Life In Limbo

Thinking Bigger

April 17, 2018

Now I’m just getting cute with my post titles, I know, but as they say: the opposite of a great truth is also true. So, as much as thinking smaller is important, so is thinking bigger.

Lately thinking bigger has represented thinking outside of the box, looking outside of the bounds of my regular day-to-day life. It’s meant stretching myself and pushing myself to step into spaces that feel scary and intimidating. It has meant taking time to get a bit meta: to work on something rather than just in something, to paraphrase the E-Myth.

Last week I was on an unofficial retreat with my friends Sonja and Moni. For the whole week, we thought bigger. We put aside our everyday responsibilities and worked on our lives, businesses, relationships and blocks, rather than just in them. It made me realize how rarely, in my business life, it is that I do the kinds of tasks that the great Stephen Covey would consider “Sharpening the Saw”. For example, my website usually gets the bare minimum of attention, and my bookkeeping system hasn’t changed in 2 years since my business has grown. Every work day is usually consumed with my task list and answering emails rather than setting myself up for future success. Every weekend day is for relaxing and connecting with loved ones. Sharpening the saw of my business happens only rarely, because (until now) it felt hard to justify taking non-billable hours to work on my business itself.

How silly and ridiculous it feels to write that! Of course those hours are billable, you just don’t happen to see the return right away. Of course working on your business is a good idea and well worth the investment of time and money. Of course it’s important to think bigger and plan ahead for the future. Of course it’s necessary to work on making your work life more sustainable and enriching for everyone involved. Of course.

But of course this is one of those simple, hard things to remember. When every day feels full and sometimes overwhelming, thinking bigger can feel like a luxury you can’t afford.

From now on though, I’m giving myself permission to take one work morning a week to devote to sharpening the saw of my business: working on my systems, setting up my workflows, optimizing my website, trying new apps, designing better invoices. Anything that will move the needle towards greater sustainability for myself and my business. I’m calling it Thinking Bigger Time and it’s now a recurring event in my calendar. Today was my first day, and so far it’s been great.

PS. Want to see what I’ve been working on? You can check out my new services on my website here!

Inspiration: April 13

April 13, 2018

Every week on Friday, I share a list of the most interesting and inspiring content I’ve read lately here on my blog. You can expect thoughts on productivity, happiness, balance, spirituality, politics, and more. Subscribe here to get updates. See archives here.

I’m here in Almonte, Ontario for the week staying with my friend Moni, and I’ve been so inspired by her home. She calls it the Happinest, and every detail is beautiful and thoughtfully done. You can see so many fun pictures of it here, or if you happen to be down this way, rent it on Airbnb! I’m leaving feeling so inspired to decorate my own home more intentionally.

Speaking of Almonte, while I’ve been here I also got to see the super fun store Cheerfully Made in person and re-meet the owner Emily who I’d briefly met at the Etsy Team Captain’s Summit back in March. We all went for coffee and ended up having a really wonderful discussion about business and life. She’s up to so many cool things!

Like everyone, I was so happy to watch Drake’s new music video for Nice for What featuring many of the women celebrities involved in the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements.

Nurture‘s last Harvest Table Dinner was in partnership with Kirsten and JP of Papirmass, the most beautiful and innovative art subscription service. They are such lovely, creative people and it was so much fun to work with them and go home with one of their issues! How lovely then to be gifted a yearly subscription by my friend Sonja – I can’t wait to open the first one.

This week Sonja also gave me the gift of trying a replica of the collard green melt sandwich from Turkey and the Wolf, a place in New Orleans which won Best New Restaurant from Bon Appetit last year. And omg. I need this sandwich at least once weekly forevermore. Luckily there’s a recipe for us!

Last weekend I hosted my first ever Artery showcase with some amazing performers: Sonja Seiler, Stirling Myles, Eric Sorenson, Angie Hilts and Gabe Kong. They’re all so talented and it was so wonderful to hear them perform live in Provocateur Images‘ beautiful space. I would highly recommend checking out Artery and setting up your own showcase! So much fun.

Fewer links this week because I’ve been deep in retreat mode brainstorming and shifting and making new ideas happen. It feels intense, but it also feels good. Things are moving and I feel a huge sense of possibility and hope for the future. Can’t wait to share more as they are ironed out! For now, I am enjoying having space to dream and plan and become clear on my upcoming goals. It’s very exciting stuff! I am heading back to the city today and hoping to preserve this feeling a little longer. I hope you have a wonderful weekend too! xo.

Choosing Bigger

April 10, 2018

Each year around my birthday, I post a list of my favourite things and moments from the past year, as a way to celebrate and remember everything that was meaningful to me. They’re so fun to make and look back on, and it’s always nice to take a moment to reflect on the year I’ve just lived. (If you’re curious, you can see the archives here.)

As I was working on this year’s list, one thing that stood out to me was that, with a few exceptions, every moment that was the most memorable was one that took place outside of the routines and schedules my everyday life. This is not a shocking realization, of course, but one that I need to keep in mind more often as I’m making decisions about how to spend my time and structure my days.

Don’t be deceived by all the adventures I’ve had: I’m a creature of habit through and through. Even when I travel, I like staying places long enough that I can create mini routines and rituals. These days in Toronto, I go to the same coffee shop almost every single morning and can eat the same thing for breakfast for months at a stretch. I like repetition and structure because they help me save space in my brain for making tougher decisions and doing focused work, but routine is not always what serves me. It is not (always) what brings me the most joy and fun.

Sometimes it can feel like a big hassle to do something outside of my typical schedule. I think to myself: Will it really be worth it to disrupt my routine? How will I get all my work done? Am I even allowed to play hooky? Will I get in trouble?!

I’m writing this from the bright, peaceful living room of my friend Moni’s house in the beautiful Almonte, Ontario. It is totally quiet and I feel very calm. My friends are out buying groceries for what is sure to be an incredible New Orleans-inspired vegetarian feast for tonight. We just had coconut curry soup and cinnamon-raisin grilled cheese for lunch. It is sunny here, which my apartment lacks, and the rest of the week will be spent masterminding and planning and scheming and manifesting for the rest of 2018. Oh, and eating. There will be lots of that.

Here’s the note to self: this is totally worth it. It is worth it to book the trip, pack the bag, get on the train, and feel kind of overwhelmed because you’re worrying about your email inbox filling up. It is worth it because when you step off that train into the wide-open air that looks nothing like where you came from, you will feel different. You will have less weight on your shoulders and you will automatically have a new perspective.

Most of all, here’s a reminder that it is always worth it to make space for yourself to breathe. It is worth it to not always do what you think you want – to stay home, be responsible, do the ‘right’ thing and get things done. Sticking to your routine always seems like the easier choice, but instead, choose the bigger life. Do the thing that will feed your soul.

If you need me, I’ll be in the Happinest until the end of the week.

Inspiration: April 6

April 6, 2018

“It’s easy to come to the conclusion that someone’s generous or inspired and so they do the work. But it’s more likely that doing the work makes you generous or inspired.” Thank you, Seth, for this important reminder.

It was really fun to spend part of my week helping to build With/out Pretend’s monthly newsletter, especially since we added a cool recommendations section this month.

So fun to see people starting to post about their 100 Day Projects! I really am digging Elise’s craft adventures, Elle Luna’s daily animations, and Caroline’s tiny truths.

In case you missed it, I posted earlier this week about my decision *not* to do the 100 Day Project and why sometimes I need to think smaller, not bigger.

I added this delicious curried tofu recipe to my arsenal of easy recipes this week!

As I start to get my own podcast ready for launch, I was super inspired (and sort of intimidated!) by this beautiful new show, Dear Seekers. Gorgeous photos & features of interesting women.

I really liked the first episode of Change Agent, a new NYTimes podcast from the author of The Power of Habit. It explores how we can solve problems using seemingly unrelated strategies.

This week has felt hectic to say the least! In addition to a pretty packed work schedule, I also recorded the first episode of my new podcast (!!) which took forever, but was so satisfying. I’m looking forward to a relaxing and love-filled weekend. I hope you have a wonderful weekend too! xo.