Walking down to my first meeting of the day today, I reflected on how I think differently about things since getting rid of my car.
My business wardrobe has to change, to prioritise higher levels of physical activity.
My scheduling has had to change, to accommodate either walking and public transport, or the “slower” (actually mostly equivalent) bicycle plus walking.
Critically, it's made me less inclined to go out in public, which is not entirely a good thing. While I work in a focused way when in my own space, if I don't interact with expansive and creative thinkers of all kinds, I actually start to wilt.
How is this about focus? Well, the psychological barrier of No Car, in a spread-out city, somehow forces a rationalisation of what you do, the things to who have you Say Yes.
For example; it occurred to me that it would make much more sense to work in the coworking space that's within walking distance, than in the one in town - except I'd lose the focus on creativity that it gives me.
And as I wrote to you last week, about drilling right down to the specifics of what Brutal Pixie does, it's challenging to cut things out, to effectively “say no.” to more things, more services, more options.
However, over the past week, I have committed to a direct and laser-sharp focus in two ways.
The first is to keep going hard on case studies. The website (which you can see at brutalpixie.com) is now ALL about case studies.
Yet I've captured my broader expertise - the reason why the case studies are amazing, actually - in a new publication that has a much broader remit. That one focuses exclusively on business publishing success, something about which I have much to say that few others do. You can learn more about that at this location.
Thus it is that I will be able to keep my expansive capabilities on the table, without sacrificing the focus necessary for growth.
Focus isn't always about just being able to put one foot in front of another. It's equally about your ability to enjoy what you're doing. You need to find that balance in your processes that allows you to go hard, be understood, achieve the heights you want to - however long it takes - and still maintain your 'focus' and strength. But it doesn't mean you have to do it all at once.