You know that feeling when you finally sit down to tackle something important, and suddenly everyone on the planet needs you right now? Yeah, me too.
If you feel like you can't get through a single task without being interrupted, you're not imagining it. Women are interrupted more frequently than men (there's actual research on this!), and our brains are literally wired differently, making focus even more challenging. But here's the good news! You can reclaim your focus time with some strategic planning and a simple two-minute brain trick.
Track your interruption patterns for 2 days.
Grab your phone's notes app and jot down every interruption: what time, who interrupted you, and why. You're not just counting, you're looking for patterns. Maybe it's that post-lunch chaos at work or the after-school gauntlet at home. Once you see the patterns, you can plan for them instead of being blindsided.
Create planned interruption time.
This sounds counterintuitive, but it works like magic. If you notice you get bombarded from 1-2 PM every day, block that time on your calendar as "available for questions." Don't pretend you'll get focused work done. Embrace the chaos for that hour so you can protect your focus time elsewhere.
Use a visual "do not disturb" signal.
Whether it's a sign on your chair, a closed office door, or even a specific hat you wear, create a clear signal that means "emergency only interruptions." The key is communicating what it means AND actually taking it down when you're available. Your family and coworkers need to see both sides - available and unavailable - for this to work.
Do a 2-minute brain dump before focused work.
Here's where the magic happens for those internal interruptions (you know, when your brain suddenly remembers you need to buy birthday cards while you're trying to concentrate). Set a 2-minute timer, grab paper and pen, and write down everything swirling in your mind. This isn't a to-do list. It's just getting the mental chatter out so your brain can focus. Trust me, your brain needs to see you physically writing it down.
Every interruption can cost you 23-30 minutes of full focus to recover. That means if you're getting pinged all day, you're never actually getting into that productive flow state. But when you start planning for interruptions instead of fighting them, and give your brain that 2-minute release valve, you'll be amazed at how much more you can accomplish. One TOP Program student told me she got her first uninterrupted 45 minutes in three years using these strategies. Your focus time is worth protecting, and now you know exactly how to do it.
- LAST WEEK: Get Your Plan-a-Palooza Ticket at Early Bird Prices
Only one week left to grab Plan-a-Palooza early bird tickets before the price doubles on September 1st. This is my once-a-year live annual planning workshop where we create a realistic 2026 roadmap that actually works with your real life, not the "set goals and hope for the best" approach that leaves you feeling like nothing meaningful got accomplished.
Over two days in October, we'll build your planning tools that you'll actually use all year long, plus you get a 100+ page workbook and 14 expert trainings! - TOP Student Planner
School's starting, and you're already dreading the nightly homework battles, forgotten assignments, and last-minute project panic sessions. The TOP Student Planner isn't just another cute planner that sits on their desk unused; it's the only student planner that comes with a complete course teaching your student HOW to actually plan and manage multiple classes, deadlines, and real life.
Your student gets both the physical planner and step-by-step video training on everything from breaking down intimidating projects to integrating digital tools without losing the big picture. The goal isn't just getting through school; it's raising confident, capable adults who can handle their own lives while you stop being the homework police.
Email Overwhelm? This System Saved My Sanity
Does your email control your life instead of the other way around? After 20+ years of developing systems in corporate environments and now running my own business, I've created an email management approach that actually works for busy women with unpredictable schedules.
No more constant notifications, no more feeling behind, and definitely no more email anxiety. In this video, I'm sharing my simple system for processing any email in seconds, how to handle email-related tasks without letting them take over your day, and the exact timing strategy I use to check email without constant interruption. This isn't about achieving inbox zero; it's about making email work for you instead of against you.
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This Week’s Buzz: The Hard Truth About "Getting It All Done" When Life Gets Complicated
When something new comes into your life that takes up significant time, surgery, family emergencies, or work changes, how do you keep getting everything else done? Here's the answer nobody wants to hear: you don't.
In this week's Weekly Buzz, I'm breaking down why hustle culture has conditioned us to believe we should somehow make it work anyway, using a simple money analogy that makes the math impossible to ignore. Think about it; if you have $2,000 for bills and suddenly need $2,500, you can't magically create that extra $500. Time works the same way, and sometimes the only solution is learning to let some things go.
Remember, this video is updated every Wednesday, so don’t miss it! Head to The Pink Bee app to watch now.
Friend, don’t forget—just 15 minutes of planning today can set the tone for your entire week. You’ve got the tools, you’ve got the tips, and now it’s time to take action. Let’s crush this week together!
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