Hey, hey, I'm so glad to have you here on the podcast. Today, I am recording this to be aired on March 14. And the math teacher in me wants to begin by a wishing you a happy Pi Day. Whether you are listening on March 14, or not, happy Pi Day from my mathy heart to yours. And if you're listening on the 14th, please celebrate with something round and delicious. My daughter has been making many fruit pies lately. So I'm planning on PI. 

Today we are going to talk about little teacher tools and tricks that I find I use day to day as a business owner with my for myself with my clients, they are things I used as a teacher, with classrooms with kids with colleagues. And they are things that I've carried along with me for you know, 2025 years that still come in handy day in and day out. And what I realized is I don't share those things out loud all the time. So today, I thought I would share a couple of my favorites. Three in particular, that I find I use a lot. Just here in my own business or even with clients, I suggest them to clients all the times. So if you would like things to get a little simpler, you would like to do a better job, knowing what's going well. Keeping track and keeping yourself from getting distracted those kinds of things. This is for you. 

So I'm going to jump right in. The first tool that I suggest to people all the time is is sort of a version of a classroom exit tickets. So when I would teach students when I even with my college kids, when I was still teaching in person a couple of years ago, I have since shifted to online. I used to give students exit tickets, I would do it in teacher trainings, I did it all the time in it's just a little slip of paper most of the time. And I'd ask a question. And a lot of the times it would be like tell me one thing you learned today, or ask me a question about something we've been doing or you'd be a specific question. And they'd respond, it was just a way of informally assessing like how the day went, what they got out of it. And knowing what they walked away with. And I have logged on this as a business owner with a tool, a version of this called two stars in a wish. 

So with students, what you would do is you have them on their little piece of paper on a post it note, I do this all the time, I have a client who's doing it right now every day. And she's just got this little pile of post it notes that she's building. And you write on the post it note, you draw two stars, like just little five point stars. And then you leave a line at the bottom. The two stars are two things that are working. So two things that went well in a classroom, it would be you know, a kid would tell me I understood this idea. And I got this problem, right? In a business it might be you know, I accomplished this thing today I managed to get that thing done. I made that offer even though it made me uncomfortable.

 Might be you know, anything, any two things that work today, it could be a sign a new client, I made a sale, it could be you know, I reached out to this new person, even though I was afraid it could be any of those things. But you get to write down two things that are working from today. And then one thing you wish it could be you know, something, you're still trying to figure out. Some I find sometimes I'm like, Well, I wish I knew how to x and then I'm like, oh, you know what I know somebody I can ask for help with that. It might be something you really didn't get done today, I wish I had accomplished it a lot of times helps me to raise to the top of the pile of things that I'm like, Oh, if I get to the end of the day, two days in a row, and I wished I had accomplished the same thing both days, then I know it's got to be the thing I start with tomorrow. So you know, it's a really, really simple, just quick assessment. 

The really, really good thing about it is it is double the wins. So if you find you don't know what's going well in your business, and I'm a big you know, this, if you listen to this podcast at all, if you're in my Facebook group, I'm a big, I think it's really important to focus on the wins, because they are the starting point where the things that are working are the things we want to leverage. So this is a really strong way to focus on what's working even in little tiny bits. And what my client who's been doing this for a couple of months now has told me is that she loves to go back through the little pilot posted notes and be like, Oh, look at all the things that have gone well, because you know, she does 10 of those post it notes. She's got 20 wins, right? And if she does 50 of them, she's got 100 wins, and sometimes they're repeated but like so what we're allowed to repeat wins, we're allowed to win twice. So this is a really handy tool it takes it's meant to take two minutes. 

It's just like a quick check in before you get up and leave your desk before you're done for the day. It's like what worked, what didn't and it's not even what did It's like, what worked? And what do I want to do different tomorrow? Or what do I wish happen today? Or what do I, you know, sometimes I write down like, Oh, I wish that I when I wrote that post, I'd remembered, or I wish that, you know, when I had talked to so and so I had said this, it's like, oh, okay, next time, I'll remember because now I'm writing it down. And that activates a different part of my brain. That's the first tool, it is a really handy little mini evaluation tool. And there's nothing than little better than little mini evaluations, evaluations don't have to take all your time, they can be little tiny things like this. The second thing, and I firmly convinced that everyone on earth should have a parking lot in their office, not a parking lot for your car.

 Although not a parking lot for your dogs, not a parking lot like that. And idea parking lot. So when I used to facilitate workshops, you have been in a workshop like this, I used to facilitate tons of them. And you'd be talking along and having a conversation about some idea and somebody raise their hand and say something cool, completely off track. Or they would ask a question that like, yes, you're gonna get there, but we're not there yet. Or they would have an idea that was a good idea. And you want to talk about what you couldn't write now. That's what goes in a parking lot. So when I would facilitate workshops, we would put a sticky note on the wall in the back. And we would give everybody post it notes. And it would be like, okay, when you have a question or idea, and when it's not time, but you still want to keep track of it, write it down in the post it note, go stick it in the back, and we'll make sure we get to it, we'll make sure we either answer it, or that we find a way to address it. 

It was a really handy thing, because then people knew their idea had been captured. They knew it was kept somewhere and they knew we would get to it. They wouldn't be so like, but what about me, but what about me, but what about me. And here's the thing, as an entrepreneur, I have a billion ideas. I need a parking lot. I have clients that need parking lots we talk about this all the time. I use in my office, I my office I have this is a guest room with an ensuite bathroom, the bathroom faces, like is like the perpendicular wall to where I sit. So I look out the window. And if I turn to my right, I can see into the bathroom, that door is usually open. And so the back of it is hidden, it's against the wall. And that is where I put my parking lot when I need one. So when I am trying to focus, but my brain would like to have all the ideas, what I do is I put my pad of post it notes next to me. And as I have the idea, I write it down really quick. And then I stick it on the door. And I make it so I can't see it. 

There is something about capturing the idea and then putting it out around arm's reach. So it's far enough away from me that it's not something I'm going to continue to fiddle with. But I know I have it and I can keep it for later. I have friends that do versions of these in their phone. I try not to pick up my phone when I am in the middle of something. Because I know that all sudden, I'll find myself like 20 minutes later in my email and be like, Wait, how did I get here. So for me, it is analog it is post it note and paper and I stick them on the wall so that I can keep them in. Sometimes what happens with a parking lot is like if I stick that idea over there, and I come back and I don't know what I was talking about that it probably wasn't a very good idea. But it really is a tool that helps me focus especially like I have tons of content ideas, I have tons of things I want to make, I have tons of things I'm trying to remember. And I don't want to live on a desk that is like a post it notes snowstorm, although that happens to me. 

So it helps me sort of control the snowstorm, to keep it all organized in a way that helps me and also to create space for me to concentrate. And that really matters because you know how easy it is to get distracted. And then you're like seven ideas down the pike. And you're like, Wait, what was I doing? And it's important for you to do the thing that you intended to do, it allows me to be intentional, allows my clients to be intentional, and also keep track of the new things. That's number two. Number three, and this is you know, I've done versions of this with kids. But mostly, this is something I've done with coaching clients, but there's a teacher parallel here. So I often have clients, especially people who are in the earlier stages of business, or who are in the midst of changing a work style, or like changing their offer or changing what they do. Like I have a client right now who's moving from things that she did for people to doing it with them. Rather than doing it for them. 

She's supporting them as they do it and helping them. So as she's making that transition, I have another client that's moving from sort of like working in businesses with people to consulting.

Both of those people right now are working on what I think of as no lists. So a no list, it's an N O, not a K and O W is really about things you no longer do. So on the no list goes anything that you're not going to do anymore. This is all about outlining your boundaries. As a teacher, you know, these were things that I would do in classrooms, we would make no lists about at the beginning of the year about classroom behaviors like things that we would agree we were not going to do things that we would make no lists related to, you know, ways things, we weren't going to say to other people very much it is something that came out of like I did a whole bunch of cooperative learning strategy kinds of things in grad school, when I did my masters a million years ago. And that's something that I think came directly out of there. It's like, these are our norms of behavior. A no list in a business context is really more about like, what are the things you're cool doing?

 And what are the things you're not. So for the client that is consulting more now, she is not going to create, you know, solutions for people unless they have her on contract, and they're paying her, she's not going to just be like somebody who's one off called in and fixes it and then leaves, she's working in a different pattern. She for my client that is doing things with people rather than for them. She's not doing the writing anymore. She's not doing the scheduling, she's not doing the graphics creation. They're doing that she's just assisting. You know, she's if they email her and check in, that's great if they email and say, Hey, can you make this for me? The answer's no. But it really helps to outline what's on your know list. And I find you know, I have one, I find mine has changed over time. Like there are things that I was okay with earlier my business that now I just don't do, like, I don't have meetings before noon on Mondays, I just don't, I just don't like there, does it happen once in every blue moon, of course, but I use Mondays as thinking time, I need that. I don't generally have meetings after to on Fridays. 

Again, that's more of a work pattern boundary. But um, I know list is, you know, allowing people to push my time boundaries. And so I don't do that anymore for a long time, it'd be like, anytime you want to be it, I'm totally fine. And now I have enough. A sense of how my business works, and where my boundaries are and how I feel if I have people all over my calendar, that I had to put some more more boundaries on it for my sanity. So it's both you know, how you want to work and what you want to work on? What are the kinds of work you want to do? And what kinds of things will you not do? Like for me? If, you know, a client comes to me and is like, well, but will you write this? For me? The answer is no. Like, I don't generally do that. But I'm happy to help people figure out what they were writing and sort of give them feedback and change and make adjustments and make suggestions and questions.

 You know, all those years working in Encyclopedia Britannica and working with content people, I'm to have a secret superpower of of helping people write and do that kind of thing. But I'm not doing the writing for them. So it's useful to sit down and think about your note list. It makes everything a lot clearer. Because then when somebody comes to you and says like, Hey, will you do this for me? You kind of look at your listener like, nope. Or you think like, huh, my no, this doesn't address that at all, I have to add some things to my no list because I don't want to do this. You know, I have a client right now who runs an art studio, and she's got somebody who is hosting a private event but wants her to promote that private event to her list. And she's like, well, but I don't usually do that, like, well, because it's on your note list. 

Right? It's not how she wants to do that business, the kind of event this lady's having is not something that her list would be interested in. So she's not going to use that list to promote this ladies thing. That's why the lady is having a private party. So for you, you know, think about what's on your list. This is a really simple tool that helps you just sort of set the norms and the rules and the boundaries for what is and what isn't stuff you're going to do in your business. And really, those are my three favorite tools. There are a million more I made a list of like 12 of these the other morning at like 5am Because I woke up thinking about it. But these are the first three try them out, see how they go. If you are not in my Facebook group, little things like this come up all the time. My group is called uncomplicated business for teachers helpers and givers. Please come join us. If you love the podcast if you liked the podcast, feel free to share it with friends. Read it or review on Apple iTunes on wherever it is you're listening or subscribe there.

 When you subscribe or you rate or review all those things helped make this podcast more findable and we would love to have people find it because As the more good we can do in the universe, the better. And then if you would rather watch this all on video, you can on YouTube, my YouTube channel is getting itself together. So you can look me up by name or you can look up on complicating business, Sara Torpey. It is there on YouTube. It's super fun. It's super pretty, it's looking great. So if I can be of help, if you're looking for coaching, any of those other things you can reach out you can find me at my website, which is Torpey coaching.com. And I look forward to talking with you all next week. And if you try these tools in you love them reach out and tell me how they go.