choose a boundary that feels really luscious and feels really nourishing and feels really exciting. Don’t choose the boundary that feels like it’s punishment.

I’m back again with my friend and former business coach, Megan Flatt. Today is a lesson in Plan B. Normally we answer questions from listeners, but the system to take questions got hacked, so we’re going to dive into talking about boundaries this week and get back to your questions next time. Boundaries came up last week when we were talking about systems and support, and it’s a great topic to go deeper with.

Being a mom and being an entrepreneur are both 24/7 roles. You don’t clock in or out of either role, which makes it really easy to start feeling like you should be doing something as a mom or for your business ALL the time. That’s just not sustainable. That’s where parameters and boundaries come in.

Megan shares how she uses a guiding word to help set boundaries (right now she’s working with abundant ease). And we discuss how having boundaries provides structure—and more actually gives you more freedom.

We talk about:

• Creating a meal rhythm and how I actually ate more variety within this structure
• Decision fatigue and how to cut down on decision making
• The importance of setting work hours (even if they change week to week)
• Creating work blocks and using them to shift tasks and restructuring our time to be more effective
• Using boundaries to make conscious decisions and be in charge of your day (even when it’s messy)
• Working with our own cycles instead of thinking things have to be the same all the time (or that our work days and weeks have to look like anybody else’s)

Have a question for Mia and Megan? Go to plansimplemeals.com/ask.

You will get prompted to record your question and we’ll try to answer it.

Or just email your question to mia@plansimplemeals.com

Megan Flatt is a Mama CEO, a business growth strategist, and a planning pro. She’s been working with clients for years to create strategic growth plans in their business that allow them to scale while still being present for the important moments in their families’ lives. She shows Mama CEOs with big vision and great ideas how to get those big CEO ideas into a day-by-day plan where they actually happen.

LINKS

• Meganflatt.com
• Well Planned: Systems and Support
• Well Planned: Overwhelm vs. Laziness
• Well Planned in 90-Day Cycles
• Creating a Meal Rhythm
• Spinning Plates with Megan Flatt
• Living in Your Box with Sarah Jenks
• Pleasure Is Productive with Janna Denton-Howes

Doable Changes from this episode:

• CREATE A MEAL RHYTHM. Identify different “nights” for your rhythm (soup night, grain bowl night, bean night ... ). Keep it simple by making a list of foods you already eat that fit each night; get creative by checking cookbooks or online for other recipes to try. Set up one week of meals with your rhythm and add any ingredients you need to your shopping list. Look to see how your rhythm can help you move forward, (e.g., you can chop veggies for soup and your lunchtime salad at the same time).
• SET WORK HOURS. Pull out your planner or a week calendar page and block off your work time. Think about what hours work for you to work—that might mean when you are most productive or when you have childcare or something else. Don’t judge yourself or think you should work certain hours. This week, hold yourself to those boundaries and see how it feels.
• TRACK YOUR CYCLES. Start noticing your energy levels throughout the month (your personal cycle). Pay attention to your energy and interests throughout the year. Instead of judging your reaction when you seem less productive, just notice and record. As you get more in tune with your own rhythms, you can adjust your schedule to better suit you.