Sweet N Social

Tag: productivity

  • How a Simple Bracelet Box Taught Me 3 Powerful Business Success Rules

    How a Simple Bracelet Box Taught Me 3 Powerful Business Success Rules

    Over the weekend, I watched my granddaughter take on a big goal. She wanted to make 21 friendship bracelets for her cheer team. With her box of colorful bands spread out and her plan in mind, she started strong. But before long, the excitement wore off. The project was bigger than she expected, and her focus drifted.

    That bracelet box held more than rubber bands — it held lessons every entrepreneur needs to hear.

    Start Small, Finish Small

    Big goals lose their shine if you try to tackle them all at once. Instead of 21 bracelets in one sitting, aim to finish one. In business, break your projects into the smallest possible step. Finish it, celebrate it, and build momentum from completion.

    Batch Your Efforts

    Switching colors for every bracelet slowed her down. A better approach? Batch the work. Make several of the same design before moving on. In business, batching looks like:

    • Writing multiple posts in one sitting
    • Scheduling outreach calls in a single block
    • Dedicating a morning purely to creative work

    Batching sharpens focus and increases efficiency.

    Revisit Your “Why”

    Her “why” was simple: to make her team smile. That purpose mattered more than the bands themselves. In business, your “why” fuels your endurance. Write it down, keep it visible, and let it pull you through the slow stretches.

    Embrace the Process

    The joy wasn’t only in the finished bracelet — it was in the making. The same truth applies to your business. Success isn’t just about the end result. When you learn to value the process, you’ll not only last longer, you’ll enjoy the journey more.

    Reflection Prompt

    Think of a project you started with excitement but never finished:

    • Why did you lose steam?
    • Was the goal too big to tackle all at once?
    • How can you break it into small, doable steps to restore momentum?

    Quote to Anchor This Lesson

    “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” – Vincent Van Gogh

    Try This: Bracelet Batching for Your Business

    Choose one project you’ve been putting off. Break it into three small steps you can finish this week:

    1. Write one paragraph of your sales page.
    2. Reach out to one potential collaborator.
    3. Post one social media update about your offer.

    At week’s end, think about how small completions built bigger momentum.

    Small steps, done consistently, lead to lasting results. Just as a bracelet is built loop by loop, your business grows one focused action at a time.

    Small steps build big results — in bracelets and in business. Which step will you take this week to build momentum?


    If this lesson resonated with you, subscribe to Sweet N Social. Get more reflections delivered straight to your inbox. Get strategies and inspiration as well. Growth is easier when we walk the journey together.

  • Abandon Doing What Comes Easy and Devote Your Time to The Life you Want

    Abandon Doing What Comes Easy and Devote Your Time to The Life you Want

    “Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it.” ― Marcus Aurelius

    Quora Question: What do you do to pass the time other than social media (Reddit included), TV or reading a book?

    My favorite “go-to” activity is always a walk in the park. I love getting out and connecting with nature. But like anything in life, I have times when I just don’t feel like walking. So, I would ask myself, “what else can I do that I can do for free?”

    Here are some things that happened when I stopped watching TV, reduced my time on social media and applied action from the information I learned from the books I read. 

    I discovered Zentangle drawing on a networking call one day which is like a form of meditation. I started learning a foreign language last year. I learned how to use the editing software that came free on my computer and created my own podcast and used the video to create a YouTube channel. I made time to play and learn from my granddaughter on days I don’t have to work. I dedicate quiet time for self-reflection and journaling which has been life changing. I started and organized Meetup groups and connect with people in such places as India and Africa and I write for two blogs.

    One of my favorite quotes I read that made such a huge impact was “Create before you Consume.” -Marie Forleo. 

    Time is always “passing by” but it is what you choose to do with your time and the kind of life you want to live that determines the quality of life you will have. Watching TV and surfing the internet are easy things to do, dig deeper and find out what you can create!

    Thank you for taking time out to read this post. I would love to learn more about who you are and what you do. Feel free to connect with me through a Meetup group.

    1. Confident Strides Women’s Empowerment Network https://bit.ly/CSWENMeetup
    2. Confident Strides Personal Development Network Group https://bit.ly/CSPDNMeetup
    3. Confident Strides Women’s Professional Network https://bit.ly/CSWPNMeetup
    4. Confident Strides Entrepreneurs Network https://bit.ly/CSENMeetup

    Quote Source: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/goals-in-life

    To connect with me: https:///confidentstrides

  • Transformation Time: How to Become Smarter, More Creative, and Productive

    Transformation Time: How to Become Smarter, More Creative, and Productive

    “Let your creative and imaginative mind run freely; it will take you places you never dreamed of and provide breakthroughs that others once thought were impossible.” ― Idowu Koyenikan

    How can one become smarter, more creative, productive, and intelligent during a lockdown?-Quora

    Depending on the lens you to look through, a lockdown can be like the metamorphosis of a caterpillar to a butterfly. We have the time to learn more about who we are and what we want, if you choose to.  

    As with any time we deal with change, we may look fantastic from the outside, but the transformation from within feels gruesome deep inside. That’s because we don’t have the distractions that we are accustomed to. We don’t have the availability to run from our decisions.  We are forced to face reality head on. Unlike the caterpillar, we have the choice to use this time to transform into a butterfly.

    During the lockdown, use this time to read, draw and rediscover dormant skills and talents that we have put to the side.  Creativity is not just for a select few, we all have a creative muscle in our body that just needs to be exercised more.  It’s like sleeping in a certain position for so long that our creativity fell asleep. That numbness will eventually dissipate. 

    Life doesn’t stop during a lockdown; it must be looked at from a different angle. 

    Suggestions on how to become smarter, more creative, and productive:

    • Ask yourself what have you been putting off or too busy to do? Have you been wanted to read or exercise more?  There are tons of internet sites where you can download e-books. Many trainers now offer online training programs.
    • Boost your immune system by enjoying nature. It’s doesn’t cost a thing to go for a walk.
      • Walking also is a great way to relieve stress and relax your mind. If your mind is relaxed, it’s easier to gain clarity. With clarity, you can focus more on what’s important therefor making you more productive.
      • Walking is also a great way to let you mind explore ideas which gives you more creativity in solving problems.
    • Use the downtime to write or journal. Explore what is coming up for you during this lockdown. Perhaps you’ll have enough material to write a book or publish a blog.
    • Remember: Creativity can’t be used up, the more you use it the more you gain.
    • One last thing you can do is, use your smart devices to reach out and talk with people.  Replace a text or an email with a phone call.  This helps you to realize that you are not alone, and you perhaps may make a new friend which you can visit once the world opens back up.

    The lockdown may pose a physical limitation, but your imagination/creativity is limitless! 

    For more information on how a butterfly transforms https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/animals-ecology/how-caterpillar-turn-butterfly-0534534/

    Quote Source: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/transformation

    To connect with me: https://linktr.ee/confidentstrides

  • How To Be Productive in 2022: Conduct a Year End Review First

    How To Be Productive in 2022: Conduct a Year End Review First

    “Consider everything an experiment.” ― Corita Kent

    What my military experience has taught me is valuable even after retirement.

    How can one be productive? -Quora

    As this year ends, I think it’s an excellent time to reflect on just how far we have come.  We focus so much on what we want to achieve that perhaps we don’t stop and realize that we are not the same person we were when the year started. There has been people and experiences that have changed us either for the good or the bad.  This is the time to reflect and see if what you are aiming for is still relevant. Do we need to readjust and realign our priorities?  Do we still feel the same way about these things?

     In the military, we would call this time for reflection an After-Action Review or AAR for short.  This is when we would sit down and ask the participants what their experience was. Did we hit our objective?  Where did we come up short and what did we do right? What did you learn? To know is you are productive, you first need to know what the goal was that you were aiming for. 

    What is your target?

    We can apply an AAR to weekly, monthly or year end events.  Did you hit your weekly, monthly, or year-end goal? What did we come up short on and what did we do right?  What have we learned? By taking time to see what worked and what didn’t we can now adjust our aim.

    Being productive is only relevant in the terms to what you want to achieve and the kind of life you want to live.

    1. Write down your dreams and goals. You can’t hit what you can’t see.
    2. Evaluate the activity you engage in daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. Are they in alignment with your core beliefs? Are they taking you to or away from your goals?
    3. Reflect on what is working and what is not. Conduct an After-Action Review.
    4. Adjust your aim and keep moving.

    For 2022 to be productive for you, take a moment of reflection and see what your core values and beliefs are. Then you will know what kind of activities you need to incorporate or eliminate.

    Quote Source: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/productivity

    Here is an invitation to connect with me: https://linktr.ee/confidentstrides

    We also just launched our new website where you can find out Youtube videos and Anchor podcast episodes in one location. Check it out here: https://confidentstrides.com