The Progress Project

Create some space

Businessman destressing and creating space

Does it ever feel like the World is moving at 100 mph? Perhaps you’re moving from meeting to meeting to meeting, with the to-do list getting longer every passing minute?

Not only did I feel exactly like that when I was working in-house, I’m here to tell you that it almost always feels like that running your own business too.

One of the first pieces of advice I heard when I set up was not to spend all my time ‘in the business’ (i.e. facilitating events, designing learning materials) and to make sure I took time to work ‘on the business’ (i.e. developing the strategy, creating new ideas).

So I did as many of us do. Nodded, smiled, said ‘thank you’ and then carried on ‘in the business’. I mean, I’ve got bills to pay! (Just as, for a few years in-house, I nodded, smiled, said ‘thank you’ and then carried on with the busy day job).

Last week as I packed to go to a conference in Newcastle, (which I’d had in my diary for nearly a year.) I wondered whether I should just cancel – and plough through the work I had mounting up. It’s peak facilitation season right now! I knew I’d come back to some late nights and came very close to just joining a few sessions virtually.

Despite the [near] panic, I went. And wow!

Ever had one of those moments in the shower where your brain suddenly hands you the answer to the problem you’ve been grappling with? We both know it’s down to the change in brain-waves… and yet sometimes it feels a little like magic, right?

Well, it felt like the mental space I created was the equivalent of a 3-day shower!

So, your challenge is to create some mental space. Whether it’s:

  • A walk outside
  • An extra-long shower
  • A train ride instead of going by car

Let your mind percolate. Be in the moment. Do whatever works for you. Because it’s when you create the space to let your mind wander that the magic happens.

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