With Seth Godin: How to avoid getting overwhelmed while still doing great work

Something that I’ve found challenging in business and in life is this:

How do I push myself to do brave, important work and make progress towards my goals…

AND

Give myself adequate down time to rest and reflect (something I know I need in order to do my best work)?

This is a topic of discussion that’s come up on some of my recent virtual storytelling calls too.

To paraphrase, fellow participants have asked: how do I pursue my storytelling goal without it taking over my life?

Well, on the day I’m writing this, I got my answer from none other than Seth Godin.

I’ve been a fan of Seth’s work for 20 years, and I’m currently enrolled in one of his fantastic workshops.

On a Zoom call with Seth, I was able to ask him a question.

I said, “Seth: I sometimes struggle to balance the ‘go, go, go’ approach of showing up, contributing, and doing the work, with my need to have time to digest, reflect, and let things settle. Any advice on how to find the balance?”

In response, he pointed out that you don’t have to put more hours into each day. It’s not about working harder.

Rather, he suggested the following. Every day:

• Spend 20 minutes doing something that scares you.
• Spend 20 minutes doing something that is generous
• Spend 20 minutes doing something that might not work.

If you do that, that’s enough.

I wrote this on a post-it note and stuck it on my desk so I can be reminded every day.

Want to try it with me? Leave a comment and let me know how you’re putting it into practice, and how it works.

Whatever system you use, I encourage you to find a way to tell your stories and share them with the world. We need you and your work and your message.

As always, your story matters.