Every creator, artist, and entrepreneur knows the pains of the concept known as “writers block”. However you do not have to be an artist, writer, or even own your own business to have experienced a creative and or energetic block in your projects. It is one of the days, or moments, where no matter how hard you “want” to work or “need” to work, you just simply cannot get in the flow. We all experience, and are influenced by both internal, external, and even universal and collective energies. This means that depending on the day, time, environment, or even universal astrological components, we may or may not be feeling our “creative mojo”.

It is likely you have experienced these challenges at some point along your journey, and may now be asking the question: “So how do I get out of that funk Rachel?”. The answer is simpler than you may expect, and is an incredibly helpful perspective I learned while working a 60+ hour a week corporate job prior to building my coaching business. The answer is this…

“Work Smarter Not Harder & Work With Your Energy Not Against It”

-Rachel Stewart, CEO/Founder Spend Smart Live Happy, LLC

I will give you an example of how you can apply this concept to your daily work and projects, regardless of your profession, or project type. Lets say Patrick works for a large corporation and both carries a tremendous amount of responsibilities but also is subject to many critical deadlines for project completion. One day Patrick has overslept, is feeling tired and unwell, and upon heading into the office, pours his cup of coffee and opens up his action list. He stares at the computer screen for about 5 minutes before he lets out a loud sigh, drops his head into his hands, and is overwhelmed by feelings of frustration at the countless tasks that “must” or “should” be done and yet he “feels” like doing none of them! Does this scenario sound familiar to you? I know that I have felt and experienced this many times both as a corporate employee, as an artist and creator, as well as an entrepreneur and business owner with an online presence. As a matter of fact I have experienced this precise feeling today and opted for an altered work day to better work with my available energy. It is my hope and desire that in sharing this message I can provide useful tools to you on how to deal with this type of energy.

So getting back to our example of Patrick and his struggles with his projects while experiencing low energy or motivation. If I were Patrick, or he was my client, the advice would be the same. I would advise Patrick to look at his action list and do the following:

• FIRST: Prioritize tasks to determine which are top priority and MUST be completed that day (Non-Negotiable).
• SECOND: For non-negotiable project deadlines or commitments, I would advise Patrick to determine how he could complete them in a way that best works with his available energy resources? (i.e. Is there a meeting that must occur that could happen via telephone rather than over lunch?).
• THIRD: Beyond the non-negotiable projects that have now been strategically handled either in the most optimal way, or at the most optimal time, it would behoove Patrick to spend the rest of his time only completing assignments that would allow him to work efficiently, accurately, quickly, and effortlessly. In taking this approach Patrick is likely to vastly improve his performance and level of productivity for the day, even if those tasks are not as top priority as other items on his action list. By simply working with his available energy rather than fighting against it, he can be more mindful and productive. This allows him to complete more tasks on a low energy day, and save the other high importance tasks for another day in which his energy levels are better suited for successful completion of them.

This seems very simple; however I have found both personally and professionally that it is often times the most simple concepts that are usually ignored, forgotten about, or highly under utilized. I encourage you all to try this approach within your work and projects the next time you are feeling a little under the weather, low energy and motivation, or simply not in your “creative zone”. Please let me know what you think and if it has helped you transform the way you work by “working smarter not harder & working with your energy not against it”.

Thank you all for reading, and if you enjoyed this content, I invite and encourage you to share on your social media or with a friend. As well as like, comment, and follow! Much love to you all, Rachel.