The Exploring Introvert with Mariella Franker, PhD

Taking longer periods of time off from work has been a long standing dream of mine. I never thought it would be possible for me and I was always happy to get the rare 2 weeks off per year. Usually, I barely felt refreshed after 2 weeks off and the cycle would start again. When I started my coaching business, I realized that I had the opportunity to make this dream a reality. I decided that if I really wanted to take a couple of months off per year, that I would start practicing.  I’ve taken 2 months off work during the summer holidays for the third year now, reducing my workload to 1-2 hours a day and spending the rest of the time with my family and traveling. You could say that, at the moment, this is my version of Bill Gates’ famous think week: a week with no distractions that Bill Gates spends in a cabin in the woods to think about his professional and personal decisions. In today’s chapter, I’m sharing with you why a “think week” is an invaluable way to check your compass and to step away from the busy-ness of every day life so that you can do re-focus on the things that are meaningful to you. My “think week” didn’t exactly go to plan and initially I was frustrated. But, even when things don’t go according to plan, they can still be valuable. I’ll tell you about how I was able to change my mindset around my failed plan and the valuable lessons I learned from this years think week. 00:00 Here we are again! (Off to a nervous start) 00:21 When you prefer to be behind the scenes but you host a video podcast 01:11 taking 2 months off work every year had been a dream of mine 02:25 My version of Bill Gates' famous think week 03:17 Reducing my workload to 1-2 hours a day 04:18 When you get caught up in the busy-ness of everyday work 06:02 Things that don't go according to plan can still be valuable 08:51 From frustrated to focused 10:41 When excitement meets fear 11:58 Life is more than just your work Go here: ➡️ To read my blog about my experiments with taking 2 months off work each year: https://www.thefrankermessage.com/blog/2-months-off ⭐ To follow the podcast: ⁠⁠Follow the podcast⁠⁠ ⭐ To contact me: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ ⭐ To visit my website: ⁠⁠thefrankermessage.com⁠

After a 2 months break, we are kicking off season 4! This podcast chapter takes a look back. I'm sharing clips from the two most popular chapters from last season. These chapters are all about energy and energy management for introverts. From a personal perspective, struggles with an energy rollercoaster for a long time led me to believe that I was just "sickly" and "couldn't handle" as much as other people could. I kept telling myself (and others) that I was a low energy person and it became a barrier for me to go out and to do things I wanted to do. I tell you more about low energy in the first clip. Introvert hangover was one of the reasons for my energy rollercoaster, although I didn't know that at the time. Introvert hangover (or getting peopled out, overstimulation, social drain) is when introverts become extremely tired or even ill after a really busy time or from too much social interaction. I tell you more about some of the science behind the introvert hangover in the second clip. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it with a friend! Go here for: The full podcast chapters ➡️ ⁠Are you a low energy person?⁠ ➡️ ⁠Everything you need to know about introvert hangover⁠ Other resources mentioned in this podcast chapter ➡️ ⁠12 signs you have an introvert hangover on Introvert, Dear⁠ ➡️ ⁠Is dopamine really "the happy hormone"?⁠ ⭐ To follow the podcast: ⁠Follow the podcast⁠ ⭐ To contact me: ⁠[email protected]⁠ ⭐ To visit my website: ⁠thefrankermessage.com⁠

This podcast episode is a bit different from the usual chapters. I’m doing a life update today. I’m going to share with you what’s been going on in my business, offers that I’m working on, and what’s coming up for the podcast.This is the final chapter of Season 3 as I'm taking a 2-month break over the Summer. I'll be back mid September with the first chapter of Season 4!Thank you all so much for sticking around through these many changes. I know I have a long way to go to make this podcast something really interesting. I hope that you'll stick around for what's coming next. 00:00 A special life update episode 00:53 Why did I slow down the podcast? 01:52 Creating a business that's sustainable 03:14 Managing my own inner critic around not being consistent 03:49 Accommodating life as a parent 04:34 What's up next for the podcast? 05:29 About Google podcast 06:00 Taking 2 months off work 07:23 Methods I’m using to develop a new offer 08:48 Next round of win-win feedback calls 09:30 About the mailing list: habit research, stories and tips, especially for introverts who work from home — ▶️ Suggest a topic for a future episode: ⁠https://forms.gle/tNjvPHBJBF4JucCn6⁠ ▶️ Sign up for the mailing list: an email every 2 weeks with habit research, stories and tips, especially for introverts who work from home: go.thefrankermessage.com/free ▶️ Blog and client stories: ⁠⁠https://www.thefrankermessage.com/blog⁠⁠ ▶️ Follow me on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariellafranker/⁠⁠ — 🎵 Andrés Rodríguez

Today, we’re talking about another common habit bottleneck: the chaotic routine. This is a familiar one. Probably everyone can recognize the feeling of having a really chaotic day. Your day is running away from you and you feel like you you’re a side character in a dramatic play that you didn’t audition for. Usually, at the end of the day, you’re exhausted and even though you may have done a lot of things and you were running from one place to the next, you don’t feel like you accomplished anything. But I want to encourage you because establishing a routine that works for you can be done and it’s less complicated than you think. In this chapter, we’re doing to talk about why chaotic routine is a common habit bottleneck and what makes this hard for introverts in particular. We’re going to talk about 4 reasons why being disciplined to stick to the same routine every day isn’t the best strategy for everyone and we’re going to look at a few examples to help you create a routine that works well for you. I identified ‘chaotic routine’ as one of the common habit bottlenecks because I get a lot of questions related to this. A LOT of people struggle with feeling chaotic throughout their day. People will ask me things like: I want to learn a new language or I want to pick up an old (or new) hobby but how do I possibly fit that into an already packed schedule? or My life is so chaotic right now that I feel like I don’t have any time for myself or From the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep, I’m just running. I hardly have time to catch my breath. My clients work from full time or part time home and in the office and for them, feeling chaotic with their day is very common because they’re handling work, family, house chores, birthday parties and what not all within the same time windows. It can be hard to come up with a routine that works for you and for allows you to do your work well and be there for your loved ones. --- Related chapters: 044 | Introduction to habit styles: https://link.chtbl.com/whats-your-habit-style --- ▶️ Enter the 2024 giveaway! I’m looking for volunteers to give their feedback on 2 pages of text about my new coaching program. As a thank you, you’ll get a free 20-minute consultation worth 150,- Email ‘feedback’ to [email protected] before June 23rd, 2024 at 23:00 CET to reserve a spot (calls will take place later this year). --- ▶️ Suggest a topic for a future episode: ⁠https://forms.gle/tNjvPHBJBF4JucCn6⁠ ▶️ Get on the waitlist for the free gift bundle ‘Successfully planning your day for introverts: Discover a willpower-free way to learn healthy habits easily - no matter how busy or overwhelmed you are’: go.thefrankermessage.com/waitlist ▶️ Blog and client stories: ⁠⁠https://www.thefrankermessage.com/blog⁠⁠ ▶️ Follow me on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariellafranker/⁠⁠ — 🎵 Andrés Rodríguez