New Year’s Resolution Called; We Sent It To Spam

Tired of resolutions that fade by February (or even 3rd week of January)? Let’s trade wishful thinking for simple systems that work on any day of the year. We’re getting honest about the real reasons motivation dries up and sharing practical ways to start now, without overhauling your life or waiting for a perfect starting point.

Across this conversation, I unpack how I moved from chaotic to over‑controlled to genuinely balanced while raising four kids, running a business and keeping a part‑time job. We connect the dots between money, home, time and health, showing why each part either fuels or drains the rest. You’ll hear concrete strategies and talk about self‑care that’s non‑negotiable. We dig into accountability and why community support beats solo grit when you’re exhausted and overwhelmed.

For listeners of faith, I open up about the gap many Christians feel between believing in provision and living under pressure. We talk about rest, stewardship and trust in a practical way, with a monthly Bible study designed to bring belief and daily systems into alignment. Whether faith is central for you or not, the heart of this episode is the same: choose one clear priority for today, make it easy to start, and let small wins compound into big change. If you’re ready for guidance, connection and real traction, the She’s Organised Hub brings coaching, focus hours, coffee catch‑ups, replays and resources (plus so much more) together so you can act, not just plan.

If this resonates, click here for more details, hit subscribe for new episodes, and share this with a friend who’s ready to start today. What’s one tiny tweak you’ll make before the day ends?

Chapters

• 0:00 Ditching New Year’s Resolutions
• 2:10 Start Today, Not Someday
• 4:10 From Disorganised To Overdoing It
• 7:20 Finding Balance With Four Kids And Work
• 10:30 Skills Learned: Money, Home, Time, Health
• 14:30 Why The She’s Organised Hub Exists
• 18:20 Accountability, Community And Consistency
• 21:50 Self‑Care As A Productivity Multiplier
• 25:30 Affordability And Access To Coaching

Transcript

Mel: 1:01

Welcome to Beyond Organised, the podcast that helps you simplify your life and amplify your purpose. I'm Mel Schenker, life coach, speaker, founder of She's Organised, but, more importantly, a wife and mum of four little kids. If you've ever felt overwhelmed, like you're constantly juggling everything but never quite catching up, this is the place for you. Here we go beyond just the tidying up and creating systems. We're talking about real life strategies that bring order to your life, but also we talk about the things beyond the organising, the things that really matter, like your parenting relationships and so much more. So grab your coffee and let's dive in.

Mel: 1:01

I can't believe we are in a new year. Where did the time go? It's so crazy to me. I'm still wrapping my head around it, but I'm so glad you are here. Today I wanted to actually just get straight into it because I know you've probably still got a lot going on, you're in holiday mode, or maybe you're listening to this a few months or even years down the track, and I don't know what you're doing. But I wanted to talk about how how I don't use New Year's resolutions and what I built instead. So January is that time where everyone's like, ooh, new year, fresh hopes and new goals and dreams, and that's great. But a few weeks in, a month or two in, for a lot of people that motivation fades very quickly. And I don't believe in waiting for the new year to start something new. We're here now, which is great. So let's do it. But if you're listening to this in April or in July or October, if you're wanting to start something, if you want to make a change, then now is a good time to do it. Because to be honest, tomorrow's not guaranteed. Nothing is guaranteed. We've got today, we've got now, and I'm someone that will plan for years in advance. I'm just that kind of person. I am more that type A kind of personality now because that's been trained into me. But I will still take a moment to actually stop and think, okay, what's the plan for today? What's the priority for today? What's my goal for today? Because tomorrow is not guaranteed. And that makes me live presently. Makes me live in the moment where instead of getting frustrated with my kids over different things, which you know still happens from time to time, of course. But I I actually stop and go, Well, what if today was the last day? With me or with them, it I I don't want to waste time. That was that took a turn. So let's bring it back up. So real change comes from starting where you are and building simple systems to complement that. Now, not everything is about systems. I get that. That's that's fine. But we want to start with where you're at today and go from there. So I want to give a little bit of background on me again, especially if you don't know my story. I I've been doing this podcast since April last year, and you might have just found me more recently. And I want to give a little bit of background for those that maybe aren't caught up. So for many years now, so about 13 years, I have been piecing different parts of my life together. So when I first got married, I was the most disorganized person you could have known. I had no idea really how to organize most things, not anything that really mattered anyway. And very flippant, and I would start a million projects, never finish, all that kind of stuff. Come about five years ago now, I sort of got to the peak where I was really far the other way, over-organized, just to the point where I was so stressed out and overwhelmed constantly because the level of pressure and expectation that I'd put on myself to the point where I had a breakdown. I actually could not cope. And if anything, that was worse than being disorganized. So I have then gone from being disorganized to over-organized to now being in a place where I've got four kids, I run a business, I run the podcast, I also have a part-time job, uh, which only recently went part-time, by the way. I am running the household, keeping up with appointments and engagements and all this other stuff. And I'm probably the most balanced that I ever have been, which is saying something. It says that, okay, I'm onto something that works. And I've been doing this for a little while now. And I started this business back in 2024, and I really have been honored to see how what I know and what comes so easily to me, and quite naturally now, how it's been mind-blowing for people and how it's really changing their lives. And I'm still kind of like, what? What's happening? Doesn't everybody know this? What's going on? Um, and it's been quite the journey, and I have loved every minute of it, even the really tough parts and working all hours of the day and night. Like, there's literally not a single hour of the day or night that I have not worked. I am on calls with the US at 3 a.m. and all hours. Like, honestly, it's just been crazy, but I've loved it. So I want this year to be the year that you get the support, that you make the moves to live the life that you want to live, that you're not waiting for motivation, because let's face it, for most people, that's just not gonna come. Not when you've been in a state of overwhelm and exhaustion and just on this hamster wheel and you can't move past it. It's going to change the way that you do things and see things when well when you start doing it like this. So I know that for the journey that I've been on, I have gone to many different people, many different places, all these things to learn all the things that I have learned from budgeting and handling finances. But it even goes deeper than that. Like I've learned how to invest, read charts and that with the stock market. I have learned about crypto and my husband does the crypto mining. Like, I've learned a lot on the finance side of things. I can't give financial advice. I'm not a financial advisor or anything like that, but I've learned a lot on the finance side compared to where I was 13 years ago and I didn't even know what interest was. And I have also learned a lot when it comes to the home. So I didn't even know what decluttering was when I first heard it. I had not even thought of the concept of you're allowed to get rid of things that are still good and still fine, but I don't use or I don't need because I didn't grow up with that. My parents pretty much bought and collected every antique and everything that was out there, and our house was very full, very cluttered. And so I did not know how to let things go. I I didn't even know that was a thing. I know that sounds crazy now, but um I learned a lot when it came to decluttering, but then also just being organized around the home. And that really helped with my budget and being able to be more conscious on what I'm spending. And you know, that that cycle continued between the two of them. Then I learned more around work when I stepped into leadership and managing my time and productivity and time blocking, which I sort of turned a bit more into task blocking, um, and just learnt a lot around productivity and things like that in the work setting, but also how I bring that back now to my overall time. And in more recent years, because this is probably the last thing I learned, was self-care and the importance of my well-being and my health. My health took a pretty big hit a couple of times last year, to be honest. And that's even after I've been trying to do better, rest more, and be more intentional with things. But hopefully I'm past a lot of these things now. They're all fixable and treatable, and I'm aware of the signs in that now, so then I can get on top of things a lot sooner if it were to come back. But it's been such a roller coaster, and to be honest, I've spent tens of thousands of dollars over the last 13 years learning all these things from all these different places. And when I put this business together and even the podcasts and everything, it was about pulling all this knowledge from all these different people and places and putting it together in one spot. And so what I have created now is well, the she's organized hub. So my business is called She's Organized, if you didn't know. And I have now got what's called well, the hub. I call it the hub. And I've had it for maybe the past seven months. It was May last year that I launched it. And it's got group coaching and and everything in there. But in the last month or so, I've really paired back because I've been preparing for a relaunch for this January. And honestly, I'm so excited. I've really listened to what everybody has been saying they need and they want. And I've got it, I've got it there ready now. So pretty much, there's gonna be extra touch points, so more hands-on type coaching, there's gonna be more implementation sessions called focus hours, which we'll do every month. There's weekly coffee catch-ups, there's a whole lot of well, there's a whole lot of things really that is more connection-based. But there's so many people that come in and like I try to get to know everyone that comes in, by the way. I want to hear your story, I want to know, I want to try and get you a win within the first week. I want you, you know, moving forward as quickly as possible. There's some people that come in, they don't respond, they don't talk back, they're just there. And that's totally fine. And if that's you, no problem at all. Because there's plenty of past group coaching calls on replay. There's courses, resources, templates, you know, whatever it is you need, it's already in there, pretty much. And I'm adding stuff every single month. Most sessions are recorded, not everything. Things like the week of the coffee catch-ups and stuff won't be recorded. But it's more that there is something for everyone in there. It's a space that really supports you, but it also keeps you accountable. And that's something that I really struggled with for a long time was that accountability and going to all these different people and places for help. A lot of the time I wasn't paying coaches and things like that. It was joining their five-day challenge or whatever it is, and piecing all these things together. And I didn't really have the accountability for a lot of it, but I was pretty hungry. I wanted to make the change. But sometimes that's not enough. Sometimes you do need the support and the accountability to see things through because, as I said, motivation can really wane after time. So I have created this space that you don't need to go pretty much anywhere else. I mean, you're welcome to, of course, and most people do, but you don't need to go anywhere else to understand how to better manage your time and get things sorted out around the home and your budget. It's a really holistic overview because everything is connected. And more than anything, one of the most important ones that I'm really focusing on, particularly right now, is the self-care part. Because when we can get that part right, a lot of the other things flow. And everyone always goes, Oh, Mel, I just don't have time to do anything I want to do. I don't have time to sit down and read that book or to do that painting or whatever it is. But trust me, even if you give yourself 10 minutes a day to do something that fills you up, you will get so much more out of the rest of your day. You'll be even more productive, you'll be happier, you won't snap at your kids as much, all these things. It's so important to look after yourself first. It's sort of like that analogy with the airplane and the oxygen mask. You put on your mask first. It's no good if you conk out before helping the people that you want to help. I'm I'm not trying to turn this into some big pitch or anything like that. I wanted to talk about how in the new year, doesn't matter whether you're listening to this on January 5th, 2026, or whether you're listening to this down the track, that you can start to make a change today. And all the things that I have got inside the She's Organized Hub can help you achieve that. Now, last year I coached so many women, um, and a lot of it was one-on-one and private. And look, I have got quite the demand in a lot of ways now, and my time is pretty limited. So, real looking at how I run my business this year, I'm really pouring everything into this space, into the Shees Organized Hub. If you want to connect with me, if you want to pick my brain on things, if you want to get moving forward in your life and out of this rut that you've been stuck in, this is where you're gonna find me. And I also wanted to make it so affordable that anyone can get access to this. Because let's face it, now that you know I'm an award-winning life coach and got the demand and my calendar's fallen out, my prices are a lot higher for private coaching. And of course, if that's something that you can afford and that you're needing, then great, I will be here for you. And hopefully I'm free when you need me. Otherwise, you might have to wait a little bit. But when it comes to the everyday life and also the everyday woman, um this hub is for most people. And to be honest, for the life that I've been living, it's for me too. I get a lot out of being in there, not just as your leader and coach, but just being surrounded by incredible women encourages me in my day as well to stay on track and it keeps me accountable for a lot of things too. So not only is it the affordable option, but you get access to me directly. And look, if this is a couple of years down the track that you're listening to, you're still going to get support from my team anyway. And I'm excited, I'm bringing on a new team member shortly. And if you're inside the hub, you'll be the first to know. But in the next couple of weeks, I'm getting a new team member. But in the future, if I can't service everyone in there because there's too many of you, I will hire more coaches and more people that will be able to support you. You are still going to get that personalized support. And I want that in there, and I want it to be affordable and achievable for everyone, honestly, anyone that wants it. So please be encouraged that if you've been looking for a space that you are needing this help. And now that we're starting this new year, you're really just ready to make a change, then I encourage you to check it out. And the links are in the show notes. All the details are there. But I also wanted to touch on another point because a lot of my community and and the people listening to this podcast are Christians. Now it's okay if you're not. I am still here for you. I what your belief or background is, I'm still here for you. One thing that a lot of the people inside my community have requested is uh a monthly Bible study, which I'll be starting in February, which is very exciting. And I will be focusing on things relevant to organizing and balance and rest and all of that, and going deeper into what God says. Because what I'm seeing, particularly in the Christian community, is that, and this was me, this was me for so long too, that as Christians, we know that God is our provider, that he is our strength, all of these, yet we're still struggling financially, we're exhausted all the time, we're all these things, there's this disconnect between what we know of God and his provision and our reality. It can be really deflating and defeating at times. And we feel like we should be in a better position, we should do better, we should know more, like all these things, all these shoulds. And I really want to tackle a lot of that this year because for starters, I just want to say it's okay if that's you and that's where you've been feeling like you should have your life looking different. You should have it all together. But there is this disconnect between what you know the scripture says and where your life is currently at. I want to help with a lot of that disconnect, particularly for the Christians, and and dive deeper into that this year as well. And I will be supporting a lot more mums in this with the coaching as well, because I I have lived this and I still struggle with a lot of this. This is a journey that I am currently on, particularly when it comes to God's provision and how that looks in my life and having the faith that he will deliver. It's been it's been a challenge, but I'm also starting to interconnect all the pieces a bit more, and he's really helping me with that and actually handing a lot of. That over, and it's been quite amazing seeing how he's come through where it's it's just God, it has to be, because there's no logical explanation in the natural for what is happening. So I really want to help serve mums in this capacity as well. And so, again, if this year you're looking ahead and you're thinking, okay, I want to get things sorted, I want to get things done, and I also do feel that disconnect between what the Bible says and what I know God is talking to me about, and of what my reality looks like, then again, this community, this space is for you. So I want to encourage you, regardless of your faith and background or anything like that, if you are looking for a place that is supportive, that is grounded, that's practical and actually going to be tangible in results from day one. You do not have to wait till the end of the month to finally start to see progress. There are things in there that as soon as you join from day one, you can binge on a whole lot of stuff if you want to, and you can make changes immediately. Then this space is for you. Now, I don't talk about my products and coaching and stuff too much. I am not that, I'm just not salesy in that way. I wanted though to bring attention to it today and to highlight to you today this environment because I'm doing a disservice if I don't let you know that there is a place that you can get this help, that you can get this support if you are actually desperately looking for it. So I wanted to let you know that I'm not just a coach and podcaster and all of this stuff. I am a mum. I am a mum that has been broken down and has been so desperate for so long that really just needed help and needed support. And I couldn't get it. Yes, there's plenty of different things out there, there's plenty of coaches and resources, but I still felt quite alone for a very long time. And my heart is that you're not alone, that you're not doing this the hard way. Because it was really, really hard for a really long time. And I just don't want that for you. Not when I've already walked it and I can spare you from a lot of it. My heart is for you. I want you to do well. I want you to succeed. I want you to be able to enjoy your children while they're young. Because I mean, I'm looking at my nearly 10-year-old and thinking, oh my gosh, where's the time gone? I I look at him and I look at my youngest, who's well, he's nearly 17 months now, and I just think, my goodness, this was you not long ago. But here you are in your nearly 10. And he's already sort of in that early teenage uh phase, but he's he's really matured a lot in so many ways. I can have adult conversations with him for the most part. He understands, he comprehends, it's very different to my baby, and time just goes so fast, and there's so many more things that I wish I had done with him when he was even younger. But I'm making up for it now in a lot of ways. While he is still young, he is still a child. Um, but if I hadn't made these changes, if I hadn't got myself a bit more organized and to a point where my day is in better balance, I would be missing my kids' childhoods and it goes so fast. You know, you know that it goes fast. And for some of you, your kids might already be growing up. For some of you, you might not even have children yet. And it doesn't matter where you're at. Today is the best day to start and get on track again. It means so much when I get to hear how someone's been stuck in a particular thing, and that I can actually just make a simple tweak. A lot of the times it's just a simple tweak and a change, and it's always about simplifying. It's never about adding more to your plate and just the radical difference that it makes to these women's lives, honestly, that is more fulfilling to me than anything. Knowing that I'm I'm getting to make a difference and help, and I know that I can help you too. So I'd like to leave you today with this thought. If you do not take action today, if you do not get started on that thing that you're wanting to start with, if you're not getting that support that you know you've been needing, where will you be this time next year? Are you happy with where you're at? And if you are and you're quite happy with how life is ticking along, then fantastic. I'm really happy for you. I genuinely am happy for you. But if you know that there's something you're like, ugh, I keep putting this off. I know that I need to learn more about this or get help with this or do this, but it's just been, I've never had the time. It's always too hard, it's too overwhelming, all of that. Then this is your sign. This is your call. That now is as good as time as any because you don't know what tomorrow holds. You don't know what could change in your life, even tomorrow, that could really set you back even further if you haven't started. So let this be your sign that now is a good time. And you don't need to wait for a new year to make changes, to make things happen. If you have questions listening to this, and and you go through the link even, and you've you've still got more questions that aren't answered on the page, please reach out to me. I monitor the emails daily. I check things. Even on this podcast, you can send me a text message. There is a button at the top of the show notes where you can actually send me a text message and I will respond to you. I want to help you. And I don't even care if you're not a paying client of mine. That's totally fine. I want to be able to answer the questions that you've got to help overcome any objections you might have. So then you can actually just get moving forward with your life with or without me. That's fine. I'm happy to answer the questions to get you moving forward. And next week we have an amazing guest on who will cover all things fitness, which I certainly need to get back on the horse with. So stay tuned for that. And I really, really, really wish you a happy new year.

Mel: 27:38

If you like this episode, don't forget to hit subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next. And if you want to continue the conversation, you can connect with me on Instagram @shes.organised or for some free resources, head over to beyondorganised.com/ toolkit. Remember, organising is a tool to live the purposeful life beyond it. See you next time.