This life skill is actually one I've been taught before, but as I get older I realise it is the ultimate lesson and one that life will keep bashing me over the head with. That is: acceptance.

For a long time in our hustle culture we have had perfectionism on a proverbial pedestal. We have believed that to be perfectionist is to be excellent.

Times are a changin', my friend. Perfectionism is no longer the aspiration.

Read on to find out why and what the alternative is.

I have come here to share an epiphany I had this week.

Epiphany: Feeling content is actually super easy.

It is us that makes it hard. Hear me out…

Flow is when you have that magical experience of becoming so immersed in your focus on a task, be that for pleasure or work, that you forget about all other distractions, including the time! I know I am in flow when I am not conscious of where my phone is - tragic, I know.

I recently saw a friend who is more than ten years older than me and she looked AMAZING. Glowing, beautiful, athletic… I said as much to her and she responded, “I’ve started focusing on my sleep.” ​​​​​​​​

I noticed she was wearing an Oura ring. I wear a Garmin watch but both track your zzzs. Why bother? There are different aspects of our sleep that provide different services. Knowledge is power and I know the power of quality rest. Rest is restorative. We literally need it to restore. ​​​​​​​​

Having had chronic fatigue and severe burnout I know what it feels like when you’re not getting what your body needs. It’s not nice. Brain fog, delirium and exhaustion. The mood swings. Relying on food for energy instead. It does not feel good! ​​​​​​​​Just think about jet lag and how the machine that is YOU winds to a halt.

Overwhelm comes when we try to do too much. When we say yes to opportunities without stopping to think whether it's aligned with our bigger vision. When we let our ego get into the driver's seat. Or when we subconsciously follow conditioned beliefs that no longer serve us.

Burnout used to be my best friend.

In 2019, I quit my job to set up my own company. Before long, my life became a cycle of overwork, overwhelm and collapse.

I got fatigue and exhaustion, severe anxiety, chronic gastro-intestinal issues, and physical injuries from overwork.

I gave myself a repetitive strain injury in my right arm, from shoulder to index fingertip. My doctor warned me I could get lifelong nerve damage.

So I hit pause. Rested a bit. And then I fell straight back into burnout.

Again and again and again.

Burnout made me feel broken.

I’m going to talk you through an unconventional productivity hack. Doing non-work related activities during the working day.

Does the thought of that make you panic at the thought of the 'catching up' you'll have to do later?

Try not to freak out just yet. Let me explain in a little more detail.