Downshifting: 🏃♀️➡️→🚶♀️➡️→🧘
Have you ever been pushing so hard and running so fast for an intense period of time that you wanted to slow yourself down, but found it surprisingly hard to do?
That’s exactly where I found myself a week or so ago after my book launch on June 10th. The pre-launch and launch phase turned out to be the most intense part of the entire process—a true culmination of a big ambition that, honestly, still isn’t completely done (the book lives on!).
Operating at such high intensity for a period of time can start to feel like your new normal. But as I started to come down from that peak, I kept thinking about what Peter Morgan, creator of The Crown, said about working on the series: “I love doing this, but it’s overwhelming to a degree that isn’t sustainable over a long time.”
I knew that I needed to be deliberate to change course. I could easily keep going at the same breakneck pace—momentum has a way of carrying you forward whether you want it to or not. But I knew that path would eventually lead me into what I call the “severe” zone of ambition, where I’d end up exhausted and putting other things I care about (like life ambitions) aside just to maintain a pace I didn’t even want to keep up.
So I’m intentionally downshifting. And here’s what I’m learning: this isn’t just about self-care or taking a breather. I mean it is that, but it’s also about wisely shifting how and where we’re using our energy so we can put our time and attention where we actually want them to go.
So what does this look like in practice? Here are 10 things I’m doing to downshift:
Revisiting my notes on what I’ve been pining to put time toward
Slowly reframing my goals for the rest of the year
Using #1 and #2 to re-craft my to-do list and starting to shift my actions and where I’m spending time
Identifying classes I want to take to get me out of the house and into energizing activities (thanks for the tip, Laura Vanderkam!)
Blocking time on my calendar for such new activities
Putting other activities on my calendar like events with my husband, connecting with friends, or family time (like spontaneously on Sunday going to see this film on Georgia O’Keeffe’s life while it was playing)
Giving myself space to “do nothing” like what I call my “soul day” when I simply follow my energy to guide what I do (no “checking things off the list” allowed)
Giving myself space to indulge in exploration and to take stock to see where I might want to go from here
Revisiting my “to read” book list (because I love research as leisure activity—and also escaping in fiction, which my brain is finally allowing again!)
Giving myself grace and space to figure it out—not judging myself, not demanding perfection right now, not forcing a quick shift
This is what downshifting looks like for me right now, but it’s personal. It may look different for you.
How might you downshift for the summer?
What might you want for your summer? As you look forward to the rest of the year?
Where might you want to shift your focus and put more of what you wish for on your to-do list and calendar?
Give yourself a “soul day” and follow your energy
Take yourself on an adventure for exploration—physical or mental (Novelty slows down time and allow yourself to go down rabbit holes!)
Where can you give yourself grace?
🏖️ Here’s to finding your own sustainable pace this summer.
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Sustainable Ambition offers a strategic approach for pursuing our professional and personal goals in a way that is motivating, meaningful, and manageable from stage to stage, rather than be all consuming in a way that compromises other important aspects of our lives or sacrifices our well-being.