535: 5 Things to Put in Your Calendar for a Balanced Week (Mindset & Self-Care)

In episode 542, Kathie Lapcevic teaches us how to create products that fill us up creatively and make customers happy, while making a profit. Kathie Lapcevic is a blogger and teacher living in northwest Montana. She is a quiet rebel, embracing a simple and seasonal life that isn’t exactly mainstream. She can often be found either making a mess in the garden or in the kitchen where she focuses on intentional living that showers love upon the important people in her life. In this episode, you’ll learn about how to brainstorm ideas for products that could work well for your niche and why testing the idea is essential before investing time and money into it. Key points discussed: - Align Your Product and Actions With Your Values: If you stay true to your niche you’ll feel good about your product and selling it will come more naturally. - How to Think Outside of the Box with New Products: Look at your competition - what are they selling? Will it work for your audience? Use it as inspiration but do not copy. - Research the Market Before You Launch a Product: Ask your audience directly what they want to learn from you - use a survey with a few specific options. - Digital Products Become Passive Income: Digital products may require a lot of work upfront but beyond that you earn money from them with minimal time spent. - Add a Personal Touch to Your Products: How can you make your products unique and personal to your brand? - Know Your Ideal Profit Margin Before You Start: Tally up costs of production (if any) with your time spent to work out a suitable price for your products - avoid undervaluing yourself and remember that success takes time. - Reach Out to Other Bloggers: Are there other bloggers or brands you can collaborate with? Subscribe to newsletters in your niche to stay up to date with trends and potential collaborations. Guest Details Connect with Kathie Lapcevic Website | Instagram

Do you finish your projects or do you postpone them indefinitely? It’s important to finish projects off in order to open up doors to new opportunities. Megan shares 5 things you can finish this week to reap the rewards waiting for you. Finishing off work projects can be hard. It’s sometimes easier to get started on an exciting new idea, but seeing it through to the end requires perseverance. Besides work, there are other things in our life that often get put on the back burner. But what if we just finished them? Stubborn admin tasks, home projects and other to do list items. Imagine the relief you’ll feel if you finish off one thing this week. Action Plan: 1. Finish off a house project: make it small and manageable like tidying up a drawer before moving on to bigger tasks. 2. Finish off a work project. Especially as an entrepreneurs, we tend to collect unfinished projects. If you’re putting something off the whole time, is it really worth your time at all? 3. Finish off a conversation with a family member, friend or colleague. Are there any important topics that could be a game changer in life or business? 4. Finish off an admin task. What easy admin task can you finish this week? 5. Finish off a to do list item, either work or personal. Are there any to do list items that have been on your radar for months? Do them this week! Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover. Website | Instagram Brand Positioning Coach (Carrie Tyler) Explore Megan’s recommended books and resources at eatblogtalk.com/books.

In episode 540, Dyutima Jha teaches us how to keep readers on our food blogs for longer by creating visually compelling narratives with our photos, and which common mistakes to avoid. Dyutima is an architect-turned commercial and editorial food photographer and podcaster based in Singapore. She is the first South Asian woman to host a food photography podcast, My Food Lens. After 15 years as an architect, designing healthcare facilities around the world, she found her passion in food styling and photography. Today, she has a successful business working with clients around the world and teaching other photographers how to do so as well. Her work has been featured in a range of food & photography magazines like Thrive magazine, Whalebone magazine etc. and she has worked with several prestigious clients like The Intercontinental Hotel Singapore, McCormick etc. In this episode, you’ll learn about the importance of visual storytelling, lighting, angles, and consistency in creating compelling narratives that engage and retain the viewer's attention. Key points discussed: - Plan Food Photo Shoots in Advance: Use a storyboard to stay focused creatively and save time during a photo shoot. - Think of Your Recipe as a Story: Like a movie, there's a plot, hero, theme and genre. Use these elements to tell your story. - Bring Readers into Your Story Through the First Image: Improve first impressions with powerful opening photos that hook readers emotionally or visually - Activate the Viewer's Imagination: Create a sequence of events and narrate this through your photos using ingredients, movement and context. - Readers Disengage with Technically Weak Photos: Check lighting, camera angles, storytelling cohesion, and color editing in photos. - Readers Disengage with Disconnected Visuals: Do your photos match with the vibe, colors and branding of your website? Do they match the specific type of recipe? - Show Readers the Bigger Picture: As a final photo, include the context of where readers might enjoy the recipe; use props to narrate this visually. - Make Dull Food Look Appetizing: By adding contrasting colors using herbs or flowers and by using macro shots, you can make unappealing food look great. Connect with Dyutima Jha Website | Instagram

In episode 539, Megan chats to MaryAnne Hoekstra about why joining an accountability group can help you refocus and gain direction, especially after a drop in traffic. MaryAnne is the writer, recipe developer, and photographer behind Gastronotherapy, where she creates delicious recipes that are mainly vegetarian and vegan. MaryAnne grew up in Minnesota with a fondness for baking, and lived in NYC for 17 years. While there, she sharpened her palate over the years while taking cooking and baking classes, making dinner for friends, and trying as many restaurants as she could afford. In this episode, you’ll learn about 7 benefits of joining an accountability group, including having a supportive community with which to share resources, ideas and receive weekly support to help you set and achieve your blogging goals. Key points discussed: - Get Specific Support From an Engaged Community: Unlike general food blogger groups, a focused accountability group, like the Eat Blog Talk Accountability group, allows for more specific support from bloggers who are invested in each other’s success. - New Ideas for Diversifying Your Income etc.: An accountability group helps you share your ideas and get inspired by others in the group when it comes to diversifying income and other topics. - Set and Achieve Goals: You’ll be encouraged to set blogging goals and will receive support to achieve them, helping you stay motivated. - Receive Diverse Resources: Accountability groups consist of bloggers with diverse skills - you’ll be able to improve your knowledge and skills and share useful resources.  - Benefits of the Eat Blog Talk Accountability Group: The Slack channel, leverage the knowledge of the other group members, the twice-weekly productivity focus calls and once a month Zoom calls with specific topics. - Why is the Investment Worth It?: By investing in a resource like an Accountability Group, you regain your blogging motivation, narrow down your priorities and invest in a successful blog. 

Time off can often derail us from our goals. In this episode, Megan talks through 5 ways you can prepare for time off, whether planned or unplanned, so that you get back into work without disruption. Whether it’s a planned vacation or sudden sickness, if we don’t plan for time off, it can be challenging to get back on track when we return to work, especially as entrepreneurs. Therefore, some entrepreneurs never take time off. But there’s a way around it!  Action Plan: - Plan ahead and have your content ready and scheduled a few weeks or months in advance. - When planning time off, allow for wiggle room so that you give yourself time to get back into your routine - Don’t overload your to do list on the first day back! - Set a ‘jump back in date’ and stick to it to avoid compounding work. This counts for your self-care and workout routine as well. - Work on your mindset as many of the struggles related to getting back into work after “time off” is related to mindset. - Do not feel guilty for taking time off - it’s essential to maintain a healthy balance and you’ll be more productive if you allow time for self-care. Resources Food Photography by Ikram Ali Promote your food blogging services: www.eatblogtalk.com/audioclip Explore Megan’s recommended books and resources at eatblogtalk.com/books. Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover. Website | Instagram  

In episode 537, Megan chats to Madeeha Anwar about why blogging is a marathon and not a sprint and how to prepare yourself accordingly, especially if you’re starting out, including what to prioritize now for long-term success as a blogger. Madeeha is a baker, recipe developer, food stylist, and photographer. Her blog, Now Delish, was started in December 2021. In addition to the blog, Madeeha continues to work full time, and has reached a point where she knows how to organize her blog well to keep things moving forward. Now Delish primarily features baking recipes and easy main course recipes, especially the authentic Pakistani recipes that Madeeha grew up with. In this episode, you’ll learn about common difficulties food bloggers face, the need for patience, why you should spend time to understand your analytics and invest in your blog, as well as other strategies for continued growth. Key points discussed: - Prepare Your Mindset For A Marathon: Blogging is complex with many layers to learn; there is no get rich quick scheme that gets you long-term success overnight. - Plan Your Content In Advance: It’s important to plan and create a content calendar prior to creating blog posts - it will help you stay organized and on top of your goals. - Find a Way to Pivot and Adapt: Adapt your content strategy when something is not working or as a result of Google updates and other changes in the field. - Allow Yourself to Procrastinate: If you do not feel inspired to do a certain task, be easy on yourself and postpone if necessary. - Stay Productive, Avoid Burnout: By focusing on quality over quantity in blogging and social media it’s easier to stay balanced. - Invest Time in Free Resources: Use free resources like podcasts and YouTube videos to learn as much as possible about different aspects of blogging. - Get an Audit as Soon as You Can: If your budget allows, get a website audit as this reveals SEO mistakes you may not know of and other areas that you can improve. Connect with Madeeha Anwar Website | Facebook

In episode 536, Mike Cleavenger teaches us how to prioritize deep work and set boundaries to minimize distractions to get more done in less time. Mike Cleavenger of the Frizzled Leek started his career after culinary school working in professional kitchens in the San Diego area. He got laid off during the Covid-19 pandemic and as a result decided to embark on a journey as a food blogger. The goal of The Frizzled Leek is to show people that cooking shouldn't be intimidating but fun! They specialize in Sous Vide and Air Fryer recipes. In this episode, you’ll learn about managing social media distractions, time management strategies and creating a conducive work environment to maximize productivity and focus. Key points discussed: - Why Should you Prioritize ‘Deep Work’: Deep work is when you focus on one task and eliminate all distractions in order to be more productive. - Manage Distractions to Increase Your Focus: Put phones in a different room and remove other distractions that may prevent you from focusing 100%. - Schedule Time for Social Media: If you schedule for example 30 minutes a week for social media you’ll feel less tempted to go on your phone when you’re working. - Spend Time on Your Phone Wisely: Decide what are beneficial activities on your phone and which  social media accounts are most inspiring - curate your feed and be intentional. - Increase Your Productivity with Time Blocking: Time block as much of your workday as possible - do not leave open space. - Brain Dump all Tasks Before Planning: Use brain dump techniques to plan and prioritize tasks for the week, batching similar tasks together for maximum efficiency. - Take Breaks to Recharge and Gain New Insight: Include breaks in your daily planning and do things outside of work that bring you joy as a reward for deep work. - Schedule a Shutdown Routine: Be strict with ending your work day at a specific time and give yourself some time to plan for the next day. Connect with Mike Cleavenger Website | Instagram

How you plan your calendar can either lead to increased productivity or burnout. In this episode, Megan shares 5 things to put in your calendar for a balanced week and how to avoid work backlogs. If you want to maintain a healthy work-life balance, it’s essential to start your calendar planning with self-care, downtime and family time. While it might seem counterintuitive to prioritize non-work related activities, if you plan on constantly working, especially at unrealistic times and without quality breaks, you’ll risk low levels of motivation, productivity and potentially burnout. Action Plan: 1 - Block out self-care and downtime for the following week before adding other items. 2 - Consider when and for how long you want to spend quality time with loved ones - plan dates or meetings with friends/family. 3 - Schedule regular time for life and work admin tasks on a weekly basis to avoid backlogs. 4 - Schedule calls and appointments on your calendar to avoid last-minute chaos and ensure preparedness. 5 - Once you’ve scheduled your self-care and admin tasks, block out time to work around other priorities. Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset and self-care topic you'd like her to cover. Website | Instagram

In episode 534, Megan chats to Teri-Ann Carty about the value of asking for help in life and food blogging, including the potential for growth and success. Teri-Ann is a Toronto native renowned for her culinary creations and photography skills. Formerly a high-end restaurant manager grappling with addiction, she chose a different path, traveling solo and becoming a certified yoga instructor. Now settled in Toronto with her hubby and their two cats, Teri-Ann focuses on recipe development and photography, while also teaching yoga. Her journey to sobriety fuels her determination for future endeavors. In this episode, you’ll learn about embracing your vulnerability, being courageous, the importance of surrounding oneself with supportive people and learning from others to succeed as a food content creator. Key points discussed: - Don’t be Afraid to Ask for Help: Everybody who seems successful, probably has help. It may seem scary, but asking for help will be a game-changer for your life and business. - How to Ask for Help: Start by approaching friends or colleagues to make it less intimidating. - Start Small When Looking for Help: Ask students for help if your budget is limited - look for someone who is aligned with your values. - Release Control and Surrender to the Process: By releasing control, you’ll have more time to focus on other aspects of your business and doing what you love most. - Tap into Your Community on Instagram: Make connections on Instagram or your favorite social media platform. Normally, people are eager to help others. - Invite More Good Things Into Your Life: By reaching out to others and thereby building your network, you’re opening up the door for more good things to happen. Connect with Teri-Ann Carty Website | Instagram

In episode 533, Megan chats to Tonya Lawson about strategies to generate regular passive income through affiliate marketing and what you should do to make sure your affiliate posts adhere to Google’s Helpful Content Update. Dr. Tonya Lawson is a musician, blogger, passive income and SEO specialist whose mission is to empower creatives to build out passive income streams so they have the financial freedom to live the life they want to live. She is a multi-passionate entrepreneur who runs 3 blogs, a coaching business, a private music studio, and teaches at Middle Tennessee State University. In this episode, you’ll learn more about creating valuable content that attracts organic traffic and affiliate income, through programs like the Amazon Associates Program or while working with brands. Key points discussed: - Passive Income Through Affiliate Marketing and Niche Websites: Make it easier to rank on Google by having a well-defined niche and using new SEO strategies. - Amazon Associates Program and the AAWP Plugin: Amazon remains a popular option for affiliate marketing and the AAWP plugin for WordPress can streamline the process of adding affiliate links to your blog. - Maximize Affiliate Income: Share your blog content with affiliate links as widely as possible - email list, social media etc. - Affiliate Links with Sponsored Work: Ask for affiliate links when working with brands to maximize long-term income potential. - Think Big, Earn More: Think beyond immediate work and set bigger goals for yourself over time to expand your reach and income. - Blog Posts Need to Be Real and Helpful: Google prioritizes helpful content, such as original images and real-life experiences, over curated flatlays and special images. - SEO Optimization and Understanding Google Updates: Google seems to follow trends on social media platforms like Instagram, so focusing on real people and helpful information in blog posts can give an edge in SEO. 5 day challenge just for Eat Talk Blog listeners! Connect with Tonya Lawson Website | Instagram