079 | Narrowing the Scope

Often, we need a little space in order to flourish.

Case in point, a few weeks ago I was feeling stuck and overwhelmed. I wasn't overwhelmed by obligation, for a change, but by possibility and all the things I wanted to do, learn, create and accomplish as I launch my business and continue to align spaces in our home with the way we want to live.

It was just too much. My attention kept getting pulled from one thing to the next at too rapid a pace and I couldn't settle in, focus, and make progress on any one thing which fueled the cycle even more. At the heart of the problem was the pressure I put on myself to do it all now, all at the same time. I was getting buried under so much "I have to" and the weight of it was crushing my spirit and ability to move forward.

What did I do to get unstuck and carve out space to grow and move and breathe again?

I narrowed the scope.

I took things off the table.

I pulled each "have to" off the pile and asked "Is this essential right now?" Then I challenged myself, "Really? Why?"

I figured out what next actions would act like a pressure valve and chose two things to focus on that would give me a boost in the now and set me up for more sustainable patterns in the long term.

Then I did them--one thing at a time.

You know what I didn't do?

I didn't try to do everything at once.

I didn't post here even though I knew the algorithm would likely be unkind to me. I knew I'd recover.

I didn't worry too much about what we were eating. It freed up brain space and we survived.

I didn't shortcut my sleep.

I didn't judge myself for what I wasn't getting done.

Instead, I focused on the progress I was making and celebrated the pressure that was being release and rejoiced in my renewed energy and confidence in my ability to move forward.

How might you relieve a little pressure by narrowing the scope of what you're trying to do?