3 business-y things for March
Creative Caffeine - On conscious uncoupling (the business version), 17 year-old wisdom & taking personal inventory
“In March I’ll be rested, caught up and human.”
Sylvia Plath
Hi friend,
If you’re new here, welcome!
And join me in saying goodbye to February. With its season of stuck- ness and wet weather and terrible step-counts.
Also endings.
I’m wrapping up with my longest-standing PR client at the end of March. Whereas my default mode has historically been to spin into a state of sheer panic (How can this not be personal? How will I plug the revenue?) it seems that almost 12 years into running my own business, I’ve learnt to trust the cycle of things.
To be grateful for the journey and see this as the business equivalent of a conscious uncoupling.
As my almost 17-year-old, in all his hoodie-d wisdom said, “Mum, think of how you can use that time now.”
He’s right.
The LinkedIn workshops I’ve wanted to launch for months.
The book proposal.
The poetry manuscript.
So, this means March is also new beginnings. How about you?
3 business-y things for March
April is technically my scary month so I’m making the most of March with these intentions:
1. Taking personal inventory – I’m taking Summer Brennan’s (possibly life-changing) A Year of Writing Dangerously course. One of the many transformative practices she recommends is to taking a regular personal inventory, to help you support your writing/ creative project/ endeavour. Essentially, you check in with your key life areas, taking notes on: the body, emotions and personal life, your creative self, career and professional life and also responsibilities and logistics.
Because Summer says it best, “No judgment, just a way to be present with what is, and make a to-do list if necessary. Venting, complaining, and rumination are all allowed during the taking of an inventory if it helps you get it out of your system.”
It’s been a deeply grounding practice these last couple of months. It’s how I’m starting March.
2. Weekly goal-tracking – Carrying this one over from last month. Because it feels like it’s working.
3. Creative refueling – There have been moments this year where I’ve wondered if I’ve been dancing on the edges of some kind of burnout. I deep-dived into January, piled on the goals, the tasks, without thinking about how I was going to sustain All The Things.
March is about making time for some creative refueling. The best version of me will make it to an art gallery or even my local museum. The real version might just take my notebook to my favourite coffee shop for an hour. Get away from my desk to think and dream and stare out of the window. Join me?
As always, I’d love to hear your plans for the month ahead. Comments below. And if you’re not on Substack yet, just hit reply.
With love,
Antonia xo
A Year of Writing Dangerously sounds intriguing, may have to seek that out ❤️ I love this post and completely agree that trusting the cycle of things- will not easy- is oftentimes the best thing we can do. Sitting in that uncertainty is no mean feat but filling time with things on that wishlist (are writers the only people with epic wishlists?!) sounds like sound planning. Your hoodied son sounds like a veritable Yoda 🥰
Such a great post Antonia. I've been thinking a lot about opportunity costs lately and how 'giving up' on some things allows me to focus on what matters. It's how we frame it. Your 17yo is very wise! Also that quote from Plath - so good. My version is that I'll have enough time in a fortnight, always week after next - which never comes...