There's a question worth asking yourself before your next engagement: what conditions do I actually need to do my best work?
By conditions, I mean the environment that lets you think clearly, solve problems well, and deliver good work. For me, it's white space in my calendar, big uninterrupted blocks of time, room to move throughout the day, time to sit with a problem before I'm asked to deliver, and clients who trust my judgment and treat me as a partner. A quiet office helps. A coffee and my dog at my feet doesn't hurt either.
Most people have a sense of what they need, but they aren't intentional about creating a work life that allows them to work in those conditions most of the time.
For me, when the conditions are right, focus comes easy, work flows and I forget about the snacks in the kitchen right next to my office. When they're off, there's a particular restlessness that shows up: brain racing at night, tension just before sitting at my desk, one million reasons not to work [coffee, laundry, scrubbing the weird stain on my desk that's been there for 2 months, more coffee].
Step 1: Make the list.
Think about the times you've done your best work or felt the best while working. What was true in those situations?
What was the content of the work you were doing?
Who were you working with? Did you have autonomy?
Did you have time and space to absorb the work at hand before you were expected to deliver?
Where were you sitting? Enclosed in an office or around others?
Start with a messy list, you can clean it up as you go.
Step 2: Check your current reality against it.
Where are the gaps between your list of conditions and how you are working now? If one of your conditions is big uninterrupted blocks of time but your calendar is fractured into 30-minute windows, that's a gap. If you do your best thinking when you have time to move but you're sitting most of the day, that's a gap.
Many people find that they started their business with good intentions, but their commitment to setting the right conditions has gradually eroded, one small accommodation at a time.
Step 3: Take responsibility for closing the gap.
Taking action to change means saying no to some things, renegotiating other things, and sometimes having a hard conversation or two. The clearer you are about what you need, the easier it is to call it out and advocate for it.
If you need big blocks of time, build them into your calendar before anything else goes in. If you can't do your best work carrying four clients at once, try three. If you need clients who see you as a partner, that's something you screen for and set the tone for from the first conversation with a potential client.
When you work in your conditions, the work feels different. The re-work disappears and the restless nights go away. What's left is the best version of your work that you were capable of all along.
Reply and tell me: what's one condition you know you need and haven't protected yet?
Carrie
Hi! I’m Carrie. I believe doing good work and living the life you want are not in conflict. If you’re ready to build that way, reply to this email or see how we can work together.
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