What do we do when we know we can’t keep going as we are, but don’t have time, space or energy to change how we work?
How on earth can we change things for ourselves, when all our energy and attention is going towards meeting deadlines, running events and meetings, keeping partners and colleagues onboard and happy – and outside of work, using the energy we have left keeping life on track?
Finding ourselves in this place can be really tough – we can understandably feel stuck and hopeless. We might daydream about radical ways out.
There isn’t one right way through, but having worked with many people and teams who are at this point, I’ve seen something work time and again:
It really helps if the way we change looks and feels like what we need more of.
If work feels hard, stressful and exhausting it makes sense that more challenge doesn’t feel doable and welcome. Our bodies and brains resist efforts to change that look and feel like more of the same.
More pushing water uphill? “No thanks” our body replies – and we may feel stuck.
Instead, we can get things moving by asking: what does the opposite of my current experience of work look like? How might this guide how I approach making changes? As you reflect on this you may notice what appeals.
For example, if you’re tired, digging deep to keep going and feeling depleted, it may be welcome for change to be slow, gentle, kind, easy, no/low pressure – joyful even.
Approaching change differently helps us get unstuck – we change as we change. We feel different, and this opens up new options and possibilities.
When we want to change how we work, ushering in more of what we need as we go creates the momentum and energy as we branch out into new ways of working that are more right for us.
