This post was originally shared with my subscribers in March 2020, but I heard feedback that it was really helpful, so I’ve shared it here too.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about slow living, and how that extends to running a creative business.
The truth is, taking things slow and letting them unfold as they need to is one of the hardest things to do.
We live in a society of instant gratification, where there are quick fixes and shortcuts for almost everything, and where we can pay money to have things done for us so we can do more things in their place.
But it’s definitely not the way I want my business – or my life – to look! And it’s not what I’d wish for you, either.
It’s not that I don’t want you to be busy in your business, but I want you to be the kind of busy that energises you, not the kind of busy that constantly drains you and has you running on empty, without seeming to achieve much.
A creative business doesn’t reward impatience. Grow it too fast and you end up in panic mode, desperately trying to keep up, and stuck in a headspace that doesn’t lend itself to doing your best work.
And so.
If I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed, I look at where I can simplify things. Do I really need to be checking all those Facebook groups? Do I even want to stay in them?
Can I come up with better processes? Maybe block out some time for scheduling and planning, so things aren’t always nagging away in the back of my mind.
Am I doing this because I was told I should, or because I really want to? Do I believe it’s going to help people AND have a meaningful impact on my business?
So this month, my question for you is: what can you do to simplify something in your business?
Here’s the catch. I don’t want you to fill the space it creates with something else. I want you to use it to give yourself some breathing room. If it saves you ten minutes, use that ten minutes for something that fills your cup, whether it’s gardening, or meditating, or reading a chapter of a book, or staring at clouds.
Let me know what you’ve done instead!