It’s ok to be a work in progress

I've been feeling a bit out of whack these last few weeks, but haven't been able to put my finger on why. And then yesterday I had an AHA! moment in the shower (as you do):

It's time to review and rethink my rhythm.

I realised I need to sit down and take a close look at how I'm organising my days and weeks. I need to check in with how those rhythms are making me feel, and with whether I'm devoting enough time and energy to what's most important.

You see, when it comes to productivity, I know that I am (and always will be) a work in progress. What worked for me six months ago, may not be quite right anymore. And so, I recalibrate.

First, I identify the problem (or problems) I'm trying to solve. For example, one of my goals is to grow my audience and to do that I need to reach out to podcast hosts or people with a community who might benefit from my approach to productivity. I’ve been doing that sporadically over the years – I know what I SHOULD be doing – but I haven’t been doing it consistently. And that’s something I want to change.

So I’ve taken some time to consider all the things that need to happen regularly in my business – I call those things the rhythm of my business, and for me it’s things like recording this podcast, emailing my mailing list, showing up on LinkedIn. Those sorts of things.

I’ve made sure I’m clear about exactly what I want to do in each of those areas.

And then I’ve started to think about (roughly) when I’m going to do them.

What do I want my weeks to look like?

There are so many ways to play with this, but it’s important to remember it’s an experiment. It’s about landing on something that feels good, and then seeing what happens when you start putting it into practice.

Having gone through this process, I’ve created a new rhythm to experiment with over the next few months.

I’m not a productivity robot and I know I won’t be perfect. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to let myself off the hook or give up. The commitment I’m making is to give it my best during this current quarter. Then I can evaluate how things went and see if I need to change anything.

The one thing I can guarantee is that I will always be a work in progress. The rhythm I’m playing with right now isn’t going to be perfect, and isn’t the way I’ll be doing things forever. We evolve and our businesses evolve.

Accepting that you are a work in progress can be so liberating! It frees you from the never-ending quest for that single solution to all your problems. It's far better to experiment with what feels good right now, knowing you're free to review and recalibrate a few months down the line.

So how about you? Is your rhythm working for you right now?

I encourage you to think about what you’re trying to accomplish in your business, and then check in with your daily and weekly rhythms regularly.

Are they working for you?

Does anything need to shift?

What you could you add that will help you meet your goals more quickly? And what could you take away?

Is there anything you can get help with?

If things are feeling wonky right now, rather than lamenting the fact that things aren’t working exactly as you’d like them to, see what happens when you put on your curiosity hat and embrace your work in progressness.