Do Less, Better.
“the best decision I made in 2022 (…) was to start creating pockets space by doing less better.”
If you asked me what was the best decision I made in 2022, I would tell you that it was to start creating pockets space by doing less better. Space that allowed me to rest, embrace boredom, get creative, connect with friends, and deal with the unexpected with relative ease.
Creating this space was a messy endeavour that requires us to let go of an all or nothing definition of successful change. It all started with a noble intention, no structured plan, and the calendar was my scoreboard.
You see, my dear friend, and rebel marketing strategist, Mickey Anderson was (and still is) a champ at holding boundaries with her time. I was in constant awe of her magic-like ability to hold to protect her time off while managing a growing business and her incredible little family. I was not so much a champ with my time but Mickey made it seem possible.
At the beginning of last year it was a constant juggling act with work, side hustle, and writing bleeding into personal time. My noble intention was to stop allowing these demands to be the driver of how my time is spent.
The goal was deceptively straightforward; to have evenings and weekends free from work and external demands.
Eight dimensions of wellness
How are you going to do less, better going forward? What aspect of life are you going to apply this to? Consider applying the concept to one of The Eight Dimensions of Wellness - environmental, emotional, vocational, physical, financial, social, intellectual, and spiritual well-being. Wellness scopes beyond health and into a more holistic perspective of our well-being. The Eight Dimensions of Wellness brings those aspects of well-being into our awareness, allowing us to self-direct and positively impact our own lives
“Do less, better. Because most of what we do or say is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you’ll have more tranquillity.” Marcus Aurelius
How to approach ‘Do less, better’
Applying ‘do less, better’ to my calendar as explained in depth in my newsletter, is just one example. It was a successful example at that, since I’m now enjoying evenings and weekends free from busy-ness and external demands. The goal was reached and is sustainable long term.
You can approach the ‘do less, better’ in different ways. You can complete the Stressors + Strategies worksheet to identify which aspects in each of the Eight Dimensions of Wellness could use a little streamlining, then either focus of one change at a time or the top change you’d like to see in each dimension. My personal favourite is to look at it in the same way as you look at home renovations, the most rewarding (and sanity saving) way to complete renovations is by completing one room at a time.
AN EXAMPLE: VOCATIONAL
To ‘do less, better’ in business was a doozy lesson for myself in the last two years. While I was building up GirlGoneGood® (Hiking Resources), it was easy to fall into the trap of blindly other folks were doing. I started growing the merchandise line, saying yes to all collaborations, being available after hours, on all social media apps, and bought into the trade shows. I started planning for an online app and group events, because that was how a business grows right? Well, it could be, except it’s not quite the right fit for my business and I certainly didn’t have the budget for it. In my grandiose delusion, I even hired a web developer that I could not afford to revamp the website. I was sinking the business. I quickly realized that some of the folks that I was listening to didn’t have the same definition of running a successful business than I did. In my world, a successful business is values-led, client needs driven, and financially stable/lucrative.
Something needed to change.
Taking a cue from Mickey (check out her “Hustle Less, Profit More” podcast), I started to overhaul the GirlGoneGood® business with a ‘do less, better’ mentality.
Here’s what that looked like:
applied Michael Michalowicz’s Profit First book to my business finances
focused on selling remaining merchandise and improving the one signature product only
simplified the website design for an improved client experience
declined all collaborations that either did not align or were time consuming
declined pricey trade shows invitations
trashed the app and any expansion plans
deleted extra social media accounts
stopped caring about the “rules” of posting on social
bye bye sheep mentality
It’s not even that I’m much of a sheep, there are plenty of areas in life where I march to the beat of my own drum. You likely aren’t much of a sheep either. Like must people though, I’m susceptible to trends, social norms, and ideas from the masses. It takes a minute to realize, hey, this might not be right for me and my eight dimensions of wellness. A perfect example is health trends like the newest fitness craze, diet, or “must do” habit. Some may be helpful and by all means try them out, but don’t lose sight of yourself and what’s good for you in the process. Or swamp them out instead of adding more, more, more to your plate.
‘do less, better’, together
How are you doing less, but better in the new year? Tag me on Instagram or LinkedIn with you’re lofty but focused plans. My own focus will be on simplifying the business tracks for both GirlGoneGood® and my personal brand (speaking and authorship), maintaining a calendar with plenty of room for rest and spontaneity, narrowing in on that social dimension to nurture close relationships.
Cheers to the new year and to doing less, better.