Pressing Reset After A Full On Few Months

Well hello

I just went to start this email by writing ‘it’s been pretty full on here recently’ and then wondered how often I’m allowed to say that until it stops being a ‘season’ (mildly hate that word) and starts becoming a new normal.
 

I laugh a little when I look back at the intention I set at the start of this year. ‘Deep not wide’ was the phrase - I wanted to establish what I was already doing before launching anything new. Well that went well didn’t it?! Kidding, kind of. That’s still my intention for this year, but I couldn’t sit still for long. I couldn’t ignore the ideas, risks and opportunities which were coming my way.

A FULL ON FEW MONTHS

The last few months have been significant, to say the least. I didn’t intend for so much to happen in such a short space of time but it just ended up that way. From hosting the first retreat and bringing on a team member to re-vamping my website / branding and building a collaborative online shop, it’s been a bit full on. 
 

The truth is, I’ve loved it. I thrive when it’s like that - you know, when you can barely catch a breath before diving into the next big thing. I’m not a victim of my busy calendar or relenting expectations - it’s a choice I make. And I choice I love. For a while.
 

We all know that running at such a speed is un-sustainable. In a number of ways actually. After burning out so spectacularly back in 2017 I feel acutely tuned into where I’m at and how I’m feeling in terms of burnout. And towards the end of July, a month which featured more travel and nights away than the whole year so far combined, I started to feel it.

BURNOUT WATCH

The convenience food and lack of sleep was catching up on me. The minimal time spent working IN my business was showing. And to be blunt, my declining motivation and joy was getting harder to push through.
 

These little nudges all pointed towards one thing - the need for a break. After reminding myself that the world doesn’t stop turning when I stop working (humbling realisation let me tell you) I looked at my August calendar and made space for a week of absolutely nothing. My last ‘proper’ time off was between Christmas and New Years (and we all know how well that went - take a read here if you’re unfamiliar) so I walked into it blind, certain that it was needed but totally unsure what it would look like. 
 

And let me tell you, last week was everything I needed it to be and more. I drove to an AirBnb in the middle of nowhere. I spent 4 days on my own (big introvert here). I cooked food. I read all the books. And I pressed reset.
 

PRESSING RESET

The phrase ‘pressing reset’ feels particularly apt. There’s something about being out of the everyday which allows space for things to shift. It gives an unspoken permission to explore the questions of ‘who do I want to be’, ’what do I want my everyday to look like’ and ‘how do I want my business to show up’ without it feeling like a daydream. Establishing new habits feels far less daunting when you’ve taken yourself away from your current ones.
 

From my what I eat each day and how I choose to unwind to what I want out of my business and the impact I want to make, everything has been reset. For the better.
 

Whilst it’s not what I expected going into my time off (I think I guessed I’d be a little less tired and little more acquainted with Netflix, which in fairness is accurate), I can’t tell you how much I needed it.
 

REGAINING AUTONOMY

There’s something about things being full on which causes me to be redundant in how I’m running my life. Work becomes so tightly packed that being intentional around my habits and routines is replaced in favour of things being done out of convenience and ease. Being full on makes me lose autonomy.
 

An autonomy I’m grateful to be gaining back. In fact, you reading this email right now proves to me that things are starting to shift. The space (both mentally and physically) required to write TheMidweek is often the first thing scarified to facilitate a full schedule… hence why I’ve been MIA for longer than I’d like to admit. But when I really dialled it down, I realised just how much I love this part of what I create and just how grateful I am that you give up your precious inbox space in favour of my unfinished thought processes.
 

So thank you. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Thank you for sticking around. I’m excited to get back into sharing the more vulnerable sides of my everyday and hope that in turn, it encourages you to do the same. If todays topic of taking time away and the value in pressing reset has resonated with you, I’d love if you hit reply.
 

Until next time, I’m cheering you on.