deep work over planning...[SIE💡]
I just wrapped up my yearly business planning retreat, and this year was well — very different from all previous years.
Normally I go all "a beautiful mind" in my hotel room and cover the windows with post-its and brain dump mind mapping.
This was the first year I booked 3 nights instead of 2, and it turns out, I needed the extra time to decompress. Like stare out the window for hours kind of decompress.
After being frustrated with myself for not getting to it, I realized why this retreat was so different: I needed to do deep work instead of planning.
➡️Read: Doing Deep Work as an Entrepreneur: 5 Ways To Get Clarity and Boost Productivity
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JOURNAL PROMPT: How can you carve out more space for deep work in your business?
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TIPS TO WORK BETTER
1. I'm knee-deep in keyword research to create the best content for my audience. What I've realized is 1) keyword research never really ends, and 2) it can be a time suck rabbit hole if you're not efficient. Click here to learn how Neil Patel does his own keyword research quickly. I did all this on my business retreat in less than an hour using Ubersuggest's free tools. Read more.
2. Speaking of keywords - SEO is great, but buzzwords are annoying. "synergistic management solutions" comes to mind... This tip is a hilarious reel about buzzwords in business. So laugh right along while you're checking to see if you're using any of them in your marketing. Watch here.
3. And speaking of Instagram (see what I did there?) — they just announced their new scheduling tool within the app for business and creator accounts. I think the biggest draw is that all the 3rd party scheduling tools I've seen don't allow using all the Reels features (music, stickers, etc) if you're not posting on IG itself. Read more.
TIPS TO LIVE WELL
1. Our first Live Well tip this week is about discernment in your business, and how that affects you living well. If you're doing a Black Friday sale in your business, are you doing it because you 1) have the mental and emotional bandwidth, 2) like checking your emails and notifications over a holiday weekend, AND 3) you're prepped and prepared with your content for how to stand out in the sea of offers? For me personally, I've never done my own Black Friday sale — because I don't want to. I don't want to fight against the Inbox overload, prepare way in advance, or do anything other than relax over the Thanksgiving weekend. I love giving my audience a best of roundup of Black Friday offers though (stay tuned for that email next week!). The point is this...give yourself permission to relax and not jump on the bandwagon if it's going to come at the cost of your wellbeing.
2. I've shared my reviews of Kristin Hannah's books here throughout the year. She writes fiction (one of my favorite ways to unwind for some me time), and every single book I've read has been poignant and transported me into it's world. I just finished Home Front: A Novel about a female helicopter pilot during the Iraq War and it was beautifully done. It's also free on Kindle Unlimited right now, so grab it here.
3. Yoga Nidra was something I discovered a couple of years ago. I remember thinking, "Wait...this isn't exercise and I will probably fall asleep? I'm in." The practice of deeply resting while being present and focused on your body is not as easy as it sounds but it's incredibly restorative. Yoga Nidra is my go-to when I'm in the afternoon click-hole and my brain needs a break. Click here to subscribe to my favorite Yoga Nidra channel and find your next favorite way to take a break.
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