For the month of January, my partner and I ran away to the woods. We're holed up in an a-frame cabin (see it under the moon below!) in the mountains of Colorado with a retreat mindset: give us aaaaall the meditation, yoga, skiing, reading and healthy food. I signed out of my personal Instagram (BIG STEP, OKAY?!) and jumped on the ol' #dryjanuary train. Toot, toot.
Doing nothing is REALLY difficult for me. Productivity flows through me like a blood-sucking and presence-sucking tapeworm (ew, I know..). And the more pressure I put on myself to be productive, oftentimes the less I actually get done.
Yet this month, I've felt like I've gotten more done, while actually working less. On first thought, this seems both impossible and improbable. I cut my client workload this month to about 25%, so I do have less to do. But I've had about 110% more focus for the things I have had to do - monitoring client social channels, writing new content, assembling two different proposals and planning an influencer campaign. Cutting back my hours altogether has made my actual work hours incredibly productive. No more hours of staring at my screen stressing about the work that needs to get done. No more pie-in-the-sky to do lists.
Typically, I'm prone to get so caught up in obsessing over what needs to get done that I can't even enjoy time away from my computer. And I can't be the only one, right??
I believe this mindset I've cultivated in our retreat can extend beyond this space. Here are some steps I'm going to take to try and bring this mindset with me. Let me know if you try any of them!
Compassion
Every day, focus on cultivating a compassionate mindset for yourself. Know that you are always doing your best and your best is all you can ever ask of yourself. Accept if you need to move meetings or move something to later in the week and know that it's okay to do so.
Releasing the Traditional Schedule
If you have the ability to do so, consider what schedule actually works for you. Most of us are all trained to be online every day between 9am - 5pm. (And I've heard from friends that this pressure remains even higher now that everyone is remote.) I'm realizing that my mornings should be reserved for routine: meditation, breakfast, journaling and reading. My most productive hours start in the afternoon and extend into the evening.
Daily Meditation
A consistent practice yields considerable benefits...or so I'm told. I've meditated on and off for several years and am *finally* committed to a 15 minute daily sitting. After just a few weeks of daily meditation, I'm noticing greater emotional and body awareness. And I believe meditation is helping me find my flow in work, love and moving my body.
Having a Heart to Heart with Social Media Habits
Oof is this one tough for me. Since signing out of Instagram a few weeks ago, I honestly do not miss it. Butttt, I do look forward to an inbox filled with delightful memes. Because monitoring Instagram is part of what I do for clients, it's really difficult for me to separate out personal from work. Do any of y'all have tips on balancing social media use? I don't want to stay signed out forever...I believe Instagram is a powerful connection tool. It makes me laugh, it keeps me informed and it's a creative outlet. But it's never just 15 or 30 minutes in a day - it's an hour or two, and that adds up!
Be Your Own Boss, Even if You Don't Freelance
I've started to have an extreme appreciation for my friends who take days or even weeks to text me back. Replying to texts and emails immediately means someone else is controlling your time. And your time is yours. No matter what you do for work, you can be your own boss by setting your priorities and sticking to them. Of course fires come up (I was in PR for five years, I GET IT), and you should always be evaluating what your priorities are, but make sure to remember that you're in control of those priorities.
Okay, that's what I have. I'll give these a try and report back in a couple of months on how it's going!
Cheers -
Callie Jo
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