My first weeknotes of 2024. It’s been an abrupt start to the year: straight back into a full flow of intense activity. I’ve already done:
- 15 calls
- 4 workshops (all this week)
- 3 trips to London
- 2 events (with a third on Monday)
- 2 articles researched and structured
- 1 one email newsletter
- 1 proposal
The events I’ve been running are all about being more intentional with your time and energy, narrowing focus, embracing limitations, setting boundaries, etc. So I’m hearing, talking and thinking a lot about energy and capacity at the moment.
One of the slides I present in the event reads ‘There’s no shame in doing less’. A few people told me afterwards that those words made them feel conflicted. It’s a conflict that I know well: ‘Yes other people should do less and stop giving themselves a hard time, but I can’t because I’m not good enough’. That conflict is part of what made me write the talk and run the event in the first place. But it’s a conflict that I clearly haven’t totally resolved…
When I sat down to write this weeknotes post, I had the idea that it was going to be about how I wasn’t doing enough and the first few weeks back at work had been a bit of a disaster. I’d had to take time off to rest because I was ill, and I hadn’t upheld all the habits I know support my wellbeing. But then I actually stopped and thought about it:
- I haven’t done everything, but I’ve done all the important work and met all my deadlines
- I got ill, but I took some time off to rest
- I didn’t stretch everyday, but I’ve been to two yoga classes
- I didn’t mediate everyday, but I did breathwork or a grounding exercise on more than half the days
- I didn’t go to the dark room, but I made some little collages at work
- I saw my best friend from school for dinner and I had a coffee and chat with a new content friend
So on balance, I’m doing enough. Enough work, almost enough rest, almost enough battery-recharging stuff.
