Michelle Miles: How to become more productive in your daily life

I don’t often recommend products. When I do, it has to be something I truly, whole-heartedly believe in. I’m not a sales person (as evidenced by my own sucky book sales LOL) by any stretch. I’ve tried to sell jewelry and Avon but I’m…just…not cut out for that.

But there is one thing that has transformed me. Not just my writing life, but my life in general. I love to journal but sometimes those blank pages can be daunting. I love setting goals but I can never figure out how to achieve those goals. One of my big goals is to write full time, but I never really sat down to figure out what steps I had to do to make that happen. I mean, I know I need to write books. But how does that break down into achievable steps to get there?

One day I was skimming through my Facebook feed, as you do, and I kept seeing this sponsored ad over and over again. It hadn’t really stopped to look at it until one day, finally, I paused and really looked at the ad. It was for a journal, but a journal designed to help you reach you goals.

Huh. I was intrigued. I followed the link to the Facebook page here.

And then I ended up on their website.
I read product descriptions, then went back to the FB link and read all the comments under the ad. Lots of folks loved the journal. After mulling it over for a couple of weeks, I finally decided to take the plunge. I received my journal to start right around July 4 and the beginning of Q3.

Dude, their marketing totally worked on me.

It’s a 13-week commitment. 91 days. I figured I could do that, no sweat. Then if I didn’t like it or didn’t stick with it, I didn’t have to order another one.

Normally, I give up on this stuff a couple of weeks in. But I was determined. Plus, when you write down these goals and commit to them and make up your mind to do it, you get to reward yourself at the end of the 13-week period. My reward is a steak dinner at Outback, because I love steak and Outback.

At the time I started the journal, I’d been struggling to write every day and finish ON THE HUNT FOR THE WIZARD KING. I was stuck and didn’t know how to get unstuck. Plus, I was (still am) in serious debt. I needed to climb my out, somehow, someway. There was one particular credit card that made me angry every time I paid the bill. I have NOTHING to show for a balance with a comma in it. NOTHING. And don’t even get me started on all the interest I’d been paying.

Anyway, with this journal, you start and end the day with gratitude. You can time block your time and you write down your goals—weekly, monthly, lifetime—it doesn’t matter. You write down your targets for the day. At the end of the day, you write you lessons learned and your big wins. Then you can track your weekly progress on the weekly pages.

There are inspirational quotes every day about goals, motivation, positivity.

Over the course of the 13 weeks, I finished Wizard King, proofed it, formatted it, uploaded it. It’s ready for publication. I paid off two credit cards. I revised another 100k word plus novel. I wrote in the journal every day. On weekends, I do an abbreviated version because I don’t focus 100% on my goals Saturday and Sunday because we have a lot to do around the house and with the kid. Plus, my brain just needs downtime. I think about writing enough as it is.

I ordered a second journal for Q4. I’m ready to track new goals. I’m ready to start a new book and pay off another credit card. For me, this is a great tool to measure and see where I am, where I’m going, and how to get there. I like measurable things. I like to see it on paper. I’m a visual person, so seeing really is believing. Seeing progress and knowing I finished two books in 13 weeks makes my life.

This journal, though, isn't just for writers. It's for anyone who wants to make a difference in their lives. Others have used it to help them lose weight, start a business, launch a music career. The possibilities are endless.

If you want to check out the Best Self Journal, click here. I believe in this product.

I believe in myself. I can do this.

And you can, too.