Your Agile Home

Welcome to Your Agile Home, the podcast to help you develop flexible home management solutions. Hi, I'm Yvonne, and I'm on a mission to help moms develop flexible home management solutions that leave them with more time for themselves, happier families, less money spent, and a more productive week.

Agile: Getting Buy-In From Your Children 03/25/2021

Agile: Getting Buy-In From Your Children Be sure to join Your Agile Home over at for free (and exclusive!) content. You can support this podcast here: The number one question I get is: how do I get my family to buy-in? Getting children to buy-in is the easiest thing you will do because they will love being asked their opinion and their feedback. The importance here is the follow-through. You have to actually take your children's input and feedback into consideration. /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/18391751

Agile: Getting Partner Buy-In 03/23/2021

Agile: Getting Partner Buy-In Be sure to join Your Agile Home over at for free (and exclusive!) content. You can support this podcast here: This can the hardest buy-in to get because your partner already has a way of doing things and may not be open to new ideas. Don't try to implement any new software. Don't take on more projects than you can realistically complete. Make your first sprint smaller than you think it needs to be. /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/18391613

2 Ways to Use the Pomodoro Method 03/11/2021

2 Ways to Use the Pomodoro Method Be sure to join Your Agile Home over at for free (and exclusive!) content. You can support this podcast here: 2 Ways you can use the Pomodoro Method 1. The traditional Way Set a timer and get to work. I use . I set it to Pomodoro and work til the break and take a stretch before getting back to it for the second cycle. 2. The reverse Pomodoro You do something fun for the longer stretch of time and then get something done in the shorter stretch of time. This is great for days when you have the blahs. /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/18269864

How to Manage a Team Member with a Negative Attitude 03/02/2021

How to Manage a Team Member with a Negative Attitude You can support this podcast here: Today, we are talking about how to manage team members with negative attitudes. Listen, we've all dealt with them before. Heck, I've even been a team member with a negative attitude. It's no different at home. Here are my tips for managing it. 1. Make space for bad days 2. Ask how you can help them have a better day 3. Ask someone else to help them attack the problem 4. Use positive reinforcement 5. Go do something you'll both enjoy /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/18142112

New Tool: Commit30 and Habit Tracking 02/25/2021

New Tool: Commit30 and Habit Tracking Remember you can support us at: Occasionally, I like to try new tools so you don't have to so that's why I want to take a minute today and talk about the Commit30 journal. I was having trouble with habits. Honestly, I can assure you that motivation just wasn't enough. I needed a planner that was going to hold me accountable. I had tried to do it digitally, and it wasn't working. My brain just needed something that was more tangibly. I'm very glad I went with the Commit30. In January, I tracked meditation, and I was successful for all 30 days. In February, I tracked my protein shake and BAM! I'll check back in with you in a few months to let you know how it's still going. I find that it is best to track 1 habit at a time instead of trying to track ALL the habits all the time. See you in a few days. /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/18060362

Where to Keep Your Backlog 02/18/2021

Where to Keep Your Backlog You can support us at: Patreon.com/youragilehome youragilehome.substack.com Your backlog is a place to keep a list of all the projects you want to do in your home. Today, we talk about a few places you can store that list. 1. Trello - great for visual learners 2. Click up. **Affiliate deal here**** 3. Google Sheets/Excel /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/17899295

A Sprint Planning Example 02/16/2021

A Sprint Planning Example You can support this podcast at: patreon.com/youragilehome youragilehome.substack.com I get a lot of questions about how we plan our sprints. The basics are: We break down the tasks and determine how long it will take. Recently, we decided to install a pot rack over our island. We determined it would take 2 sprints each equalling 2 weeks. We planned out the steps that would take place in each sprint. Planning, measuring, cutting, assembling, hanging, sanding, painting, etc. Steps 1 - ?? happened in sprint 1. The rest happened in sprint 2. Then you have a completed project. /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/17898788

10 Ways to Invest in Yourself 02/11/2021

10 Ways to Invest in Yourself SIGN UP: Investing in yourself is vital, and I've been trying to do a lot of it during this pandemic. Have you been investing in yourself? Here are some ways you can invest in yourself: 1. Set up a space for you 2. Get Organized 3. Hire a coach 4. Start a side hustle 5. Play a brain game 6. Find a mentor/be a mentor 7. Boost your health & wellness 8. Prioritize your self-care 9. Take a class 10. Read a book /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/17838152

My Winter Self-Care Basket 02/09/2021

My Winter Self-Care Basket Sign up to make sure you don't miss any Your Agile Home Content Winter is a time that can be difficult for everyone. So what's in my winter self-care basket? First, I'd like to remind that a self-care basket is a basket or a couple of baskets where you keep the things you need for self-care located together in order to make sure you have them available when you need them. My winter baskets include [contains affiliate links meaning I make a few dollars if you click the links and purchase. It helps support this podcast] Minecraft Minecraft Dungeons My Time in Portia TikTok What do you use for your Self-care? /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/17837579

Our Favorite Educational Toys 02/04/2021

Our Favorite Educational Toys Be sure to join Your Agile Home over at for free (and exclusive!) content. We love playing games in our home and educational games and toys are especially our favorites Some of our favorites: [Includes affiliate links] Coloring Books Minecraft Epic Books Homer ABCYa Atlas Mission /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/17806700

Why I Bullet Journal 01/28/2021

Why I Bullet Journal Be sure to join Your Agile Home over at for free (and exclusive!) content. Bullet journaling is something I picked up because of my forgetfulness and ADHD. Now, the minute I think of something, I pick up my bullet journal and jot it down. I also use it to track my habits and goals. I also use it to assign a day and a time to my to-dos so that I know that I'm actually achieving what I set out to do. Using my bullet journal also allows me to review and track my goals and habits at the end of the month. /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/17723765

Setting Agile Goals in 2021 01/26/2021

Setting Agile Goals in 2021 Be sure to join Your Agile Home over at youragilehome.substack.com for free (and exclusive!) content. New Years usually brings on discussions about goals and goal setting, but how do you set Agile goals? We need to be continually making progress towards our goals, whether the goals are big or small. Make sure to evaluate your progress at the end of the sprint and make adjustments in your plans as you're moving forward. /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/17690756

3 Reasons It's Important to Use I Statements 01/21/2021

3 Reasons It's Important to Use I Statements Places to support Your Agile Home: Why I Use "I" Statements 1. No one else can make you feel a certain way 2. Doesn't Place Blame 3. It makes people feel valued and like their opinion is valued I statements are especially important when creating user stories and setting up Your Agile Home and Sprint goals through Scrum. /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/17621174

5 Ways I Boost My Mood 01/07/2021

5 Ways I Boost My Mood Quiet time with my noise-canceling headphones. Exercise Playing video games - especially ones like Animal Crossing where you're building community Writing in my gratitude journal Taking a shower What helps you boost your mood? Email me and let me know! /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/17456813

How To Effectively Brain Dump 01/05/2021

How To Effectively Brain Dump Brain dumping is so important when it comes to creating your backlog and for keeping yourself from becoming overwhelmed. What are the steps for an effective brain dump? -Find a quiet spot -Write down everything that comes out of your brain without a filter -After you've gotten everything out of your brain, prioritize what you've written down. /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/17425262

What is the Definition of Done 12/22/2020

What is the Definition of Done What does being done in Agile mean? It means that your team - or your family - is aware of what the expected deliverable is and it is delivered. It is all about transparency. The quality of work meets the description of the product. Over time, the project may become a part of your sprint again, as you realize some pieces are not working. You're creating a culture of ideas and empowering even your youngest to make decisions. /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/17231072

My Favorite Agile Tools 12/17/2020

My Favorite Agile Tools We're getting near and dear to my heart talking about all of my favorites. 1. ClickUp. You've heard me talk about it so often. Use my affiliate link to 2. My expo marker and whiteboard. I use it for EVERYTHING. 3. Microsoft To Do Lists 4. My Dakboard hooked up using a Raspberry Pi. /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/17062097

Why Create an Agile Roadmap 12/15/2020

Why Create an Agile Roadmap What is an Agile Roadmap? When we look at what we want in life, we want to have a map of where you are going and what you want to do. This helps you to set your goals and to meet them. You need to be specific. With a roadmap, there is continuity of purpose. Everyone will be on the same page to reach the goal. /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/17062073

5 Ways to Avoid Scope Creep 12/10/2020

5 Ways to Avoid Scope Creep We've been talking all about scope creep and today we are going to talk about avoiding it! 1. Document the requirements 2. Set up a change process. 3. Create a clear project schedule. 4. Verify the scope. Make sure everyone is on the same page. 5. Engage the project team. You want to know how changes will affect them. It is important to avoid scope creep because it can take longer than you budgeted, cost more than you budgeted and can lead to burnout. /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/17062031

4 Causes of Scope Creep 12/08/2020

4 Causes of Scope Creep These are the top 4 causes of scope creep. 1. Lack of clear and detailed scope is the number one reason for scope creep. The project will morph on its own without a clear scope. 2. You aren't proactive with issues and roadblocks. 3. Disagreements on how to handle change. 4. Poor estimation - time, money, etc. Everything was not specified at the beginning. /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/17061989

What is Scope Creep and How To Avoid it 12/03/2020

What is Scope Creep and How To Avoid it Listen to today's episode to learn what scope creep is, why scope creep is a problem, and how to avoid it. Scope creep occurs when you start adding things outside your predetermined definition of "done" If you suffer from scope creep, you may notice that: your definition of "done" is changed you end up adding to your project's budget your timeline will have to be increased /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/17050046

The #1 Thing that Helped Me Complete Home Projects 12/01/2020

The #1 Thing that Helped Me Complete Home Projects I'm not the first or last person to tell you that multitasking is bad for you, but I can tell you that single-tasking is the #1 thing that helps me complete my home projects. How do I do this best? I started creating baskets in various places of my home so that I wasn't constantly going up and down the stairs and multitasking. I tune out from my phone and don't have multiple tabs open on my computer. Do you multitask or single-task? /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/16527965

Best Folders for Your Agile Home in ClickUp 11/24/2020

Best Folders for Your Agile Home in ClickUp Here are all of the things that you absolutely need to put in your home ClickUp spacease. Backlog - all of your dreamiest projects! Recurring Tasks (and assign them out) Personal Information (easy to display for babysitters etc like hospital and doctors numbers.) Food & Meal Plan Finance Holidays (So they don't sneak up on you) /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/16527959

3 Ways I Record Information During Daily Scrum 11/19/2020

3 Ways I Record Information During Daily Scrum A lot of the time our Scrum meetings are not just daily logistics, but we're also talking about moving our sprints forward. Here are different ways that I keep track of that information. Whiteboard Ipad Post - It Note Make sure you also talk about anything you completed the day before and any roadblocks that you are currently experiencing. /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/16527941

How to Assign Household Tasks for the 1st Time 11/17/2020

How to Assign Household Tasks for the 1st Time The tasks we are talking about today are more frequent tasks that don't fit into a sprint. These are very specific. List them all out and let everyone pick their favorites. Then deal with what is leftover democratically. Revisit periodically as your children get older. /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/16527929

5 Reasons I Use Click Up 11/12/2020

5 Reasons I Use Click Up Know what's on our sprint Get it on my radar/schedule mark delegation so I'm not thinking about it easily prioritize the backlog evaluate your projects I have so many resources for this and want to help you! Send me an email and we'll get you set up. /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/16527917

Handling Stress with Valerie Friedlander 11/10/2020

Handling Stress with Valerie Friedlander Taking the time to understand how stress works will help you handle all the stress that 2020 has brought upon us. Listen to today's episode and learn some tips and tricks for managing stress and communicating effectively. Learn More About Valerie: Valerie Friedlander is a Certified Life Coach and Energy Leadership Master Practitioner. She specializes in helping high-achieving women with children to reach their personal and professional goals with greater ease and enjoyment. In addition to her coach training, Valerie draws on her studies in sociology, neuroscience, addiction recovery, and spiritual discernment to support her clients in reducing patterns of stress and anxiety while increasing focus, follow-through, and fun in all areas of their life. Clients have called her a "motivational unicorn" and "mindset magician" (which she loves because she is also a huge nerd with a passion for analogies.) /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/16748255

Creating a User Story 11/05/2020

Creating a User Story User stories are so important to propel the conversation forward to find out what is really needed for each project. Here's how to create a user story: Define the End User Specify what they want Describe the benefit Add acceptance criteria This is important because it is a factual way to state a problem without any blame or negativity. /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/16527890

Creating Your Minimum Viable Life 11/03/2020

Creating Your Minimum Viable Life We're talking about the base things you need in order to have the best possible life. You start with the bare minimum and you can move up or be agile to change quickly. Find your non-negotiables. This is the thing that you need to do to make sure your life is successful. Design the leanest version of that life. Figure out your worst-case scenario. Plan ahead to cover your worst-case scenario. Figure out what your anxieties are and how you can plan for them. /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/16527839

How to Use ClickUp as Part of Your Information Radiator 10/29/2020

How to Use ClickUp as Part of Your Information Radiator Your information radiator is more than what's on your calendar or countdowns. You can find out more information on my mini-course for your daily standup. I use ClickUp for this. (Affiliate link) I split it up to a professional space and a personal space. My professional space has this podcast, my blog, my products, my strategy and my back end admin stuff. My personal space has home stuff. We split up our projects into sprints. Inside each sprint, you set up the tasks. Within each task, include all of the tools that you will need. /episode/index/show/youragilehome/id/16205672

Your Agile Home

TOPICS