42. Create Your Ultimate Reading Retreat

In this episode of the Joyfully Managed Life podcast, Jessica Eastman Stewart revisits the 'Decide Once' concept by discussing various implementations of the concept shared by her audience. She explores ideas like setting a day for changing bedsheets, programming a coffee maker, always having camping gear packed, creating a weekly meal plan, setting daily laundry tasks, and allotting a fixed time for dinner preparation, among others. Jessica uses these examples to illustrate the effectiveness and practicality of the 'Decide Once' approach in managing daily life tasks more joyfully and efficiently. Jessica ends her podcast by inviting her audience to try these decide-once strategies and share more of their own. Get access to all of Jessica’s Free ResourcesSign up to get Jessica's Friday Five Newsletter

In this episode of the Joyfully Managed Life podcast, Jessica Eastman Stewart presents her practical system for organizing a growing collection of recipes that eliminates the chaos of cluttered cookbooks and endless digital scrolling. Jessica uses a low-tech and straightforward approach, consisting of a simple 1.5-inch binder. Untested recipes are stored separately, and once tried, they get recycled or permanently added to the binder based on family reviews. Jessica uses this organized binder every weekend for meal planning and occasionally introduces new recipes for variety. She ends the episode with an additional tip on saving recipes from social media using the Reminders app and invites listeners to share their favorite recipes. Instant Pot Spaghetti - The Salty MarshmallowReminders App Tip on Instagram - YumglutenfreeReminders App Highlight on Instagram - Jessica Eastman StewartGet access to all of Jessica’s Free ResourcesSign up to get Jessica's Friday Five Newsletter

In this episode of the Joyfully Managed Life podcast, host Jessica Eastman Stewart shares a tip about maximizing flight time that she learned from her friend, Carrie. The tip is to download free samples of books from the Kindle store before a flight, then read the first few chapters of several books during the trip. This allows a person to gain new insights, explore fresh perspectives, and make informed decisions on which books are worth buying and continuing to read. Additionally, Jessica provided some of her personal book recommendations, which can be found in the show notes for this episode. She encourages listeners to try this method during their next flight and share their feedback. Jessica's Favorite BooksGet access to all of Jessica’s Free ResourcesSign up to get Jessica's Friday Five Newsletter

In this episode of the "Joyfully Managed Life" podcast, Jessica Eastman Stewart revisits the concept of "deciding once" to help listeners streamline and manage their lives. The podcast explores various examples of this concept, including deciding weekly meal themes like "Mac and Cheese Mondays," bathing children on set days, subscribing to regularly bought items to avoid the hassle of repurchasing, and setting fixed dates for household chores. Jessica also stresses the usefulness of having a go-to dish for social gatherings, using socks of the same style to avoid pairing-related confusion, maintaining a list of movies for family movie nights, and setting other rules related to travel, food, and expenses. She suggests that deciding once and consistently following the same process can be a game-changer, significantly simplifying daily home management tasks. Get access to all of Jessica’s Free ResourcesSign up to get Jessica's Friday Five Newsletter

In this episode of the Joyfully Managed Life podcast, Jessica Eastman Stewart introduces an effective technique she's used to reduce her mobile phone usage -- switching to grayscale mode. Grayscale mode makes a phone less appealing and minimizes the urge to scroll through social media or binge-watch series. Jessica explains how to set it up on iPhones and on Android devices using the built-in settings or automation routines. An additional strategy is the use of the Minimalist app that turns the screen to grayscale and includes a timer that limits usage of addictive apps. This episode encourages listeners to break free from unnecessary phone usage through these innovative ideas, promoting a more joyfully managed life. How to automatically grayscale your iPhone at sunset How to Enable Grayscale Mode on Your Android PhoneGet access to all of Jessica’s Free ResourcesSign up to get Jessica's Friday Five Newsletter

In this episode of the Joyfully Managed Life podcast, host Jessica Eastman Stewart discusses the importance of systems and routines in achieving goals. She references a powerful quote from James Clear's book, Atomic Habits, that emphasizes how both successful and unsuccessful people often have similar goals, but the actions taken to reach those goals are the key differentiators. Jessica expresses her advocacy for setting goals but also highlights the importance of practical steps and daily actions—systems and routines—that make these goals achievable. She also shares her expertise in leading workshops for teams, focusing on the formation and importance of habits. With these discussions, she hopes to create a robust community of goal achievers backed by strong systems and daily routines. 11 Things to Know About Setting Goals at Work — Joyfully Managed LifeTeam Workshops & Speaking — Joyfully Managed LifeAtomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, James ClearGet access to all of Jessica’s Free ResourcesSign up to get Jessica's Friday Five Newsletter

This Joyfully Managed Life podcast episode, presented by Jessica Eastman Stewart, emphasizes the significance of regular healthcare maintenance and check-ups. Jessica highlights the importance of regular health tests to potentially identify and address major health problems at an early stage, enhancing the chances of successful treatment and recovery. Citing inspiring real-life examples, she underscores the life-saving factor of these routine medical visits. Not only does she advocate for the individual's responsibility towards their health, but she also draws attention to encouraging the practice among loved ones. 'Big Bang Theory' Star Kate Micucci Reveals Lung Cancer DiagnosisGet access to all of Jessica’s Free ResourcesSign up to get Jessica's Friday Five Newsletter

In this episode of the Joyfully Managed Life podcast, Jessica Eastman Stewart shares her personal skincare journey and how she came across her go-to skincare system, Proven. Striving for balance in her skincare routine, Jessica opted for this personalized and simplified 3-step regimen, designed based on skin analysis. The product won not only her approval but also transformed the skincare habits of her initially skeptical husband. As a gift to her listeners, Jessica provides a discount code (JESSICASTEWART) for the Proven skincare system, encouraging others to share their experiences. This episode is a reminder that simplifying skincare does not mean compromising its quality, and even the smallest discovery can lead to significant improvement. Proven Get access to all of Jessica’s Free ResourcesSign up to get Jessica's Friday Five Newsletter

In this episode of the Joyfully Managed Life podcast, host Jessica Eastman Stewart discusses the idea of creating a personal reading retreat. Jessica encourages listeners to imagine their perfect reading spot, complete with snacks, drinks, and a well-stocked bookshelf or e-reader. She references a detailed article–linked in the podcast's show notes–which offers practical advice for planning such a retreat, including meal preparation and reading list compilation. Drawing upon a positive personal experience, Jessica encourages listeners to share their ideal reading retreat visions and suggests reaching out to friends to co-create their reading vacation. How To Take A Reading Vacation | Book RiotGet access to all of Jessica’s Free ResourcesSign up to get Jessica's Friday Five Newsletter

On this episode of the Joyfully Managed Life Podcast, host Jessica Eastman Stewart discusses the importance of limiting unnecessary distractions and advocates for turning off your push notifications. She talks about how even a minor distraction can sometimes lead us down a rabbit hole of countless unproductive activities that can take 23 minutes or longer to recover from and get back to our task. Jessica offers instructions on how to turn off the unnecessary pop-up notifications so you can focus on the important tasks. Get access to all of Jessica’s Free ResourcesSign up to get Jessica's Friday Five Newsletter