Has your ATTEMPT at KILLER New Year’s Goals turned into a COLD CASE already??
Or, have you been STALKING the same goals year after year, and just haven’t HIT THE MARK, yet?
Count me GUILTY AS CHARGED!!!
Welcome to Pretty Spooky Presents… “Premeditated Fervor”, a productivity series that’s your ACCOMPLICE in ACCOMPLISHMENT!
I’m Angela, your Partner in Crime for Planning Fun —and your Haunted Hostess. Today, we’ll rendezvous at my home tiki bar, The Sunken Compass for Committing to a Life of Premeditated Fervor, and Murdering Monotony!
I’ve poured over the EVIDENCE, CONDUCTED A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION, and TRIALED many systems that are too complex and some that are so boring—it’s CRIMINAL.
So, I’m applying the principals of a Pretty Spooky Lifestyle to planning and achieving goals by putting an eerie angle on the everyday and adding a little macabre to the mundane.
And I’m giving away FREE Printables— no strings attached.
As always there will be sinister sips and snacks to sweeten the deal! Today we’ll plot and scheme over the 1938 New Orleans classic—The Obituary Martini, which hails from the dark and seedy smuggler’s den— Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop.
And I’ll be making GingerDEAD cookies, so this is one time you won’t mind being CAUGHT WITH YOUR HAND IN THE COOKIE JAR— and because both recipes are Low Carb on the High Seas creations they’re two GUILTY pleasures that are more INNOCENT than they appear.
But, before we put a TOE TAG on an Obituary Martini I’ll divulge the MOTIVES and METHODS behind the Premeditated Fervor series while I COOK-UP SOME MISCHIEF with these delicious DOA Darlings.
After so many FAILED Attempts at KILLER consistency, I thought that maybe SERIAL SUCCESS just wasn’t in my DNA. I learned that I don’t want to be HELD HOSTAGE by habit trackers and TIED DOWN by rigid routines that I wouldn’t COMMIT to for THE LONG STRETCH.
Perhaps, you’re like me, ALL-IN, at first, but the SCHEME is so complicated you just can’t see the JOB through to the end— and give up before the PAY-OFF is IN THE BAG. And, hopefully you didn’t RAT YOURSELF OUT by announcing your goals— and then have to GO INTO HIDING, or else be ACCUSED of BOTCHING the ASSIGNMENT.
So, I knew I had to simplify the OPERATION, and make it easy to EXECUTE by creating one key-stone habit, where after that— everything would fall into place. Plus, I had to make it fun—so it won’t feel like a DEATH SENTENCE.
Everything is more fun when it’s TIED TOGETHER with a theme—I’m sure you’ve already CRACKED THE CASE by now. But, I’ll SING LIKE A CANARY and give up the INTEL. I figured it’d be Pretty Spooky to devise a True Crime theme that will inspire creativity, incentivize using a planner, and make taking action on goals feel more like fun than TORTURE.
So what can you expect form the Premeditated Fervor series?
There’s a straight-forward, easy to follow MASTER PLAN to get started, and one KEY STONE HABIT that creates SERIAL SUCCESS. And the True Crime theme allows us to metaphorically MURDER old habits and REPROGRAM a new identity. Themed extra’s are enjoyable rewards that provides motivation to keep PLAYING THE LONG GAME. “
I’ll design a theme for 90 day increments, then make creative adjustments at the new quarter to keep things interesting. I’ll conduct polls on my Community Tab to gather input for the thematic changes of the next quarter.
There will be Low Carb cocktails and snacks to match the theme, so we have tasty incentives that play nicely with everyone’s dietary goals.
You’ll have access to free printables that match each quarter’s macabre motif, and retain access to past quarter’s printables, as well— no strings attached— no emails collected. Just my Pretty Spooky way of saying thanks for watching. You can always show your appreciation by giving the videos a Like, Comment, Share it with a friend, or Subscribe— if you want. Either way, I’m glad you’re here.
Now that we’ve got our GingerDEAD cookies, let’s get ready for the MASTER PLAN with an Obituary Martini and toast the death of our old identity that folded when the going got tough.
Ahhh, New Orleans, one of my favorite places— there’s mischief and magic in the air. This is where I first experienced absinthe— it was love at first sip. Since there’s no place that throws a funeral like New Orleans, the Obituary Martini is the perfect way to toast the death of our old identities and bad habits.
It’s hard to pinpoint much about the history of the drink, other than it was created somewhere around 1940, maybe a little earlier, with 1938 being the earliest mention I can find. And, in keeping with our concept of criminality, please note that absinthe was illegal in the US from 1912-2007. So, even drinking this martini was against the law.
There are a few variations in preparation and garnish, so I’m going with a combination of the most popular versions:
- 2 oz Gin
- 3/4 oz Dry Vermouth
- 1/4 oz Absinthe
- 2 dashes Orange Bitters
- Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
- Garnish with lemon twist and 2 black olives.
- And a Toe Tag for your past habits is completely optional but highly recommended.
I’ve included a printable page of Toe Tags complete with the drink recipe, just in case you’d like to throw your own funeral for your Past Identity and Old Habits.
And just like Premeditated Fervor’s approach to planning and goal setting, The Obituary is a simple take on a classic, with a fun twist.
Here’s to our past ways, and to our old habits. May they rest in peace and never haunt us again. Cheers to a new identity and committing Premeditated Fervor!
Now, on to the Master Plan!
The MASTER PLAN is so simple— even a cut-rate criminal can finish the job. It starts with an easy to remember acronym: DNA, Which stands for “DREAM differently”, “NURTURE Success”, and “ACT to accomplish) or DREAM, NURTURE, ACT for short.
So, what does “DREAM Differently” mean? It’s simple. We know what we want— but we need to figure out why we haven’t gotten it yet. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting to get a different result. So, figure out what you’ve been doing that hasn’t worked, and keep trying something different until you get there. Yup. It’s that simple. And I’ve got a fun, easy and gentler method of practicing this step that’s tied to the KeyStone habit coming up in just a second.
The N in DNA, “NURTURE Success”, is all about increasing your chances of success by making it easier through enhancing your environment. There are different enhancement for various types of goals, and many of those are covered in Atomic Habits by James Clear. But, I’ll share some of my environment enhancers as we go along.
The A, or “ACT to Accomplish” is also approached in a kinder, gentler way than the all-or-nothing rigid mindset of perfection is accomplishment and imperfection is pure failure. This type of thinking is what leads most of us to give up and abandon our progress. And, this is also tied to the Key Stone Habit.
So, I’m sure you’re wondering what is this mysterious key-stone habit that’s been LURKING around in the shadows, and what do you need to COMMIT to a life of SERIAL SUCCESS?
All you need is a planner, journal of your choosing, and the FREE Printable known as “Premeditated Picks.” There are also fun stickers to make the operation go smoothly. Plus, they’ll make planning more fun. And, hey, everyone from tough guys to wise guys likes a little fun every now and then.
The Keystone habit is simply using a planner an journal briefly for just a few minutes AM and PM, with one day a week that you do a weekly overview. That’s it! And I have Free Printables to make this simple, and IMPORTANT habit more fun, easier, and more sustainable.
It doesn’t matter what style of planner you use to note appointments, plans, and tasks— just make sure it’s simple, streamlined, and portable. Numerous studies have proven that physically tangible, handwritten plans have much more impact, are more memorable, and create more personal connection than plans typed in a digital device. I have been using Traveler’s Company Passport Size in black— of course— because it tucks easily in a bag or fits most men’s pockets, and even keeps it’s contents safe when RIDING SHOT GUN on errands. Plus, it’s aesthetically pleasing when I jot an appointment in public, and is the perfect coffee shop accessory. And it’s so small that there isn’t too much room for complicated systems.
I’ve got the calendar insert to quickly jot appointments and events on the spot, and a basic weekly layout that I’ve devised for myself allows me to schedule tasks, errands, and projects around less flexible appointments and events. Use any weekly calendar and weekly system that works for you— or feel free to copy my layout, if you like. It just takes a few minutes with a pen, ruler, and a blank Traveler’s grid insert.
For me, Sunday is my best day to do my Weekly Overview and loosely schedule the week. Then, I can get more detailed on the daily level as the week progresses.
Decoration isn’t necessary, but for me, it turns the Weekly Reset into a relaxing reward. This one of the reasons I included free printable stickers to match each quarter’s theme. All you need are some basic, white, 8.5×11 sticker sheets, a printer, and scissors. Go to PrettySpook.Life, Find the Pretty Spooky Planning tab, locate the Premeditated Fervor theme you want for the quarter, open the PDF, copy it, align the edges to the edges of your computer’s open document, and print! For this quarter’s theme you’ll have Crime Scene Tape to use as section dividers, just like you’d use washi tape, Flashlight stickers to highlight important tasks and events, some FingerPrint stickers, and a few DOA Darlings of various sizes. Feel free to personalize your planner further with extra stickers and washi tapes to supplement my free printable stickers— and really make your planner your own place to commit Premeditated Fervor.
Another free printable that’s an integral part of the Weekly Overview is the Premeditated Picks Menu. This is a list of all the ideas you dream up for different, fun and spooky-themed ways to improve life areas of your choosing.
Choosing improvement options to suit your current energy, mood and schedule allows for a kinder, gentler, and more sustainable approach to improvement. You’ll customize three to eight categories to meet your unique Goal DNA, write them across the top, and when you come up with a spooky, new way to accomplish goal X, jot it down, so you always have plenty of fun, goal-oriented self-improvement options at your Weekly Overview. This is another good reason to choose a portable planner that’s always accessible. Once a week, you’ll assess your schedule, and energy levels to choose from your Premeditated Picks, so you’re always progressing in one or more of your life areas. All Premeditated Picks will result in progress. Any action is evidence of a win.
Just be sure to always look at the three colorful columns first, since these will be the life areas where you really want to focus most.
Common improvement areas are:
- Health & Wellness
- Self Improvement
- Career
- Finances
- Significant Other
- Family & Friends
- Home Environment.
Your Premeditated Picks will also serve a physical function in your planner. Conveniently use the fold to separate past planner pages like a bookmark to easily find the current day/week. Or, use Premeditated Picks like a pencil board, for a more firm writing surface.
All you need is card stock, scissors and a printer. And just like the stickers, you can come back and print extras at any time! When your PremeditatedPicks are full, print another, and transfer remaining Picks to the new printout.
As you might have noticed, there are a few extra stickers. You might also recall that I perviously mentioned using a journal. This can be any kind of journal or notebook. And just like the planner, entries written in your own handwriting, in a tangible, physical form are much more effective than anything typed in a cold, sterile, digital device.
Just as detectives, police, psychologists, and the most wicked of criminals know— Identity is everything. You are who you think you are. You behave and take actions that match your self-concept. So, pick a one or two word description of the type of person you want to be, and align your first three areas of improvement on your Premeditated Picks to characteristics, accomplishments, and actions befitting that type of person. Reprogramming, rehearsing, and reinforcing your new identity by collecting evidence each day will get you farther faster.
The Free Printable EVIDENCE stickers are a streamlined sentence starter to use each evening to record any and all evidence that you are becoming your new identity. Take a few minutes as the very last thing you do each night, to provide evidence and prove to yourself that you are progressing. End each day positively with a sense of pride.
The Daily Intention ID Stickers are your AM sentence starters to help remind yourself of the new identity you’re adopting this quarter. As one of your first actions each day, complete the sentence “Today I am a person who…” . This reinforces your goals, rehearses the actions you will take that will further your progress, and starts each day on TARGET.
To have enough stickers for each day of the quarter, plan to print 10 sheets, at once, and come back to PrettySpooky.Life to print more at any time.
You can integrate the AM Intention and PM Evidence into your planner, if there’s room. But, Personally, I’d rather keep sensitive information like that safe at home— just in case I open my planner in public— or accidentally leave it somewhere.
That’s another great reason to use a small, portable planner: the information it contains will be so brief and full of cryptic abbreviations, that it will only make sense to you.
And that’s it: All you need is a planner, a journal, and some Pretty Spooky free printables.
We’ll start each quarter together by adopting a fresh, new IDENTITY, with a new theme and more free printables to match. I’ll share recipes for fun snacks and drinks to turn our quarterly resets and Weekly Overviews into ceremonious, enjoyable events.
So, be thinking ahead of what you want next quarter’s theme to be and put your ideas in the comments. I’ll conduct a poll on my Youtube Community Page. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Be on the lookout for regular Quarterly Reset videos and occasional Weekly Overviews. From now on, consider me your Accomplice in Accomplishment!
I’m so excited that we’ll be committing Premeditated Fervor together— slaying our goals and murdering monotony!
I loved being your Haunted Hostess— and Partner inCrime. You were wonderful guests, and you’re welcome back always! Farewell until next time— Cheers!
prettyspooky.life 