I think you're sitting too close...
This week I’ve been thinking about the busy-ness of life. Another week has come and gone, and to be honest, it’s been a blur. I had a really nice week but I’ve certainly been busier than usual. This week’s email is about allowing time to think - I hope you enjoy it and please reply to this email with how your week has gone. I’d love to hear from you!
One thought: Having headspace to think 💭
It’s been months since I last did a weekly review, an exercise I first came across in David Allen’s Getting Things Done. An incredible book which I highly recommend to anybody looking to manage their workload better.
From just taking an hour or two to look at the current climate of my daily life, I find so much clarity. It feels like I’m examining what’s going on from a birds-eye view.
In this past month, I’ve been head down focusing on high-leverage work, it’s been really good, but boy has the time flown. I like to call these times in our lives ‘sprints’. When we have so much going on, we take on tunnel-like vision to focus only on what matters and blocking out everything else. We’re going all-in, our energy expenditure is at 100%.
This allows us to make progress fast, but it’s certainly not sustainable. We can’t possibly sprint forever, and whilst sometimes this is needed in life, I believe the optimal effort to be putting in is approximately 90%.
I’m not saying to not put 100% into your work, but in terms of total energy expenditure, I believe 90% is best to have the ‘bandwidth’ to think about the larger picture.
It’s crazy to me that I haven’t carved out an hour recently to reflect on what’s working and what isn’t. Things like going to the gym, reading a book before bed, or doing personal projects like making YouTube videos have completely halted this past month.
I’m glad I’ve focused on the most important things… I had to secure income as I am now technically self-employed and if I hadn’t focused on this, life would have become very stressful. But I’m relieved, to say the least, that this week I may have that ‘10%’ of energy back to have a greater balance.
What do you think about this topic? Have you been balanced recently with your work, projects, and social life?
So much of what I do - and enjoy doing - requires brainpower. I love the strategy side of marketing and thinking about ways to level up what I’m currently doing. When we are operating at 100%, there’s no room for new ideas or to step back to reflect.
I’m realising that 90% may just be more enjoyable, and sustainable, going forward.
Talk soon,
Joe
Content tip of the week 🚀
If you’ve created content before, carve out some time this week to look at what you’ve already created. Re-purposing your content is a great way to increase your volume of posting, and when you look at old content with new eyes, it’ll spark several new ideas for you! I always start my content creation with re-purposing as it puts me in the right mindset.
Article of the week ✍️
The Ultimate Guide to Writing Online - David Perell
Nowadays, the ability to write online is essential and an amazing transferable skill to have. The way we consume information has changed, information is typically shorter on social media and across the internet, and so being able to write in a concise manner is essential to capture people’s attention. I’m re-visiting this article this week, as I really want to get better at copywriting.
This Week’s YouTube Video - Subscribe here! 🎥
I loved speaking on this podcast about self-doubt and content creation confidence. I hope you enjoy this video. I’m excited to be posting more on YouTube very soon! 😁
I’m Joe, a content marketer passionate about personal development and psychology. Every Sunday, I write an email newsletter with 1 thought, 1 content tip, and 1 article I’d recommend. Usually, I go over-board and provide a little more 😁
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