#productivity hack

hey lovelies! ✨

confession time: i used to be a chronic pinterest scroller with absolutely nothing to show for my hours spent in the app. i'd save hundreds of pins to boards with vague names like "aesthetic" and "vibes," never to look at them again. sound familiar? but over the past year, i've completely transformed how i use pinterest from mindless consumption to an intentional tool that actually enhances my life. here's exactly how i made the shift!

⋆.ೃ࿔:･ the pinterest mindset shift ･:࿔ೃ.⋆

the game-changer for me was realizing that pinterest isn't just for collecting pretty pictures, it's a visual search engine and planning tool. now i approach it with purpose:

i ask myself "why am i opening this app right now?" before i even click the icon or enter it into the search bar

i set specific time limits for browsing (15-30 minutes max)

i focus on quality over quantity with my pins

i treat my boards as action plans, not just digital hoarding spaces

i regularly revisit and implement ideas from my boards

this shift transformed pinterest from a time-waster to one of my most valuable tools for planning, creativity, and personal growth.

⋆.ೃ࿔:･ my board organization system ･:࿔ೃ.⋆

the foundation of intentional pinterest use is thoughtful organization! here's my current system:

𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴: i group my boards into categories using board covers in the same color palette (lifestyle, home, fashion, etc.)

𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨: instead of vague names, i use specific titles like "meals for busy weeknights" or "bedroom refresh ideas 2025"

𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴: i break down larger boards into sections (my "morning routine" board has sections for drinks, movement, journaling, etc.)

𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘷𝘴. 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤: i keep boards private when they're in planning stages, then make them public once they're curated

𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨: i archive boards that aren't currently relevant (like christmas decor in july) to reduce visual clutter

⋆.ೃ࿔:･ my favorite intentional board types ･:࿔ೃ.⋆

here are the board categories that have added genuine value to my life:

𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵-𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴: whenever i start a new project (room redecoration, event planning, etc.), i create a dedicated board with sections for different aspects

𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴: i create a fresh board each season with sections for recipes, activities, outfits, and decor i want to incorporate

𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨: i pin actual items i own alongside new pieces i'm considering to visualize combinations

𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮: i maintain boards for different meal categories and actually reference them when making grocery lists

𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴: i have a board for each important person in my life where i pin potential gifts year-round

𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: i create boards for specific goals with both inspiration and actionable steps

⋆.ೃ࿔:･ my pinterest workflow ･:࿔ೃ.⋆

this is my personal step-by-step process for intentional pinning:

𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦: i decide what specific question i'm trying to answer or problem i'm trying to solve

𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘺: i use specific search terms rather than browsing the home feed (which is designed for endless scrolling)

𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺: i only save pins that: • provide clear value or inspiration • lead to actual content (not dead links) • represent ideas i genuinely might implement

𝘢𝘥𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴: i write specific notes on pins about why i saved them or how i plan to use the idea

𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨: after a pinning session, i schedule time to actually try one of the ideas

⋆.ೃ࿔:･ from virtual to reality ･:࿔ೃ.⋆

the most important part of intentional pinterest use is implementation! here's how i ensure my pins actually translate to real life:

𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸: every sunday, i spend 10 minutes reviewing recent pins and selecting 1-3 to implement that week

𝘱𝘪𝘯-𝘵𝘰-𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘳: i keep a simple journal noting which pins i've actually implemented

𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: i take photos of my real-life versions of pinterest inspiration

𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘴: i regularly ask "do i have the time/budget/skills for this?" before saving aspirational pins

𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘵: i remove pins that no longer feel aligned with my taste or goals

⋆.ೃ࿔:･ advanced pinterest strategies ･:࿔ೃ.⋆

once you've mastered the basics, these strategies take intentional pinning to the next level! i hope you all enjoy them!:

𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴: i create collaborative boards with friends for shared projects or trips

𝘱𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨: for complex projects, i create flow charts showing how different pins connect to each other

𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴: i document my own progress by pinning "before" and "after" images of my projects

𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳: i use pinterest to plan content themes for my blog and social media (i of course also use pinterest for images for my blog)

𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴: i create sequential boards that build skills in a particular area

⋆.ೃ࿔:･ final thoughts ･:࿔ೃ.⋆

pinterest is whatever you make of it, it can be a mindless scroll hole or one of the most powerful tools for intentional living and creativity. the difference lies entirely in how you approach it.

i still enjoy the occasional aimless browsing session (we all need that sometimes!), but transforming most of my pinterest time into purposeful searching and planning has genuinely enhanced my life. my spaces are more cohesve, my wardrobe more intentional, and my creative projects more focused, all because i stopped treating pinterest like social media and started using it like the powerful visual tool it truly is.

how do you use pinterest? are you a careful curator or a joyful browser? feel free to drop your thoughts in the notes!

xoxo, mindy 🤍

Maybe I can develop a form of schizophrenia, DID, or somehow manage to gaslight myself into being in love with a fictional love interest just to establish that level of productivity and discipline again.

This whole time, I develop a fake persona (hehe) that is in a long-distance relationship with me, writing me letters and stuff, and split personalities start drifting apart while both personalities develop a more intimate connection towards each other.

“Body doubling for the win!”

“I even made myself mac and cheese today! Without forgetting about it and causing the smoke alarms to go off!”

Parkinson's Law | the reason I spent 8+ hours working on a 550 word article

"Work expands to fill the time allotted to it." This well-known productivity adage brings attention to the fact that, without a deadline or timeframe, you can spend hours working on a task that could realistically be completed in just one.

This is why time-blocking is actually really effective: by limiting the time you will dedicate to a task, you are facing an artificial deadline.

Remember that “sonar” is just a jumbled up version of “arson”! So when you need to ping one of your co-workers, be careful!

Add some ZING to your day by adding some spice to your coffee after you’ve used the Keurig. We recommend cayenne, rattlesnake, and crowbar!

When your direct report is giving you feedback, don’t sweat it! Just write down their name in this book here and things will sort themselves out by tomorrow.

Is it hard to have your own business? Here’s a secret I’ve never heard anyone else say before:

When you start a business, you are the boss, which means it is exactly as difficult as you decide it is.

“BUT WHAT ABOUT—“ No! I don’t want to hear any victim-based nonsense about responsibilities you *willingly chose* to take on. Yes, challenges and lessons happen. That’s just life, even at a job. But you have free will. You can start an income stream that can be done from your phone at the beach if you want. Deconstruct “professionalism” and skip the stuff you don’t truly agree with. Don’t get sucked in by greed or other people’s opinions. You can use your creativity to build something that is perfect for you, and you can decide to keep it very simple.

I’ve tried many different strategies since I quit my last job in 2004. I promise you—more difficulty does not equal more money! It often means less!

You don’t have to choose a business that you think will be hard. You don’t have to quit your job and go all in. You don’t have to take an expensive course. You don’t have to go into debt and then have that pressure to deal with. You don’t have to start something that even requires capital at all.

You could take something you ALREADY DO and share it in a way that produces income. You could take something you love, and use empathy to see how it could help others.

I once did a year-long experiment where I didn’t do ANYTHING for money that I wasn’t already willing to do for free. My income went up! Not because of any lucky coincidence, but because what I love doing has value in the world. Because following your inspiration has power. And when you’re focused on inspired action, it never feels like work.

The key here is to use integrity, inspiration, and compassion—first for yourself, then all others involved in your work, whether clients or collaborators. Don’t push yourself beyond what feels compassionate. Don’t believe the bullshit about things needing to be hard. Don’t copy from other people. Don’t try to trick or scam people.

Love yourself, love what you do, and share that love.