Happy May! As of today, my course Living Systems is enrolling for its Spring session on soft systems for task management and Air medicine.

 

Here's an essay I recently sent to the folks on that interest list, that I wanted to share with you as well. Thanks for reading xx

 

 

Dearest business butterflies—

 

Many of you may know that I run a podcast studio called Softer Sounds.

 

When I started that business, I set out to do something radical. I wanted to revolutionize the podcasting process, overhaul small business culture, and somehow only work 12 hours a week in the process.

 

I wrote those big dreams in a poetic manifesto and went to work. But within about a week…I was completely overwhelmed.

 

I had emails to send, episodes to edit, and clients to care for. Not to mention a dog to walk, meals to cook, and friends to visit. How was I supposed to bring my beautiful vision to life when there were so many Things to get done?

 

At first this seemed like an impossible dilemma. I spent each day frantically fighting the clock and praying that I’d make it through my to-do list.

 

Each week started with a sprint and ended with a stressed-out-me closing my computer at 9pm Friday night hyperfocused on That One Thing I didn’t get done.

I thought if I could just get it all done, then I could get back to the Big Picture… 

 

But trying to get it all done left me feeling even more disconnected from my dream than before. Maybe you can relate?

 

 

Looking back, my problem was that I was constantly chasing tasks instead of guiding the flow of my work toward my goals.

 

Thinking of our theme of Air, I was basically hyperventilating through my day — taking shallow breaths I thought only I could take — rather than channeling my breath and the air around me to power the pinwheel/windmill of my business.

 

In the middle of my overwhelm, it was tempting to think that the answer to my problems was to abandon tasks altogether. To stay in my visionary space so that the dream never breaks down.

 

But the answer was actually in the break down! And my medicine came in the form of adrienne maree brown’s wisdom — Small is good, small is all (The large is a reflection of the small)

 

The best way to bring my Big Vision to life was to embed it in every Small Task. They’re inherently interconnected.

 

 

So over the past two years, I’ve implemented soft, supportive systems that help me break my big dreams into small steps and manage the flow of my energy so those tasks actually get done.

 

For me that looks like a task list database, a weekly agenda, and a quarterly vision board. Those tools combined with a lot of Air medicine (embracing change, optimizing for flexibility & the power of a deep breath) have completely transformed how I work.

 

But what works for me likely won’t work for you. That’s why in the Air cohort of Living Systems, we’ll help you create the tools that you need to connect your Big Vision to your Small Tasks.

 

We’ll guide you through answering these questions my co-teacher grace posed for us— how can we break down your work, your dreams, that next email, into something you could work on and get done in 15 minutes? what if you could work on it in packages so small that they inevitably get done?

 

And by the end of our four weeks together, you’ll have your own soft, supportive systems for tracking tasks, creating content, and managing the flow of your week.

Sounds like a dream come true, doesn’t it?

 

 

 

Thank you for being here, First name / friend.  Registration for Air cohort is now open, and our first class is May 18.

 

The course include four live class, four co-working sessions and an online community to share your aha moments as they happen.

 

You can learn more here and put your self on this email list to get future updates about the course. 

 

I hope to see you in Air cohort when we start in two weeks. Big hugs and deep breaths until then. ♡

xoxo, Amelia

 

♡ ways to work with me ♡

 

for dreamers who want to leave social media – get the free Leaving Social Media Toolkit

 

for business owners who want community & support –  join the Lifestyle Business League

 

for creatives, freelancers + beautiful people – sign up for Notion Nerd Night (it's free!)

& learn more about Living Systems, the course I co-teach seasonally

 

for (aspiring) podcasters – check out Softer Sounds for support launching or editing a show

 

 

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