“In hypnosis, your conscious mind becomes very receptive to positive suggestions. Especially when those suggestions are tied to a goal you already know you want to achieve.”

Back in December, while listening to a podcast between two white women with whom I had nothing in common with outside of entrepreneurship, my ears perked when one of them mentioned that listening to a guided hypnosis at night while she slept aided in her success. The other woman, a mom of four, expressed that she wished she could try it but with a husband and a newborn at home, she wouldn’t feel comfortable being in a trance state for a lengthy period of time.

I was fascinated.

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As someone who has had experience with hypnosis through various hypnotherapy sessions, I believe it’s highly effective for reprogramming the subconscious mind and lifting any blocks that we may have could be holding us back. Hypnosis can be used for a variety of things including curing phobias, putting an end to a smoking habit, and even weight loss.

In 2012, I started Hypnotherapy sessions with Santa Monica-based hypnotherapist Sasha Carrion and I saw a huge boost in my confidence throughout the 2-3 years that we worked together. I started doing more speaking engagements, one-on-one interviews with celebrities, and my fame catapulted as a result of me being more comfortable with visibility. Outside of self-confidence work, I also became more comfortable in my femininity through multiple sessions with that specific focus. (My dating life in 2015 was POPPINGTON)

(Just a note…this hypnosis thing is something I’ve never mentioned ever during the span of my career …lol.)

At any rate, I could see how incorporating hypnosis as a daily practice could aid in increased productivity, curing procrastination, and even raising your self-confidence.

When I got home from the gym that night, I looked up a few hypnosis videos on youtube, and they were long —like 8 hours long, meant to play throughout the night while you are sleeping. Topics ranged from boosting energy, success, getting over a heartbreak, and even attracting abundance.

Since I was in a creative rut and hadn’t been inspired to write or create anything for months, I was willing to try ANYTHING.

Like the mom of four, I didn’t want to jump headfirst into 8 hours, so I found a 35-minute one that was focused on increasing productivity, and decided I would try it out every morning for a week to see what happened.

After the first morning, I hopped up out of bed ready to conquer the day!

Let’s just say, I’m going on week four of incorporating this into my morning routine and it’s now a staple. I listen to the recording at the top of every morning, and over the past month I’ve noticed:

An increase in the intensity of my morning workouts
An increase in my creative output (I’ve written 7 newsletters since December 23rd, averaging two a week. I’ve also recorded 3 solo podcast episodes)
An increase in my focus

Here’s a link to the exact recording I listen to. It works best if you are lying down or sitting in a chair and have headphones.

Other interesting hypnosis I have found on youtube:

Deep trance to attract wealth (I admit, I rolled my eyes at the testimonials in the comments section but received an unexpected check that week)

Boost energy levels

Letting Go of the fear of success

Hypnosis for clearing subconscious negativity

Now mind you, this hypnosis thing may not be for everyone. I was first introduced to it in the ’90s when hypnotherapists would go on TV, hypnotized people, and have them barking like a dog for entertainment purposes. I never took it seriously, but after doing a ton of research on how the subconscious mind plays a huge role in the outcome of our relationships and success, and then actually experiencing getting over my fear of public speaking and other phobias by investing in hypnotherapy, I’m a bit more open when it comes to talking about it.

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A few more productivity hacks

Morning workouts. There is just something about that endorphin release in the am that sets the tone for the rest of your day. The mornings I do not incorporate working out, whether it’s cardio or lifting, the day seems to control me versus me controlling the day.

Screen Time as a widget on your home screen. This allows you to easily see where you are spending the most time and where you may need to cut back. On my most productive day this year, I had only spent 22 minutes on Instagram and 3 hours and 37 minutes total on my phone by 7 pm.

Listening to Coffee House Music while working. It’s so soothing and creates a really relaxing ambiance at home.

Blocking out times on the calendar to actually be productive. Since I do have an assistant that schedules my meetings and my entire team has access to my calendar, I block out times so that I can actually get work done throughout the day, and so that meetings aren’t scheduled during those designated times. I also prefer not to take meetings before 11 am. I use the first hours of the morning to really pour into myself before having to deal with decision-making.

There are days where I will block out the entire workday in order to get a project done.

My morning starts around 6 am but I have it on my calendar from 8-11 am to give some wiggle room.

A Word About Progress…

I’ve decided to start a solo podcast as an audio component of this newsletter. I have my first episode “The Biggest Mistake I’ve Made In Business” coming later this week and the follow-up episode features famed YouTuber Maya Washington (aka Shameless Maya) who recently gave up her LA-lifestyle, sold everything she owned, and bought a home in Sweden with the love of her life. She’s now traveling and enjoying life without being held down by material things

We talked a lot about redefining happiness as two women who had both acquired all the things in life that we thought would make us fulfilled and there was a part of the episode where she asked me a question and I grew very emotional. I literally made a mental note to cut that part out of the podcast, then realize that me cutting that out would be very unauthentic to who I am. I also noticed while playing the episode back that my mic had a huge echo because I was talking into the wrong side of the mic (LOL!!!). The perfectionist in me wanted to record the whole darn episode over but I’m slowly realizing that seeking perfectionism is what holds us back from making progress.

Done is better than perfect.

Sometimes we get so caught up in endlessly tweaking projects that we never finish them.

These first few episodes, I recorded from my desk using a Rode mic and audacity software. No fancy sound engineer, producer or over-thinking. I’m super proud of myself for letting go of the desire for my first episode to sound like someone else’s 100th.

Lastly, and way off-topic, but single women… get you a step stool!

I almost killed myself climbing counters last year and so I bought this foldable one on Amazon.

Best purchase ever.

Talk to me…

You may have noticed that I’m experimenting with different formats of the newsletter. Some are very essay/personal blog style, and others are random thoughts as well as links to actual things I use or that have made life a bit better for me. I’m still getting a feel for this thing.

I’ve asked my text tribe, but I’m also asking you guys, what do you want to see more of from me? I want to know some of your productivity hacks and what you are doing to stay focused during these ever-changing times.

Hit the comments and let me know!

Also, let me know your thoughts on hypnosis and if you are open to giving it a try.

Until next time…

This post is part of the Hello Necole newsletter. If you like this kind of thing, make sure you subscribe to get my weekly musings straight to your inbox!

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Why Hypnosis Is Now A Part Of My Morning…