Work + Life Harmony | Time Management, Organization and Planning for Overwhelmed Women

Megan Sumrell: Time Management and Productivity Coach
  • 5.0 (252)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

You wake up with a plan. By 10 AM, it's completely off the rails. By bedtime, you're mentally running through everything you didn't get to and wondering how tomorrow will be any different. Work + Life Harmony is the weekly podcast that teaches women a completely different approach to time management, weekly planning, and productivity. Hosted by Megan Sumrell, a time management expert with 20+ years in systems and planning, this show will change the way you think about your calendar, your to-do list, and how you spend your time. Megan covers everything from weekly planning strategies and daily routines to goal setting, organization, and how to handle the curveballs that throw your whole week off. Her approach was built specifically for women managing work, family, and the million things in between, not recycled advice from productivity systems designed for someone else's life. If you've been stuck in the cycle of overwhelm, guilt, and never-ending to-do lists, start here. New episodes every week.

  1. The Part of Productivity AI Can't Give You

    2d ago ·  Video

    The Part of Productivity AI Can't Give You

    The noise around productivity has gotten really loud lately, and I think a lot of it has to do with AI. There are apps, tools, and technology promising to 10X your output, and every corner of the internet is telling you how to squeeze more into your day. But what if that constant push to produce more, faster, is actually making you worse at the very thing it's claiming to help you with? In this episode, I'm breaking down why two of the most important types of productivity are being completely ignored right now and what it's costing you. What You'll Learn: Why the push to always be producing is working against you in ways you might not see yetThe type of productivity that happens when you step away from your to-do list completelyHow well-meaning advice is quietly converting your best thinking time into more output modeWhy what happens when you sleep matters more to your productivity than any app or tool ever couldTwo small things you can do this week to start getting it back________________________________ 💻 Free Training Overwhelmed? Frazzled? Tired of your calendar controlling you?  You’re in the right place. Sign up for my free, on-demand training and learn how to take control of your time—no matter what life throws at you.  👉 https://www.megansumrell.com/freetraining ________________________________ 📱 Get The Pink Bee App Access planning tools, trainings, and support all in one place.  👉 https://www.onelink.to/qxdcwu ________________________________ Thanks for tuning in! Megan 🩷🐝 www.megansumrell.com www.instagram.com/megansumrell www.youtube.com/@the_pink_bee www.facebook.com/megansumrell

    18 min
  2. Why Eat the Frog Is Setting You Up to Fail

    Jun 16 ·  Video

    Why Eat the Frog Is Setting You Up to Fail

    You've probably heard the productivity advice that says you should tackle your hardest task first thing in the morning. Eat the frog, they call it. Get the big, heavy, ugly thing done before you do anything else, and the rest of your day is downhill from there. Sounds great. Except... what happens when life lands in your lap before you ever get to the frog? If you've been trying this method and quietly wondering why it's not working for you, this episode is going to be a relief. I couldn't make it work either. And in this episode, I'm sharing exactly why this advice, despite its good intentions, may actually be causing more harm than good for women living full, real, chaotic lives. Plus, I'm giving you a better way to think about it that will finally get your most important work moving. What You'll Learn: The sneaky pattern that happens when your morning gets hijacked and you can't do the hard thing firstWhat happened when I tried to use Eat the Frog to write my book and why it completely fell apartThe one question to ask yourself instead that changes everythingHow to find the real window in your week where focused work will actually stick________________________________ 💻 Free Training Overwhelmed? Frazzled? Tired of your calendar controlling you?  You’re in the right place. Sign up for my free, on-demand training and learn how to take control of your time—no matter what life throws at you.  👉 https://www.megansumrell.com/freetraining ________________________________ 📱 Get The Pink Bee App Access planning tools, trainings, and support all in one place.  👉 https://www.onelink.to/qxdcwu ________________________________ Thanks for tuning in! Megan 🩷🐝 www.megansumrell.com www.instagram.com/megansumrell www.youtube.com/@the_pink_bee www.facebook.com/megansumrell

    18 min
  3. Breaking the Busyness Cycle Before You Pass It to Your Kids

    Jun 9

    Breaking the Busyness Cycle Before You Pass It to Your Kids

    I know we've talked about boundaries on this show before. But this conversation? It went somewhere I really wasn't expecting. My guest today is Alex Lianne Carter, a master certified neurocoach, educator, and children's author who burned out, rebuilt her life one small decision at a time, and eventually packed up her family and moved to Panama. When Alex reached out to me about coming on to talk about boundaries, I sat with it for a minute because the angle she brought was one I hadn't heard before, and I think you're going to feel it too. Because this episode is really about three things that are all connected: the busyness we can't shake, the boundaries we can't hold, and what our kids are quietly picking up from watching us do both. Alex walks us through the brain science behind why slowing down genuinely feels wrong, where these patterns actually come from, and what we can do about it before we hand the whole cycle to our kids. What You'll Learn: Why you can't hold a boundary no matter how many times you set it What your kids are absorbing right now just by watching how you move through your dayThe real reason slowing down feels dangerous to your nervous system even when you desperately want itThe very first step out of autopilot when you're so deep in it you don't even realize it's runningConnect With Alex: Free to Be Me (children's book): www.freetobemekid.comInstagram: www.instagram.com/alex.lianne.carterLinkedIn: ca.linkedin.com/in/alexliannecarter ________________________________ 💻 Free Training Overwhelmed? Frazzled? Tired of your calendar controlling you?  You’re in the right place. Sign up for my free, on-demand training and learn how to take control of your time—no matter what life throws at you.  👉 https://www.megansumrell.com/freetraining ________________________________ 📱 Get The Pink Bee App Access planning tools, trainings, and support all in one place.  👉 https://www.onelink.to/qxdcwu ________________________________ Thanks for tuning in! Megan 🩷🐝 www.megansumrell.com www.instagram.com/megansumrell www.youtube.com/@the_pink_bee www.facebook.com/megansumrell

    29 min
  4. 4 Hidden Costs of AI That Are Stealing Your Time

    Jun 2

    4 Hidden Costs of AI That Are Stealing Your Time

    Everybody's telling you AI is going to save you time, but nobody's handing you the full picture. I'll be upfront: I use AI every single day. It is a real, genuine part of how we run The Pink Bee. This is not a "AI is bad" episode. But I have been watching the conversation around AI get louder and louder, and something critical keeps getting left out of it. Because everything on this podcast is about time management, organization, and productivity, I felt like I had to say something. In this episode, I'm walking you through four hidden costs of implementing AI that nobody in this space seems to want to talk about. These aren't financial costs. They're time costs, and if you're planning to go all in on AI tools, you need to know what you're actually signing up for before you start. What You'll Learn: Why buying someone else's ready-made AI tools and expecting them to work for your business is not the shortcut it sounds likeThe sneaky cost that shows up months after you build something and catches most people completely off guardThe real reason so many people are creating more work for themselves with AI instead of lessHow I handle one specific hidden cost in my own business with a simple monthly calendar habitResources Mentioned: The AI Operating System Behind a 7-Figure Business with Gemma Bohan Carter: https://msumrell--gemmabonhamcarter.thrivecart.com/ai-all-stars-secret/673bb8c2ae01f/The AI Productivity System for High Performers with Callen Faulkner: myrootabl.com/r/IeNnsDs0?rootabl=megan_sumrell________________________________ 💻 Free Training Overwhelmed? Frazzled? Tired of your calendar controlling you?  You’re in the right place. Sign up for my free, on-demand training and learn how to take control of your time—no matter what life throws at you.  👉 https://www.megansumrell.com/freetraining ________________________________ 📱 Get The Pink Bee App Access planning tools, trainings, and support all in one place.  👉 https://www.onelink.to/qxdcwu ________________________________ Thanks for tuning in! Megan 🩷🐝 www.megansumrell.com www.instagram.com/megansumrell www.youtube.com/@the_pink_bee www.facebook.com/megansumrell

    21 min
  5. Ditch Money Overwhelm with Linda Grizely

    May 26

    Ditch Money Overwhelm with Linda Grizely

    If you've been hanging around here for a while, you know we talk a lot about time. But here's something I've noticed over and over again with the women I work with: once they start getting out of overwhelm with their time and their physical space, a third area starts showing up. Money.  That's why in this episode, I brought personal finance expert and financial wellness speaker Linda Grizely onto the show. Because money overwhelm is real, it's connected to everything else on your plate, and it has almost nothing to do with how good you are at math. Linda breaks down why most financial advice fails women, how your money personality shapes every decision you make, and why understanding yourself (and your partner) is the real starting point for getting your finances under control. In This Episode, We Cover: Why money advice feels overwhelming and why most of it isn't actually built for youWhat your money personality is and how it shapes every financial decision you makeHow couples with opposite money personalities can stop fighting and start understanding each otherWhy "I'm not a numbers person" is keeping you stuck (and what actually matters instead)The "me money" approach that works for almost every money personality in a relationshipWhy so many women feel guilty spending money on themselves and how to start shifting thatMentioned in This Episode: What's Your Money Personality Quiz: https://bit.ly/MonPersQuizConnect with Linda Grizely: www.lindagriz.comwww.instagram.com/lindagrizelywww.facebook.com/thelindagrizelywww.linkedin.com/in/linda-grizelyhttps://www.youtube.com/@LindaGrizely ________________________________ 💻 Free Training Overwhelmed? Frazzled? Tired of your calendar controlling you?  You’re in the right place. Sign up for my free, on-demand training and learn how to take control of your time—no matter what life throws at you.  👉 https://www.megansumrell.com/freetraining ________________________________ 📱 Get The Pink Bee App Access planning tools, trainings, and support all in one place.  👉 https://www.onelink.to/qxdcwu ________________________________ Thanks for tuning in! Megan 🩷🐝 www.megansumrell.com www.instagram.com/megansumrell www.youtube.com/@the_pink_bee www.facebook.com/megansumrell

    34 min
  6. Teaching Your Kids Time Management Before the Next School Year

    May 19

    Teaching Your Kids Time Management Before the Next School Year

    If the end of the school year is feeling like a highlight reel of forgotten deadlines, last-minute store runs, and late-night stress in your house, it's worth asking why this keeps happening, because it's probably not the first time, and without the right tools in place, it won't be the last. We drop kids into a system that goes from one teacher and one classroom straight to seven different teachers, seven different styles, and seven different ways of assigning work, and then wonder why everything feels like it's coming out of nowhere. That's not a kid problem. That's a lack of skills training, and the good news is it's completely fixable before the next school year starts. In this episode, I'm walking you through the four-level planning framework I built specifically for students, the same one we teach inside TOP for Students. Stick with me, because what I share in here changes the game at home, not just for your kid, but for you too. In This Episode, I'll Cover: Why the transition to middle school creates a planning crisis most families never see comingThe real reason school-issued planners stop working by week twoA four-level planning framework built for a student's actual life, from semester overview to daily check-inHow to make this a family process that takes things off your plate instead of adding to themWhat it looks like when your kid can actually advocate for their own timeMentioned in the episode: TOP for Students Pre-Sale Happening NOW through May 31st! Get 20% off with code STUDENT at www.megansumrell.com/student ________________________________ 💻 Free Training Overwhelmed? Frazzled? Tired of your calendar controlling you?  You’re in the right place. Sign up for my free, on-demand training and learn how to take control of your time—no matter what life throws at you.  👉 https://www.megansumrell.com/freetraining ________________________________ 📱 Get The Pink Bee App Access planning tools, trainings, and support all in one place.  👉 https://www.onelink.to/qxdcwu ________________________________ Thanks for tuning in! Megan 🩷🐝 www.megansumrell.com www.instagram.com/megansumrell www.youtube.com/@the_pink_bee www.facebook.com/megansumrell

    26 min
  7. How I Plan My Entire Summer Around Two Types of Days

    May 12

    How I Plan My Entire Summer Around Two Types of Days

    Summer is coming, and if you've got kids at home, you already know the tension: you want the lazy pool days AND you need to get things done. This episode is the system that makes both possible. I'm revisiting one of my all-time favorite summer planning tools: A days, B days, and C days, and this year I'm going deeper than I have before. I'm also sharing the extra layer that business owners especially need to hear: how to figure out your true "have-tos" before summer hits so you're not scrambling all season long. This is one of those episodes that sounds simple and then changes how you plan every single week of summer. I hear from women inside the TOP program all the time who use this not just in summer, but year-round, and once you get the framework, you'll see why. What You'll Learn: What A days, B days, and C days actually are and how they're different from just "blocking time"How I structure an A day (family-forward) so I still get my work done without sacrificing the funWhat a B day looks like in my house, including how I talk through it with my teenage daughter ahead of timeWhy the family communication center is the thing that actually makes this workThe business owner layer: how to audit your recurring tasks before summer and decide what's a true have-to vs. what you can let go ofWhy I only apply A days and B days Monday through Friday and why protecting weekends matters more in summer than any other time of yearHow to use this framework even if you're not running a business (yes, it works for you too)How to look ahead at June, July, and August right now and start mapping it out________________________________ 💻 Free Training Overwhelmed? Frazzled? Tired of your calendar controlling you?  You’re in the right place. Sign up for my free, on-demand training and learn how to take control of your time—no matter what life throws at you.  👉 https://www.megansumrell.com/freetraining ________________________________ 📱 Get The Pink Bee App Access planning tools, trainings, and support all in one place.  👉 https://www.onelink.to/qxdcwu ________________________________ Thanks for tuning in! Megan 🩷🐝 www.megansumrell.com www.instagram.com/megansumrell www.youtube.com/@the_pink_bee www.facebook.com/megansumrell

    21 min
  8. A 3-Stage Plan for Moms to Stop Dreading Summer with Erin Port

    May 5

    A 3-Stage Plan for Moms to Stop Dreading Summer with Erin Port

    I have a total love-hate relationship with summer. I am always so ready for it to come, ready to ditch the alarm clocks and the get-ready-for-school morning routine, ready for more freedom and less structure. And then halfway through I find myself craving the structure back, caught in this endless tug of war between still having a company to run, wanting time for myself, and also actually enjoying summer with my daughter. I brought Erin Port on the show because she has a framework for summer that I think every mom needs to hear. She breaks the season into three distinct stages, each with its own rhythm and intention, and we get into exactly how to plan for each one so you're not white-knuckling it from June through August. In This Episode, You'll Discover: Why the transition from May into June is harder than it should be, and the simple "kickoff week" idea Erin uses to ease her family in without the frictionHow a "what matters" list with your kids can replace the overwhelming bucket list that leaves you feeling like you failed the summerA strategy to protect the end of summer so your whole family lands in September without running on emptyConnect with Erin: www.simplepurposefulliving.com www.instagram.com/simplepurposefulliving www.facebook.com/simplepurposefulliving ________________________________ 💻 Free Training Overwhelmed? Frazzled? Tired of your calendar controlling you?  You’re in the right place. Sign up for my free, on-demand training and learn how to take control of your time—no matter what life throws at you.  👉 https://www.megansumrell.com/freetraining ________________________________ 📱 Get The Pink Bee App Access planning tools, trainings, and support all in one place.  👉 https://www.onelink.to/qxdcwu ________________________________ Thanks for tuning in! Megan 🩷🐝 www.megansumrell.com www.instagram.com/megansumrell www.youtube.com/@the_pink_bee www.facebook.com/megansumrell

    30 min
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5
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About

You wake up with a plan. By 10 AM, it's completely off the rails. By bedtime, you're mentally running through everything you didn't get to and wondering how tomorrow will be any different. Work + Life Harmony is the weekly podcast that teaches women a completely different approach to time management, weekly planning, and productivity. Hosted by Megan Sumrell, a time management expert with 20+ years in systems and planning, this show will change the way you think about your calendar, your to-do list, and how you spend your time. Megan covers everything from weekly planning strategies and daily routines to goal setting, organization, and how to handle the curveballs that throw your whole week off. Her approach was built specifically for women managing work, family, and the million things in between, not recycled advice from productivity systems designed for someone else's life. If you've been stuck in the cycle of overwhelm, guilt, and never-ending to-do lists, start here. New episodes every week.

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