In this 100th episode of the Bright Method podcast, I’m sharing something I haven’t said enough: I believe you can do this.
Yes, time management is hard. That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you. In fact, the reason it feels hard is usually because your life got more complicated—and the system you were using just can’t keep up.
But even though it’s hard, you CAN do this.
Today, let’s talk about:
- Why I don’t believe time management is a quick fix
- The kind of women I’ve worked with across 350+ Bright Method clients—and why that matters for you
- The only profession I’ve seen where Bright Method is a tricky fit (and what that tells us about calendar control)
- What’s often really going on when people say, “I don’t have control over my calendar”
- Why I believe women with ADHD and women who love paper can absolutely use the Bright Method
- How we mold the system to fit you—not the other way around
- Why being smart—and you are—means you can learn this skill, even if it feels overwhelming at first
- What one big law associate shared about implementing the Bright Method… 3 years after taking the program
Plus, I share a behind-the-scenes look at my own experience: I’m not some mythical Pinterest-perfect person. I lose my keys. I leave food sitting on my desk. I had to learn this stuff just like everyone else—and I still use it every single day because it works.
If you’ve ever thought, “This sounds good, but I’m not sure I could do it,” I hope this episode gives you a different perspective. If you want to try out the Bright Method for free, check out my 5-day video series at kellynolan.com/refresh.
And truly: thanks for being here for 100 episodes. I’m so glad you’re here.
Links you might enjoy:
- 🌿 Free 5-Day Time Management Program Get five short, practical video lessons packed with realistic strategies to help you manage your personal and professional life with more clarity and calm.
- 📱 Follow me on Instagram Get bite-sized, real-life time management tips for working women—like reminders to set mail holds before travel, anonymous day-in-the-life calendars from other professional women, and behind-the-scenes looks at how I manage my own time.
- ✨ The full Bright Method™️ program If you’re ready for a full time management system that’s realistic, sustainable, and dare I say… fun, check out the Bright Method program. It’s helped hundreds of professional women take back control of their time—and their peace of mind.
Full Transcript
[00:00:00] Welcome to the Bright Method Podcast, where we’ll discuss practical time management strategies designed for the professional working woman. I’m Kelly Nolan, a former patent litigator who now works with women to set up the bright method in their lives. The Bright Method is a realistic time management system that helps you manage it all personally and professionally.
Let’s get you falling asleep, proud of what you got done today, and calm about what’s on tap tomorrow. All right, let’s dig in.
Hey. Hey. All right, so today’s gonna be a little bit of a different one because it is the hundredth episode and feels like a bit of a milestone. So I wanted to kind of, I don’t know, make it somewhat special. And I was thinking about what have I not talked about to date on the ep, the podcast. And I’m sure there’s much I have not talked about and many more places will go, but there was just something like, what do I feel like has been missing and something that came up.
Is hopefully useful to you. And it is this, to give [00:01:00] some context first, ’cause that’s how I roll, is I talk a lot about how time management is hard like that. It can be hard to learn this stuff just because it’s like how we manage everything and no one showed us how to do this and all of that kind of stuff.
And I focus on that a lot of times because. I think that there are many messages out there that paint time management as something that can be solved quickly and with a quick and easy solution, like a quick fix. And there can be a variety of reasons for that. The person talking about it, really that might be the case for them.
’cause maybe their life is more simple than yours. And so for them, if they make these changes, that’s great and that’s wonderful. There’s no knock on that. I would say there’s also a little bit of marketing going on in that many people know their audience. They know that their audience, you know, if they’re looking for time management help, that person is tired and doesn’t have a lot of time.
So painting their solution as quick and easy is [00:02:00] an appealing thing. It will attract customers and clients. But what I’ve found, ’cause I have been that person, is that then when you struggle to implement, it just exacerbates the issue. You feel like, I was struggling with this and they told me it’d be easy and now it’s hard and that’s really hard too.
Well, and one more reason is that I think that. I don’t know why we think that time management should be easy. Like it should be natural to us. We should naturally know how to do it, and then when we struggle, that means there’s something wrong with us. And I don’t know if that’s messaging. I would think that also it’s around, you know, time management might have been easy-ish for you in your past.
Like you might have been very successful at it for a period of time. And so that now that you’re struggling, you think, well, I was good at it. It was easy for me. Time management, therefore is easy, and there’s something wrong with me now, and so that’s kind of why I focus on, no, it’s not you, and it’s not a quick fix because let’s think about all that we’re [00:03:00] managing when it comes to time, because everything comes back to time to actually manage time, that’s difficult.
It’s difficult to manage your job and all the different projects that fall under that umbrella, the external facing ones, the internal facing ones, email. Slacker meetings like going to court, having patience, whatever all of work entails, that’s hard enough. And then you add in the personal life, and maybe I should say that time management is not hard in nature, but for many people it becomes difficult because their life gets so much more complicated.
And when life gets more complicated, the systems that served you when life was more simplified sometimes can’t keep up with that now, more complicated life. That’s why I emphasize that time management is hard because I do believe that it is tricky. I do believe that it’s a whole new world when your life gets complicated and you have to keep up with all of that.
I want people to fully absorb [00:04:00] that. It’s not them, it’s not some character flaw that they have. It truly is just a system failure, and if we can help you switch out your system, then you can move into the next chapter with more clarity. I still stand by all of that, and what I thought I’d been missing, at least from a consistent conversation standpoint on this podcast and in other places is that I want you to know that it is hard and you can do this, I firmly believe.
If a time management approach, right method or something else sounds intriguing to you and not just appealing like, oh mom, my problems will be solved if I just use this one app or use this one solution, or those kind of things because it’s like fast, like not just that, but like it’s intriguing to you because you see the traction of like, this sounds like it has me in mind that it would work for me in a realistic way, like.
Yes, it might be hard, but I, I just see it. I can like [00:05:00] feel that, I don’t know, traction’s, the feeling that comes to mind for me. Like when I start being like, I feel like that can grip onto this ’cause it’s more realistic instead of like shiny, fast, fixed concepts. If that is you, then you can do it again.
Whether it’s the Bright Method or something else. I really believe that you can, and I know this for a couple different reasons, the first that comes to mind is because of the number of women I’ve worked with at this point. I’ve worked with over 350 women now in Bright Method programs, and all of those women are different from each other.
They are moms and not moms. They are moms of little kids, moms of teenagers, moms of kids who’ve gone outta their homes. They work in completely different industries and fields. We have women who work in corporate in the nonprofit space. We’ve got attorneys who maybe run their own firms or work at small firms or work in big law firms.
We have professors, we’ve got physicians, we have people who work for religious organizations, have worked with [00:06:00] real estate agents, business owners, therapists, architects, so many different industries. And the only one, the only one that so far I have been like, this is really difficult. Like, I’m not sure this is gonna serve you well on the work front.
Be is honestly like more of a sales position where you don’t have. Like any control over your schedule, you might have control over maybe the timing of certain things a little bit, but bureaucracy dictates who you have to take calls with. You don’t have leverage on like, I don’t think this call is gonna be fruitful and I wanna cancel it.
You don’t get that leverage. You’re very commission based or you’re driven to have to take a lot of things even on, but it’s less about the commission and more about. There is a bureaucratic system that requires you to take certain calls. Other people are scheduling those calls for you. You don’t have any autonomy over that stuff, and the volume is so high that it doesn’t leave a lot of breathing [00:07:00] space for something else.
That is the only profession so far that I’m like, this is really challenging because the Bright method at its base does assume you have some level of control over your schedule. Just to clarify again, I do believe that we have a lot more control than we think. And I just wanna run through that list of industries again to remind you.
’cause I know if sometimes people are like, well, I have no control, so it’s not gonna work for me. I really believe, other than if you are required to take certain calls, those calls fill up your day and other people schedule them for you, and you have no real autonomy on what those calls are. I do believe you have enough control of this to work in your professional life, and you definitely, everybody has the ability for it to help in their personal life because everyone, again, even if you feel like you don’t have a lot of control, it’s often because you don’t have the confidence exerting the control that you have, because you’re just not sure that, I mean, that was past me.
I was like, again, I’ve, I know I’ve. [00:08:00] I told this a thousand times, but like I felt like I was drowning, but I wasn’t really sure. So I didn’t have the confidence to take control of my schedule and push back and say no and all that kind of stuff just because I didn’t have the clarity. Once you get that clarity, you can make more effective and firm boundaries at work and uphold them and or either one.
If they don’t work, have the clarity of, I have done everything I can to make this work and it is not a me problem. It is a industry or a company problem, and maybe I need to make some shifts, which is also really, really valuable to get that clarity. And so I kind got a little off track here, but I’m saying that unless you are truly, that to me, extreme position of the 350 women plus I’ve worked with, it’s really that one extreme position that I was like.
This is really hard ’cause you don’t control unless you’re that person. I truly believe that this can serve you so, so, so well. And what’s fun about [00:09:00] it is the benefits of this system can look very different for different people. Many people in those positions. Once they get the clarity around their workload and their capacity, they’re able to run forward effectively.
Other times people have to make changes to their workload. Maybe, you know, if they can do that unilaterally, some people have to have conversations, but they can do that effectively. I’ve seen some people go scale down to some sort of part-time position because they realized they just weren’t happy with where their time was going and they would like it somewhere else.
I do wanna say that if you do that. You draw those boundaries in the same way that whether you’re full-time or part-time, and it is up to you to draw those boundaries, but I do believe it’s possible and I’ve seen it work really well. I’ve seen people leave positions, switch industries, all sorts of things.
Some in the program some months later, once they’ve played it out and they’ve really absorbed, you know, I’ve tried everything I can and this is just not working. There’s a lot of different impact and benefit that can come out of clarity. All of it is awesome [00:10:00] because all of it is helping you decide for yourself what you want your life to feel like, and therefore how you know what has to be true to get there and make adjustments in light of that.
And the other thing I want you to know, based on the women I’ve worked with and why I just really firmly believe that you can do this, like you can implement this system, is I’ve also worked with many women with A DHD. I always wanna be really clear here that I do not have any special training with A DHD.
So my ability to speak to this is limited just to my experience within the programs and working with women with A DHD. But I also believe that they can do this. I’ve seen them do it, and so therefore, if you have a DHD, I believe you could do it in the same way that. Do I think that the bright method should be followed by everybody?
No. Only if it sounds appealing to you. Only if you feel that traction feeling with it, then I think you go for it. But I just want you to know that if you’re thinking I wanna do this, but I’m [00:11:00] not sure I can, like, I don’t know if it’ll work for me, I don’t think that I could follow it. Whatever the reasons are.
I do believe you could do it because I’ve seen my, you know, you’re always welcome to reach out to me and be like, this is who I am. Have you had a client like me? But I have seen so many different clients now that I really believe it can work. And one part I think is really critical to mention here is that that’s why we mold the system to you.
You do not need to follow the Bright Method toity exactly like I do things because my life looks different than you. That’s the beauty of, we have these like penant principles underlying the system and we say, okay, this tactic doesn’t work for you, but here’s what the tactic’s trying to get at. So how can we get at that same thing with you in a way that actually works for you?
And that’s what’s really fun about molding here. And so whether you work in a complicated industry or you have a DHD, we just meet you and like try and mold the system to meet you where you are at and really build that in for you. I’m not [00:12:00] sure I’m being the most articulate. But I think it’s really important to understand that if this is something you, again, feel that Tractiony feeling with and want to try, but think that you might be the problem and you might not be able to execute and do it, quote unquote, right?
I want you to hear that. I really believe that you can, unless you’re in that one-off position, and even then it might be helpful to see, just really use the calendar to absorb that you don’t have any control over your calendar, and that’s maybe not going to get you the life that you want. Unless you’re in that one position, I have confidence that you can do this and we can work to mold the system to you in a way that works for you.
Okay? Second reason that I really believe that, that you can do this is that you’re smart. Like if you’re listening to this, you’re the typical type of woman I work with, or even not like, I just really believe that women are smart, whether they give themselves the credit for it or not. You have learned plenty of new skills in your life.
I promise you, you’ve. [00:13:00] You’ve learned plenty of new skills in your workplace. You’ve learned new technology, new systems, new substantive areas of the market or law or medicine or whatever you’re in. You just think back on like all the things you have effectively learned that don’t even seem weird to you anymore.
They don’t even feel like things you’ve learned anymore. ’cause you just live and breathe them now. And that’s how it works. Like you have learned all of those skills. And time management is just another skill, just another system. Just another thing you can learn. And that is why I believe you really can learn this now.
Just like any skill, there’s discomfort in the beginning. There’s iterations and experimentation to make it work for you, and there’s such value in practice and playing it through and doing it a few times to really understand how it all works. And then again, using that understanding to further mold it and tailor it to you or a life change that comes around and you need to tailor it to that.
As with any skill, there’s all of that too. But you can do it. And that is still like all of those parts of it are [00:14:00] successfully implementing that skill. The other reason that I just firmly believe you can do it is that I can do it. And I think that sometimes people can pedestal people like me and think, well, you know, it works for them because they have their life together or all this kind of stuff.
And like, I’m very comfortable with myself, so I’m not trying to rag on myself, but like I am not someone special like. I mean, you can tell what room I’ve been in because I’m a whirlwind. As I sit here recording this, there’s like food next to me with some oat milk from that, and then water bottle, and then there’s clothes all around that I need to return, and my life does not look Pinterest perfect.
I lose things all the time. I think I lost at least three wallets in high school or middle school, like middle school into high school. I misplace things all the time. I mean, it’s. I mean the amount of times I lose my keys every day, thank gosh we have like that air tag thing on ’em now and I can like find them that way.
Half [00:15:00] the reason I got an Apple watch is ’cause I lose my phone all the time. Like again, I’m not ragging on myself. I am okay with all of these things. This is just who I am. But I’m sharing that more to be like, I am not some mythical person. I am a regular person that had this system. That I figured out that helped me have life feel the way I wanted it to feel.
And I really believe like if I can do this, you can do it. I also wanna throw out there that I used a paper planner through law school and you know, I tried to make it work as a lawyer at certain times and it just was a disaster. And I share that because if you are also someone who has used a paper planner up until now, you might be like, I don’t know if I can go digital.
And I’m not saying again that you should like if you don’t want to keep at it, but if you feel like it’s not serving you anymore, like if it’s not making you feel the way you want it to do, then I also really believe that you are fully capable of using this system that’s digital based, [00:16:00] but still makes room for paper.
And just to be clear about that, I have legal pads again, like all over the place. I have legal pads all over my desk. I have notebooks in the kitchen that I write things down on. If I’m trying to figure out like a big workflow or like all the things I have to do for a project, I’ll get out paper and pen and I’ll mind map it all out, kind of like just flow chart it.
That is how my brain still works. And yet when it comes to managing all the activities that we have to do across all the different roles, I do firmly believe that digital shines and more what I’m just sharing is again, I’m no one special. I’m not incredibly adept at technology, like I like figuring it out to a degree, but like I am not on the forefront of AI or on any of these apps.
People email me about apps like every day and I’m like, I haven’t tried it. I dunno, but so I am not like the most tech savvy person you’ve ever met, and yet I can still do this. And so just taking a step back, I don’t know, you probably like [00:17:00] if you’re listening to this and I’ve never worked with you and so I hate.
Marketing that presumes that they do. Like, I don’t know if you’ve ever seen websites where they’re like, we work with working women just like you and blah, blah. And I’m like, you don’t know who I am. Like, I get what they’re trying to do, but I don’t like the presumption that people like know me and therefore know it will work for me.
And so I think I’ve always been a little bit, just a little shy on throwing that out there in the same way, because I mean. I have enough respect for you to know that I don’t know everything about you. I can’t guarantee anything like that. So I’ve been hesitant to approach it in that way, but I hope that this message still comes through.
To the extent it makes sense is that I also firmly believe that this system works for so many different people who lead very different lives. And I want you to. Excitement and the [00:18:00] enthusiasm and the belief in yourself to give it a try to see if the benefits can come because I am confident that they can come for you.
And again, I gain that confidence from working with over 350 very different women. So I feel more comfortable now all these years in being like, yeah, I think I can work for you, because I think of the different women that I’ve worked with that might be like you. And I’m like, yeah, I can see the potential.
Can’t guarantee anything, but I really believe it. I can see it. I also, again know that you can do it ’cause you’re smart and you’ve learned a lot of different skills and time management is just another skill, just another system. And you can figure this out. And then again, we’ll mold it to you to help you just as you would mold any other skill to yourself.
And I know it because it works for me and I am not anyone special and I have my own disorganization things that still allow the system to work for me. Including being a paper lover and still using paper to process and still having this system that’s digital calendar based serve me so, so well. So I really believe you [00:19:00] can do this, and I don’t say it enough and I should start saying it more, and I really want you to hear it.
You can bring your intelligence, your creativity to this and have it mold it to you. You can take 80% of the bright method and then put your own spin on the rest of it once you understand the rationale for everything. And you can do that on your own or I can support you through that as well. So in short, time management is hard.
It is. And if you struggle with it, there is nothing wrong with you. It is hard, and that is normal and it should be talked about more and treated with the respect that it is a hard thing to do. And while I may not know you personally, I know you can do this, do I believe everyone should use the Bright Method?
No. Do I think that anyone who wants to try it can? Yes, the benefits might look different than you anticipate going in, but they will follow and you can do this. And in some ways this is less about can you implement the bright method and more [00:20:00] about can you adopt new systems and then bring changes to your life, big or small, that follow And yeah, I think you can.
To wrap this up, I wanted to share something that a woman who took the Bright Method years ago actually recently shared. She’s an associate at a big law firm and she was saying I was really unsure whether the Bright Method would be able to stand up to the pressure and speed of change and intensity that is being an associate in big law, and I was wrong.
The Bright Method is flexible, adaptable, and was born out of that environment. That said, the Bright Method is not for the faint of heart. I had to confront the fact that I was overbooked. I was over committed at work because I was afraid to say no, and the Bright method can’t fix that, but it can give the tools to feel more confident in saying no, because you can understand how truly busy you are.
The truth is that no productivity hacked or calendaring system can give you more than 24 hours a day or make it so you don’t have to sleep. I spent two years after taking the Bright Method course, doing it 50%. It was [00:21:00] incredibly helpful with getting me more organized and making me feel like I was on top of things 75% of the time.
But anytime I tried to calendar things out, I just didn’t have enough time. So I didn’t do the Clean Slate Weekly planning session, but I eventually started doing it, and now I can truly say that the Bright Method is a game changer. I’ve actually started taking on less work, and I can feel the impact of having my to-do list calendared.
It’s basically like I am a different person. I can’t say enough good things about it, but I also wanna make sure people recognize that what the program can do, which is give you clarity into where your time is going, and tools for you to make your life look the way you want and what it cannot do, make you a superhero who doesn’t need sleep, and somehow magically figures out how to cut the time needed to complete work projects in half.
In terms of whether the benefits are worth a financial investment. Absolutely. I took the course three years ago and I used the Bright Method every single day. I think that puts me somewhere around less than $3 a day. And I’ll use the Bright Method for the rest of my life, making my per day use cheaper and cheaper every day.
[00:22:00] It’s hard for me to imagine a better way to spend my money, and I wanna just share that because I love how she’s upfront about this is hard. It’s not for the faint of heart, and there are limits to what we can do, but it can be game changing if you believe in yourself and feel confident implementing, if you wanna check it out.
Check out my free five day pr*****@ke********.com slash refresh. And more importantly, in the words of my mom, I believe in you. Thanks for being here for a hundred episodes, and I’ll catch you in the next one.
