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Welcome to my October 2024 productivity report! We’ve finally clocked a full year with this experiment! To backtrack, check out where I started in October 2023. You’ll find November 2023 here, and December 2023 here. For this year, January 2024 is here, February 2024 is here, March 2024 is here, April 2024 is here, May 2024 is here, June 2024 is here, July is here, August 2024 is here, and September 2024 is here.

🌱 How I Felt About October 2024

After the dreadful start to the fall, I wasn’t feeling so hot at the beginning of the month. Yes, I had a lovely stay in the Netherlands where I attended a mini-conference, but I also somehow ended up with walking pneumonia heading back to the US. That threw a wrench into my plans. I had hoped to stop over in New York on the way back to Chicago, but there was just no way to make than happen in my condition. Oh well. When you travel as much as I do, those things happen from time to time.

The rest of October made up for the beginning of the month though. I had an incredible three weeks in Los Angeles where I met up with clients and friends, mostly within the entertainment industry. The trip was partly for fun, partly for networking, and partly for chatting with people about new opportunities. I was fortunate enough to meet a lot of great people through mutual connections, and it was fascinating to talk with all of them about how they feel their brands align with the current business climate.

The conversations I had leads me to wonder if I should readjust my marketing pitch slightly… Perhaps I will. I need to ponder that some more, and time will tell. All I can say with certainty right now though is that the trip paid off in spades. There were so many highlights, but my favorite event’s were Damizza’s Master Session at the Loews Hotel in Hollywood, celebrating Thriller Night with our friends at the Heal Los Angeles Foundation, and USC Thornton‘s Quincy Jones Tribute. All incredible events with good people. My cup is full.

🌻 Talent Alone Isn’t Enough… Determination is the Divide

There are two distinct types of people in this world: those rely on talent, and those who don’t. Chatting with all of the fabulous folks over in LA made it clear to me that I have to work with the second group. I cannot focus any attention at all on those who aren’t willing to step up and excel in order to make their dreams come true. For too long, I’ve held on to hope that I could motivate those people to more action, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. They’re just not ready for it, and to be quite honest, it’s exhausting. That effort ends here. From now on, mediocre attitudes will be blessed but released.

I know many people who are incredibly talented and who “have all the ingredients” to be a powerhouse performer, but who lack the drive and determination to “make it.” It’s painful to watch because I truly want what’s best for them. I’ve witnesses similar attitudes in other industries, including the professional organizing field and many of the content creating fields, so it’s nothing new. It happens everywhere because it has nothing to do with what the person actually “does.” It’s a mindset issue. Lots of people somehow feel that talent should be enough, and if they just showcase that talent, they will be “discovered” and everything else will be handed to them. Sure, that could happen on the rare occasion, but in 99% of cases, it just isn’t so.

If you think talent is going to carry you all the way home, you’re sadly mistaken. Entrepreneurship is hard. Branding is difficult. Selling yourself is tough. Systems and operations take time to set up. Marketing is ongoing…. and you have to do all of it all well. There’s no other way. It’s not easy, and it’s not supposed to be easy. There is an abundance of talent out there… it only takes a few scrolls on TikTok to see it. But there is no doubt that consistency, dedication, and determination outshines it all.

You have to recognize and develop your talent – yes – but you also have to rise above it, monetize it, and market it. Those who do, make it. Those who don’t want to put in that work don’t go very far. They get outworked and they go back to being employed, or worse: penniless. If you rely on talent alone and leave the rest up to others, your blindspots will get the best of you, and you’ll be outperformed by those who have their ducks in a row. It’s that simple. Determination is the great divide.

I’m dedicated to solving the problem of the “starving artist” with the gifts I have to offer. That being said, I can’t do the actual mindset work for my clients. They have to do that themselves. If they’re not willing to put in the work, there’s no strategy I can deploy that fixes a problem that massive. I have to work only with those who already have that level of commitment and self-awareness. Those who won’t quit on themselves, or even consider the thought.

All of this leads me to my October message, which is this: Do yourself a favor and believe in your talent and your abilities enough to make it. Find a way. That’s where the magic happens. Then, when you’re there, give me a call. Together, we’ll be unstoppable.

🤔 Are you truly dedicated to something?

I’d love to know, are you truly dedicated to something, and if so, what?

Let me know in the comments below!

🏆 How Productive I was in October 2024

October was a very productive month for me, despite catching walking pneumonia on my way home from Amsterdam. I had a few days to recover at home in Chicago before heading to Los Angeles for the rest of the month, so it was a tight schedule and had me feeling slightly uncomfortable. Had I been completely well, it would have been a breeze… but since I was down and unable to focus for almost a week, I didn’t put in much work.

Despite being not putting in all the hours though, I still completed way more projects more than I had anticipated, so that was good. Double the closure in half the time is an outstanding result.

November will be filled with bigger projects, so we’ll see how that goes.

📁 Projects Completed 

In October, I completed a total of 6 projects, which exceeded my goal by double. That’s more like it. During most months, I go over, but these past few months have been a bit slow. In many cases, it’s because the projects have been a lot bigger (or multi-layered, as we say in the productivity industry), but I prefer it this way.

Smaller projects are easier to handle and wrap up, and they give you more momentum. It’s trickier to sustain the energy in a larger project. It’s also more difficult to make resources last, and to estimate time. The more you break things down, the easier everything is to manage.

🚀 My Favorite Project in October 2024

My favorite project this month was being featured on a podcast called Inside Photo Organizing, hosted by my colleagues Allison Freedman and Susan Wolak. The episode is live on their website as well as on YouTube. I always enjoy chatting with fellow photo enthusiasts, and both of these ladies are highly knowledgeable and interesting. We covered my signature DPO Flow process, and chatted about a few other things as well. It was a great conversation, so have a listen if the topic interests you.

⏳ Hours Worked in October 2024

In October, I worked a total of 70 hours, which is just about 17.5 hours per week. That’s way under my goal of 25 hours per week, and it’s because of all the travel. I don’t count transit time, and I spent a lot of time on planes and trains this time around. Plus, I did a lot of resting and recovering…. and I had plenty of fun too. 😉

Here’s the thing: working too little isn’t as big of a problem as working too much, but it’s still a problem – under normal circumstances. Why do I say that? Well, because I need to put in a certain amount of effort into to making sure I get all my marketing done. The easiest way to measure that is in hours. It’s not the only way, but the other methods are delayed in their response.

This month, I’m OK with the results because I did over 40 hours of networking. That’s almost a full week, and that’s going to have a huge future ROI for me. The fact that I came in low for marketing isn’t as big of a deal because even thought it’s easier to measure time, it’s the impact that counts, not the minutes. Plus, I have a feeling I might go over in November…. with all the updates I need to make in my courses and student community. Let’s see.

⌨️ Digital Images Organized in October 2024 

October was a pretty big month in terms of photos and videos; I captured 2314 files but kept 914 of them. That’s some pretty ruthless culling, and the reason for that was letting go of duds. I did a lot of promotional work for my brand and business, and when I do photo shoots and recordings like that, I end up with a lot of useless stuff. Some of the bloopers do get to stay… but not all of them.

I have a decent success rate at about 30% on photo shoots, but that still means 7 out of 10 shots have to go. That’s OK though… those images are easy to cull. The ones that are harder to cull are the ones that involve other people. If I choose them on my own, fine. If we have to make collective decisions, that’s a subjective nightmare at times. 🤣

Here are some of my favorite photos from October, all taken in Los Angeles:

In October, I maximized my networking time. I caught up with so many friends, colleagues, and clients that I hardly had time to breathe. That’s what happens when you have limited time in a particular place. I’ve learned the hard way that when I’m in LA, there’s no point in trying to maintain a schedule. Things unfold as they should, so I just book my flight in and that’s all. This time, I ended up extending my trip by a week in order to have time to see everyone, so no wonder I ended up with a ton of memories. Was it worth it? Absolutely!

👟 Steps Walked in October 2024 

In October, I walked 157,564 steps, which is just over 5K steps per day on average. On some days more. On some days less. This was a very similar result to last month, which I am pleased with, especially considering that I had walking pneumonia for a big chunk of the month.

🍋 Home-Cooked Meals in October 2024

October went OK in terms of home-cooked meals (76.4%), but only because I’m using the term “home-cooked” loosely. What I mean by this is that I arranged the majority of my meals in the available spaces I had in my Airbnbs (in Amsterdam and Los Angeles). In Amsterdam, I stayed in a hostel and mostly lived off sandwiches, nuts, and fruits. It was only for a few days, so that was OK. In Los Angeles, I had access to two kitchens in my Airbnbs, complete with full ranges, microwaves, kettles, and so on. I was able to do more there as a result. I still didn’t “cook” much per se, but I was able to avoid a lot of takeout food.

All in all, I think I am consistently coming in above my target number here (75%), so if that streak continues until the end of the year, then I think I can comfortably let this goal go for 2025 and replace it with something else. My annual review of all of these goals will tell me whether or not I have to continue. I might do a live on Instagram or YouTube to chat about that. I think it’ll be a fun thing to share. Let’s see.

🎧 Books & Learning in October 2024

In October, I read Casalvento, a fiction book by Gudrun Cuillo. Gudrun is a friend of a friend, and I was gifted this book when I visited Los Angeles (Thank you, Amy P!). Given the fact that I was about to spend several hours riding trains around Europe, it seemed like the perfect time to start reading it.

The story is somewhat reality-based. Gudrun moved from Austria to the US as a young adult. She married entrepreneur Robert Cuillo, and together, they established Casalvento Winery in Chianti Siena, Italy. Similarly, the book follows Erika Germoglio, a successful career woman from New York, who suddenly inherits a vineyard from her estranged Italian grandfather. She travels to Italy to collect her inheritance, and ends up falling for the vineyard’s handsome estate manager Paolo.

I don’t know much about wine-making, but I learned quite a bit about it reading this book. Cuillo’s love for the trade really shines through, and I can see how it’s a good promotional tool for the estate today. I did feel tempted to take the train to Italy rather than to the Netherlands as I was reading it, but alas, since I had a commitment in Amsterdam, that had to wait.

If you enjoy romantic fiction works, Italy, and wine-making, this is a fun book to pick up. It reminded me a lot a of the movie Letters to Juliet, starring Amanda Seyfried. It was a tad slow in the beginning, but picked up the pace a few chapters in. I’d recommend it, and I can’t wait the day when I get to meet Gudrun in person – hopefully in Tuscany.

☕️ Meaningful Conversations in October 2024

This month, I had online FIKA with three more lovely ladies: Cindy, Karen, and Susan. All three of them have taken be up on business offers in the past, and like last month, I enjoyed chatting outside of the normal “work conversations.”

If you’re on my mailing list, keep an eye out for the next round of FIKA with Caroline!

If you’re not on there yet, subscribe to get notifications when slots open up. 👊🏻

⭐️ Success Celebrated in October 2024 

This month, I would like to celebrate yet another successful collaboration with Darla DeMorrow of Heartwork Organizing. Darla and I hosted a business-building coaching day together in Amsterdam for Professional Photo Managers, and it worked out great. We have collaborated a few times in the past, and currently will also co-host The 2025 Masterclass for The Photo Managers together with Jill Yesko Diana of Discover Organizing.

Thanks to Darla’s hard work, we got some great press for our event. Here’s one article, and here is another one. If you’re interested in hearing more about upcoming events like these, make sure to sign up for my email list (above).

😍 This Month’s Favorite Hubs, Tools, Services, & Products

What hubs, tools, products, and services do I use to be more productive? Quite a few things! In an effort to be really transparent, I have some of my recommendations below. Some links are affiliates links, others are not, but either way, I’d recommend them. Feel free to reach out if you have questions on any of them.

Here’s my list of things I loved in October 2024:

• Notion → Where would I be without Notion? Not anywhere close to where I am now, that’s for sure. I run my entire life and business in Notion, so I wholeheartedly recommend this platform. We hosted a Building in Notion (for Beginners) event some time ago, and the replay is available for purchase.
• Airtable → We have used Airtable for many years now – as our main hub before Notion, and now for student-facing databases, external editorial calendars, and intake forms. Love it!
• Forever → This is good platform for storing photo archives. I invested in this company when they were a startup a decade ago, and it has only gotten better since then. Great for memory-keeping!
• ShowIt → Love ShowIt! It’s the most flexible and best website platform out there, IMO. Plus, it’s run by nice people, which is a plus. I just renewed my own subscription not too long ago.
• Convertkit → Convertkit is now simply Kit, and I’m not really used to that change yet. I’ll come around, but I’m pretty sure I’m gonna be calling it Convertkit for a while still. Change is hard. 🤣
• Lightroom Classic → This is a program I’ve been using for two decades. I teach it and several other solutions in my course DPO PRO. Join us to learn how to use it!
• Teachable → I’ve been a loyal customer with Teachable since back in the early Fedora days, which says a lot about how much I like their platform. It’s a great place to host your courses.
• Circle → Circle is easy to use for everyone – from students to coaches to guests. We love it as our community hub. It stands well on its own, but also integrates nicely with Teachable (see above).
• Trackabi → My new time-tracking platform, which is working out wonderfully so far.
• Toggl → I’ve just switched away from Toggl, but that won’t stop me from recommending it. It’s a great tool to use for time-tracking. The free account can do a lot!
• Audible → I love my Audible subscription for when I’m getting my steps in, and I recommend trying it out if you want to get your learning on. Sign up for a free 30-day trial through my link to get a free book (or 2 free credits if you’re an Amazon prime member!) – cancel anytime!
• Secret → This is a wonderful place for finding deals on software hubs and tools. Who doesn’t love to save some $$$? Invest a little, save a lot! I’ve saved thousands.
• Grove Collaborative → Love my Grove subscription! It saves me so much time because I can restock all my household needs easily. They write sweet messages on each box too! So cute. Get a free gift set by signing up through my affiliate link!
• Almond Cow → In 3 minutes, you can have fresh nut milk. What’s not to love? I miss it so much when I travel. It’s the best thing I’ve ever bought for my kitchen, hands down.
• Nuuly → I get so much use out of Nuuly (my rotating closet subscription service). It’s like shopping, except you never get tired of it. 🙌🏻 Highly recommended! Use my link to save $ on your first order.
• Taja → I really like this AI-driven platform for optimizing YouTube videos. It’s a great starting point for coming up with attention-grabbing headlines, descriptions, keywords, and more.
• Wise → Banking as a digital nomad and international service provider can be a bit tricky, but lately, I’ve enjoyed using Wise to make things easier. If you’re a nomad or course creator, take note.
• Harney & Sons → My favorite tea supplier in the US. They have outstanding quality teas for all tastes and budgets, and they’ve worth trying out! Save $10 on your order using this link.

🫖 Tea of the Month

This month, I can’t NOT plug my favorite Boba tea of all time: the Milk Foam Jasmine Tea from It’s Boba Time. I must have been there at least 15 times on this trip to California. Their Rose Oolong Tea isn’t bad either, but this one is IT. Since I can’t divulge their recipe, you’ll just have to take my word for it and head over to visit them. They’ve got locations in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Florida. Sadly none in Illinois just yet, but I’m hopeful that will change soon! Shoutout to It’s Boba Time! You’ve saved me on more than one occasion.

📐 Measure What Matters

Thanks for reading this report til the end! I hope you enjoyed it. Please remember that productivity is very personal, and you DO NOT have to track the same metrics that I do. Your goals and metrics could be quite different from mine, and that’s OK.

If you’d like to understand where you should be focusing your attention, join us in an upcoming Quarterly Planning Workshop to identify your own goals.

🎬 Prefer to Watch This Report?

• About the Author
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Caroline Guntur Organizing & Productivity Coach

Hi there! I’m Caroline, and I’m here to help you get organized and be more productive, so that you can live better and have time for what matters.

www.theswedishorganizer.com

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