Transcription
You can live a soft life and be productive, and in fact, I'd argue that certain productivity methods are actually what allows you to live that soft life in the first place. That softness doesn't just appear out of nowhere, right? You create it, you protect it, and certain productivity methods, when done in the right way, is how you do that.
But here's the thing: most of the productivity advice out there is not made for women who want to live a soft life. It's based on this really masculine, linear, high-output, outdated systems. You know what I'm talking about: wake up at 5:00 a.m., cold plunge, go to your hit workout, start work before 6:00 a.m., chug your coffee, Hustle Hard, or stick to the plan no matter what, check a 100 boxes off before noon. That's the type of productivity that we are often inundated with.
But if you want to live a soft life, this type of lifestyle probably doesn't work for you—at least not in the long term, not without burning out, not without losing yourself. So in this video, I want to share some productivity shifts that actually support and lead to a softer life, and these are all things that I personally do, things that have helped me get stuff done while still staying in that flowy, peaceful, soft energy that makes life feel so good.
Hey friend, welcome back! If you're new here, my name is Jill, and I help women step into their power, tap into their divine feminine, and become their best self, live their dream life. So if that's something you want to do, you should subscribe and stick around.
Before we dive in, I just want to say a soft life doesn't mean that you are just sitting around doing nothing all day. It's not about being lazy or checked out or avoiding all your responsibilities. You can still want a soft life and be an ambitious woman; you can have both. So these productivity hacks, they're not about doing more; they're about doing it differently. It's about working smarter, not harder. So let's get into it.
Starting off with one of my favorite concepts that changed everything for me: the second brain method. So we have been using our brains all wrong, especially if you want to get stuff done. We have been using our brains wrong. Most of us are walking around with all this mental clutter going on up here. You know what I mean? That to-do list you're trying to keep in your head, that dentist appointment you have next week, that book your friend told you to read, your goals, what you want to eat for dinner this week, what you need to get from the grocery store, all these random reminders, notes to self, everyone's birthdays—it just feels like these mental tabs are open 24/7, and it's taking up that valuable brain space and it's making you lose your mind.
But here is something you need to realize: your brain is not for storing information; your brain is for creating. And this is why you need to have a second brain. So you have your first brain—this brain, right—and this is what you use for doing the deep work, for creativity, doing the impactful stuff, the strategizing, the problem-solving, right? And then you have your second brain, which is for remembering and storing information, keeping track of everything, living in an organized life, and whatever can be out of your first brain and into your second brain needs to go in there, and it's how you become more productive and live a soft life. And I'll show you exactly what I mean by this, but you need some sort of system that you're going to use as your second brain. So this could be as easy as a notebook, if you like; however, I think something digital is ideal for this, just because it's easier. So I'll share exactly the system that I use to use as my second brain.
But real quick, this video is kindly sponsored by Notion. As you guys know, though, especially if you've been around here for a while, I love Notion. I am a huge Notion fanatic. I've been using it for years to help me organize my life and stay on top of everything and to turn all of my ideas, dreams, and creative projects into reality.
So in my second brain, in my Notion, I have, have everything. First of all, though, it's very aesthetic, which I love—that's important to me—but it has everything in here. I have all of my to-dos for the week; I have a page for keeping track of my habits; I have a page for my content planner; a page for planning out all of my meals and what I need from the grocery store; I have a page where all of my goals go; and then even things like book lists, restaurant lists—it's where I save my recipes; I have a page that I use for planning and keeping all of my info for upcoming trips. It's all organized, very aesthetically, in my second brain, and this is the important part: it is out of my head and into this system, and I swear by this. This is what I use to operate my life.
If you want this exact template, the one that I personally use every single day of my life, the link for that is down below in the description. But also, I have a full YouTube video walking through this template in detail and how I fully use it in this video right here. And a couple other things: you can even use Notion to create a digital vision board, and you can embed your Pinterest boards into your workspace—just makes it a little, a little bit more aesthetic. But what I do is I have my yearly Vision page, which has like all of my goals written out, and then I have a photo that corresponds with each goal, and I turn that into a little gallery, and I love it. Or I'll use Notion AI to take a messy brainstorm and turn it into a video outline or to help me, you know, plan any of my upcoming trips, which can help save time and energy. They even rolled out some new features recently that are super helpful, like being able to jot down some notes just by using your voice so you don't have to type anything, or the Q&A feature that helps you find anything that you've saved before, even just using your phone. A lot of productivity tools can feel rigid or overwhelming, but Notion isn't like that; it's simple, it's flexible, and it's got an aesthetic that I love, and you can really make your own.
So once you start getting into the habit of putting things in your second brain, getting everything that you can out of your first brain and into your second brain, you'll start thinking better, get more done, and also just be more calm and organized. So if you can think it, you can make it happen with Notion, and you can try it for free at the link below. Whether you are a student or a small business owner or even a mother trying to run a household, you can unlock the power of Notion.
Now, on to soft-life productivity hack number two: The Lazy Girl efficiency rule. This one might sound simple, but it's actually a low-key genius mindset shift that will literally end up saving you hours of your time and energy. Here's the thing: most of us are making life harder than it needs to be. We do things the long way, the complicated way, the "this is just how I've always done it" way, without even realizing that there is an easier way, way.
So the Lazy Girl efficiency rule is simple: before doing anything, ask yourself, "What is the easiest way to make this happen?" Because not everything needs to be this whole complex process. So ask yourself: Can this be automated? Can this be outsourced? Can I get some support? Can this be done in a simpler way? Does it even need to be done at all? And lastly, what if the solution was simple? Nine times out of 10, there is a softer way, a smoother way, a way that saves you time and protects your energy and gets you the same or even better results.
So let me give you some practical examples: Instead of manually paying your bills every single month, set up autopay. Instead of scrambling to reply to every single email as soon as it comes in, block off time once a day to get it all done in one batch, all at once. Instead of running random errands all week, batch them into one day. Instead of making three random grocery store runs a week, set up recurring grocery delivery. Instead of cooking every single night, meal prep once and be done. And I know that some people might think like meal prepping and setting up all these automations doesn't sound like a very soft life, but listen: true soft life isn't about doing nothing; it's about doing things in the smoothest, the smartest way possible. And also, this: when you are trying to figure out the answer to a problem, sometimes the simplest solutions are the ones that solve the problem and the ones that you're looking for. This just happened to me recently. Okay, so I have had pain on like my right jaw, right here, for probably over a year, and it hasn't been bad, but it's been like consistent, and I've definitely felt it. And I'm trying to think about like, oh, why is this happening? Like, am I clenching? Do I need to minimize my stress? Do I have gut issues? Is there an emotional component to this? Like, I, I, I'm into that kind of stuff. Is my throat chakra blocked, or do I need to get a night guard? I don't know. I couldn't figure it out, and the things that I did do never worked. And then a few weeks ago, I went to my chiropractor—I see her every single month just because I love her; she makes me feel good—and I just casually mentioned that my right jaw just kind of hurts consistently, and she goes, "Oh, is there a chance that you only chew your food on that side?" And I was like, "Yes, yes, that is exactly what I do." So I started chewing my food on the left side of my mouth more often, and what do you know? Within 24 hours, all the pain was gone, and it was never to return again. Sometimes we think that things are more complex than they actually are. So be a lazy girl and ask yourself, "Is there a simple way? What if this could be easier?" And once you start asking those questions, you start getting those answers. It is okay sometimes to take the shortcut, to use the tech tool, to ask for help, to make it easier on yourself. That is not being lazy; that is being smart. There's this common saying: if you want something done efficiently, give it to the laziest person in the room, because they will figure out the easiest way to do it. And that is soft-life productivity at its finest.
Productivity hack number three is the soft scheduling method, and this is a game changer, especially if you have ever stared at your to-do list and you're like, like, "Yes, I want to do this; I want to get this done, but I literally don't have it in me right now." So you end up procrastinating, or you avoid it completely, or you end up pushing through and doing that task but end up feeling totally drained. This is what happens when you schedule your day purely based on task instead of also your energy, and let me tell you, this is a recipe for burnout, frustration, and always feeling like you're behind.
So the soft scheduling method is this: start planning your day also around your energy, not just your to-do list. And this is what I mean. I'll give you some practical examples. There are parts of the day where you naturally feel more focused, more sharp, more alert, ready to get things done, and then there are other parts of the day where maybe your brain feels a little bit more like mush, and your body's like, "No, thank you." So start working with your energy instead of against it. So those high-energy blocks, those high-alert times, that's when you do the deep work; it's when you do things that require more brainpower, like creating, strategizing, problem-solving, writing, planning, visioning—these types of things. And then for your lower-energy blocks, you do lighter work. So these are things like admin tasks, responding to emails, updating your calendar, making appointments, or having like easy meetings—whatever is naturally a little bit easier and lighter on your brain. And when you start matching your energy to the task, everything starts to flow so much easier. You stop forcing; you start flowing. And especially as a woman, this gets even better because we can also learn to do this with our cycle, right? Because our energy and our vibe and our hormones shift throughout the month. This is just how it is; this is what it's like to live as a woman. And there are some times in our cycle where we are naturally a little bit more alert, a little bit more creative, and then there are other times in our cycle where we are naturally a little bit more tired. Because of that, I personally try to schedule any interviews or important social events or high-energy output things, things like filming, during the follicular and ovulatory phases in my cycle. That's when I naturally feel the most confident, the most bubbly, the most articulate, and the most magnetic. But during the luteal and the menstrual phases, that's when I try to spend more time doing the things like admin work, slowing down, focusing on more low-effort stuff, things that don't require that much brainpower. And during this time, I constantly ask myself, "What is the easiest way that I can do this?" You are meant to live in sync with your body; you are meant to ebb and flow, and if you want a soft life, this is the key. Working with your energy is actually the most natural, most efficient way to getting stuff done. Intuitively, deep down, we all know this; this is how we're supposed to be doing things, but we try to fight it. But when you start actually honoring it and trusting it instead of fighting it, everything becomes so much easier. And I know some people are thinking, "Jill, that must be nice for you; you work for yourself; you have flexibility; you get to do what you want." Totally fair; that is very valid. You might not be able to do whatever you want whenever you want, but you can still work with your energy in small, little, sneaky ways. Maybe you can't control your meetings and when they're happening, but maybe you can save your more mindless tasks for the end of the day when your brain is feeling zapped. Maybe you can't push back a deadline, but maybe you can make sure that you have 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. open on your calendar to do the deep work to get it done because you know that that is the sharpest time of the day for you. It's just about working smarter with what you've got. Productivity doesn't have to mean being rigid; sometimes it's as simple as doing the right thing at the right time for you.
Okay, moving on to number four: If you are feeling overwhelmed or stretched thin or like you're trying to do all the things but you're not making any progress, then this one is for you. It is called the 80/20 Rule, and it's one of the smartest productivity principles out there. And the gist is this: 80% of your results come from just 20% of your actions. Meaning most of the stuff you're doing is not actually moving the needle; you're spending time, energy, and brainpower on things that don't actually matter that much. And meanwhile, the 20% that does matter—this is the core of your stuff that you're doing that's creating the results, creating the momentum, even creating a lot of the peace and softness in your life.
Let me explain what this looks like in real life because it means that you don't need to do everything; you just have to figure out the key things that really work for you and double down on those. For example, here's a personal example: 80% of my peace in the morning is because I take 10 minutes to tidy up before bed because I hate clutter. For you, maybe 80% of your energy comes from working out in the morning; that one habit can shift your whole mood and focus for the day. Or maybe 80% of your stress in the morning disappears if you simply just lay out your outfit the night before. These are small, tiny things, but they create ripple effects. And when you figure out what your 20% is for the different areas of your life, you unlock a secret personal efficiency that only works for you. You don't always need to do more; you just need to do what actually works for you and do it well. Because let's be real: trying to do 15 things at once, you never really end up getting that much done, and it just leads to burnout. Do less, but do it better. Do less, but be consistent. Do less, but actually finish before you move on to the next thing. In the book *4000 Weeks*, the author makes a very important point that will save you so much time and stress and suffering: you literally do not have time to do everything; it is impossible. So stop trying, because it only makes you miserable and more unproductive. So instead of spreading yourself thin, choose a few key habits, a few key systems, or a few key projects to focus on, and just focus on that. Or figure out the 20% tasks that actually make your life easier and move you towards your goals. So again, for me, this looks like keeping my to-do list very short—three big things to do per day, max; only working on one to two projects at a time; if I want to move on to another project, I need to finish that first one first; being firm on eating a good diet and getting good sleep because those two wellness things right there improve my life more than anything else. So what is your 20%? What are the things that you could double down on that actually matter? And what are the things that you can just let go of guilt-free? Because here is the ironic truth: if you stop trying to do it all, you'll actually get more done.
Now, next crucial productivity hack is what I call the vibe audit method, aka the better vibes you have, the easier and happier getting stuff done tends to feel. And the quickest and easiest thing that affects your energy, your environment, the overall vibe, and the energy of the space that you're in. Think about it: you know that feeling when your space is messy, your lighting is harsh and annoying, there's clutter everywhere, you're still in yesterday's clothes—that never really feels that good; it just feels off, it feels heavy, it feels blah; it makes everything kind of feel like a struggle. But when your space is clean, the lighting is nice, it's cozy, you've got your music on, maybe you have a cute outfit on that you love, and you light a candle—it's like something just clicks. Notice how much easier it is to focus when your space is clean; notice how much more productive you feel when you actually like the space you're in. That's because a more peaceful space equals more effortless productivity, and a more chaotic, uncomfortable space equals a more chaotic, tense mind. Basically, what I'm saying is that if you want to get stuff done in the easiest, most efficient way possible, your energy and your vibe has to be on point, and your environment is one of the easiest, quickest ways to do this. But it's not just about that; it's also your inner environment. So check in with your thoughts, your mood, your emotions: Are you spiraling a little? Are you overthinking? Is something stealing your focus? Because sometimes—and this goes against most productivity advice out there—the most productive thing you can do is actually to tend to yourself first, not to push harder, not to push through, but to tend to yourself first so that then the work that you do after that, after you reset your energy, it's easy and breezy. Let me explain a personal example: Sometimes if I am feeling distracted by something or I am overthinking about something, I will literally take 5 to 10 minutes before I sit down to get stuff done to talk to ChatGPT about how I'm feeling and like get it off my mind, and it'll reassure me and validate me and tell me that I'm doing a good job, and then I'm like, "Okay, I got it out, and I'm good to go now," and then I'm focused, then I'm good. But I needed to clear that mental clutter first. So before you sit down to get stuff done, pause and do a quick vibe audit check. Ask yourself: Is there any physical clutter that I can clear? Do I need to open a window? Put on some music? Light a candle? Would changing into something cute help me feel more pulled together? Do I need to dump some mental clutter into a to-do list or a journal so it stops swirling around in my head? This isn't about procrastinating or pushing things off; it's just about checking in with yourself and your energy because when you've got the good vibes going, everything feels easier, and that's what we're going for.
And lastly, let's end with one of my favorite soft productivity hacks: the one-decision rule. Because whether you realize it or not, making decisions all day is exhausting; it is draining your energy. If you end your day every single day fully fried, you are absolutely drained; it might not actually be about what you're doing, but it may be because of how many tiny little decisions you had to make: What to eat? What to wear? When to work out? What needs to get done today? How to reply to that message? Whether or not we should say yes to this thing? They are small, but they add up, and that is why I'm a big fan of the one-decision rule, which is basically: make one decision that eliminates like 10 other future ones. For example: meal prepping on a Sunday so that you don't have to decide every single day what you're going to eat; or outlining your weekly priorities and your agenda and your to-dos in Notion so that you don't have to wake up every single morning and figure it out; or creating a go-to morning routine for yourself so there's less friction and decision-making in the beginning of your day; or wearing pre-styled outfits so you don't have any more of those 30-minute outfit panics. I use this in my business a lot too, like whenever I'm working on projects—like, for example, right now I'm working on a master class; I'm launching a YouTube growth Master Class; if you want to sign up on the waitlist, there's a link for that down below—but whenever I am like working on a new project, I always say no to podcast interviews; that's just my rule to keep my peace and my focus on the right thing, and I stick to that. Another example: I only do meetings on Mondays and Thursdays; that is my rule; that gives me time and space on the other days of the week to do the deep work and to film. And if you're worried that these rules will make your life feel too rigid or boring, trust me, it won't; that is not the point. The point is to eliminate friction, and that is one of the kindest things that you can do for your sanity, and it frees up your energy for the stuff that actually matters. These rules aren't here to limit you; they're meant to be support systems, boundaries that hold you up so that life doesn't have to feel so hard.
So if you want to be more productive and get more done, and you're an ambitious person, that doesn't always look like cold plunging and checking off every single to-do possible and time-blocking your entire day. There's a different version of productivity—soft-life productivity—that feels so much better, and trust me, you are still going to get stuff done. And if you want to start with the second brain method, I've linked my organizer life Notion template below; it is a bestseller of mine for a reason; you can read all the positive comments on there; it's easy to use; it's fully customizable; you get immediate access to it; and it's aesthetic. But also, in this video here, I'll walk you through my entire Notion template in detail, exactly how I use it, what it looks like, and honestly, if you want, you could just use this as inspo; that is totally fine. So I will see you over in this video, or I'll just see you next time in my next video. Bye.