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Jerad Hill

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How to Build an Interactions Calendar in Notion

September 9, 2020

Notion Interactions Calendar Thumb

How effective are you at remembering things people tell you? If you’re like me, some things slip through the cracks. When I first started using Notion, I would add important things people shared with me to my Daily Log. That didn’t give me an easy way to look back on interactions with people to refresh my memory.

That led me to create my Interactions Calendar, where I log meeting notes with clients, important happenings in people’s lives close to me, and even things my wife and I talk about on date nights. I want to be the kind of person who remembers what people share with me, which takes intention. I tried doing this in journals, but you can’t search a journal as easily as you can Notion.

Check out my latest video where I break down how I use my Interactions Calendar. Also included in the video is a link to the template for my Interactions Calendar. I hope it helps you keep your interactions organized.

New to Notion? Download it here.

I have several Notion tutorials and templates available to help you get started using Notion.

Filed Under: Notion, Tutorials Tagged With: interactions calendar, journaling, notion, notion productivity, notion templates, second brain Leave a Comment

Anyone Else Feeling Stuck?

August 19, 2020

feeling-stuck

I think it is safe to say that this year has been nothing like what we had hoped for and expected 2020 to be like. As a husband, father, and business owner, not much has gone according to plan, and I have had to learn to let go of expectations. Most of our country and our world are in survival mode, taking things day by day until our current situation passes, and we can get back to business as usual.

I am not usually one to let the grass grow under my feet. I maintain an awareness of my current situation, and if I feel stuck, I pivot. I have never had an issue finding a new direction, it just comes to me. I have enough interests and areas that I keep an eye on that finding the next thing is easy, but this time is different.

I am forty years old now and desire more than financial security from my work. I want to do work that matters. It needs to matter to me, and it should matter to others as well. I’m not saying that what I am doing now doesn’t matter, but it just isn’t fulfilling me right now, and I can’t identify why.

Considering all that is happening right now in the world, I feel guilty about having these feelings. I should be content with the fact that people are still paying me for my work. None of us asked for the challenges our world is facing. However, I purposely positioned myself professionally to mitigate risk, so while I do sympathize with others going through tough times, I can’t really empathize with them. I could have taken many different directions in life, but once I started building a family, I wanted to make sure I could provide for them even in the most unsure of times.

All of us want to do things that matter. We want to be appreciated for our work while at the same time feeling great about what we do. Whether I am building a website, taking pictures, filming a video, or making YouTube videos, I am being appreciated for my work. I have spent a lot of time digging into that to figure out what I am missing. I wanted to make sure that I did not merely desire praise. Our mind can mislead us, so I often take Darth Vader’s advice and “search my feelings.”

Perhaps you are like me, you are not looking for outside affirmation, but you still feel like something is lacking. That is where I am at this point. I enjoy my work, the flexibility I have within it, and the freedom it provides me, but am I fulfilled? Is this work my legacy? These are the answers I am searching for right now.

I don’t expect the answer to simply land in my lap. Life is a journey, and I wouldn’t want it to be entirely predictable. If it was, I wouldn’t need faith in anything, and I believe that our world needs faith in something bigger than our past, our current circumstances, and whatever the future holds for us.

It is easy to blame circumstances for this feeling of being stuck. If we leave that unchecked for too long, we will place blame on others and start to build resentment towards them. When we do this, we are not taking responsibility for our lives, and beyond that, it’s not fair to those we are blaming for the choices we made.

If you are feeling stuck, know that in this moment, I am too. It is temporary, and we will get out of it. Spend this time to search within to determine what is causing it. Take ownership of it and develop a plan to get out of it, one step at a time. Here are a few questions I ask myself when I am feeling stuck to help with me discover the cause.

  1. What exactly am I feeling right now?
  2. Did anyone besides me contribute to these feelings?
  3. How did I contribute to these feelings?
  4. What can I do right now to move forward?
  5. What needs to change to continue moving forward?
  6. Am I placing blame on someone else rather than taking ownership?
  7. Do the people closest to me know my desires?
  8. How can I better communicate with those close to me what my desires are?
  9. What are my next steps?

I hope that you find a way to get unstuck. It can be very challenging, but I know that we have it in us. The world is stuck right now, and it can’t afford to have all of us be stuck.

If I can be an encouragement in any way, share with me in the comment section below or reach out to me through social media.

Blessings!

Filed Under: Blog, Business, Personal Development Tagged With: desire, legacy, personal growth, stuck Leave a Comment

Do You Have a Mission? 🔭 August Newsletter

August 3, 2020

Kalispell Canola Field Sunset-27

How is it already August? If you are like me, you have spent much of this year in a sort of limbo. When COVID first hit, I figured it would pass in a few weeks, and all would return to normal. That didn’t happen. We are still living it almost six months later. Even when COVID is no longer a risk, “normal” has changed forever. With that said, we can’t live in a state of waiting any longer. 

Did the nature of your work change this year? Did your daily routine change? Did relationships with people close to you change?

I’m not a therapist, but I think it is safe to say that most of us faced some trauma this year. 2020 has been the year of personal disruption.

I have found it critical to stay on top of things this year and have a process for doing so. It is so easy to get distracted and find yourself way off the path. If you follow my personal YouTube channel, you have seen how I am using Notion to accomplish this.

I’ve been trying to get my camera out more often. Included in this email are some of my favorite captures from the last 30-days.

Mountain Goat in Glacier National Park
Mountain Goat in Glacier National Park

Finding Clarity

Focus has always been a challenge for me, but I have clarity when I know my goals and what is needed to achieve them. To find clarity, I have to identify the following:

  1. Am I utilizing my skills best right now?
  2. Am I getting lost in my work? (In the best way!)
  3. Am I getting the results I want from my work?

We can easily find ourselves doing work that doesn’t utilize our skills. If you’re like me, you want to do work that you are good at and enjoy doing. We have both hard and soft skills that we need to be using, or there will be emptiness.

Do you know that flow state with work where time seems to disappear? Flow happens to me most when I am doing work I am passionate about. Passion can be an overused term when it comes to working, but I think it is essential to enjoy what you are doing and who you are doing it for.

Your work also has to have a mission (purpose) and meaning. Work fulfillment can’t only come from your paycheck, what you provide has to have purpose and meaning, or you won’t be happy in your work. A lack of passion is why you hear so many stories of people leaving their corporate job to pursue a passion.

Neighbor's bike learning up against their gate.
Neighbor’s bike learning up against their gate.

Correcting Vision

I started this year with a vision. I even called it my “2020 Vision”, a play on words. “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry,” as it’s said. Being able to course correct has been significant this year. You have to be flexible. The more clarity I have on the items mentioned above, the easier it is for me to course-correct without losing momentum. If I start to lose track of where I am going, I remind myself of my mission.

It is crucial to have a mission, and it should be significant. Our mission needs to be bigger than the temptations we have to slack off.

Jackson Glacier - Glacier National Park
Jackson Glacier – Glacier National Park

Being On Mission

Your mission is your purpose for surviving everything this world throws at you. When you are “On Mission,” you can withstand a lot. Aspects of your mission will change from time to time, but it is crucial to have a list of things that have enough importance to keep you focused and moving forward. My mission consists of the following:

  • Be the husband my wife needs
  • Raise children who become productive adults
  • Build businesses that improve people’s lives
  • Grow closer to God
  • Serve people
  • Explore creation

You may be thinking that my mission seems pretty selfless, but I have to be pretty selfish to stay on mission. I may go into this deeper in a blog post or a video soon.

If I could encourage you to do one thing, it would be to identify what is most important to you and create a mission. Once you do, read it daily. You will find yourself on a much clearer path when you know what your mission is.

Part of my mission is supporting causes that I know are making a difference in the world. While nobody can support all causes, here are a few that I am currently supporting.

  • IJM (International Justice Mission) – End Modern-day Slavery
  • Donors Choose – Impact Kids by Supporting Teachers
  • Kiva – Helping People Create Opportunity for Themselves
Bighorn Sheep roaming the parking lot of Logan Pass Visitors Center in Glacier National Park
Bighorn Sheep roaming the parking lot of Logan Pass Visitors Center in Glacier National Park

An Apology

Writing helps me think. It is hard for me to flesh out ideas without either talking or writing. If this email came off as me trying to be your coach, please accept my apology. I do, however, want to be an encouragement to you. We need people in our corner, and I want you to know that I am in your corner.

If you feel led to provide me feedback, send a tweet to @jeradhill. If it was encouraging, forward it to a friend.

Be Well

Thanks for reading. I hope that you are well. I’ve been pondering this statement made by Paul Graham on his blog titled “What You Can’t Say.”

“Do you have any opinions that you would be reluctant to express in front of a group of your peers?

If the answer is no, you might want to stop and think about that. If everything you believe is something you’re supposed to believe, could that possibly be a coincidence? Odds are it isn’t. Odds are you just think what you’re told.”

Until next time,

Jerad Hill

Filed Under: Newsletter Tagged With: Covid-19, encouragement, mission statement, motivation, self help Leave a Comment

July 2020 – Newsletter

July 1, 2020

Happy July! I hope that all is well with you and your loved ones.

This year has stirred up just about every emotion possible, and I still don’t know what to make of it all.

I’m afraid I have to disagree with many of the things that have happened this year. From the management of Coronavirus to the issues resulting from the George Floyd situation, things are bad. Hate has consumed just about all aspects of the United States and even the world. It’s sad. It’s not how it is supposed to be. Things need to change.

🤟 Though there are many things to direct anger at, the world needs more love and patience. I have avoided lashing out in anger because it would likely be misguided. I am upset, but I was not personally attacked. Until I must protect myself and my family, I will lead with love and patience.

⛰️ In May, we moved from California to Montana. I plan to share more about that soon. I started planning the move about two years, and last year after our summer trip, we decided that we would move after our kids finished their 2019/2020 school year.

💼 The pandemic affected my business to some extent. I had some photography jobs canceled, but I had a lot of client work through my online marketing agency, Hill Media Group. Companies had to pivot quickly and take more of their business online. Though I sometimes beat myself up over going in too many directions professionally, it paid off this time. I have also been doing a lot of Real Estate Photography since arriving in Montana. I am currently working on redesigning my Photography website.

📹 It has been hard to make video content for my YouTube channels with all of the changes going on. The kids are home all day, which limits my time to film. The pandemic kept me indoors. I haven’t figured out where to film since moving to Montana, and the weather has been a little wet here. I’m figuring it out, and I plan to get back to a regular schedule of producing video content soon.

Personal Channel | State of Tech | Ditch Auto

🏋️ Remember that weight I lost late last year eating healthier and achieving 20,000 steps for an entire month? I gained some of that back during the pandemic. I recently got a gym membership here in Montana and have been hiking once a week with my family. I am still intermittent fasting and am starting to eat cleaner again.

📤 I have sat down many times to write a newsletter. I initially promised a weekly newsletter, but I struggle with the need to provide value. I feel that if I don’t have something to teach someone, I should keep it to myself. Sharing in this way was a stretch for me today. I decided to share today because I want to maintain my relationship with all of you. It means so much to me that you would subscribe to my newsletter. Even if it only contains life updates, I want to be sharing it with you.

Thanks for subscribing to my newsletter. Stay safe and healthy,

Jerad Hill

Filed Under: Newsletter Tagged With: Business, Covid-19, newsletter, Photography Leave a Comment

We Need to Talk About Montana

April 24, 2020

Hill's are Moving to Montana

Last summer, my family and I traveled for two months in our travel trailer. Our goal was to live full time in our RV for as much of the summer as possible.

We traveled from California into Nevada, through Idaho, up into Montana, over into Washington, and then back home to Central California. Just over three weeks of our trip we spent in Montana, and while we were there, we fell in love.

I had been researching Montana for about a year leading up to our trip. Moving there was a frequent topic of conversation between a few of my friends and me. Though none of us had much or any experience with Montana, the idea of it kept sounding better the more we talked about it.
Before this trip, I had never spent much more than two weeks away from my hometown of Modesto, CA. I would vacation for a few weeks from time to time but never long enough to get used to somewhere else. This trip helped me realize what I had been feeling for a long time.

Weirdly, Modesto was comfortable. It was all I knew. It didn’t have much to offer, but what it did offer, I had figured out. Modesto is a few hours from the ocean and the mountains. The weather is decent most of the year, and it has most of the stores one would need for a convenient existence. That had not been enough for me for quite some time. I wanted to explore, and I wanted some space.

I grew up spending a lot of time at my grandparents’ house outside of Escalon, CA. They had a ranch out in the country surrounded by orchards. My brothers and I spent our days roaming the property most of the time on our own. It was nice having that freedom as a child; the freedom we can’t offer our children living in Modesto.

My wife and I have had the goal of being able to offer that kind of space and freedom to our children since we were first married. Our oldest is almost 10-years-old now. We have yet to be able to offer that while living in or near Modesto.

The cost of owning property in California has remained out of our reach. Being self-employed, I have not wanted to restructure my company to qualify for a bigger loan. Operating a small business in California continues to get harder and harder as well. As I got older, the idea of owning property in California has become less desirable.

Everybody will agree that Montana is beautiful. Montana is known for its beautiful lakes and mountains. It’s home to Glacier National Park, and Yellowstone is just south a few hours.

While in Montana, I worked from local coffee shops, we shopped at local grocery stores and played at local parks. We explored the area and went on a lot of hikes. We even found a church we liked and attended their weekend gatherings a few times. The more time we spent there, the less I looked forward to returning home.

After returning to Modesto, all I could think about was Montana. My kids loved it and asked when we could go back. That was when we started discussing what it would look like to move to Montana.

My work is mostly virtual, so that I can work from any location with a good internet connection. The summer trip was a test of that. I originally got into digital marketing so I could have the freedom to travel. I didn’t like the idea of being landlocked in my business. I contacted my clients, and so far, the news has been received well.

With all of that said, the idea of relocation had never been more possible, so we started looking into it. We decided not to make any quick decisions but to spend the 2019/2020 school year looking into it and making plans.
We now have a hard date set to head to Kalispell, Montana, end of next month. We made the decision earlier this year that Montana was going to happen, but figured we would make a move sometime during the summer. With the Covid-19 isolation and school being virtual, we decided to move a bit earlier.

I don’t want to own property in California anymore. We have a lot of good friends we will be putting 20 hours between, but we have to choose space over-familiarity. My entire marriage, my wife and I have discussed moving. Now is the time, or we will have to wait until our kids have graduated high school.

We found a home to rent for the time being, and have signed a lease on it. We will likely have to self-isolate for 14-days once we get there, but we have been isolated in Modesto for over a month now, so we are quite used to it.

I want my kids to be able to play outside and have friends who’s parents are ok with that as well. In Montana, I can afford to own property so we can spread out a bit among the lakes and mountains. Moving is not going to fix everything; Montana is not perfect. There will always be problems and frustrations to endure. It’s time for a change.

We will miss our friends and family in Modesto, but we will have space for visitors in Montana. I look forward to this new chapter and am thankful for technology that will allow us to stay connected from a greater distance.

Filed Under: Blog, Family, Family Adventures Tagged With: california, Life, Montana, moving 3 Comments

Life After the COVID-19 Hit!

March 23, 2020

The Dispatch Newsletter by Jerad Hill

I have hesitated writing because if you are like me, you’ve received plenty of emails. I wanted to make sure I had some value for you, but before I did that, I had to get over a few of my own issues I was experiencing over the past month. I was immediately affected by Covid-19 losing about $35,000 in business due to the cancellation of several event video production jobs.

Receive this newsletter by email by subscribing here.

Last month was not the most productive month for me either. I outlined why in a video on what’s changed in my Notion usage especially in regards to my Daily Log. With everything going on, it was enough to provide the kick in the pants I needed to get back on track.

Many of us are facing uncertainty, which makes us feel vulnerable. I remember feeling this in 2001 when 9/11 hit months after I had opened my first brick-and-mortar retail business. I remember feeling it again during the market crash in 2008. It is different this time, as I know you’re aware, but we still have to keep moving forward.

I believe that this experience is going to change the way we communicate with each other. We are utilizing our mobile technology more than ever before because it’s the only safe way to communicate right now. You might find this video I did on 5 Apps You Need to Survive Social Distancing:

Businesses also have to get smart about how they can maintain relationships with their customers. I am helping my clients do that right now using social media and video.

I have also put up some new videos on my YouTube channels, so I wanted to share those with you.

I am planning to start going live on Instagram a few times each week. I have a couple of interviews set up that should be pretty interesting for those of you who are small business owners. Make sure to follow me on Instagram and turn on notifications so you get pinged when I go live.

I hope that all is well with you and that you are safe.

Working From Home

If you are working from home, I have some tips for you. I started working from home again over a year ago. With my family now home all day, it has changed the way I work. I put together a video on 10 Tips for Working from Home.

If you are a Mac user, you might like this video on the Top 5 Mac Productivity Apps for Working from Home I put together.

Social Distancing

With extra time on our hands due to not being able to take part in our communal activities, what should we do with that extra time? I believe times like this are opportunities for us to grow. I have a few ideas on What You Can Do While Social Distancing. Check out the video:

Filming Yourself

Communication is changing. We are using video, even more, these days which means learning How to Film Yourself. I put this video together discussing how to do that.

What’s Next?

I have been using this opportunity to rethink what I am putting out to the world through my websites, social media, and YouTube. I love to teach and I want to lean into that even more. Many of you have taken one or more of my online courses, I plan to work on those. Some of them are old and need to be updated. I have other ideas that I want to work on as well. I plan to get some new course content on LearnWithJerad.Com soon and I will update you first when it is ready.

I also want to be communicating more often, so I will be using Instagram Live and Facebook Live to do that. Make sure you are following me there.

Jerad Hill Show Podcast

Podcasts are on the rise. Make sure to check out my podcast, The Jerad Hill Show. Click the image to see some of my recent episodes. You can get the show in your favorite podcast player or in Spotify.

Now

🇺🇸 Writing From: Home Office

💪🏼 Current Challenges: Stay Safe & Productive!

📱 App of the Week: CleanMyMacX​

🎧 Listening: Brain Food Playlist on Spotify

📖 Reading: Profit First – Mike Michalowicz​

🍿 Watching: Will Ferrell Deeply Regrets Eating Spicy Wings | Hot Ones – YouTube

➡️ More now​

Stay Safe!

Most importantly, be safe. There is so much fear and misinformation out there. Use this time to work on something new and give yourself the opportunity to learn something new.

See you soon in the next one!

Filed Under: Newsletter Tagged With: Business, Covid-19, personal development Leave a Comment

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