The Smart Twenties Podcast

Two of my clients inside my program Perfectionists Getting Shit Done (aka PGSD) have given me permission to share this coaching call excerpt with you. In this call we are talking about emotional capacity and how to expand your emotional capacity so that you can do the things you need to do to build your business. If you resist and avoid doing things that are uncomfortable, this is for you. When it comes to taking action we perfectionists get really frustrated when we have all of the knowledge but we aren’t able to do the things we need to do. Why aren’t we able to follow through? Because there is a difference between your knowledge and what you’re physically capable of doing (e.g. typing words on a computer) and your ability to experience the uncomfortable emotions that are required to get shit done. Inside PGSD we support you fully with getting out of your own way and this call is a great example of some of the mindset and emotional work required to become someone who is taking consistent action towards thei

This episode was a long-time in the making. In 2019 I released an episode just after I’d officially gone full-time in my business sharing all of the nitty gritty details - the ups and downs, courage and self-sabotage, successes and setbacks. I’m sharing it again on the podcast, 5 years after it was initially released, in case you’re in the thick of this journey and you’re looking for something inspiring (and practical) to help you keep going.  When my goal was going full-time in my business, I was constantly searching for resources and advice to help me figure out how to transition from full-time work to full-time entrepreneurship. I didn’t have the confidence to take a blind leap of faith so I scoured the internet for wisdom on how to navigate it all. And to be honest, what I found was a little lacking! So I hope that by sharing the details of my experience I’m able to help you figure out when to take your own leap and how to do it. Find the full episode transcript and show notes at samlaurabrown.com/episode

Do you trust yourself with your business or are you constantly policing yourself so you get it right? Tune in to learn how to identify whether you’re in self-trust mode and the practical things you can do to get into self-trust and move yourself forward. Find the full episode transcript and show notes at samlaurabrown.com/episode457. Featured In The Episode: Free training: How To Plan Properly As A Perfectionist with Power Planning Join the waitlist for Perfectionists Getting Shit Done (PGSD) - samlaurabrown.com/pgsd Take The Perfectionism Quiz: samlaurabrown.com/quiz Sign up for daily Perfectionist Power-Ups - samlaurabrown.com/power Follow me on Instagram @perfectionismproject   Free Training: How To Plan Properly As A Perfectionist With Power Planning If you want to get shit done without burning out, I invite you to watch the free training I’ve created on how to plan properly as a perfectionist with Power Planning. By the end of the series, you’ll be ready to start using Power Planning today to

Today’s episode is for you if you get overwhelmed by how many ideas you have for making your life and your business better. I’m sharing 3 practical things you can do (beyond Power Planning) that will help you create positive constraints around your ideas so your brain doesn’t hold back your best ideas for fear of overwhelm. Find the full episode transcript and show notes at samlaurabrown.com/episode456. In This Episode You’ll Learn: Why you’ll be more productive when you have positive time constraints What to do with decisions and ideas that don’t need to be taken care of right now How to pick a ‘theme’ for each quarter Why you need a not-to-do list is and how to create one Examples of all of the above from my life and my client’s lives too   Featured In The Episode: Free training: How To Plan Properly As A Perfectionist with Power Planning Join the waitlist for Perfectionists Getting Shit Done (PGSD) - samlaurabrown.com/pgsd Take The Perfectionism Quiz: samlaurabrown.com/quiz Sign up for

You have probably heard business advice around just doing the things you know you need to do, including putting yourself out there and telling people about your business (e.g. social media, another visible channel). And if you’re a perfectionist, it’s likely that you haven’t been able to do it. This is something I’ve helped perfectionist entrepreneurs with, and I’ve also had to work on it a lot for myself when starting my business. In fact, I was so scared of putting myself out there that it took three years for me to make my first dollar in my business and six years to get to six figures! If this struggle is something you can relate to, this episode is going to be a relief. Because I want you to know that there isn’t anything wrong with you - it’s just one of the ways perfectionism can stop your business from growing. I share more about why that is + the three practical steps that you can follow to create safe visibility for yourself in your business. You can use those steps today to be able to show up and s

Coaching is so valuable for perfectionists because we often don’t see the perfectionist thinking that makes us give up right when we’re about to see results. When we think we’re not doing good enough or we’re tempted to quit, coaching helps you identify what’s going on so you can get out of your own way. To see how powerful coaching can be for perfectionists, I’m sharing a snippet of a PGSD coaching call where I coached PGSDer Arielle on how to use Power Planning as a tool to support yourself to get things done (regardless of what comes up during the week). I wanted to share this with you, because it might be the case that you hear about Power Planning and feel pressure to do it perfectly. You might be thinking ”I want to try Power Planning, but I don’t know if I’m going to be able to do it right.” And that leads to feeling like Power Planning will be hard to do and using it against yourself. That struggle is exactly what I coach Arielle on. On this call, coaching helps her drop the mental drama and exhaustio

In this episode, I’m interviewing PGSDer Olivia Fox, who’s so generous with what she shares. Olivia walks us through the practical ways that she’s used the tools inside PGSD to help her increase her business revenue while having a better work-life balance at the same time. Olivia experienced an impressive 181% increase in revenue from the previous year, all while enjoying a better work-life balance and a healthier relationship with herself.  This episode gives you an idea of what’s possible when you stop using advice that doesn't work for your perfectionist brain. You may not realise it, but traditional productivity methods like to-do lists and time blocking make you procrastinate, overthink, hold yourself back, and make it harder to move past the fear of judgment.  There are so many subtle ways we can procrastinate. Olivia shares what she does in her power planning each day to stop procrastinating, complete the courageous tasks and finish work at the time she said she would. If you have courageous tasks you

In this episode I’m answering your questions and discussing misconceptions about my group program Perfectionists Getting Shit Done. Since the doors to PGSD are closing at 11:59pm New York time on 21 March 2024, I want to make sure you have everything you need to decide whether PGSD is a good fit for you. PGSD is my group coaching program for perfectionists who are building businesses. It will have you planning properly and getting out of your own way. If you’re someone who has been doing a lot of procrasti-learning and you know a lot about what you need to do to build your business but you’re just not able to get yourself to do it - that is where PGSD comes in. Tune in to learn more about PGSD, how it will help you get out of your own way and whether it’s a good fit for you. The doors to PGSD close soon. You can sign up at samlaurabrown.com/pgsd. Questions Answered: I’m not sure if I’m a perfectionist but I can relate to what you talk about on the podcast. Does PGSD help me get clear about exactly what I wa

This is part 5 of my 5-part series on how to *actually* stop procrastinating. During this 5-part procrastination series, you’ve learned the hidden reasons why you procrastinate, the 5 step process for making decisions that don’t freak your perfectionist brain out, how power planning helps you feel safe showing up consistently and how to create ‘positive time pressure’ so you can get your best work done without burning out.  Now in this episode (part 5) you’ll hear me explain the 3 steps that make stopping procrastination simple… Make decisions like a real business owner Plan your week properly as a perfectionist Confidently and consistently put yourself out there It’s easy to finally stop procrastinating when you’ve got the tools and support that guide you through every step and help you solve all of the obstacles you’ll face before you even face them. Today’s episode covers how my program, Perfectionists Getting Shit Done (aka PGSD), will make stopping procrastination a reality for you. Stopping proc

This is part 4 of my 5-part series on how to *actually* stop procrastinating. In this episode you’ll learn how to create ‘positive time pressure’ so you can get your best work done without burning out. If you’re anything like the perfectionist entrepreneurs I work with, you work well under pressure. But there are 3 big problems with this: You’re constantly exhausted or burned out You push off the most important things because there’s no pressure to get them done You have to create a business that feels like a job in order to be productive Let me teach you how to create ‘positive time pressure’ so that you can become a true high performer. That means being able to work well under pressure AND being able to work well without it.  In this episode (part 4) you’ll learn how to develop the skill of saying you’ll do something and then actually doing it - even when it’s not urgent and no one else knows about it. This is what all successful entrepreneurs have in common. To perform at your best as an entreprene

This is part 3 of my 5-part series on how to *actually* stop procrastinating. You don’t need more motivation or discipline in order to stop procrastinating. To be able to implement the decisions you make effectively, you need productivity tools that work for your perfectionist brain. 80% of your procrastination will vanish when you get the right productivity tools that calm your perfectionist brain down so you can consistently show up. Power Planning is the secret to taking consistent action without burning out or freaking your perfectionist brain out. If you’re a perfectionist entrepreneur and you want to show up consistently and confidently put yourself out there, Power Planning is the answer.  It’s a simple 3 step process that anyone can learn. And I walk you through it in this episode (which is part 3 of the 5-part stop procrastination series). Here’s a brief overview of how Power Planning works but be sure to tune into this episode to get all the details! Step 1. Power Hour - in your weekly Power Hour yo

This is part 2 of my 5-part series on how to *actually* stop procrastinating. If you’re struggling to move forward with your business because there’s a big decision you need to make first then you need to listen to this episode (part 2)... Maybe you need to figure out the perfect niche, your messaging, your branding or you’re still deciding which social media platforms you should be on.  You’ve probably been signing up for webinars, listening to podcasts and buying programs to help you BUT rather than feeling clearer, you feel more confused than ever and more pressure to get it just right… You don’t want to make the wrong decision, you want to get it right from the beginning so you have the best chance of succeeding.  If you’re like the perfectionist entrepreneurs I work with, there are a few big decisions that have been keeping you stuck. It’s counterintuitive but your human brain feels discomfort when making a decision that involves you changing your circumstances - even if that’s a positive change. Your hu

This is part 1 of my 5-part series on how to *actually* stop procrastinating. In this episode (part 1) you’ll understand the 3 hidden reasons why you haven't been able to stop procrastinating… You’re not lazy, unmotivated or incapable of building a successful business. There are three hidden reasons you procrastinate. And none of them having anything to do with whether or not you’re cut out for entrepreneurship. By the end of this episode, you’ll understand why it’s not your fault that you procrastinate on putting yourself out there, why your attempts to stop procrastinating haven’t worked and the simple things you need to do to create the confidence you need to put yourself out there. Listen to this episode now! This 5-part series is for perfectionists who: Get stuck in research mode when it comes to your niche, messaging and branding Buy cameras, domains and planners to try to motivate themselves to show up Push important tasks off until the last minute because you need the pressure Everything you'v

This episode is one of the most popular episodes on this podcast! Revenge bedtime procrastination is something most perfectionists struggle to stop. When you’re not planning properly as a perfectionist, you put more business tasks on your to-do list than you have time to complete. Because you want to be productive, you put pressure on yourself to get everything done. But then you don’t know what to do first… You end up working on a random business task until it’s 80% done (and then get distracted by something else) or you do nothing at all. All the while, you’re feeling guilty that you’re so far behind. You’re thinking about all of the things you should be doing that aren’t getting done (like posting consistently on social media). And you’re trying to catch up on all of the life admin your past self has delegated to you. Every day has an undercurrent of overwhelm, panic and stress. And with every unproductive day that passes, it only gets harder to trust you’ll get everything done. You’re burned out from all

In this episode we are going to be talking about your perfectionism handbrake – what it is, how to release it and feel safe doing so. This is going to be what helps you to get out of your own way in your business so you’re showing up fully, serving your customers and clients, making more money and enjoying the day to day of being in business. This is one of the best episodes of the podcast. The first clip you’ll hear is from an episode recorded in March 2022 and the second clip was recorded in May 2021. I’ll tell you the three reasons why I call it your perfectionism handbrake. This emerged as a response to the mentality that society has around perfectionism – that it’s a personality flaw or that it’s because we don’t intellectually understand that done is better than perfect. When your perfectionist mindset is working against you, building your business is like driving a car with a handbrake on. In today’s episode I also tell you the 10 subtle signs that your perfectionism handbrake is on. And the ONLY reaso

Most perfectionists find it challenging to plan out their week when they don’t know what will come up or how much energy they’ll have. Whether you’re working an exhausting day job, doing shift work or raising young children alongside building your business – there are certain things that can feel hard to plan around. Especially when no one has taught you how to plan properly… Some perfectionists plan their week as if everything will go smoothly, hoping for the best and then abandoning their plans when the inevitable happens. Others feel like they can’t make plans at all and wing it day-by-day, praying they’ll be able to find the motivation to do what matters most. But neither of these approaches work. That’s why I interviewed Michelle Weeks on how to plan properly amidst uncertainty. Michelle is a PGSD Coach as well as being a life coach who helps mums resiliently and joyfully navigate the ups and downs of motherhood. This is one of the best episodes of the podcast. This episode was originally published in Ja

In today’s episode I’m going to be sharing 4 practical steps that’ll help you overcome the fear of disappointment.  This is one of the best episodes of the podcast. This episode was originally published in 2021 and was very popular so I wanted to share it with you again. The fear of disappointment is something that most perfectionists are very familiar with. When your perfectionism handbrake has been on for a long time – you’ve disappointed yourself, you’ve let yourself down, you’ve given up on goals and you’ve not followed through on plans. It can come to be that you develop the fear of disappointing yourself again in the future. And then you start to do all sorts of weird and wonderful things to try to avoid disappointing yourself again. But this plan doesn’t work out because what you end up doing is creating more disappointment and you still aren’t reaching your goals.  Tune into today’s episode to learn 4 practical steps to overcome the fear of disappointment. Find the full episode transcript and show not

When we’re following planning advice that doesn’t work for perfectionists, we struggle to know which tasks to prioritise. We have SO MANY ideas and we want to do them all, perfectly, right away. But we don’t trust ourselves to pick the right tasks to focus on or to do them consistently. We also don’t trust ourselves to handle the success, money and the attention that would follow… Because of this, we prioritise the familiar and easy tasks on our to-do list and lament the fact we don’t have more time to get to the important marketing tasks we know we need to do. But once you know how to identify your needle movers, busywork and procrasti-learning are naturally replaced with self-trust and ACTION. In this episode I’ll help you learn how to identify your needle movers when everything feels important. By the end of this episode, you’ll know which questions to ask yourself so identifying your needle movers is easy. You’ll also have a new way of thinking about needle movers so that you don’t feel so much pressure t

As a perfectionist entrepreneur who wants to make a meaningful contribution to the world, the kindest thing you could possibly do for yourself is to honour your potential, rather than protect it. We perfectionists get in our own way because we’re scared to find out that our best isn’t ‘good enough’. We procrasti-work, overwhelm ourselves and burn ourselves out because we’re terrified that giving a full, balls-to-the-wall effort might come up short – and that we will end up finding out we’re unintelligent and unlovable. But when you’re planning properly as a perfectionist, you’ll naturally be using your calendar as a tool for kindness. Being kind to yourself as you plan is about doing the most important tasks in your business in a consistent, sustainable, productive and courageous way. Proper planning makes execution 10x easier and more effective – and dissolves resistance, overwhelm and procrastination. And if that isn’t a recipe for reaching your potential, I don’t know what is. In today’s epsiode I share pr

In today’s episode I’m sharing a simple trick that will help you believe in yourself when you are doing new things. This episode is inspired by a coaching call inside my program Perfectionists Getting Shit Done (aka PGSD). I’m sharing something from that call with you so can get your perfectionist mindset on your side and achieve goals that you’ve never achieved before.  Find the full episode transcript and show notes at samlaurabrown.com/episode440. In This Episode You’ll Learn: How to think about new goals and projects in a way that makes them easier to do The mistake that perfectionists make when attempting new things Practical examples of how me and my clients have used this trick The important differences between skill, potential and understanding Why Power Planning is so important for perfectionist entrepreneurs   Featured In The Episode: Watch my free training: How To Plan Properly As A Perfectionist with Power Planning Join the waitlist for Perfectionists Getting Shit Done (PGSD) - sam