Do you ever feel like you're scrambling to keep up, but all your hard work is disconnected from your big goals? It’s easy to get stuck in the flurry of emails and notifications, but true success comes from ensuring your daily agenda reflects your larger vision. In this series finale of From Stuck to Making Progress, we dive into the systems that move the needle.

Drawing on John Maxwell’s Law of the Big Picture, we explore how to stop letting your inbox dictate your life. You’ll learn three simple, repeatable systems—the Sunday Blueprint, the Golden Hour, and the Daily Check-in—that will help you close the gap between your strategy and your execution.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• The Law of the Big Picture: Why seeing the larger vision for your life is essential for directing your daily energy and focus.

• The Sunday Night Blueprint: A 15-minute weekly planning session to identify priorities before the chaos of Monday morning begins.

• The Golden Hour (Two-Hour Goal Block): The power of scheduling a focused time block for your #1 priority before the day’s distractions take over.

• The Daily Check-in: A simple end-of-day review to acknowledge wins, honor your effort, and adjust your plan for the following day.

• Closing the Gap: How to ensure your daily productivity is actually moving you toward your 90-day milestones and long-term purpose.

Key Takeaways & Principles

• Consistency Over Perfection: Don’t wait for the "perfect" plan to start. A simple plan executed consistently is better than a perfect plan that never leaves the page.

• Strategy vs. Execution: Your vision is your destination, but your daily habits are the vehicle. If the two aren't connected, you'll stay stuck.

• Honor the Effort: Success isn't just about the finished to-do list; it’s about acknowledging how you handled the day’s challenges and showing up for what matters.

Your Action Step: The Claim Your Day Action Challenge

1. The 15-Minute Blueprint: This Sunday night, set aside 15 minutes to look at the week ahead.

2. Identify Top 3 Priorities: Choose three key priorities for the week that are directly connected to your current 90-day goals.

3. Schedule the Action: Decide exactly when you will tackle these priorities during the week to ensure they don't get lost in the shuffle.

Resources Mentioned

• Intentional Choice Guide: Go to nickmazy.com to download the guide and start making choices that align with your true values.

• Previous Episodes: Make sure to listen to Episode 66 (Backcasting) and Episode 67 (The Law of Priorities) to fully round out your progress strategy.

• Next Series Teaser: Stay tuned for our upcoming episodes where we continue to explore how to live a life of intention and purpose!

Do you catch yourself saying "yes" to every good opportunity, only to realize later that you’ve run out of time for your biggest goals? Being busy is not the same as being productive. In this episode, we tackle ineffective prioritization and how to make the strategic shifts necessary to move from being "stuck in the good" to "progressing toward the great."

We dive into John Maxwell’s Law of Priorities, exploring the truth that activity is not necessarily accomplishment. You’ll learn how to use the "Opportunity Cost Test" and the 80/20 rule to filter every request through your current quarterly goals, ensuring your energy is spent where it matters most.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• The Law of Priorities: Why leaders understand that just because you're busy doesn't mean you're making progress.

• The Opportunity Cost Test: The reality that every "yes" you give to one thing is an automatic "no" to something else.

• The 80/20 Rule in Action: How 20% of your activities (like Nick’s dreaded burpees!) often lead to 80% of your results.

• The Quarterly Filter: How to be ruthless in evaluating opportunities based on your current 90-day objectives.

• Choosing Great Over Good: The mindset shift required to decline a positive opportunity to protect a transformative one.

Key Takeaways & Principles

• Everything Costs Something: Always ask, "What am I giving up by saying yes to this?" before committing your time or energy.

• Disproportionate Returns: Identify the few tasks that provide the greatest bang for your buck and prioritize them above all else.

• Strategic No’s: Saying "no" to a good organization or a lunch date isn't about being negative; it's about being intentional with your life's mission.

Your Action Step: The Claim Your Day Action Challenge

1. Calendar Audit: Review your calendar for the upcoming week and identify one recurring "good" activity that isn't contributing to your current 90-day goal.

2. The Cut: Be ruthless. Eliminate or pause that one activity to free up time, energy, and focus for your true priorities.

3. The Filter: Practice using your quarterly goals as a filter for any new requests that come your way this week.

Resources Mentioned

• Intentional Choice Guide: Head over to nickmazy.com to grab the guide that helps you define the values you need to protect.

• Book Recommendation: The 12-Week Year (Great for diving deeper into the 90-day segment strategy).

Previous Episode (66): If you haven't yet, listen to the previous episode on Backcasting to help set the 90-day goals you'll use as your filter!

Does your major, long-term goal feel miles away? When the finish line is distant, it's easy to lose momentum and suffer from a lack of purposeful progress. This episode provides the strategy to transform that distant vision into a series of actionable, achievable steps—starting today.

We're charting your course by breaking down your goals using the powerful 90-Day Segment framework. It's the "Goldilocks Zone" of goal-setting: close enough to demand action, but far enough to allow for significant gains.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• The Backcasting Method: How to start with your goal already achieved (in your mind's eye), look back, and identify the major required steps to get there.

• The Power of 90 Days: Why the 90-day (or 12-week) segment is the ideal timeframe for personal goal setting—it's short enough to create urgency but long enough to make real progress.

• Maintaining Momentum: Why mini-celebrations and built-in breaks are non-negotiable steps between 90-day segments to prevent burnout, recharge, and maintain motivation.

• From Vision to Daily Action: How connecting your daily actions to quarterly goals, and those quarterly goals to your ultimate vision, ensures every day you claim your day with purpose.

Key Takeaways & Principles

• Small Steps Win: Consistent small steps over time will take you farther than trying to rely on massive, sporadic leaps.

• Chart Your Course: Don't just steer aimlessly; use backcasting to clearly chart the course to your big goals using manageable steps.

• Acknowledge the Effort: Celebration and acknowledgment of small wins are critical fuel that boosts your motivation and sustains the fire of your long-term commitment.

Your Action Step: The Claim Your Day Action Challenge

1. Backcast: Take your largest, most important long-term goal and visualize achieving it. Then, write down the major milestones (required steps) that led you there.

2. 90-Day Target: Identify which of those required steps you will fully accomplish in the next 90 days.

3. Promise to Celebrate: Commit to building in mini-celebrations and a rest break at the end of that 90-day push to rejuvenate and prepare for the next quarter.

Resources Mentioned

• Previous Episode (65): If you missed it, go back and ensure your goals are anchored in your core values before breaking them down.

Next Episode Teaser: Subscribe! We will be diving into the crucial next step: translating those 90-day targets into weekly and daily agendas so you know exactly what to do today.

Do you ever feel a lack of purposeful progress, caught in the day-to-day grind with a disconnect from the life you ultimately want to live? This episode begins our new series, From Stuck to Making Progress, by focusing on a critical first step: Goal Mapping.

We dive into why vague goals fail and how the key to diligence and discipline lies in anchoring your intentions to your personal mission and values. As John Maxwell's Law of Navigation states: Anyone can steer a ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course. This episode helps you chart your course with intentionality.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• The Law of Navigation: How leading your life (charting the course) requires intentionality, starting with a clear destination based on your values.

• The Values Check: A simple, essential first step to ensure your current goals are not influenced by external expectations but directly reflect your top personal values.

• Intentional Goal Setting: Why vague targets (like "be less stressed") must be replaced with specific, measurable actions (like "implement one stress-reducing habit daily").

• Tapping into Why Power: How connecting your specific goals to a "Big Why" (like being a better spouse or healthier parent) provides the unstoppable motivation needed for consistent small steps.

Key Takeaways & Principles

• Values are Stone, Goals are Fluid: Your core values should be fixed; your goals should adjust to honor them. Never compromise your values for a goal.

• The Daily Agenda: Your ultimate path and destination are determined by your daily agenda. Small, disciplined steps are more impactful than massive leaps.

• Motivation is Connection: Your motivation will always be bigger than the effort required for a small daily action if that action is deeply tied to your Big Why.

Your Action Step: The Claim Your Day Action Challenge

1. Review and Write: Review your biggest goal and write it out clearly (making it specific and measurable).

2. Anchor: Anchor this goal to one of your core values and your "Why Power" (the meaningful reason you want to achieve it).

3. Commit: Recognize that this powerful anchor will provide the motivation you need for the daily actions we will discuss in the next episode.

Resources Mentioned

• Intentional Choice Guide: Visit nickmazy.com to download this guide, which helps you get crystal clear on and prioritize your core values so you can make intentional, value-aligned choices.

• Next Episode Teaser: Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode, where we dive into translating these big, anchored goals into your daily habits and actions.

This episode wraps up our Work-Life Blend series by directly challenging the pressure of the endless ladder—the cycle of chasing one achievement only to immediately move on to the next, leaving you feeling guilty and unfulfilled. If you're constantly asking, "When is enough, enough?" this is for you.

We explore a profound shift in mindset, inspired by John Maxwell, that moves your focus from limits to potential. By redefining success and committing to lifelong growth, you can escape the cycle of burnout and align your progress with your deepest values and purpose.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• The Endless Ladder Trap: The danger of chasing back-to-back achievements without a clear, defined end point, leading to perpetual dissatisfaction.

• The Profound Mindset Shift: Stop asking, "How long will it take me to achieve X?" and start asking, "How far can I go?" (Focusing on fulfilling your full potential, not just hitting a milestone).

• Success as a Journey, Not a Destination: Why defining success by your habits, behaviors, and progress is more empowering than tying it to a single achievement (like a promotion or a net worth number).

• The Long-Term Commitment: How committing to be the best you can be in the areas that align with your core values provides lifelong motivation and greater impact.

Key Takeaways & Principles

• Alignment is Key: When your growth and achievements align with your core values and purpose, the drive to improve becomes lifelong and inspiring.

• Define Your Progress: Create goals and milestones that serve as directional guides, helping you objectively check if you are still moving toward your best life.

  
  

• Your Best Gets Better: The pursuit of your potential is a continuous process; by committing to being your best, your skills and impact will continue to develop.

Your Action Step: The Claim Your Day Challenge

1. Define Success: Take a few minutes this week to write down your definition of success. Do not tie it to a specific destination (e.g., getting a promotion).

2. Focus on Habits: Define success by what you are doing (e.g., "Success is consistently dedicating one hour daily to my health," or "Success is being present and engaged at every family dinner.").

3. Commit: Commit to fully pursuing this redefined, progress-based success, freeing you from the pressure of the endless ladder.

Next Series Preview

• Next Week: We kick off a brand new series focused on moving From Stuck to Making Progress, tackling alignment, goals, and the practical steps to live an intentional life. Subscribe so you don't miss it!

Do you struggle with being mentally present? Are you thinking about home when you're at work, and vice-versa? That scattered feeling leads to guilt and unproductivity in both areas. This episode provides the antidote: intentional presence.

We dive into how applying John Maxwell's Law of Focus—concentrating your abilities by concentrating your attention—can help you eliminate mental clutter, maximize your effectiveness, and feel great about leaving one role to step into the next. The key is simply being 100% where your feet are at.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• The Law of Focus: Why concentrating your attention on the task or person in front of you is the key to effectiveness and stress reduction.

• The Multitasking Myth: How eliminating background activities is the first step to cutting mental clutter and increasing your productivity.

• The "One Thing" Framework: The commitment to dedicating 100% of your attention to the single most important task, person, or moment in front of you.

• The Guilt Test: A simple check-in question to ask yourself to ensure you aren't using a less essential task as a distraction to avoid what you should be doing.

Key Takeaways & Principles

• Presence is the Cure: Being 100% present where you are helps eliminate guilt because you know you made the most of that time, whether at work or with family.

• Permission to Focus: Give yourself permission to shut out distractions to complete your essential work, making your work time more valuable.

• The Power of Reset: Developing the skill to mentally get back on track immediately when distracted is more important than being perfect.

Your Action Step: The Claim Your Day Challenge

1. Set the Timer: Choose a task and set a short timer (e.g., 25 minutes) to commit to working on one thing with 100% focus.

2. The Reset Phrase: When your mind drifts during this focused time (or when you are talking to someone), use the simple phrase: "Be where my feet are at."

3. Practice: Use this reset phrase as often as needed to pull your attention back to the present moment, strengthening your focus muscle.

Resources Mentioned

• The Claim Your Day Podcast: Subscribe so you don't miss any of the upcoming content on making the most of your time and living your values.

• Next Episode Teaser: Stay tuned as we move into a new series focused on The Intentional Choice and making better decisions.

Are you struggling with overwhelm or a feeling of drifting because external demands are crowding out your true priorities? This episode, the second in our Work-Life Blend series, focuses on a critical truth: without solid boundaries, your core values will be infiltrated.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• Boundaries as Value Protectors: How to shift your perspective from seeing boundaries as restrictive "No's" to vital shields for your most important values (health, family, work focus).

• The Top 5 Non-Negotiables: A simple exercise to prioritize the few critical boundaries that will have the biggest positive impact on your Work-Life Blend.

• The Communication Script: Why practicing how you will convey your boundaries is as important as setting them, and how visualization (like an athlete) makes the "No" easier in real life.

• The connection between intentional boundaries and guilt-free presence in both your work and personal life.

Key Takeaways & Principles

• Self-Leadership: Your example for yourself (how you honor your values) sets the example for everyone else.

• The Trade-Off: Saying "Yes" to external demands often forces you to say "No" to your values. You must be willing to say "No" to protect your priorities.

• Brain Grooves: Practicing your communication script creates mental pathways, making it easier to confidently, assertively, and non-apologetically communicate your boundaries when the pressure is on.

Your Action Step: The Claim Your Day Challenge

1. Identify: Choose one non-negotiable boundary that you need to set today to protect a core value (e.g., no email after 7 PM, no phones at dinner, protected focused work time).

2. Script: Write down a very simple, confident script for how you will communicate this boundary when it is challenged.

3. Practice: Visualize yourself using the script to successfully honor your non-negotiable boundary.

Resources Mentioned

• Intentional Choice Guide: Go to nickmazy.com to download this guide to get crystal clear on your values and priorities.

• Previous Episode (61): Make sure you check out the previous episode where we talk about the myth of the 50/50 balance and the power of transition rituals.

• Next Episode Teaser: Stay tuned for the next episode in the series as we continue to build your intentional life!

If you’re struggling with the guilt of a poor work-life balance, you are not alone. The problem isn't your commitment; it’s the myth of the perfect 50/50 split. This episode kicks off our short series on The Work-Life Blend, offering hope and practical steps to align your life with your values in a way that truly works for your current season.

We dive into how focusing on intentional presence can eliminate the guilt that comes from being physically present but mentally distracted, making the time you spend—wherever you are—more valuable and fulfilling.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• The Myth of Balance: Why chasing a precise 50/50 split is a recipe for guilt and failure.

• The power of Intentional Presence: How to reframe your focus from balancing time to maximizing the value you bring to the moment.

• The critical lesson: "Be where your feet are at." (Being 100% focused at work so you can be 100% present with family, and vice versa).

• The Power of the Transition: How a simple, short ritual (like Brendan Burchard's Release and Intention method) can act as a mental barrier to release stress and set an intention for the next role (e.g., from employee to parent/spouse).

Key Takeaways & Principles

• Guilt Reduction: When you give your best effort and focus 100% where you are, you eliminate the guilt of neglecting the other areas of your life.

• Reframing Success: Define success not by equal time, but by maximizing your intentional presence in every environment.

• The Transition Ritual: Own the boundary between tasks/roles to ensure you bring your best self and greatest value to every moment.

Your Action Step: The Claim Your Day Challenge

1. Identify: Choose one major transition in your day (e.g., leaving work to come home, or starting your workday).

2. Ritualize: Create a short (one-minute) transition ritual that involves:

   • Release: Intentionally letting go of the stress and thoughts of the activity you are leaving.

   • Intention: Setting a clear intention for the person you want to be in the next environment.

3. Own It: Commit to performing this ritual every time you make that transition this week.

Resources Mentioned

• Intentional Choice Guide: Go to nickmazy.com to download this resource, which helps you align your daily choices with your core values.

• Series Next Step: Subscribe so you don't miss the upcoming episodes in The Work-Life Blend series!