Using Your Voice, with Eva Jannotta – TPW299

In this week's episode, Eva Jannotta and I talk about being the most productive version of yourself and boldly using your voice to advocate for what you want.



Finding and using your voice to make a life that matters

Eva has been self-employed for five years but never intended to be an entrepreneur. Prior to starting her business, Eva worked in the corporate world for a chain of grocery stores. She grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, and earned her degrees in Gender and Women's Studies and English literature. Today she is a consultant providing marketing and communications support to North America's most recognized women entrepreneurs and leaders, offering thought leadership, marketing, and social media strategy to women who serve women. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her partner Steve.

Eva's morning routine

Eva has always been a morning person and starts her day between 5:30 and 6:30 am. It's important for her to start her day in a gentle fashion, meaning she puts no demands on herself for that time of the day. She spends a couple of hours each morning enjoying a cup of tea and will perhaps take a walk, stretch, meditate, or sometimes will "just be". This time is essential for Eva to get her day off to a good start.

A typical day

After Eva's early start, she will begin working around 8:00 or 9:00. Although as a self-employed person she could start working whenever she wanted, it's most beneficial to her to have a set schedule for each workday. She will work until 5:00 or 6:00 each evening. After dinner, she likes to get in an hour-long workout. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, she would go to the gym but for now she is working out at home. Getting in her workout helps Eva to disconnect from workday and ease into her evening. After her workout, she likes to make dinner with her partner Steve.

Biggest productivity challenges

One of Eva's biggest challenges is "doing the work" vs "being in the work". She's learned that finding the time to solve problems, think through projects, and be creative and then actually execute that work can be challenging.

Eva also struggles with setting realistic expectations for herself when it comes to getting things done. Everything always takes longer than you think it will and your energy level can vary throughout the day. Knowing this, Eva tries to balance her expectations with what's realistic for any given day. Eva has been tracking her time for years and finds this data to be very helpful when scheduling her time. She currently uses a tool called Toggl on her computer to track how she's using her time.

While trying out different time management tools over the years, she has found that tools aren't meant for achieving perfection, they are meant to be used at the right time for the right purpose.

Tools Eva recommends

Eva has found that the most helpful thing for her has been to be truly honest with herself about how much she is able to do and in what amount of time. She has to do things at a time of day when she is most productive and then have the discipline to finish those things. For her, this time is in the morning. There can be exceptions but mostly, Eva tries to respect these boundaries for herself.

When it comes to having time to be thoughtful, creative, and intentional,  Eva has learned that she has to turn her phone off. She likes to use Airplane mode or will put her phone in a different room. She will not check her phone for texts or look at her emails until she is done with her work.

Eva uses a tool called Boomerang, which she adds to her Gmail account, to prevent new emails from coming in while she is trying to focus.