Career & Business Coaching Blog.
Inspiration and tips for multi-passionate creatives & entrepreneurs.
5 Ways for Creative Generalists to Build Better Boundaries
I like to think that setting boundaries is a version of self-care. It creates a rule or limit that I can impose on others to protect myself. And no one can get upset with me for creating a boundary - well they can and probably will, but they shouldn’t and it won’t be for me to worry about. It’s on them.
When you build boundaries, you’re telling others what is and isn’t acceptable to you. Other reasons why setting boundaries is important - and necessary, include getting the respect you deserve and growing your own self-respect, improving your emotional health and relationships, warding off burnout, and decreasing your stress and anxiety.
Think about it: when you aren’t busy worrying what others will think when you ask for something you need, if you could get work done without being distracted by a colleague who just wants to chat, or if you could go to the movies by yourself just because you want to, things would be so much easier. You’d be able to breathe and better show up for what really matters in your life
Creative generalists are people who are good at multiple things. Most people try to niche down and become an expert in one specific thing, but creative generalists can’t. Our brains are wired differently and we need fresh ideas, new topics, and an array of things to study to feel fulfilled. I myself have worked in marketing, philosophy, the web, digital marketing, coaching, and as a consultant for start-ups. I’m also a start-up founder, a researcher, and a writer. If I hadn’t discovered that I was a creative generalist, I would have continued to try and fit myself in the box society built for people who enjoy niching down, but I would have felt miserable that I couldn’t follow my many interests for the rest of my life.
Creative generalism may sound like a person who wants to do just one thing, but really it’s about wanting to do all the things. Being a Jack/Jill/Jay of all trades. Unfortunately, it can also mean we’re more prone to avoiding boundaries and getting sucked into all. the. things.
For real, think about all the hobbies you have started and abandoned. Think of all the books you tossed aside when they became repetitive. Or think of the fact that you have multiple jobs or interests in various fields and are always daydreaming about pursuing them. If this is you, my friend, I have news for you: you’re a creative generalist.
Welcome to the club!
With that in mind, here are five ways to build better boundaries so you can get back to doing the work that makes you feel fulfilled.
Learn to say no. It’s so important to say no. You have to stop agreeing to do things you don’t really want to do. To paraphrase Mark Manson in The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck, if it’s not a, “Hell yes!” It’s a “F*ck no.”
Know yourself well. When you are self-aware and have reflected on who you are and what you want, you will have a clear idea of the boundary that needs to be drawn. There is nothing worse than feeling like a boundary should be put into place for a while, but being unclear of what you need, and then blowing up at someone, or getting overwhelmed, and enforcing the boundary in a hostile state. If you know what you need, and you’re clear about why you need it, you can articulate it clearly and be heard more openly.
Know what matters to you. It’s important to know what kind of life you want and what kind of person you want to be before you can effectively put boundaries into place. If you don’t know what matters to you, how do you know if those boundaries are actually important - they may be misplaced.
Make sure you know what your skills are - both the hard and soft ones. By knowing what you can do, you’ll be able to figure out what work - or life decisions - are meant for you. For instance, if one of your soft skills is working in a collaborative setting, you might not be happy working independently for long periods of time. When you know the environment you thrive in and the skills you want to use, it’s easier to pick things that actually align with you.
Practice flexibility. None of these steps are easy, but for creative generalists looking to build , trying to also be flexible for when life gets in the way, can be extremely challenging. But it’s important. Learning when you can be flexible and still feel good about having, and asserting, a boundary is the most important mindset to adopt.
Most of the creative generalists I know - myself included - are also perfectionists, people-pleasers, and Type A overachievers. We want to do the best, say yes to everything, and if it doesn’t work out, we have a tendency to crumble. But that’s because we don’t have good boundaries! We aren’t saying no to work, events, and other things that don’t align with what matters to us, what the skills we want to use are, and what we know we want to be doing. We are being inflexible.
We can’t move forward and take up space in a way that truly represents who we are until we can create boundaries and stick to them (when needed).
Ready to build a boundary that doesn’t crumble?
Building boundaries is hard, but so is living a life where you feel stuck because no one listens to your wants and needs (including yourself).
When we work together, we figure out those five things above. We get into the nitty gritty of who you want to be and start crafting boundaries to get you there.
Understanding Your Creative Brain: Finding Focus to Finally Finish What You Started
As a lifelong creative generalist, I've always had a million ideas claiming space in my head, all pulling at me and whispering to me to get me to do something about them. Rushes of inspiration fuel my imagination on the daily, igniting a spark within me to embark on countless projects. I know I'm not alone in this.
Many creatives and entrepreneurs (especially creative generalists) deal with this. It's particularly tricky when we're in our most innovative and passionate mode, the flow and excitement we achieve when we're at the beginning of a new project. This is often when we feel we have massive creative energy - enough to spare some for other projects while building this bright and beautiful new thing. And it is all great for a while. Until we find ourselves overwhelmed by a growing pile of half-finished exciting ideas we couldn't wait to get started on. For the longest time, this was true for me. I would get excited about something, start developing the idea, then slowly lose interest and eventually stop before I'd created anything worthwhile.
The truth is: the challenge with our creative brains is not how to generate ideas (we have those all the time!) but how to maintain the focus required to see them through.
If you can relate to this struggle, read on! In this article, I will share tips and strategies to help you navigate the labyrinth that is your creative brain and empower you to conquer the misery of unfinished projects once and for all.
Embracing your creative (and multi-passionate) brain.
When clients come to me for help with seeing their projects through, they often have a lot of negative things to say about their creative brains. I don't blame them; I used to feel the same way. I would get frustrated and ask myself why I wasn't able to stick to anything or why it was so easy for me to start projects and so hard for me to finish them.
Today, I feel differently about how my brain is wired. I'm proud of my creative generalist nature and the many ideas and interests that I enjoy. So the first step in getting good at getting things done is acknowledging the value of creative thinking: creative ideas are the building blocks of innovation and personal growth. It's essential to recognize the incredible power that creative ideas hold.
Another critical element in befriending your unique creative brain is understanding the importance of embracing your imagination. Instead of wishing you could stick to one idea, cultivate a mindset that encourages and celebrates imaginative thinking. Allow yourself to explore new ideas without judgment or limitations.
Finally, embracing your creative brain means embracing the process of iteration and experimentation. Creativity is never a linear path; it's a cycle of trial and error, refinement, and revision. Give yourself permission to make mistakes and learn from them. Not every project you start will need to be finished (see below for more on this crucial point!). Understand that not every idea will be a masterpiece, but each contributes to your growth as a creative human.
Sometimes quitting simply means you're done.
Before we dive into the truth that, yes, (multi-passionate) creatives and entrepreneurs start more projects than they finish and can indeed lack focus sometimes, an important side note must be made. For creative generalists, quitting something simply means we're done. Because of our hunger for knowledge, we can dive deep into a subject until we've explored it, satisfied our curiosity, and gained a comprehensive understanding. When that happens, we usually quit.
The problem is our finish line is often different from the finish line of society. When we get what we came for is precisely when other people tell us we should stick to it or even "turn it into a business." But that's not what generalists do because our true passion lies in exploring and pursuing new knowledge and ideas. We thrive on the thrill of discovery and the joy of learning, and once we have mastered a subject or dived into a project enough, according to our understanding, our attention naturally shifts to the next exciting idea that captures our imagination. So for us, quitting is not always a sign of failure or lack of commitment; it indicates that we have accomplished what we set out to do.
However, this is not always the case. We have been known (ahem) to start new projects we wanted to see through and leave those halfway accomplished too. What is going on when that happens?
Understanding your lack of focus.
There are many reasons why our initial focus can dissolve and turn into procrastination, overthinking, or even starting another project (I know). Still, one of the most important reasons for creatives and entrepreneurs is the curse of shiny object syndrome.
We must be willing to recognize the attractiveness of new ideas and our tendency to chase after the next exciting project without completing the current ones. Yes, we love new things, and they always seem so shiny and bright, especially when the thing we're working on is a bit harder than expected, a bit boring at times, or not going as planned. When that happens - which is NORMAL in any project - the allure of novelty and engaging with another idea is hard to withstand.
One of the most striking ways I see clients go through this is when their sales or marketing plans aren't working as they should. Instead of pushing through and keeping a focused approach to their marketing and sales activities, many clients will cancel the plan and try something else. The problem is: if you do this each time selling your product or service gets hard, you'll probably never sell anything because you're not giving the seeds you're planting enough time to take root and grow.
Another way lack of focus shows up is the fear of failure, often disguised as perfectionism. Perfectionism leads to self-doubt, over-analysis, and getting stuck. When you're struggling with completing projects, it's important to remember that the struggle is part of the process. Nobody delivers something new without at least a dash of doubt and uncertainty. Nobody delivers a new project perfectly. Embracing the struggle and accepting the imperfections as part of the creative process will allow you to reach the finish line more often.
How to finish what you start? Here are three tips that might help you:
Set micro-goals: I'm sure you've heard this before, but it works! Break down your project or goal into smaller, achievable tasks or milestones. On your to-do list, make sure only to list the smaller tasks (that you can do in one sitting) and not goals (this happens a lot, believe me, "finish my website" is a goal, not a task). Instead of focusing on the result, set specific and manageable task goals (my number is three daily tasks) for each day or week. This approach lets me make consistent progress while I maintain motivation along the way. By celebrating reaching my daily number every day, these small successes boost my confidence and help me keep going.
Practice strategic rest: While it's important to stay committed and focused, giving yourself the rest you need is equally vital! Don't push yourself to the edges of exhaustion; plan for strategic rest periods into your work days. Listen to your body and mind, and don't postpone taking breaks to recharge when needed. Engage in play and fun activities that relax and inspire you, such as walking in nature, practicing mindfulness, or your favorite hobby. I consider these breaks part of my work because they improve my productivity and prevent burnout, ultimately helping me to stay on track and focused.
Play a game with yourself: Turn your project into a fun and engaging game. I invite my clients to see their work as play and reward themselves for tasks they complete or milestones they achieve. Making work fun is excellent for maintaining motivation and increasing productivity. Create challenges, set milestones, and reward yourself for completing certain tasks or reaching specific checkpoints. For example, set a timer and challenge yourself to complete a task within a specific timeframe. Give yourself some points or a small reward once you've finished it.
Gamifying your work and projects adds an element of excitement. It can make the process more enjoyable - and thus more sustainable, especially when things don't go as planned (which they never do). It helps shift your mindset from watching Netflix to a playful and engaging way of tackling a task, increasing your chances of finishing what you start.
I hope these tips are helpful. I'd love to know how they work for you, so let me know! As you embark on a new creative project, remember that the path to success is not linear or even paved with only groundbreaking ideas. Success requires focus, discipline, and tenacity.
By embracing your creative mind and understanding how you're wired, you can become better at finishing what you start. So many of my clients and I are living proof of it. You, too, have the power to master your creative brain and finish what you start!
Tired of never finishing what you started?
Are you tired of starting projects, only to abandon them halfway through? Do you find yourself stuck in a cycle of unfinished goals, leaving you frustrated and unfulfilled? If so, it's time to get unstuck and achieve your true potential.
I understand the challenges you face (I’ve been there myself), and I’m here to help. Don't let unfinished projects keep weighing you down. Sign up for your free coaching session now. Together, let's turn your dreams into successes!
3 Tips to Live at Your Full Potential, Instead of Your Full Capacity
"I'm tired. I'm exhausted. I'm burnt out. Am I doing enough?" It's a question many of us ask ourselves. I hear it from my clients, too. But is it the right question to be asked to assess success in life?
Living at capacity is not living at your full potential; capacity means working as hard and as long as possible even if it doesn't make sense for your own needs, schedule, or goals. Full capacity means that you're using up all of your resources, not that you’re doing the right things…
Success is not about working as hard as possible all the time. It's not about being busy, and it's not about filling up your calendar so you can check off "done" for the day/week/month. Yet, this is how many people go through their lives—always trying to get to the end of a to-do list that keeps getting longer.
Success comes when we're living our full potential, which means doing things that make us happy and using our gifts and talents. For creative generalists (multi-passionate creatives) especially, because of the many interests and ideas we have, this can be challenging. Because we're fast learners and good at many things, it's easy for us to fall into the trap of busyness instead of doing work that matters to us.
Besides the daily grind, many reasons can get you stuck working at full capacity. Here are the four most common ones:
You're a perfectionist
Perfectionism is the number one reason people get stuck working at full capacity. They want everything to be perfect before they can move on, which means they spend more time than necessary on tasks and end up never finishing anything. If you're a perfectionist, it's essential to learn to let go and move on.
You're a people pleaser
People pleasers tend to overcommit themselves because they don't want to let others down. They say "yes" to everything, even sacrificing their own time and energy. As a result, they end up feeling overwhelmed and stressed out. If you're a people pleaser, it's essential to learn to set boundaries and say "no" when necessary.
You're a control freak
Control freaks want to be in charge of everything, which means they have difficulty delegating tasks or asking for help. As a result, they do more than they need to and burn themselves out. If you're a control freak, it's essential to learn to stop micromanaging and allow others to help you.
You're a procrastinator
If you're a procrastinator, it's essential to learn to manage your time better and start tasks sooner. Procrastinators tend to put off tasks until the last minute, creating unnecessary stress and pressure. They often work better under pressure, but this isn't sustainable in the long run. If you’re a procrastinator, lower the bar to the point that even you can’t make excuses anymore.
So, how can you shift from living at full capacity to living at your full potential?
Here are three tips:
Get clear on your values and what makes you happy.
Knowing what's important to you makes it easier to make decisions that align with those values. And when you're doing things that make you happy, you're more likely to be in a flow state, which is when we're most productive.
Simplify your life and schedule.
Remove any activity that isn't helping you to be happy or successful (yes, that probably means a big chunk of what you're currently doing on the daily). When you have more free time, use it to do things that bring you joy or work on your passion projects.
Set boundaries and say "no" more often.
This is probably the most important one. When you have clear boundaries, you can say no to the things that don't align with your values and goals. This allows you to focus your time and energy on the truly important things to you.
Living at full potential doesn't mean you have to do more; it just means you have to do things that align with your values and make you happy. This might mean that if you're a creative generalist or an entrepreneur, you will need to figure out what a unique career path might look like. Because when you're clear on what those things are, it's much easier to focus your time and energy on them.
If you feel exhausted and burnt out, ask yourself if you're living at full capacity or full potential. If it's full capacity, make some changes so you can start living at your full potential.
Feeling lost and uncertain about your career?
You're not alone. A lot of people feel this way at some point in their lives. That's why I offer coaching to help you find your way.
I can help you get unstuck and move forward in your career. Together, we can figure out what's holding you back and create a plan to overcome it. Coaching is an investment in yourself – and it will pay off big time.
10 Alternatives to Feeling Guilt and Shame on Zero-Progress Days
It's a zero-progress day. There's a ton on your plate, your to-do list is screaming at you, but you have no inspiration and even less motivation to do anything. You're procrastinating, you didn't get anything done, and now you feel guilty and ashamed for it.
We all have unproductive days from time to time, but feeling guilt or shame about them only makes the problem worse. In this article, we'll discuss why doing nothing can be productive and ten alternatives to feeling bad about your lack of progress so that you can make the most out of your downtime!
When we get nothing done, we can feel guilty and shameful for doing nothing.
We all know that unproductive days are inevitable - you can't be at your best all the time, but the worst thing you can do on those days is beat yourself up. Especially as creatives and entrepreneurs, who always have so much going on in our businesses or lives, we can feel the pressure when it looks like we’re “losing” time.
As long as it's not a daily habit that keeps you stuck, doing nothing regularly is an essential part of being productive in a balanced way. You can't be 'on' all the time, and if you try to be, you're only setting yourself up for burnout.
So what should you do on those zero-progress days? Here are ten alternatives to feeling bad about your lack of progress:
Give yourself a break: One of the best things you can do on an unproductive day is give yourself a break. Relax, watch some TV, read a book, or take a nap - anything to get your mind off work.
Make a list of what you did: Rather than feeling guilty and ashamed about not getting anything done, make a list of everything you did manage to do. The list can include taking a walk, reading an article, or even checking your email.
Set some simple goals for tomorrow: If you're struggling to get started on anything, it might help set some simple goals for tomorrow. Plans don't need to be lofty or complicated; they can be as simple as "take a shower" or "make breakfast."
Do some easy tasks: Unproductive days can be frustrating because we feel like we're not accomplishing anything. To combat this, try to do some easy tasks to check off your list quickly. Doing this will help you feel more productive and motivated.
Unplug from technology: Although it may seem counterintuitive, one of the best things you can do on an unproductive day is disconnect from all forms of technology. This includes your phone, computer, television, and any other devices you use daily.
Get organised: One of the best ways to combat unproductive days is to get organised. Spend an hour or two organising your workspace, your to-do list, or your schedule. Doing this will help you feel more in control and less overwhelmed, and it's something many of us do when we procrastinate anyway :)
Learn something new: Take some time to learn something new. Read an article, listen to a podcast, or watch a tutorial. Learning something new can help jump-start your brain and give you some new ideas.
Connect with someone: When we're feeling unproductive, we can feel isolated and alone. Take some time to reach out to a friend, family member, or colleague. Check in on them, have a conversation, or exchange some funny memes.
Exercise: Exercise is a great way to jump-start your day and get your energy up. If you're not in the mood to work out, try going for a walk or doing some yoga.
Take a break from work: Finally, if all else fails, take a break from work. Sometimes it's just not possible to get anything done, and that's okay. Tomorrow is a new day with new possibilities.
Unproductive days are inevitable, but that doesn't mean you have to spend the whole day feeling guilty. There are plenty of things you can do to make the most out of your downtime. So next time you find yourself with an unproductive day, try one of these ten alternatives and see how you feel.
Are you feeling lost and stuck about your next steps?
Private coaching is a unique opportunity to work one-on-one with me to help you clarify your goals, develop a plan of action, and stay accountable. You'll get the support you need to move forward in your career or business.
Imagine what it would feel like to finally have clarity and direction in your life. With private coaching, you can make this dream a reality.
Smart work habits for creatives and entrepreneurs
There’s a difference between doing things mindlessly and doing things consciously. Have you ever gone grocery shopping and realized once you got home that you bought *some* (ahem, a lot) of unhealthy options? And that you forgot the apples?!
This is only a small example of how we operate on autopilot most of the time. Now what does that look like for a multi-passionate creative trying to get work done?
Habits and Productivity
With a multi-passionate, creative mind like yours I know you struggle with focusing – I’ve been there. You let distractions get the better of you, you tend to be indecisive about the fourteenth great idea you have, and you just feel like you’re too busy all the time! (Spoiler, you’re not truly being productive, you just look like you are…). So, how can you finally get to work so you can achieve all the things you want?
Awareness is the idea that you’re mindful of your internal and external surroundings. We practice being aware through specific mindsets or behaviours, for example in the form of a new daily habit or ritual. This adds a layer of meaning and purpose to what you’re doing. What’s a ritual, or formal process (or ceremony) you can start tomorrow that’s small? This could be as simple as a five minute routine in the morning, an act of self-care, something you do when preparing a meal, journaling… The idea is to find something small that can help you shift into action.
Too many ideas? Journal them.
Don’t know how to start a business as a multi-passionate ambitious creative? Speak with a coach.
Feeling overwhelmed with your to-do list? Take a course on working smarter and not harder.
Trust me, I know because not only was I there (not knowing who I was and what my personal dreams were), but those are the exact clients I serve today (feel free to sign up for a free consult – no pressure!).
What will help you do things differently from now on?
Creating new, automatic actions that help you achieve your goals. I like to call them rituals, but you can call them something else. They can help shape or shift you, changing you on a deeper level.
Daily rituals act like small but important ceremonies, where you’re consciously allowing things to take place rather than being overwhelmed, distracted or careless. That’s why they’re such an important part of the Smart Work™ that I teach. Adjusting your daily habits is something you can do with anything in your life – regardless of how big or small, whether it’s moving more slowly, eating nutritiously, or making decisions that will impact where your career takes you. But most importantly with purpose rather than just rushing it because everyone else is doing it. A ritual is personal and should fit you like a glove.
Smart Work is also a free challenge I developed about these very issues my clients face over and over. It’s about more than just knowing what to do to achieve your goals, but embodying it so you don’t give up if it doesn’t go perfectly the first time.
By inviting intentional rituals into your life you rewire your entire system.
You’re addressing those habits that might get in your way, whether it’s distraction, fear, feeling like you’re not enough, or you might not deserve it. The stagnant and exhausted parts of your life need a breath of fresh air.
Habits and rituals are important because they add your senses to your day-to-day life, so you’re not just centring life on what you produce. Life is not meant to be tedious work. If you’ve been busy this whole time and you still feel like the finish line keeps being pushed back it’s time for a different approach.
Knowing what the first step is – what helps align with who you want to be and how you want to feel – is important.
You can’t create something new when there’s no space for it.
What is currently serving you? What isn’t serving you? Is stress and overwhelm a common denominator at every turn? Let’s focus on 6 specific habits around smart work.
Smart work habits for creatives and entrepreneurs
Banish Distractions: address distractions holding you back. Overwhelmed? What’s causing it? How do you stop them? Why are you doing what you’re doing and why *that* specific goal? What’s the relationship you have with yourself, and how can you get time to work for you and not against you?
Build Healthy Boundaries: what are safe and reasonable ways for how you expect yourself and others to behave? What do you require to understand your own needs, priorities – mentally and emotionally? How do you communicate? Do you know how to say “no”? Saying “no” and letting go of guilt, negative self-talk and boosting the positive chemicals in your brain are vital to be smart about your time!
Embrace Simplicity: let’s declutter (music to Marie Kondo’s ears!). Not just physical things, but digital, personal and emotional. If you want to be truly productive then you must be willing to move from chaos to calm and easy systems, (eliminate, automate and delegate), to let go and create space for things that truly matter. Are you still holding onto too much baggage? Then you’ll keep paying for the extra fee.
Find Balance: we hear this as “work-life balance,” but it’s more than that because you’re not just the work you produce, you’re so much more! Finding balance means getting focused, intentional and not running on autopilot. What does true success mean to you and not other people? Do you suffer from imposter syndrome? That constant feeling of inadequacy around what you can and can’t achieve? What if those thoughts were learned and inherited from other people? How can you truly find balance as a woman in today’s society?
Create Daily Rituals: working smarter and not harder requires attention and intention – you need to focus on your inner voice. What nourishes you, your habits, and your self-awareness and daily routines? What is the anatomy of an effective goal? Have your lessons in life been practical or short-lived? Do you still feel overwhelmed by chaos, or are you ready to turn new habits into inspiring and life-changing daily rituals?
Master Smart Work: There’s only so much growth you can do on your own, even for an overachieving perfectionist (hello there!). The truth is you must create a deep sense of awareness within yourself. How do you remain present? Accept the highs and lows? Transform the old into the new? How do you keep self-sabotage in check? You’re on a journey to uncover your unique recipe to success and that requires transforming your internal programming in the final step towards smart work.
How do you want to grow as a creative or entrepreneur? Ditch the old, and embrace the new (and not in a cheesy, new year’s resolutions again, kind of way).
By addressing these key ingredients to Smart Work™ you might be closer to your dreams than you’ve ever been before.
So what’s next for you? As we close off the past, I encourage you to slow down and realize that you’ve accomplished so much and only the best is yet to come.
5 skills (you can start with today) to work less and achieve more
Among the many ways that can help to work less and achieve more, there are 5 skills that I live by.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s so much information out there! Courses, blogs and advice that offer great value, but what will truly make a difference? Which resources are helpful for you, and what *you* want to achieve today?
I might not have the perfect answer, (which doesn’t exist anyway) but I do have the experience as a professional coach and Smart Work™ Expert to share that my clients come to me feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, and leave feeling less distracted, more calm and more productive.
The recurring theme, distilled from more than a thousand coaching hours, is that time management, productivity, and the confidence to achieve a level of success that seems unreachable, are at the heart of working effectively.
Working less but achieving more means just that: achieving a state where you’re not scattering your energy anywhere and everywhere, all the time.
It’s about knowing and differentiating between what should receive your energy and attention and what needs to be discarded or stopped. Before you can do that, you must develop a higher level of self-awareness.
5 Skills to Work Less And Achieve More
#1 Seek Clarity
Being crystal clear with yourself requires a level of honesty and transparency that can be challenging. Defense mechanisms can get in the way. “I wasn’t late, the bus was,” or “I can’t invest in my own goals, things are just too busy.”
Be honest with why you want to grow, and if you’re willing to give up outdated habits, and beliefs. Replace them with a crystal clear vision of who you want to be, and what you want to achieve. Ask yourself: why do you want to achieve this, and are you ready to commit to change?
#2 Prioritize
Precise arrival at the right time is quite a different feeling than running late, packing frantically, sweating in the Uber ride and being the last one at the meeting. This might be the feeling you carry with you along every task you undertake. The frantic overwhelm and anxiety. It’s the result of miscommunicating your priorities to yourself. Wanting to get too much done affects this, as does focusing on the wrong things and mistaking them for the right ones.
Track what you’re doing: sleeping and eating habits, people who drain and fuel you, where you’re losing your time – social media? Binge-watching shows? Shopping online? Prioritize the things that are important to your future self and not just the person you are right now. Ask yourself: are you willing to sacrifice short-term gratification for long-term success?
#3 Manage Yourself
Life has peaks and valleys, and you cannot control every external happening. However, you can manage your inner state. Your reactions, emotions, and attitude to what happens day-to-day.
If you have a difficult time with patience, you might be draining yourself of mental energy because you spend more time stressed out than choosing calm as a response (did you know you have that option?!). Ask yourself: are you willing to admit your growth areas, start on a new plan for addressing them, and how to overcome them?
#4 Boundaries
There’s no such thing as #SoulfulProductivity without a focus on boundaries. When was the last time you said “no” confidently? As women we tend to be “yes” people because we’re nurturing and accommodating.
But where do you draw the line? How do you prioritize if you feel you *must* say yes all the time? Ask yourself: are you ready to say “no” and not feel guilty? Are you ready to put yourself first.
#5 Less stuff
Being able to do less and achieve more, means reassessing the mental, emotional, physical and digital landscape that is your life. The ways and spaces you interact with on the day to day. Materialism is making us sick, social media is affecting our mental health, and our sleep. The psychological benefits of tidying up are proving to be great (thank you Marie Kondo!), so take a good look around you.
Start with decluttering where it makes sense to begin. Take a digital detox, Marie Kondo your home, or clean up your computer. Making space actually promotes new energy, less distraction, and stress from the important tasks you do want to accomplish.
When you have a laundry list of to-dos, life or work gets overwhelming.
Trust me I was there, and I did a lot of trial and error to find tools, tips and tricks that actually work to get you off the hamster wheel of productivity! I left the corporate world to pursue a more soulfully productive way of living. I even teach about it here. I followed my true voice because it grew too loud, too frustrated and – honestly – too exhausted.
The truth is: you have to clear time to make time! If you want to prioritize yourself AND improve your well-being, you *must* create space so you can invest in yourself.
The 5 skills you must practice to work less and achieve more is not a quick fix, nor is it a gimmick. It’s also not an easy road – at first. Once you’ve mastered those 5 though, you’ll get more focused time to tackle some of life’s bigger challenges that are getting in the way of being soulfully productive.
Once you have mastered those 5 skills, everything else will flow naturally and easily into place.
Until then, practice them as often as you can. Start small, start today, and let me know how it goes!
How to cultivate a procrastination-busting mindset
You are a multi-passion woman. You have many interests, and you want to achieve and learn so many things. It sometimes seems as if you have too many interests. And you feel you need to choose. But you don’t know what to choose, let alone how to do it. So you do nothing. You contemplate all that you want to be and do, but you do nothing. You procrastinate. Sound familiar?
I’ve been there, and I’ve looked at that mountain of things I wanted to achieve for many, many years.
Languages I wanted to learn, courses I wanted to take, things I wanted to build with my hands, creative endeavors I wanted to start, books I wanted to write, places I wanted to visit, experiences I wanted to have…. All the while, I was doing nothing, or at least not enough. And I kept putting things off based on small and insignificant excuses that I kept on telling myself to make myself feel better.
It was as if I was living two lives. The one I was in, where not a lot was happening and I felt I was out of place. And the life I was dreaming about in my mind – the one where I was doing all the things I knew I wanted to do, and where I was living all these amazing adventures and being who I really wanted to be. Until one day I decided that I could no longer just think about what it was I wanted, but needed to actually go get it, too.
And what a paradox that was. On the outside, I was very successful. I was an accomplished business woman, running large projects and esteemed by my peers. But on the inside I was called to do so many others things, always telling myself later, one day, when I grow up. But then one day I grew up. I was 35, and I realized I could keep waiting like this forever, or I could actually go out and start living. But to do that, I had to learn to beat the procrastination habit. Because that habit had been with me for so long that I didn’t know any other way.
Every time I looked at what I wanted to achieve and become, that mountain became bigger and bigger. And every time I gave it even only a tiny little glimpse, I feared climbing it more and more. But that was before. That was when I hadn’t taken any action yet. Once I did that, once I decided just to do one thing – anything, really – I set something in motion that led me to where I am today. For me, it was the day I decided to stop doing things the way I knew wasn’t working. I woke up, and that day for the first time I told someone that I wasn’t happy and that I was going to stir things up. That little step, just expressing that thought, was enough of an action to propel me towards change.
The day I did that, I started to cultivate a procrastination-busting mindset. And although it seemed like an almost impossible task then, now that I’m here, it sounds so easy. To cultivate a procrastination-busting mindset you have to do things and express thoughts. Because expressing a thought is as much doing something as lifting a box, writing in your journal or cooking dinner. You have to stop thinking about things too much, you have to avoid putting too many things on top of each other in your mind, and instead, you have to act out and express. Action drives change. Yes. But it kills procrastination too.
And yes, I hear you. You’re thinking: “Now, that sounds easy; if I knew how to get into action, I wouldn’t be procrastinating all the time”. And you are right. But you see, the secret to taking and being in action is simply, well… to start. And the secret to starting anything is to do it. And what I have found to be the secret of doing things – and I promise this is the last secret I’ll share today – is to take it one small step at a time. Because when you take enough of those steps, you go really, really far.
So the easiest way to cultivate a procrastination-busting mindset is to choose the tiniest of things to do on your dream to-do list, and to take action on that immediately.Procrastination hates it when you don’t wait to do things, but tackle them right away instead.
Another way to look at this is to tell yourself that whatever it is you’re going to do, you only have to do 5 minutes of it at a time. That’s all. After 5 minutes, you’re free to do whatever it is your procrastinating self wants to do. I guarantee you there is no better way to get you into action and working towards your dreams.
Now, of course there is much more to staying in action and keeping procrastination at bay. What do you do, for instance, when you feel paralyzed by too many choices? Or when there isn’t a small step to take, but only what looks like giant steps instead? I have developed techniques and systems to help with that and much more and I’m sharing all of it in my 3-week self-paced Dream Bigger Course. Feel free to check it out!