A Girl In Progress

The little things ARE the big things... Which of these are you focusing on implementing today? // Via @hannahcollective

We all have ✨THAT✨ one goal... Maybe it looks something like: • Writing and publishing your first book • Travelling the world with your significant other • Finishing that Master’s degree you’ve been putting off forever • Setting up a lifestyle business that generates passive income • Getting into the best shape of your life Each year, you add it to your vision board with a flurry of hope… whispering to yourself ‘this is finally going to be the year.’ And yet every year without fail, it stays firmly on your 'one day' list. There are many reasons these goals remain a pipe dream... but essentially, it all boils down to procrastination, self-doubt or simply not making it a priority.

This is Progress 2.0! ✨ I started A Girl In Progress as a lifestyle blog back in 2018, and since then it has evolved into a broader brand with books, courses, coaching, products and more. And there's been no shortage of rebrands along the way! Over the last couple of years, I've been reflecting on what I want the Progress brand to be, and where I want it to go. I knew that I wanted to remain in the self-development space, but had become jaded and tired of all the BS that exists in the coaching world (pyramid scheme, anyone?) I wanted to do something completely unique and differentiated from what anyone else in the market is doing. My approach has always been about prioritising progress over perfection, by taking messy, imperfect action. But I'd been struggling to build a brand around this that felt mature and expansive enough to stand the test of time. Then, I came across the framework of human-centered design (aka design thinking), and fell in love! I realised that this iterative approach to solving complex challenges was what I'd already been doing: just in a more formal and grown-up way. So, I've spent the last year upskilling in all things human-centered design: life design, career design, business design and more. Now, I'm excited to unveil the culmination of this work, in the new iteration of the brand: The Progress Company. We are a human-centered transformation consultancy turning potential into progress. Through design thinking and imperfect action, we help ambitious individuals become failure-proof and fully actualised. I'm psyched to see what this new era will bring, and to be opening up the doors to start working with people 1-1 (and in group settings) again. Big thanks to the talented Eimear of @coffeymedia for bringing the reinvigorated brand to life! Head to the link in bio or progresscompany.co to have a look around!

A brand new concept we've been working on with the talented Emily from @em.lystudio! Progress Blueprints will be the world's first personalised self-development books! Kind of like Beyond Body, but for your big life goals! ✨ Tell us about your goals, dreams and vision, and get a completely customised roadmap to get there. Think of it like having a life coach on your book shelf.... and a constant reminder of what you're working towards. We're looking forward to developing this unique concept in 2023. Head to the link in bio to be one of the first to get one, and to stay updated on our progress (pun intended)

Ever heard of the 'fresh start effect?' 🍃 Coined by behavioural scientists at UPenn's The Wharton School, this refers to 'The human tendency to take action towards achieving a goal after a special occasion or key date has passed.' Whether it's birthdays, New Year's Day or the start of a new season, month or week, these temporal landmarks create a feeling of 'newness' that prompts us into action. We have at least three of these coming up next week (Monday morning, start of a new month and a change of season!) But! Don't make the mistake of feeling like you need to wait for this symbolic checkpoint to start working towards positive habits. While fresh starts can give us an extra boost of motivation, the best time to start taking action is whenever the thought crosses your mind! So, I'd like to challenge you start 'day one' of that helpful habit right now... and you'll be ahead of the game by the time 1st September rolls around! Let me know in the comments how you go!

How are you going with those goals you set for yourself at the start of the year? 🤔 If they feel like a distant memory, there's still plenty of time left to make 2022 a massive win! And, there's no better way to capitalise on the fresh start effect and reignite your motivation than with a pretty new diary! But, unlike most diaries, this one won't be used only once before being stashed away in your cupboard for the rest of eternity. The Imperfect Progress Planner is a 90-day journal designed FOR women with ADHD, by a woman with ADHD. That means it's structured in a way that you'll *actually* be able to remember to use it — from guided exercises and anti-procrastination prompts, to undated monthly, daily and weekly planning pages. It's for smart, scattered women with big goals, who just can't seem to stick to their plans long enough to get there. It's for the neurodivergent and the 'just distracted' — the auties, and the 'forever lost in thoughties'. It's designed for YOU, so head to the link in bio to grab yours ✨

Love this via @olivebranchprintshop! One setback doesn't undo all your hard work - it's just a pit stop, not a dead end.

Are you designing your own destiny? Or floating through life on autopilot?

How much closer to your goals would you be if you weren't embarrassed or afraid to suck at first? 🤔 Many of the world's most successful people aren't any more naturally talented or special than the rest of us... they just weren't afraid to try at first — and to *continue* trying even if it didn't come easily at first. Save this for the next time you're letting shame and self-doubt stop you from getting started!

I (@emmajanenorris) used to wrongly believe I needed to decide: Do I want to work for myself, or do I want to work for someone else? Am I 'all in', or am I 'out?' with my business? It wasn't until I discovered the concept of a portfolio career that I realised it was perfectly acceptable to design a varied career of multiple simultaneous projects (and that it was what I'd been doing all along!) @theportfolioco_ (who are a great resource on this topic ) define a portfolio career as: "Monetising your skills in many ways and having multiple income sources, rather than a single job at one company." Essentially, it's when you have many strings in your career bow, and think of your professional development as more multi-faceted than linear. In the landscape of the gig economy, remote work and the Great Resignation, this type of career is on the rise — especially for creative and entrepreneurial types. For me, I realised that I just love to create cool things with cool people for cool companies. I didn't really care about being labeled an 'employee' or entrepreneur' (and for the last 5 or so years, I've been both) You can see a snapshot here of what my 'porfolio career' breakdown looks like. Those anchor gigs have included being Deputy Editor at one of my dream magazines growing up, Content Editor at an innovative social media tech company, Writer for one of my fave YouTubers and now, Content Manager at a behavioural health company. Opportunities I would have never had if I boxed myself in as being solely 'self employed.' I'd love to hear from you — do you consider yourself a portfolio careerist? Had you ever heard the term before?

The final pillar that makes up the Progress Co framework? Design thinking! Otherwise known as human-centered design, this innovative methodology has been adapted from the product world —but can be applied to solving 'wicked problems' in any area! With an approach that prioritises messy, iterative progress over 'perfection', we can't wait to share more about how you can use design thinking to prototype your dream life!

Shining a spotlight on another core element of the Progress ethos... mindful productivity! At the heart of it, mindful productivity is all about being intentional about how you invest your time and energy. It's about rejecting traditional notions of productivity, and instead leaning into your natural ebbs and flows to get sh*t done sustainability — without the burnout. Oh, and it also happens to be the topic of our founder @emmajanenorris' book Progress Over Perfection (and the accompanying workbook, which you can check out at the link in bio!

New ✨ vibe ✨ same values! We're currently busy cooking up a little brand refresh to align with a pivot in direction at Progress HQ. But we couldn't resist showing off a little sneak peek! As we continue to evolve, imperfect action remains one of the core pillars of everything we do. Curious about what that means, exactly? Head to the link in bio to read the interview our founder @emmajanenorris did with Forbes all about the power of imperfect action!

Name a more worthy project to invest your time and effort into. We'll wait! // Via @topgirl.studio

Some important reminders to take into the new week ✨ Via @simplysophiedesigns