Reflections on a year of "DO to BE"

Time, space & camaraderie for purpose inspired, home-based business owners to get stuff done, well

I love unanticipated change! And I have not been able to anticipate what “DO to BE” would be like.

That’s a joy. But it’s also part of the problem and something that new members comment on.

"DO to BE" isn’t like they thought it would be, which is perhaps also why I haven’t been very good at talking about it… Mostly it is about having the time and space to get on with the real work, giving people accountability and a sense of discipline.

It annihilates procrastination. We turn up, we get stuff done. Simples.

Except, it is rather more than that... light hearted, for instance.

“DO to BE” is a community of purpose inspired individuals who are working on projects that will make a tangible, sustainable difference for the people, places or species they care deeply about. It is about taking considered, purposeful action so together we can make a difference with greater confidence.

The whole point about “DO to BE” is that it is only by taking the action and DOing the key things, that we can BE the person who gets the results and achieve our aspirations and audacious ambitions. “DO to BE” is dedicated time and space to DO the necessary foundational work for the BE to come to fruition.

There is something about the setup which makes working hard invigorating. Productivity is boosted by using effective breaks and working in a supportive community – a group of people who are genuinely interested in how each person is doing and what they are up to.

Someone who recently joined said after their first session ‘I was so productive, yet I don’t feel drained. I got more done than I would have done on my own, and I feel ready to get on with the rest of my day. I wasn’t expecting the breaks to be so effective. I got loads done in the breaks too – I even did my washing up!’ At which point, one of the other members said, ‘and I bet you’ve never washed up so quickly in your life!’. We all admitted that doing these sessions makes the household stuff easier and less effort too.

You see, the life of a home based business person often involves doing it all and having it all. Or rather, not quite doing it all and often not having it all… it’s a bit like being a working mother with young kids, but without the obvious, visible reasons for being a bit on the frazzled side. It is also without the local community of other parents.

Running your own business can be an isolating experience. I don’t think we have to be this way.

I believe we can more fully enjoy our work - we can work sustainably and generate vitality as we go.

That’s why I started DO to BE: to work well, in good company.

Here are a few of the experiences of DO to BE over the last year:

One person used the time to follow up with sales communications, sending emails and messages to people who had expressed an interest in their next course. By the end of the morning’s session they had already generated several thousand pounds of bookings.

Often members making time to create and schedule content. It turns out that it’s a task that none of us really enjoy, even those with a formal training in marketing. But it needs to be done. So we regularly take advantage of the distraction free time and space to just do it.

A new member was working and feeling a bit chilly. They looked up, looked at the other people beavering away at their desks. She saw one of them wearing a fluffy dressing gown… so she got hers too and worked away happily ever Zooming after.

Admin. I fondly imagined people coming and writing books and other creative projects. (Proper rosy coloured, romanticism.) No. It’s more likely to be admin. Invoicing. Accounts. Emails. Sales communications. Sometimes it is even sorting out insurance policies. Yep – anything is welcome, if it involves getting stuff done, and getting the niggly junk out of your head to create space for the creative activities. In “DO to BE” you set your own work tasks, like an actual business owner boss who knows what they need to do to get their sh*t done.

One member regularly uses the sessions for editing their monthly magazine.

I often do client work. And I use sessions for writing. And content creation…

And yes. We do usually talk about ‘getting sh*t done’. Sometimes it is dropped in the chat as an accomplishment: ‘I got sh*t done!’. ‘Yay!’, we all cheer, and high five or raise our half drunk cups of cold coffee in mutual celebration. It’s a brilliantly supportive group.

Generally, the third session goes much faster than the first – even though they are exactly the same duration! Why? I don’t permit chit chat during sessions. We silently drop our intentions and accomplishments into the chat, and we work in our own headspaces. We drop into the work period, and we drop deeper with each successive one. We are all deeply in flow. And as you probably know from experience, time evaporates when you’re in the flow. Parties; time with your favourite ones; co working: all of them proper time warpers!

So, how are things for you right now, in December 2023?

End of year pressure

I don’t subscribe to this. But here I am again, feeling the pressure of the looming Christmas break and all the things I ‘SHOULD’ have got done by now. That’s almost a whole string of bunting of red flags right there…

The appearance of ‘should’ is never a good sign, and something I encourage people to refrain from using. It’s a self-pressured BS sort of a thing. Will you do that thing? Or will you say ‘No’, or ‘Not Now’? Shoulding is a nothing, limbo situation and is not healthy – it is the very opposite of working well (in all senses).

Anyway, here we are in December, with the fate of all the great intentions of last January already cast, but we are on one final sprint to get things done before we turn our computers off for the break. (You will be keeping that promise to yourself, won’t you?)

We’re not designed to work in midwinter.

Wintering. It is a vital part of our cyclic natures. Look outside, much of nature is on tick over (or is underground in deep slumber) now.

Q: Why is winter necessary? A: To make spring possible.

We are programmed to rest in winter too, which is why I don’t subscribe to the whole ‘end the year strong, hit the ground running in January’ hoo-ha. This is the time of year when we need to listen to our needs the most. That might be being highly sociable, or it might be enjoying some solitude – we’re all different, but I encourage you to take what you need over the next few weeks, so that your February and March are enjoyable too. Anyway, that’s the theory, but here we are in the reality of early December, with things to get done (yes, me too).

I have something which might help you with that!

Some free virtual coworking sessions. 9am-12noon on Zoom. Free sessions to help you get that stuff cleared down so you can properly rest.

·? ? ? ? Tuesday 12th

·? ? ? ? Thursday 14th

·? ? ? ? Tuesday 19th

And incidentally, it will help me to complete one of my aims for the year (and something I haven’t been very good at doing): showing people what the virtual coworking sessions are like. I reckon I have 3 remaining opportunities to do that in 2023.

What you get in these sessions:

·? ? ? ? Distraction-free space to do your work.

·? ? ? ? Encouragement.

·? ? ? ? Accountability from the body doubling magic – with cameras on, seeing everyone else on their chairs as they DO the work keeps everyone up to it.

·? ? ? ? A sense of connection because you aren’t working on your own.

·? ? ? ? An embodied sense of achievement.

As one DO to BE member recently said, ‘I am so glad you lot were here, because otherwise I would have been lying on my sofa watching Homes under the Hammer, but instead I have written and sent that email I’ve been avoiding since last Friday’.

Do you want in?

Here’s the link. You will get an automated email with Zoom details (if it doesn’t appear, please DM me – I am less automated, but I will get back to you…)

And if you turn up, try it and like it, there will be an early bird offer for signing up to join “DO to BE”.

If working this way doesn’t suit you (and it doesn’t suit everyone) then there is no obligation.

You can also turn up to all the free sessions with no further commitment – I just want you to get the things done so you can properly relax and enjoy the other part of December and early January, so that you can start 2024 well.?

Don't take my word for it... try for yourself!

And if you need to hear from somebody else first, check out the difference "DO to BE" has made for two of the regulars:

#coworking #workwell #productivity #accountability #procrastination