New year, new...erm...exhaustion? Five tips if you're struggling to get going this January.
Lovely as it was to wave goodbye to 2020, the enormity of what’s going on in the world hasn’t gone away. We’re all still navigating All Of The Everything that life keeps throwing at us.
If you or your loved ones have been unwell as covid numbers continue to rise, I’m sending love.
If this latest lockdown is impacting your family’s livelihood, I’m thinking of you.
If you’re back to running your business whilst home schooling your little ones, you have my sympathy and respect.
If your plans to see family over Christmas were scuppered at the 11th hour, please accept this virtual hug.
It’s a lot. It really is.
If you’re finding it a struggle to get back into the swing of things, you’re not alone.
I was ready for a lovely long break over Christmas. Our plans to visit family were cancelled at the last minute, so Tom The Husband and I hunkered down for two weeks, pootling, watching movies, playing Uno and test-driving our new martini glasses. We completely switched off and gave our brains a much-needed break.
But by Monday of last week I was ready and raring to go. Ready for rhythm in my days. Ready to embrace 2021. Ready to step up and into a new phase in my business growth.
So imagine my dismay when, by lunchtime on Tuesday and every day after that, I was totally and utterly shattered.
Cue immense frustration. Cue low level panic that the copy I need to write for a thing I’m creating isn’t going to be ready in time. Cue the tired descent into scarcity thinking (I DON’T HAVE TIME!) and trying to work out HOW I CAN POSSIBLY BE SO TIRED WHEN I’VE JUST HAD TWO WEEKS OFF??????
Thankfully I have the tools to navigate those unhelpful thoughts and was able to send them on their way without too much trouble. But still! It wasn’t quite the start to the year I’d been hoping for.
Have you had a similar experience? On the one hand aligned with your vision and excited for what’s on the horizon, but on the other struggling to get going?
In case you’re feeling it too, I thought I’d share some of the things that have worked for me during this last week or so. I hope they help.
1. Listen to your body and give yourself the nourishment you need. That might mean cutting down on sugar after all those mince pies (just me? 😉), movement, fresh air, sleep, drinking more water, meditation. What one small change can you make today to get you back on an even keel in terms of your overall wellbeing?
2. Review and recalibrate your expectations for the rest of the month. I talk all the time about the importance of factoring in our energy levels when we’re deciding on our priorities for our days/weeks/months. Sometimes we can predict how we’ll be feeling. Other times, we’re taken by surprise. I wasn’t anticipating spending the first few weeks of January feeling quite this tired, so I need to adjust my expectations and bring them in line with my reality. Which brings me neatly onto…
3. Look at your calendar. Is there anything you can let go of? I had every intention of taking part in a five-day challenge every evening this week. I know the content would inspire and motivate me, and I also know that I need to let it go. It’s more important right now that I keep some white space in my days so I can take breaks when I need to without worrying about how I’m going to fit everything in. If your energy is low, I invite you to take a look at your calendar right now and find at least one thing you can remove.
4. Reduce the scope, stick to the schedule. This is great to remember whenever you’re feeling up against it. How can you still do the thing that needs to be done, but make it smaller? If you usually show up for a 30-minute Facebook live, could you do 10 minutes instead? If you need to send an email to your list but you’re struggling for inspiration, could you repurpose an old blog post?
5. Lighten up, and let good enough be good enough. I’m still concerned about the copy I need to create and my lack of oomph and inspiration, but I know that when I’m feeling stuck it helps to loosen my grip a little. The way I see it, I have two choices:
i) Step away and do something else, or
ii) Do it anyway, giving myself permission to create a shitty first draft.
The first option is risky, particularly if you don’t identify a time to come back to whatever you’re working on. That’s why I usually choose option two, letting go of the need for it to be perfect and just getting my thoughts out, no matter how garbled, bland or uninspired. Once I take the pressure off and allow myself to create something rubbish, things tend to flow much more easily. It’s usually not as bad as all that and can always be tweaked later.
At this point I'd usually attempt an elegant segue to wrap things up. But.... tired! So suffice to say, I hope these reflections help you if you’re low on energy. (Part of my frustration is that I am SO READY for this year and excited for what lies ahead, but apparently my heavy eyelids need a little longer to catch up…!)
January, eh? Such larks!
I’d love to hear how you’re doing, and if you have any suggestions to throw into the mix to help us get back into the swing of things please do share in the comments below.
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