Episode 92: Are you underdoing it?

00:51 Welcome to Unfrazzle, a podcast for solo business owners with a big vision who are ready for a kinder more sustainable approach to productivity. I'm Louise Miller and each week i share bite-sized insights to help you step away from the hustle stop faffing and stay focused so you can make your brilliant ideas happen and make a bigger impact in the world Before we dive into today's episode, if you enjoy what I'm sharing here on Unfrazzle and you'd like to support the podcast You can buy me a cuppa by going to BuyMeACoffee.com slash Louise Miller and making a one-off donation. I'll pop a link to that in the show notes Okay grab yourself a cuppa and let's get started The first time i heard someone use the phrase underdoing it was in the early days of Make It Happen Club

01:38 At the end of our monthly momentum planning sessions, members are invited to share their intention for the month ahead if they would like to. And as part of these few moments of sharing people often provide a little bit of context around what's been happening for them and what they want moving forward. On this particular day one of our members told us that she'd been underdoing it for a while and was now ready to step up into a more energised season of activity And I hadn't heard that phrase used in that way before and it really stuck with me. Underdoing it! The opposite of overdoing it. So we're all familiar with the concept of overdoing it, aren't we? It's something we're often warned against as it can lead to stress exhaustion and a real lack of balance and harmony in our lives And in my work supporting ambitious busy business owners who have a lot they want to achieve I want to have it all done by yesterday My radar is always up for clients who might be overdoing it and at risk of burning out And it's why I'm so big on the idea of being intentional and slowing down

02:39 But it actually is possible to lean too far the other way. To be so scared of overdoing it that we over-correct and end up under doing it, letting ourselves off the hook, doing only the things that feel comfortable easy and fun and as a result stalling our growth and our progress That's not to say that underdoing it is always a bad thing. Sometimes it can be an intentional choice, for example I was purposely under doing it back in January knowing that I wanted a slow and steady start to my year But sometimes we don't realise we're doing it. Sometimes that underdoing it is born out of fear and I've had many conversations with people who have experienced burnout before in their lives and who are so worried about landing back in that place, that they don't stretch themselves you know they're trying to protect themselves usually subconsciously and so without realising it they might get stuck in this pattern of underdoing it

03:33 And that can be fine if you're content with the life and the business that you have right now, and you just want things to continue as they are. That could be fine but if you want more... If you want to grow both personally and professionally.. If you want to reach more people make a bigger impact make more money experience more joy underdoing it probably won't get you there so what's the answer? Is it even possible to find the perfect balance where you're not overdoing it or under doing it but have somehow found this perfect amount of both effort and ease? Perhaps it is, and that's certainly something that we can aim for as we kind of continue on this journey of finding a pace and rhythm that works and feels good for us whilst also getting us to where we want to go. But maybe there's another option

04:21 Another option that is, I think more forgiving, more flexible and more realistic. And if you've been listening to this podcast for a while it won't surprise you to learn that this option is all about curiosity experimentation and awareness So last year one of my 1-1 clients was doing A LOT in the first few months of the year She was organising a huge international summit, recording and launching a new podcast, beta testing a new programme all whilst keeping up with her business as usual activities. And there were many moments during those first few months of the year that she had to overdo it if she hadn't then those things wouldn't have happened and she was absolutely determined that those things were going to happen in that first part of last year

05:03 But obviously that level of activity and effort isn't sustainable in the long term. So together we made sure she had space to underdo it once that busy period had passed. You see, overdoing it and under doing it aren't necessarily bad – they only become problematic if you stay stuck in either extreme for too long And if we ignore the signs that it might be time for the pendulum to swing the other way. I know that's been true for me, in my pursuit of a simple life i'm more likely to get stuck in underdoing-it mode than over doing it mode and I can definitely feel it when I've spent too much time in that place of not doing very much. I start to feel listless and without purpose and I start to notice it in my business too right? My audience growth stalls or I'm struggling to come up with ideas for content

05:52 And when I notice that happening, I take it as my cue to ramp things up a bit. To allow the pendulum to swing not all the way into overdoing it but a little more in that direction. I know in those moments I need to relocate my oomph and challenge myself to take some uncomfortable action and pick up the pace a little bit. And of course this wouldn't be an episode of Unfrazzle if I didn't also point out that noticing where you are on that continuum becomes so much easier when you take a pause When you're in the habit of stepping out of your business and reflecting on how things are going, you are way more likely to spot whether you're under or overdoing it. Which means you'll catch yourself more quickly if you're at risk of staying in one of those two extremes for too long. When you take a pause...you get to notice! If you've been under doing it for awhile, you might need to ramp things up a bit to re-energise yourself, your life and your business You might want to challenge yourself to do the thing anyway even if you're not feeling like it

06:50 And if you've been overdoing it, you might need to take your foot off the gas. Allow yourself to rest keeping on top of the things that matter most whilst being okay to let go everything else for a while So how is this landing for you? Are you in a season of underdoing it or overdoing it right now and is that an intentional choice, or have you found yourself there by accident maybe you've only just realized that's what's happening listening to me share this with you today. Either way I invite you to give it some thought and consider how you can make sure you are not stuck in either extreme that you can kind of keep the pendulum swinging between both

07:27 In a way that allows you to grow and to make progress whilst also taking care of yourself along the way. So as always I hope that this helps, and i look forward to seeing you again soon! Thank you for listening to Unfrazzle. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend who needs a dose of calm productivity in their life and I'd love it if you could leave me a rating and review as that will help more people discover this podcast. If you would like to hear more from me to help stop faffing and take back control of your time, you'll find the link to join my mailing list in the show notes and I would really love for you to join us! So thanks so much for your support and I look forward to seeing you next time