3.8 - "Get Your Sh*t Together"

If you’re interested in my post-college story, I want to let you know I’m sharing all of my tips on the post-college job search, nailing informational interviews, and more on the Bri Books Podcast Newsletter. @BriBooksPod - Instagram @BriBooksPod - Twitter What are you reading?! Show and tell using #bribooks 0:00-0:15 - Hello and welcome to BrI Books podcast. Today’s episode is all about “Get Your Sh*t Together: How To Stop Worrying About What You Should Do So You Can Finish What You Need to Do and Start Doing What You Want to Do” by Sarah Knight. 00:22 - I’m so happy to be back in front of the mic. It’s October 1. Hello,  Q4! It feels like just yesterday we were brushing off the cold and snow in January. Andhere we are staring autumn in the face. 00:45 - I’m thrilled to be in front of my mic today. I had a plan for an upcoming episode, but I figured we’d do a #unplugged session instead. I recently completed the book, and I’m positive Knight has slipped into our home and read our imessages, because this book is strumming my pain with its...pages. 1:30 - I first encountered “Get Your Sh*t Together” in early 2017. The book existed on the periphery of my reading list for most of the year. I’d heard about Knight’s bestseller, “The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving A F*ck. 2:20 - Finishing “Get Your Shit Together” left me motivated but also feeling internally empowered. I realized I have all the tools necessary to use the time, skills and energy I have in the most effective and vibrant way possible. 2:45 - Here’s the plan for this episode. First, we’re going to talk about what “getting your sh*t together” actually means. I find myself muttering it to myself under my breath when I’m shuffling through papers or search an email inbox. I think, “Gosh Brionna, pull it together. Wrangle your life up, because it’s out of control.” 3:10 - Reading this book helped me realize my “sh*t” didn't come undone in one day, so I can't expect to put it all back together in one day. Being an “adult” means strategizing, focusing on and committing to your goals. There’s a lot of mental clutter surrounding who we think we are, and the goals we ~think~ we should be setting. 4:00 - Sarah breaks down in “Get Your Sh*t Together” why it’s so important to STRATEGIZE, FOCUS, and COMMIT to goals tailor-made for YOU. 4:10 - Next, I’ll talk about my own struggles with getting my “sh*t” together, and how I’m applying new techniques from the book. 4:38 - First there’s strategizing: setting a goal and making a plan to achieve it in a series of chunks. 4:58 - This is where things get important. If you’re like me, you have a goal. Say the goal is to “Update my Linkedin”--a vague yet important task.  Instead, we getting paralyzed by procrastination and anxiety because of all the things swirling in your head (headshots, resume, connect with everyone, send out emails, etc.) See how it’s easy to psych yourself out? That’s why it’s so important to break goals into series of CHUNKS. Pick a chunk, and then focus. 5:55 - Focus is simply intentionally setting aside time to complete a chunk or task. This is an aspect of the professional world I’ve found myself struggling with--budgeting and allocating time realistically. I Tend to under budget those sorts of things can be fixed by understanding the series of chunks that go into task, and setting aside time to complete each chunk. If you’re like me, when you don't ocs you judge yourself and procrastinate and wonder why you ever set goal. Now time for third step. Commit. 7:00 - Reading “Get Your Shit Together” brought me back to a conversation hosted by Vinterlude. Vinterlude is a collection of women who host bespoke events for black women and black vendors as a method of modern political activism. I was invited by Depth and Candor host Hiwote Getaneh. 7:50 - At the end of the day, the main tenet is that practice is...

Welcome back to Bri Books! Today’s episode is all about a book that feels as though it was ripped from my own journal. Meet “Get Your Sh*t Together: How to Stop Worrying About What You Should Do So You Can Finish What You Need to Do and Start Doing What You Want to Do,” by Sarah Knight.

Ever find yourself exasperated and on the brink of an anxiety attack, muttering, “Goodness, why can’t I just get my sh*t together?!” If so, this book is for YOU. I first encountered “Get Your Sh*t Together” in early 2017, and I’ve seen the title on the “Bestseller” shelf of virtually every airport bookstore I’ve popped into this year. After hearing Rosetta Thurman of “Happy Black Woman Podcast” gush about the title earlier this summer, I knew I had to grab this book. As soon as I finished the last page (always read the acknowledgements, y’all!), I put down the title and got to WERK.

In this episode:

• How “Get Your Sh*t Together” left me feeling both motivated and empowered. I realized I have all the tools necessary (so do you!) to get (and keep!) my sh*t in tip top shape.
• What “Getting Your Sh*t Together” actually means and looks like.
• How to be an “adult”—STRATEGIZING, FOCUSING ON and COMMITTING to goals
• My very own struggles with getting my sh*t together, and how I’m applying new techniques I learned by reading Knight’s book.

1.     Strategizing: Setting a goal and making a plan to achieve it in a series of chunks

Don’t make it vague, and consider every LAST PART of the task. No lumping “Update my resume” on your to-do list. Chunk it: “Write out recent changes to role; select a new headshot; update skills, etc.”  Pick a chunk, and then focus.

2.     Focus: Intentionally set aside time to complete each chunk or task.

How do you know how long it’ll take you to complete the task? Time, it! Everything from showering to getting a report delivery-ready at work, time how long it actually takes to complete. Knowledge is power. And you’re not as fast as you think. None of us are. When I’m focused, I don’t have time to judge myself.

3.     Commit: Commit to doing the DOING. Do what needs to be DONE to complete chunks. Remember, “Practice is just practice.”

The purpose of practice isn’t mastery at the end of a single session. The purpose is to strategize, focus and commit to improvement.

Reading “Get Your Sh*t Together” brought me back to a conversation hosted by Vinterlude. Vinterlude is a collection of women who host bespoke events for black women and black vendors as a method of modern political activism. I was invited by Depth & Candor host Hiwote Getaneh. “Practice is just practice,” Akua Soadwa told us during the Vinterlude session.

I’ve shared my struggles with you, now I’m gonna tell you how I’m trying to get my sh*t together to finish the year strong. Let me know what you’re up to and how you’re doing the same. Use #bribooks @bribookspod. Subscribe to Bri Books Podcast Newsletter.

If you’re interested in my post-college story, I want to let you know I’m sharing all of my tips on the post-college job search, nailing informational interviews, and more on the Bri Books Podcast Newsletter.

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