Maple’s Post

🎉 Black Friday Pre-Sale Alert! 🎉 It’s time to take the stress out of organizing and make 2025 your most productive year yet! Our Black Friday Pre-Sale Bundle is here, and it’s packed with resources to help you (and your family) get ahead. 📦 What’s Included in the Bundle? ✅ 2025 Journal/Calendar Planner Perfect for busy professionals, parents, and anyone balancing life’s demands. This planner features structured monthly and weekly layouts to help you stay on top of your goals and schedule with ease. ✅ "In the Know" Notecards eBook Ideal for middle to high schoolers! These 20 simple yet powerful cards cover study habits, financial literacy, household responsibilities, and personal safety—setting the foundation for lifelong success. ✅ Step-by-Step Paper Bliss Guide Tackle your home office like a pro! This guide provides practical strategies to declutter your paper piles and create a workspace that boosts productivity. 🌟 Why This Bundle? This is more than just tools—it’s your chance to step into 2025 organized, confident, and ready to achieve your goals. Whether you're looking to create a calm home environment, set students up for success, or boost your own productivity, this bundle delivers. 📲 Shop Now: https://lnkd.in/eHg8Z5b6 ⏳ Limited-time offer—don’t miss out! Let’s make 2025 the year of transformation, together! 🚀 #DeclutterYourLife #BlackFridayPreSale #FreshStartMethod #OrganizingTools #2025Ready #StudentSuccess #TimeManagement #homeorganizing #newcleanlife

Fridays off. That’s the plan I’m working toward for my business. Not every Friday (yet). But the last Friday of every month—for my team and me. Here’s why: I’ve got two kids.  And if you’ve got kids, you know what I mean when I say there’s no “spare time.” Evenings? Packed. Weekends? Forget it. Work hours? That’s all I’ve got. So if I want extra time—to recharge, think, exercise or just breathe—I have to build it into the business. Starting with the last Friday of every month. We’re still testing the plan.  But the goal is → prioritize impact over hours. And eventually? A business where every Friday is optional. If you’re a business owner, I’d love to know: Have you tried something like this? How did it go?

We’re frequently advised to be more present, to be more intentional and to be more engaged when we’re at work. In meetings it's poor form to sneak a look at their phone but who hasn't? Or even sometimes in conversation with colleagues at the office? Getting more focused is even more important around the holidays when we are with friends and family. Last week my cell phone died and instead of rushing out and fixing it immediately, I decided to get through the week and deal with it when work paused for Thanksgiving. My crushed iPhone was initially frustrating and even disconcerting; connectedness allows us to be more efficient, to save time and sometimes to be more productive. And maybe not feel lonely? But it also puts a glowing, candy bar-sized handful of distraction in our pockets 24 hours a day. And that distraction can impact everyone around, not to mention what it does to each one of us. During my no cell phone stretch, I worked deliberately; When I was talking to someone or on my laptop responding to email or creating, it was focused work. But otherwise, my days were filled with eye-contact, direct engagement and when outside looking up at the sky and surroundings that I’d otherwise have missed. I used a paper map and was reliably glare free. As you head into the holiday season, think about the value of going phone free for a stretch. (I suggest tossing it in a drawer rather than crushing it in half like I did, lol) Whichever way you create space for yourself, you may be surprised at what you find.

Turning Off Digital for the Holidays: A Week of Recharging I just got a new phone the week before Thanksgiving and made a decision that I honestly wasn’t sure I could follow through with. I chose not to install my Microsoft Office accounts or work apps on it. Why? Because I was headed out for Thanksgiving week with my family—just me, my husband, and our daughter—and I decided to take a much-needed "digital detox." So, I left my laptop at home, turned off notifications, and went completely off the grid for the week. Sure, I got a few texts from colleagues, but other than that, I had no way of checking emails or Teams messages. At first, it felt weird—almost uncomfortable—but as the days went on, I realized just how refreshing it was to truly disconnect. It wasn’t always easy. But in the end, it was the best decision I could’ve made and here’s why: -Above all, I trust my team. They’re capable, and they’ve got things covered. -It’s not the end of the world if something goes awry. Small hiccups are bound to happen, and they’re just part of the process. -Work will still be here when I get back. Even if it means digging through 200+ emails and messages, it’ll be waiting for me. Sometimes, stepping away from the constant digital noise can be a game-changer for creativity, mental clarity, and even personal growth. Plus, I had an amazing time with my family. I got to truly focus on my daughter, connecting with her "IRL", and teaching her valuable lessons about not being tethered to her phone—especially at 13, when the pull of digital distractions is stronger than ever. It was a reminder that life’s best moments happen when we’re fully present. I’m definitely planning to make this “off the grid” thing a more regular part of my routine. Who else is taking a break this holiday season? I highly recommend it. #DigitalDetox #WorkLifeBalance #FamilyTime #TrustYourTeam #Unplugging #QualityTime #ParentingInTheDigitalAge Photo by Brina Blum

Friday's coming, and it’s not just any day—it’s the gateway to the weekend! 🌟 Whether it’s sleeping in, chilling out, running errands, or soaking up the great outdoors, Fridays are the best. But, it's not all about winding down for the weekend. I love Fridays for the chance to gear up for a fresh start on Monday. Here are my top Friday tasks that keep me on point: 🖥️ Checking for Computer Updates: Keep your computer running its best by doing weekly updates. After a close call with 60 overdue updates (yikes!), I learned this the hard way. Trust me, you don’t want that IT horror story. 💬 Cleaning-up Teams Chats: If you’re buried under a mountain of Teams chats, fear not! Hiding unnecessary chats is a game-changer. Simply hover over the chat, click the three dots, and hit ‘Hide’. Voilà! Your chat list is tidy again. And don’t worry, hidden chats pop back up if someone messages you. 📝 Journal Reflection: Wrap up the week with some reflection time. I use Notion for this, spending the last 15 minutes of my day jotting down thoughts. It’s a calming way to close out the week. 🧘🏼♀️ Virtual Commute: Viva Insights has this nifty Virtual Commute feature. It lets you review your next day’s schedule, take a deep breath, and even rate your day with emojis. I save this ritual for Fridays to end the week on a high note! Got any Friday rituals of your own? Drop them in the comments! Let's get ready to rock this Friday and the fabulous weekend ahead! 🚀 #remoteworker #fridayrituals #stayingorganized #weekendprep 📸 Pexels

The holidays should mean joy, rest, and family time, but for many in our legal world, it means frantic deadlines and the constant hum of notifications. It doesn’t have to be this way. By setting boundaries and leveraging technology intentionally, you can carve out time for what matters most. Here’s a guide to using (and limiting) technology to protect your time, increase focus, and finally achieve a bit more balance this holiday season. 1️⃣ Stop Letting Alerts Steal Your Attention Set messages to appear only at 10 am, 1 pm, and 4 pm. iOS’s “Scheduled Summary” and Android’s “Notification Summary” make this easy. 2️⃣ Take Control of Your Calendar (Before It Controls You) Block off your “deep work” hours for client work or drafting. Mark it as “Busy” so people think twice before booking over it. 3️⃣ Defend Your Personal Time Like It’s a Court Deadline Commit to no screens before 9 am and after 8 pm. Use tech to enforce it—set an app lockout with “Screen Time” (iOS) or “Digital Wellbeing” (Android). 4️⃣ Stop “Urgency Culture” in Its Tracks Set your status on Teams/Slack to “Focusing: Back at 3 pm” so people see it before they message you. It’s a simple, subtle way to reduce interruptions. 5️⃣ Automate the Annoying Stuff Store “canned responses” for common requests and trigger them with shortcuts. Use Gmail’s Canned Responses or Outlook’s Quick Parts. By training your apps, email, and work habits to respect your focus and family time, you’ll step into the new year with less burnout and more clarity. Let technology serve you—not the other way around.

5 things I'm doing to survive hell week: 𝐴𝐾𝐴 𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝐹𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑖𝑛 𝑒𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑚 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔. 1. The food shop. I SHALL BE FUELLED. Usually, when I'm busy, I live on Greggs. → Mind you, I didn't have time to make my lunch so I have a loaf of bread and a jar of mayo on my desk. 2. Working from home. I've got 2 days WFH planned to crack on without any disturbance on project work. → If you need to get hold of me Tuesday or Thursday: no you don't. 3. Exercise. It's the first thing to get knocked off the calendar when I'm stacked. → But I've signed up to a class every morning this week. 4. A plan. I know exactly what I'm doing, when, and what I need. → There's going to be no faffing around trying to prioritise. 5. Rest at the end. I'm joining Louise Mortimer's wellness day retreat on Saturday. → It's a nice reset before 😬Cyber Monday😬 So, are you working in, or on Black Friday? Or have you had a lucky escape? 😂 #Markeying #SocialMedia #SocialMediaManager #eCommerce

Is there a best day of the week to post? The answer is yes but it changes regularly. I post twice a day, 8:23am and 6:53pm eastern time each day, 7 days a week. I track my post-performance daily going back roughly 2 weeks. I can see trends on which day of the week, time of day, type of post, post topic, if it includes an image, picture or video, etc. I can see which posts have a longer shelf life. For a long time, weekends were terrible for impressions and engagement. For the last several months, weekends have been the best time to post. For a while Mondays were the worst. Not the case anymore. Fridays were considered to be not a great day to post. It is now. The bottom line is it all comes in cycles. The algorithm is regularly changing and mixes it up. When you track your data, you can use it as a guide to help you plan out your posting strategy. 

We put together a WFH Survival Kit so you don’t reach a spring break(ing) point while the kids are out of school. Use it as inspiration when you make your own and tell us in the comments what else you would add! 📝 1. Work Early (Way Early): Knock out projects that need focus before the kids wake up. Treat yourself to some of your favorite fancy coffee. Yes, you may be sleep-deprived. You can do this. 2. Stress-Less Mess: Prep tarps, towels, and trash bags to create a designated, easy-to-clean messy zone where kids can go wild. 3. Craft Drops: Buy a bunch of new craft supplies, but don’t give them to your kids all at once. Arrange them into separate “drops,” and spread them out during the day or week. Puppet Paper Bag Drop, Bedazzling Hats Drop, Toilet Paper Tube Rocket Drop, mic drop. 4. Take 5: Set aside five minutes of ‘me time’ during the day. It isn’t just something you deserve, it can help you stay calm even in the chaos. 5. Ready. Set. Go! Carve out work sprints throughout the day with 20-30 minutes of focused, quiet time. 6. Stay Packing: Plan five days of pre-assembled snacks and lunches to de-stress meals. This is not the time to make hummus from scratch, y’all. 7. Bored Games: Gather all the board games your family’s outgrown and tell your kids to invent a new game with the pieces. 8. Go Easy on Yourself: Give the kids the screens, the iPads, the movies, and the french fries that you ordered delivery. They will not become zombies. You’re a great parent. #Upwork #WFH #Parents #SpringBreak #SurvivalKit

It’s Friday—a natural breakpoint in the week. For many, it’s a rush to tie up loose ends before the weekend. But I’ve found that Fridays offer something more: the opportunity to pause, reflect, and recalibrate. In the whirlwind of tasks, meetings, and deadlines, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. Why are we doing what we’re doing? Are the actions we’ve taken this week aligned with our goals? Are we moving with intention, or simply reacting to the noise around us? Now, here’s where it gets strategic. A lot of people think strategy is some grand, mysterious thing cooked up in corner offices. It’s not. Strategy is about making space to think. Fridays are perfect for this. Step back and ask: Did we spend the week moving the needle, or just the furniture? Strategy isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing what matters. And sometimes, the best strategic move is realizing that overthinking on a Friday will just ruin your weekend. Moral of the story? Take a break, because even Napoleon had to retreat sometimes. Or so I assume—I wasn’t there.