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Embarking upon a journey in the form of a road trip to Oregon, I had the honor of spending the weekend with 20 other women, entrepreneurs all.

Inspiring. Revealing. Supportive. Feeling of belonging and connections. Hallelujah! Everything the solopreneur slogging it out on her own dreams of…

Tara Gentile, who planned the weekend retreat, brilliantly built plenty of spontaneous time into the weekend (take note event organizers: keep your introverts in mind!!)

At brunch on Sunday, I enjoyed oatmeal pancakes and conversation with one of the women, a biz coach.

In this friendly setting, a flowing stream of thoughts poured forth about my work (dangit, I always wish I had the microphone on in these moments!)

I was explaining energy management and how this is the missing piece in the greater conversation around “productivity” and “time management.”

The words flowed more or less like this…

When we get overwhelmed, we try to push harder.

When we get burnt-out, we consider slowing down.

When we get sick, we stop. Sometimes.

In other words, we have come to allow hefty amounts of stress and overwhelm as acceptable states of being. And to top it off, we ignore our high-impact work and get lost in busywork just to feel like we’re getting something done.

(more…)

null In the last article, So long, Time Management. You’re history. I shared my dissatisfaction with the role of Time Management and how it’s high time to transcend to Energy Management.

It’s not a “doing away with Time Management” as much as an evolution of it.

The problem is that the ToDo List and Schedule have become Relentless Task Masters wielding the power to make us feel crappy for not getting X and Y done.

What’s an alternative? Flip the power structure.

How? Connect with and develop awareness of your inner rhythms.

Think about a master painter at work in her studio. Do you think she’s expecting progress on her projects to happen in pre-determined 30-minutes scheduled time slots?

Somehow she decides which canvas to work on, when, for how long and how and where to apply the brush strokes.

Her direction isn’t pushed by a Task Master—she follows a different muse.

Who’s your muse? (more…)

You can watch the video here, or read the transcript below:

Hello there, Natural Professionals. It’s Shawn Tuttle, today in Los Altos, California.

Today’s subject is on recognizing patterns while you’re on your path. Because what so often happens is we have this idea, say for a business, a new project, a new offering or something, and we are so excited–we’re just completely lit up. That’s how we know we’re on the right track. It’s our soul speaking to us, saying “Yes! I want that!” And you know there’s nothing at all that can get in your way…

Until tomorrow. Life happens and stuff comes up. And you know the longer a project takes, the more motivation and the more inspiration you need. Then every once in awhile you have these days when you’re just doubting, and you’re thinking “What in the world was I thinking when I said I was going to ______ ” or “I can’t do that!” or “It’s too hard!”

Some of this stuff is just hard. Either the work itself, or having to stretch ourselves skill-wise or comfort-wise. Maybe it’s pushing for some personal growth. Whatever it is, it’s hard.

3 Kinds of Patterns

So there are three kinds of patterns that I’m going to suggest that you watch for that can sometimes help move through some of these darker times on your way to that eternal “Yes!” (more…)

Are the desires to be a successful entrepreneur at odds with yogic principles? Or are there ways to redefine success and run business in a new way?

Mandy Lucchese founded KinFolk Yoga in Grass Valley, California as a hub for health and happiness. Whether running the studio or teaching a yoga class, Mandy consistently shows up with heart, presence and integrity. She’s proving that a pure intention at the core of her business is good practice for owner, teachers, and students alike.

She’s more concerned with the well being of the person than with numbers… but a girl’s got to live, right? Is it possible? (more…)

I scheduled out the high priority Focus tasks, scheduled time for the busywork tasks, did my morning self-care routine and got to work.

Time Management mavens—take note, I kicked butt. And then… it kicked my butt.

What began as: “1 hour to download thoughts (post client appointment) and transfer info to a new report format” took about 1.5 hours, but what I couldn’t have predicted was the burst of inspiration and insight into the core issue of this client’s situation.

There went another hour. Hmm, two and a half hours instead of one. Not only does that mess with my time schedule, I used up another hour and a half of precious focus energy (I usually get about three hours max of intensive thought-work per day).

Should I have let the fire of inspiration go in favor of sticking with the rest of my agenda?

Probably…

Are you kidding? Hell NO! That fire is Why I Do What I Do!

That inspiration gave me a free-ride, deep-dive into insight and wisdom that is the core of my gift to the world.

What came out of that session

will help me help my client,
will likely end up in a future blog post, and
deepened my understanding of my Work.

Nope, not giving that up.

So what happens with the rest of the schedule?! The other tasks on the ToDo list? Do I push them to tomorrow? Hmm, tomorrow’s agenda is already set based on the appointment schedule.

Do I buckle down and push into Get Cranking Mode for a late night tonight? Ugh, doesn’t sound so great and I’m feeling kind of spent after that intensive session…

Honestly, I’m not liking either of these options too much. Why are these the questions that I have to come to terms with? Because no matter which way I work it, I feel like I’m “paying” for that awesome gift session. That just doesn’t seem right.

(more…)

Natural-Professional-Shawn-Tuttle-demons

Kick the Should Demon to the curb to free up mental space

By Shawn Tuttle on May 28, 2014

Embarking upon a journey in the form of a road trip to Oregon, I had the honor of spending the weekend with 20 other women, entrepreneurs all. Inspiring. Revealing. Supportive. Feeling of belonging and connections. Hallelujah! Everything the solopreneur slogging it out on her own dreams of… Tara Gentile, who planned the weekend retreat, brilliantly […]

Manifest your Soul’s presence with Energy Management

By Shawn Tuttle on May 14, 2014

In the last article, So long, Time Management. You’re history. I shared my dissatisfaction with the role of Time Management and how it’s high time to transcend to Energy Management. It’s not a “doing away with Time Management” as much as an evolution of it. The problem is that the ToDo List and Schedule have […]

Lost? 3 tips to help you find your Path

By Shawn Tuttle on May 5, 2014

Today’s video is about those time when we just feel lost, like we’re dragging ourselves through a dark forest. Maybe our toast to jelly ratio is off. How can we get back to YES! and the path of motivation? You can watch the video here, or read the transcript below: Hello there, Natural Professionals. It’s […]

[05] Mandy Lucchese: Finding your Inner Guru

By Kathy Frey on May 3, 2014

Are the desires to be a successful entrepreneur at odds with yogic principles? Or are there ways to redefine success and run business in a new way? Mandy Lucchese founded KinFolk Yoga in Grass Valley, California as a hub for health and happiness. Whether running the studio or teaching a yoga class, Mandy consistently shows […]

So long, Time Management. You’re history.

By Shawn Tuttle on April 24, 2014

It hadn’t been a bad day—it was a get things done day: several projects to advance, plans for an upcoming trip to Oregon to make, and a house project to line up for when I’m back in Nevada City. I scheduled out the high priority Focus tasks, scheduled time for the busywork tasks, did my […]

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