Your Agile Home

Be sure to join Your Agile Home over at youragilehome.substack.com for free (and exclusive!) content.  You can support this podcast here: Patreon   The number one question I get is: how do I get my family to buy-in?  Getting children to buy-in is the easiest thing you will do because they will love being asked their opinion and their feedback.  The importance here is the follow-through. You have to actually take your children's input and feedback into consideration.     

Be sure to join Your Agile Home over at youragilehome.substack.com for free (and exclusive!) content.  You can support this podcast here: Patreon   This can the hardest buy-in to get because your partner already has a way of doing things and may not be open to new ideas.    Don't try to implement any new software. Don't take on more projects than you can realistically complete. Make your first sprint smaller than you think it needs to be.

Be sure to join Your Agile Home over at youragilehome.substack.com for free (and exclusive!) content.  You can support this podcast here: Patreon 2 Ways you can use the Pomodoro Method 1. The traditional Way Set a timer and get to work. I use Egg Timer. I set it to Pomodoro and work til the break and take a stretch before getting back to it for the second cycle.  2. The reverse Pomodoro You do something fun for the longer stretch of time and then get something done in the shorter stretch of time. This is great for days when you have the blahs.

You can support this podcast here: Substack Patreon Today, we are talking about how to manage team members with negative attitudes. Listen, we've all dealt with them before.  Heck, I've even been a team member with a negative attitude. It's no different at home.  Here are my tips for managing it. 1. Make space for bad days 2. Ask how you can help them have a better day 3. Ask someone else to help them attack the problem 4. Use positive reinforcement 5. Go do something you'll both enjoy

Remember you can support us at: Substack Patreon Occasionally, I like to try new tools so you don't have to so that's why I want to take a minute today and talk about the Commit30 journal.  I was having trouble with habits. Honestly, I can assure you that motivation just wasn't enough. I needed a planner that was going to hold me accountable. I had tried to do it digitally, and it wasn't working. My brain just needed something that was more tangibly. I'm very glad I went with the Commit30. In January, I tracked meditation, and I was successful for all 30 days. In February, I tracked my protein shake and BAM! I'll check back in with you in a few months to let you know how it's still going.  I find that it is best to track 1 habit at a time instead of trying to track ALL the habits all the time.  See you in a few days.

You can support us at:  Patreon.com/youragilehome youragilehome.substack.com Your backlog is a place to keep a list of all the projects you want to do in your home.  Today, we talk about a few places you can store that list. 1. Trello - great for visual learners 2. Click up.  **Affiliate deal here**ClickUp - 30% off of Unlimited and 15% off Business for their first year** 3. Google Sheets/Excel

You can support this podcast at: patreon.com/youragilehome youragilehome.substack.com I get a lot of questions about how we plan our sprints.  The basics are: We break down the tasks and determine how long it will take. Recently, we decided to install a pot rack over our island. We determined it would take 2 sprints each equalling 2 weeks. We planned out the steps that would take place in each sprint.  Planning, measuring, cutting, assembling, hanging, sanding, painting, etc. Steps 1 - ?? happened in sprint 1.  The rest happened in sprint 2. Then you have a completed project.

SIGN UP: Substack Patreon Investing in yourself is vital, and I've been trying to do a lot of it during this pandemic.  Have you been investing in yourself? Here are some ways you can invest in yourself: 1. Set up a space for you 2. Get Organized 3. Hire a coach 4. Start a side hustle 5. Play a brain game 6. Find a mentor/be a mentor 7. Boost your health & wellness 8. Prioritize your self-care 9. Take a class 10. Read a book

Sign up to make sure you don't miss any Your Agile Home Content Substack Patreon Winter is a time that can be difficult for everyone. So what's in my winter self-care basket?  First, I'd like to remind that a self-care basket is a basket or a couple of baskets where you keep the things you need for self-care located together in order to make sure you have them available when you need them. My winter baskets include [contains affiliate links meaning I make a few dollars if you click the links and purchase. It helps support this podcast] Aveeno Absolutely Ageless Aveeno Absolutely Ageless Night Cream Aveeno Absolutely Ageless Eye Cream Carex Therapy Lamp Animal Crossing New Horizons Minecraft Minecraft Dungeons My Time in Portia TikTok What do you use for your Self-care?

Be sure to join Your Agile Home over at youragilehome.substack.com for free (and exclusive!) content.    We love playing games in our home and educational games and toys are especially our favorites  Some of our favorites: [Includes affiliate links] Roller Skates MagnaTiles Binoculars Tangrams Drums  Guitars Art Supplies Coloring Books Color By Sticker for Kids Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Count Your Chickens Clumsy Thief Minecraft Epic Books Homer ABCYa Atlas Mission

Be sure to join Your Agile Home over at youragilehome.substack.com for free (and exclusive!) content.    Bullet journaling is something I picked up because of my forgetfulness and ADHD. Now, the minute I think of something, I pick up my bullet journal and jot it down.  I also use it to track my habits and goals.  I also use it to assign a day and a time to my to-dos so that I know that I'm actually achieving what I set out to do.  Using my bullet journal also allows me to review and track my goals and habits at the end of the month. 

Be sure to join Your Agile Home over at youragilehome.substack.com for free (and exclusive!) content.    New Years usually brings on discussions about goals and goal setting, but how do you set Agile goals?  We need to be continually making progress towards our goals, whether the goals are big or small.  Make sure to evaluate your progress at the end of the sprint and make adjustments in your plans as you're moving forward. 

Places to support Your Agile Home:  youragilehome.substack.com Why I Use "I" Statements 1. No one else can make you feel a certain way 2. Doesn't Place Blame 3. It makes people feel valued and like their opinion is valued   I statements are especially important when creating user stories and setting up Your Agile Home and Sprint goals through Scrum.

Quiet time with my noise-canceling headphones.  Exercise Playing video games - especially ones like Animal Crossing where you're building community Writing in my gratitude journal Taking a shower    What helps you boost your mood? Email me and let me know! 

Brain dumping is so important when it comes to creating your backlog and for keeping yourself from becoming overwhelmed.  What are the steps for an effective brain dump? -Find a quiet spot -Write down everything that comes out of your brain without a filter -After you've gotten everything out of your brain, prioritize what you've written down. 

What does being done in Agile mean?  It means that your team - or your family - is aware of what the expected deliverable is and it is delivered. It is all about transparency. The quality of work meets the description of the product.  Over time, the project may become a part of your sprint again, as you realize some pieces are not working. You're creating a culture of ideas and empowering even your youngest to make decisions.

We're getting near and dear to my heart talking about all of my favorites.  1. ClickUp. You've heard me talk about it so often. Use my affiliate link to get a 30% off of Unlimited and 15% off Business for their first year. 2. My expo marker and whiteboard. I use it for EVERYTHING. 3. Microsoft To Do Lists 4. My Dakboard hooked up using a Raspberry Pi.

What is an Agile Roadmap? When we look at what we want in life, we want to have a map of where you are going and what you want to do.  This helps you to set your goals and to meet them. You need to be specific.  With a roadmap, there is continuity of purpose. Everyone will be on the same page to reach the goal.

We've been talking all about scope creep and today we are going to talk about avoiding it!  1. Document the requirements 2. Set up a change process. 3. Create a clear project schedule. 4. Verify the scope. Make sure everyone is on the same page. 5. Engage the project team. You want to know how changes will affect them.   It is important to avoid scope creep because it can take longer than you budgeted, cost more than you budgeted and can lead to burnout.

These are the top 4 causes of scope creep. 1. Lack of clear and detailed scope is the number one reason for scope creep. The project will morph on its own without a clear scope. 2. You aren't proactive with issues and roadblocks.  3. Disagreements on how to handle change. 4. Poor estimation - time, money, etc. Everything was not specified at the beginning.  

Listen to today's episode to learn what scope creep is, why scope creep is a problem, and how to avoid it.  Scope creep occurs when you start adding things outside your predetermined definition of "done" If you suffer from scope creep, you may notice that: your definition of "done" is changed you end up adding to your project's budget your timeline will have to be increased 

I'm not the first or last person to tell you that multitasking is bad for you, but I can tell you that single-tasking is the #1 thing that helps me complete my home projects. How do I do this best?  I started creating baskets in various places of my home so that I wasn't constantly going up and down the stairs and multitasking.  I tune out from my phone and don't have multiple tabs open on my computer. Do you multitask or single-task?   Get started on your Agile transformation with my free course. 

Click this affiliate link to try ClickUp and get a 15% - 30% discount. Here are all of the things that you absolutely need to put in your home ClickUp spacease. Backlog - all of your dreamiest projects! Recurring Tasks (and assign them out) Personal Information (easy to display for babysitters etc like hospital and doctors numbers.) Food & Meal Plan Finance Holidays (So they don't sneak up on you)

A lot of the time our Scrum meetings are not just daily logistics, but we're also talking about moving our sprints forward. Here are different ways that I keep track of that information. Whiteboard Ipad Post - It Note Make sure you also talk about anything you completed the day before and any roadblocks that you are currently experiencing. If you want to learn more about the daily scrum, check out my course.

The tasks we are talking about today are more frequent tasks that don't fit into a sprint. These are very specific. List them all out and let everyone pick their favorites. Then deal with what is leftover democratically. Revisit periodically as your children get older.  If you want to get started on your Agile transformation, check out my free course.

Do you want to try out ClickUp? Click here for my affiliate link and you'll get a 15% - 30% discount! Know what's on our sprint Get it on my radar/schedule mark delegation so I'm not thinking about it easily prioritize the backlog evaluate your projects I have so many resources for this and want to help you! Send me an email and we'll get you set up. 

Taking the time to understand how stress works will help you handle all the stress that 2020 has brought upon us.    Listen to today's episode and learn some tips and tricks for managing stress and communicating effectively.   Learn More About Valerie: Valerie Friedlander is a Certified Life Coach and Energy Leadership Master Practitioner. She specializes in helping high-achieving women with children to reach their personal and professional goals with greater ease and enjoyment. In addition to her coach training, Valerie draws on her studies in sociology, neuroscience, addiction recovery, and spiritual discernment to support her clients in reducing patterns of stress and anxiety while increasing focus, follow-through, and fun in all areas of their life. Clients have called her a "motivational unicorn" and "mindset magician" (which she loves because she is also a huge nerd with a passion for analogies.) https://valeriefriedlander.com/

Start your agile transformation with my free course.  User stories are so important to propel the conversation forward to find out what is really needed for each project.  Here's how to create a user story: Define the End User Specify what they want Describe the benefit Add acceptance criteria This is important because it is a factual way to state a problem without any blame or negativity.

Join my free email course to start your own Agile transformation.  We're talking about the base things you need in order to have the best possible life. You start with the bare minimum and you can move up or be agile to change quickly. Find your non-negotiables. This is the thing that you need to do to make sure your life is successful. Design the leanest version of that life.  Figure out your worst-case scenario. Plan ahead to cover your worst-case scenario. Figure out what your anxieties are and how you can plan for them.      

Your information radiator is more than what's on your calendar or countdowns. You can find out more information on my mini-course for your daily standup. I use ClickUp for this. (Affiliate link) You can get 30% off of Unlimited and 15% off Business for their first year. I split it up to a professional space and a personal space. My professional space has this podcast, my blog, my products, my strategy and my back end admin stuff. My personal space has home stuff.  We split up our projects into sprints.  Inside each sprint, you set up the tasks. Within each task, include all of the tools that you will need.   

Self-care is not the answer to burn out or overwhelm from your to do list.  However, your to do list is preventing you from having meaningful self-care.  A running to do list that is never-ending makes it hard for you to feel like you actually accomplished anything for the day. Instead of taking a break that you need, you feel bad because your list still has things on it. You need to have less things on your list. You need to delegate so that you can get to your goals.

Sign up to start your Agile Transformation here! The holidays are coming and we all need to get things out of the house before new toys come into the house! This is the first year we involved the kids. We do it in a couple of phases so that the kids don't get emotional. Have clear parameters with your kids.  Don't set your expectations high and leave them to do it. Don't micromanage. The goal is to get them ready to part with their stuff. If you start stepping in, it will not go well.

Agile got me out of my parenting burnout. This is the exact course that got me out of parenting burnout. But first, you have to go through some things before you get to Agile. What is burnout? It is a complete overwhelm with mental, physical and emotional exhaustion. What are the signs of burnout? You are yelling; have less of an attention span; frustration; irritation; body aches; and fatigue. First, you must admit that you are experiencing them.  Then, make a plan. Find ways to lighten your load immediately. Block out meaningful time for yourself. You need to ask for help. Agile came in to help me because it helped me to prioritize and minimize my overwhelm and my list. Agile helped me to delegate through self-assigning tasks.

With projects and tasks, every person involved has their own idea of how things will go in their mind. We will talk about how to best communicate. What is scope? Scope is everything you need for the process to be delivered.  What is scope creep? This is when something else comes in and derails you. One of the biggest problems is when your backlog isn't prioritized.  Use an Agile system like ClickUp (affiliate link). If you click this link, you will receive 30% off of Unlimited and 15% off Business for their first year. What causes scope creep? Listen to this episode to hear how to fix it.  

Join my free course on Agile here! Today, we are joined by my dear friend Bev Feldman, a blogger and mom who is passionate about sustainability.  We're in this crossroads, where if we don't change something soon the whole world is in trouble.  I wanted to make sustainability and eco-conscious living was approachable. I didn't want it to seem unrealistic.  Start where you are. It can be something as simple as shorter / cooler shower. You don't have to buy new things. Take a look at what you already have. A lot of things we throw away, can be reused within our own houses. Try to use sustainable swaps, including using different ecommerce companies, like switching off from Amazon. We talk about waste, budget, smart homes and the easiest way to do it all. So much pressure is put on individuals, and that isn't fair because there is only so much we can do in terms of production and packaging. But at the same time, vote with your dollars.

Want to know how to handle the holidays in a pandemic? Join me for my free webinar.   Halloween starts our holidays. We order pizza, trick-or-treat, hand out candy and watch a movie while the kids stay up late. Thanksgiving we do just one side of the family. Christmas, we find a local lake to walk. We do an annual advent calendar. We do the 4 books of Hannukah. We do the 12 books of Christmas. We celebrate with everyone on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day is a laid back, relaxing day. We figured out what would work for us each year and then we adjust and add new things sometimes. You don't have to jampack your calendar before Christmas. A lot of things are still available until January 4, so do some things after the holiday, like decorate cookies. 

Halloween 2020 is going to look a little different this year. To find out how I'm handling Halloween click here. Every year, we plan our costumes early. That way we can start buying or making things early. Go to your local warehouse and buy your candy in bulk early. Get candy that isn't wrapped in Halloween wrapping. Only buy the type of candy your family can eat if there are leftovers. Plan your route in advance. Keep the excess candy to use as treats or rewards.    

Here at Yvonne Marcus Consulting, we believe that words matter and we are coming to you today with an apology. It was brought to our attention this weekend that we have been using a term that is ableist. We want to make the effort to do better now that we know better.  This means that The Daily Stand Up will now be referred to as The Daily Scrum - which was the original term that was meant to be used for the daily meeting. 

Get my Daily Scrum mini course for just $17 right now! So what are the best practices? 1. Respect the Time Box 2. Meet in person. 3. Come on time and prepared. 4. No multi-tasking during the meeting. 5. Include self-care needs. 6. Schedule this at the best time for everyone. 7. Have fun!  

Check out my free 3 Pillars Mini-Course! Family Game Night is my favorite. Our favorite educational game is Count Your Chickens. We also love Sunny Day, Rainy Day; Clumsy Beef; Sneaky Snacky Squirrel; and Uno. We also enjoy Ticket to Ride's geography focus. We love Candyland and Creationary, as well.

Go from Agile zero to Agile hero with my new free 3-day mini-course! One day, our kids saw a bear climb over our neighbor's fence. This scared them.  We then started to try to explain to my daughter how the bear will not come in and get her. It didn't seem to work. So, we decided to make Bear Spray - water and lavender oil.   

You can get started on your Agile transformation by signing up for my free 3-day mini-course. Today, let's talk about the 3 ways we use our whiteboard.  First, we use it for our brainstorm process. It makes it visual.  Second, I use our whiteboard for meal planning. Last, we use it for countdowns for medicines so that no doses are missed.  

As you get started on your Agile journey, check out my free course.    When we talk about kids' room maintenance, it's important that we include the kids. We have a routine where the kids pick up most of their things. Make cleaning and maintenance a part of your routine. Of course, there are going to be some things that collect. Try to keep them in one portion of the room. I break down my maintenance into once a week, once a month, and once a quarter.

Today, I'm joined by Katelyn Bowden to talk about image-based abuse for our children.  Image-based abuse is anything from sextortion, leaked nudes, revenge porn, faked nudes, deepfakes, and more. We have to talk about online safety and relationship abuse for teens as well. A lot of kids don't realize that the metadata of photos can exist longer than the "24-hour" window. There are so many ways to disable the screenshot notification and save images on Snapchat. It's one of the most unsecure ways of sharing nudes. We talk about ways to protect yourself and your children. For more info on your personal identification information, listen to our episode with my friend Jason Faulhefer. We dig into a good response if someone were trying to sextort you. Most of the time they don't actually have any information, nor is it very marketable. Use a password manager like OnePassword or LastPass. We also dive into agency and education around consent.    Katelyn is the CEO and founder of the BADASS army- a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting NCP and other forms of image-based abuse. Learn more about Katelyn at badassarmy.org

Sign up for my Three Pillars of your Agile Transformation that will jumpstart you on your Agile journey. You need a backlog so that you have a running list of what needs to be done to make you see success in your target. In your first meeting, write down all of your ideas for things that come up.  Get clarification on what each person needs for each idea.  Prioritize the items on your list. We are trying to make them into bite sized pieces to fit your sprints. Do the things at the top of the list!

Seasonal lists are great because they are filled with things that YOU love to do!  2020 looks quite different, but many seasonal activities can be done social distanced or safely in your own home.  Sit down with everyone in your family and have everyone name two things that they want to do. These are perfect to have as intentional moments.  

Sign up for the 3 Pillars to Your Agile Transformation which is crucial for this episode. You'll go over your meal plan every morning and know exactly what you'll need.  On Sundays, I fill in the meal plan. We do some days the same every week.  Look at what you need prepped for the weekly dinners and add that to the schedule. Next, look at the ingredients we have and what needs to be bought. We try to keep our meals seasonal.

How do you set a 90-day plan? 1. Determine a very specific focus.  2. Set your priorities.  3. Set your goals using the M.O.S.C.O.W. method. 4. Determine how you will measure success. What are your goals for the next 90 days? Ready to get insider access to Your Agile Home? Check us out and support our Patreon.

We are all on a mission to go a bit more paperless. These are my top apps. 1. My Google Calendar. This is so important to put it in our calendar as soon as the appointments are set. 2. GoodNotes. This is where I journal, bullet journal and brainstorm. This is the place I go for lists and processing. 3. Evernote/OneNote. 4. Microsoft ToDo. 5. Amazon Alexa App. This is the best place for my grocery list. Everyone can add to this list because they know how to speak to Alexa. Ready to get insider access to Your Agile Home? Check us out and support our Patreon.

It's important to have something that winds you down in the evening. I like to watch television with my husband.  I write my gratitude list. I go outside and enjoy our balcony.  I do my nighttime hygiene routine and then my husband gives me a scalp massage. Ready to get insider access to Your Agile Home? Check us out and support our Patreon.

Executive function helps with your self-regulation tasks. When you struggle with executive function, you have trouble with planning, focusing attention, remembering instructions and juggling multliple tasks at a time. There is less on my plate with Agile and I know what to expect. Ready to get insider access to Your Agile Home? Check us out and support our Patreon.