Dear Designers,
A lot of us are also really overwhelmed by the amount of work we have to do as well as the amount of time we have to do it.
One of the things I started doing, and recommend that you start doing too, is to make a list of all the things that take up time and energy but are not really serving you or your goals.
I’ve been doing this lately and I love it.
This practice has led to an avalanche of people, things, and situations that drain my time and energy that I’m no longer willing to care about.
Now, that may sound flat out mean but I have to tell you, it’s not. I’m polite and thoughtful but still firm my decisions to say “no” to things that are not helping me move any closer to my goals and dreams.
So what do I mean by that?
Well, when I made my list of things that I would no longer give power to, it started to open up a much deeper look into these things. I started to realize that there are ingrained ideas and beliefs that go hand in hand with being a business owner, that I’m no longer willing to give power to. And it started to feel really great to say it out loud.
Here’s some of my list of things I can’t care about anymore:
- Attending multiple “networking” events per month.
- What my colleagues and competitors are posting on Instagram.
- The number of followers that others have on Instagram.
- Answering unsolicited emails from people I’ve never met.
- The fact that sometimes I just can’t find the time to get a blog post published.
- The belief that I need to make myself uncomfortable in order to grow.
- The practice of feeling guilty for not putting in a full 8 hours some days.
- The word “hustle.”
Do you see what I’m getting at here? So many of these things have been draining my energy and creativity for too long and it’s been pretty awesome to make this list and look at it every time I find myself hemming and hawing or feeling bad or worrying about the things I’m “supposed” to be doing.
You know, I’ve felt bits and pieces of this before — trying to stop feeling guilty about things, challenging the idea of “hustle” — but there was something about making my list that felt so damn liberating.
So I’ll challenge you to do the same. Go deep with it, ask yourself what’s really draining you and keeping you from progress and growth. Don’t just look at the things you’d like to stop doing but look at the reason why, and I bet you come up with a much more powerful list.
Here’s to taking back our time, our work, and our cares.
Lots of love and encouragement,
