Redefining summers: Work and fun in harmony
My complicated relationship with summer is about to end. Learn more about the focus room here: https://monthlymethod.com/focus-room/ ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Jun 30, 2025•3 min•Ep. 74
Monthly Method
Monthly Method Podcast is a show for solopreneurs, creators, and artists who have a burning desire to launch a project. The project your best life depends on.
Your host, Polina Bee, is a certified SCRUM master. She brings a proven record of launching successful projects, both professional and personal.
You will hear about tested techniques that lead to calm, consistency and results.
Subscribe to turn your idea into reality one month at a time.
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Episodes
Overcoming Overwhelm: The Three Levers Framework
Polina from The Monthly Method discusses her hiatus from podcasting and introduces the 'Three Levers' framework, a concept she learned as a junior product manager. The framework helps simplify and streamline any project. Learn more about the Focus Room : https://monthlymethod.com/focus-room Timeline: 00:00 Introduction and Welcome Back 00:20 The Three Levers Framework 01:05 Applying the Framework to the Podcast 01:32 Exploring Resource Options 04:06 Adjusting the Timeline and Scope 06:28 Persona...
Jun 16, 2025•17 min•Ep. 73
Cool-Off Week: Counterintuitive Secret to My Consistency
The final ingredient of my Agile-inspired personal productivity system is the cool-off week. In this video, I share its origin story, explain what it is, describe what I do during this week, and reveal why it has been the key to staying consistent with my productivity system for the last 10 years. The Calm Ambition Club: https://monthlymethod.com/calm-ambition-club/ Blogpost mentioned: When feeling down, turn to aesthetics https://monthlymethod.com/aesthetics/ Timeline: 00:00 - Why I invented th...
Feb 10, 2025•23 min•Ep. 72
Cultivating the Art of Living through Sprint Retrospective
Sprint retrospective is the most important ritual in Agile philosophy. I'll share how you can build your own goal management system that is perfectly tailored to your life circumstances. The Calm Ambition Club: https://monthlymethod.com/calm-ambition-club/ Blog posts mentioned: Sprint-end celebration https://monthlymethod.com/sprint-end-celebration/ The baby shower story https://monthlymethod.com/failed-sprint-goals/ Optimizing life for a regular Tuesday https://monthlymethod.com/regular-tuesday...
Feb 03, 2025•32 min•Ep. 71
Don't disappear for a year. Stay recognizable.
Why the advice to disappear for a year is problematic. And what you can do instead. Enrollment for the Calm Ambition Club - February sprint closes tomorrow https://monthlymethod.com/calm-ambition-club/ Chapters: 00:00 - YouTube, we have a problem 01:23 - The only way to change our lives 02:04 - What happens if you manage to disappear for a year? 03:00 - My favourite quote 03:43 - Celebrating limitations 06:26 - If you were feeling hopeless 07:56 - On young generation being lost 08:46 - If you ca...
Jan 29, 2025•10 min•Ep. 70
Build a gym for your goals
What a good gym membership can teach us about goal setting in other areas of our lives? Learn more about the Calm Ambition Club: https://monthlymethod.com/calm-ambition-club/ Chapters: 00:00 - Have you ever wondered why people choose to pay for a gym membership in this day and age? 00:32 - What does it teach about our goals in general? 01:29 - Shopping for information 01:52 - Back to the initial question 05:26 - How to apply it to your goals for the New Year 06:29 - If you have creative or busin...
Jan 01, 2025•17 min•Ep. 69
The B- Work
Ever feel like your work has to be perfect before hitting 'publish'? Discover how embracing B- work can actually accelerate success. Blogpost with all the links mentioned: https://monthlymethod.com/ b-work / 00:00 - My story of working in a tech startup 03:23 - Perfectionism and the B- work 05:19 - Done first. Improved later. 06:56 - The B- work can change the world. 09:39 - Time constraints help. How to apply Agile to your life: http://monthlymethod.com/start-here/ If you want to stay in touch:...
Oct 21, 2024•11 min•Ep. 68
Choosing sprint goals. Definition of Done.
I share the best tool I have found in Agile methodology for overcoming perfectionism and analysis paralysis. I talk about the process of picking your sprint goals and polishing them up with the Definition of Done. Watch this episode is in video format: https://youtu.be/k7kR9OUn1B0 00:00 - Are you a perfectionist? 01:25 - Agile concepts we've already covered 02:25 - The purpose of your first sprint 03:16 - How do you pick your sprint goals? 03:25 - Can you get it done in one sprint? 04:00 - Accou...
Sep 23, 2024•15 min•Ep. 67
What is a sprint? How to use it in your life
One of the core Agile concepts is working in short sprints vs. setting long-term goals and plans. Let's look into what a sprint is, how long it should be, how to calculate sprint capacity, and choose a sprint focus. As always, we'll discuss how you can apply all of this to your own personal projects and goals. Timeline: 00:00 - Innovation in the tech industry 00:47 - What is a sprint? 02:07 - What is a good sprint duration? 04:36 - Sprint capacity 09:27 - Adjusting the scope of your sprint 10:15...
Jun 14, 2024•23 min•Ep. 66
Backlog: The Antidote to Chaotic Living
Backlog is where an Agile sprint begins. It's the foundation of the Agile Framework. Let's dive into the deeper meaning behind a backlog, why you need one in your life, and how to build one from scratch. Timeline: 00:00 Why Agile? 01:26 Backlog - what it is 01:58 Chaotic life filled with frantic action 03:00 How much time we actually have 04:10 How do we measure the quality of our goals? 06:56 The best time management hack 08:26 Agile tool for measuring the quality of your goals 09:22 Example of...
May 21, 2024•22 min•Ep. 65
Agile approach for managing your goals. Sprint cycle overview.
Let's review the core components and rituals of a sprint cycle and how you can apply those to your personal goals and projects. Link to the video version of this episode. Timestamps: (00:00) - - Overview (00:20) - - Creating backlog (01:51) - - Calculating sprint capacity (02:18) - - Deciding on the number of goals for the sprint (02:57) - - Sprint planning and scrum board (03:54) - - Duration of a sprint (05:05) - - Daily standups (05:37) - - Sprint retrospective (05:57) - - Cool-off week (08:1...
May 06, 2024•11 min•Ep. 64
How I learned about Agile 10 years ago. Why traditional goal-setting doesn't work.
In this episode I talk about why long-term goals don't work and how we've been mislead all this time by the traditional goal setting advice. I also share my story of finding out about Agile and how it changed my approach to personal productivity. Link to the video version of this episode. Timestamps: (00:00) - Traditional productivity advice (00:32) - New Year's Resolutions (00:55) - My first job at a fast-growing startup (01:10) - Corporate world - how things are usually done (01:40) - The time...
Apr 29, 2024•8 min•Ep. 63
Updates: Where I've been? What's new? What's the plan for the future?
A quick episode to say hi and give you some updates on my life and the Monthly Method. Please let me know what you think about the group sprints I have in mind! Timeline: 00:00 Intro 00:41 What happened last year? 2023 updates 04:13 What's happening this year? Summer 2024 07:59 Plans for the fall 2024 Links mentioned in the episode: - Read blog posts from last year: https://monthlymethod.com/blog/ - Subscribe to my newsletter to receive the latest blogposts to your email: https://monthlymethod.c...
Apr 22, 2024•16 min•Ep. 62
Applying Agile to New Year's Resolutions - Part 3
Today we are discussing finalizing your sprint goals using the definition of done. 00:00 - Intro 00:51 - Recap of our progress so far 02:40 - Finalizing sprint goals 04:05 - Checkpoints 05:00 - Adding definition of done 10:08 - Recommendations of a successful first sprint 12:13 - If you want to launch a side hustle next year 12:55 - If you have questions about this series FREE Workshop "3 steps to launching your digital product or service in 3 months or less" https://monthlymethod.com/3-month-la...
Dec 26, 2022•14 min•Ep. 61
Applying Agile to New Year's Resolutions - Part 2
Let's look at how you can apply agile principles to New Year's Resolutions. Today we are talking about using sprints, sprint capacity and backlog review to set new year's goals. 00:00 - Intro 00:50 - Sprints & picking sprint duration 08:15 - Don't plan the entire year 10:55 - Sprint capacity 17:30 - Backlog review 19:50 - When you have to many goals to choose from 22:00 - Homework 22:33 - If you want to launch something next year FREE Workshop "3 steps to launching your digital product or se...
Dec 19, 2022•24 min•Ep. 60
Applying Agile to New Year's Resolutions - Part 1
Let's look at how you can apply agile principles to New Year Resolutions. Today we are talking about using sprint retrospective and backlog to start the new year goal-setting process. FREE Workshop "3 steps to launching your digital product or service in 3 months or less" https://monthlymethod.com/3-month-launch-workshop/ Corresponding blog posts with all the links: https://monthlymethod.com/new-years-resolutions-1/ Submit your questions: https://monthlymethod.com/contact/ Free Guide to Plan You...
Dec 12, 2022•22 min•Ep. 59
Don't Break The Chain Rule with Agile Twist
Learn how you can apply the Don't Break the Chain Rule to managing your long-lasting projects. Sign up for the FREE workshop "3 steps to launching your digital product or service in 3 months or less": https://monthlymethod.com/3-month-launch-workshop/ Corresponding blog posts with all the links: https://monthlymethod.com/dont-break-the-chain/ Submit your questions: https://monthlymethod.com/contact/ Free Guide to Plan Your Week using Monthly Method principles: https://monthlymethod.com/guide/ Su...
Nov 28, 2022•24 min•Ep. 58
How to come up with creative ideas consistently
I share my favourite tips on generating and shipping creative ideas. FREE Workshop "3 steps to launching your product or service in 3 months or less" https://monthlymethod.com/3-month-launch-workshop/ Corresponding blog posts with all the links: https://monthlymethod.com/creative-ideas/ Submit your questions: https://monthlymethod.com/contact/ Free Guide to Plan Your Week using Monthly Method principles - https://monthlymethod.com/guide/ Support this podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/m...
Nov 14, 2022•34 min•Ep. 57
External Accountability
If you find yourself procrastinating on your goals, external accountability can be the fastest solution to your problem. Learn how you can apply it today. Enroll in the next sprint: https://monthlymethod.com/enroll/ Corresponding blog posts with all the links: https://monthlymethod.com/external-accountability/ Submit your questions: https://monthlymethod.com/contact/ Free Guide to Plan Your Week using Monthly Method principles - https://monthlymethod.com/guide/ Support this podcast on Patreon: h...
Oct 31, 2022•20 min•Ep. 56
How to prioritize goals
If you are confused about which goals you should focus on in the upcoming sprint, this episode is for you! Enroll in the next sprint: https://monthlymethod.com/enroll/ Corresponding blog posts with all the links: https://monthlymethod.com/prioritize-goals/ Submit your questions: https://monthlymethod.com/contact/ Free Guide to Plan Your Week using Monthly Method principles - https://monthlymethod.com/guide/ Support this podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monthly_method
Oct 24, 2022•30 min•Ep. 55
Strategies I used to finish master's degree early
I'm sharing the main principles, agile and not, that I've used to finish my master's earlier. Enroll in the next sprint: https://monthlymethod.com/enroll/ Corresponding blog posts with all the links: https://monthlymethod.com/finish-masters-degree-early/ Submit your questions: https://monthlymethod.com/contact/ Free Guide to Plan Your Week using Monthly Method principles - https://monthlymethod.com/guide/ Support this podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monthly_method
Oct 10, 2022•23 min•Ep. 54
The new way to look at time blocking
I would like to present a new way to look at time blocking. You might find time blocking being a lot more flexible, freeing and not as strict as before. Enroll in the next sprint: https://monthlymethod.com/enroll/ Corresponding blog posts with all the links: https://monthlymethod.com/flexible-time-blocking/ Submit your questions: https://monthlymethod.com/contact/ Free Guide to Plan Your Week using Monthly Method principles - https://monthlymethod.com/guide/ Support this podcast on Patreon: http...
Sep 26, 2022•13 min•Ep. 53
Sprint Capacity
In today's episode, we are talking about another Scrum principle - Sprint Capacity. Listen to learn how you can apply it to your personal productivity. 00:00 - Intro 00:55 - How Sprint Capacity works in Scrum teams 04:50 - How you can apply Sprint Capacity to your personal projects and goals Enroll in the next sprint: https://monthlymethod.com/enroll/ Corresponding blog posts with all the links: https://monthlymethod.com/sprint-capacity/ Submit your questions: https://monthlymethod.com/contact/ ...
Sep 12, 2022•18 min•Ep. 52
Home Renovations using Agile/Scrum
In this episode I am sharing Agile/Scrum principles I have been applying to my home renovation projects. 00:00 - Intro + Where I got the inspiration 03:50 - Sprint Planning 09:50 - Sprint Capacity 11:00 - Definition of Done 13:19 - Moving things to Done 16:05 - Daily standup 17:20 - About September sprint Enroll in the next sprint: https://monthlymethod.com/enroll/ Corresponding blog posts with all the links: https://monthlymethod.com/agile-home-renovation/ Submit your questions: https://monthly...
Aug 29, 2022•19 min•Ep. 51
Mind trick for starting a new habit and building consistency
I want to share the mind trick that can help you in building new habits. Enroll in the next sprint: https://monthlymethod.com/enroll/ Corresponding blog posts with all the links: https://monthlymethod.com/start-habit/ Submit your questions: https://monthlymethod.com/contact/ Free Guide to Plan Your Week using Monthly Method principles - https://monthlymethod.com/guide/ Support this podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monthly_method
Aug 22, 2022•10 min•Ep. 50
The Happy Path Concept
Learn about a new product management concept that can be applied to your personal projects. Corresponding blog posts with all the links: https://monthlymethod.com/happy-path/ Submit your questions: https://monthlymethod.com/contact/ Free Guide to Plan Your Week using Monthly Method principles - https://monthlymethod.com/guide/ Enroll in the next sprint: https://monthlymethod.com/enroll/ Support this podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monthly_method
Aug 15, 2022•19 min•Ep. 49
How many sprints does it take to build a habit?
Let's talk about habit building. How long does it take to build different habits? How can you build the habits faster? Corresponding blog posts with all the links: https://monthlymethod.com/build-habit/ Submit your questions: https://monthlymethod.com/contact/ Free Guide to Plan Your Week using Monthly Method principles - https://monthlymethod.com/guide/ Enroll in the next sprint: https://monthlymethod.com/enroll/ Support this podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monthly_method
Feb 21, 2022•23 min•Ep. 48
What I've learned about Scrum from being a Product Manager
What did I learn about agile and Scrum from using it every day in my full-time job as a product manager? Corresponding blog posts with all the links: https://monthlymethod.com/scrum-from-pm/ Submit your questions: https://monthlymethod.com/contact/ Free Guide to Plan Your Week using Monthly Method principles - https://monthlymethod.com/guide/ Enroll in the next sprint: https://monthlymethod.com/enroll/ Support this podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monthly_method
Feb 14, 2022•23 min•Ep. 47
Experimental Mindset
Think like a scientist and approach your goal setting and habit building from an experimental mindset. Corresponding blog posts with all the links: https://monthlymethod.com/experimental-mindset/ Submit your questions: https://monthlymethod.com/contact/ Free Guide to Plan Your Week using Monthly Method principles - https://monthlymethod.com/guide/ Enroll in the next sprint: https://monthlymethod.com/enroll/ Support this podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monthly_method
Feb 07, 2022•20 min•Ep. 46
Winter: The time to build new habits
A new way to view your wintertime. Use it wisely to set the best foundation for the rest of your year. Corresponding blog posts with all the links: https://monthlymethod.com/productive-winter/ Submit your questions: https://monthlymethod.com/contact/ Free Guide to Plan Your Week using Monthly Method principles - https://monthlymethod.com/guide/ Enroll in the next sprint: https://monthlymethod.com/enroll/ Support this podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monthly_method
Jan 31, 2022•14 min•Ep. 45
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