Intuitive Achievement: Getting off the Hamster Wheel + Achieving without Burnout
Get shit done
without burnout and way more fun!
This has become a big part of my coaching philosophy and something I’m passionately incorporating into my Science of Life Design coaching philosophy! It’s the whole point behind my Take Back Your Time planner! Hell, the subtitle of the planner is “a self-awareness + intuitive achievement planning system to help you live a life on your terms!” But, I wouldn’t blame you if you’d caught yourself asking what the hell that means!
What is intuitive achievement?
Actually, though…before we get into that, let’s start with some context…
Lemme start by saying that this was rough year in terms of motivation, feeling inspired…all of it! And I didn’t think much if anything would come out of this year…
When I got home from Remote Year in January…I was exhilarated! I was exhilarated after a year of amazing experiences and even more amazing people. I was exhilarated by finally being home again and seeing all the people who I had missed so much. But I was also burned out…
I was burned out because even though I did everything I could possibly think of to manage (and protect) my energy while I was traveling, it was still exhausting. I was burned out because seemingly the moment that I got home, all of these people wanted to see me. Family…friends…and don’t get me wrong! I was happy and excited to see them…but I was also exhausted by it.
As soon as I had the chance, I went into straight up hibernation mode. I slowly started emerging out of it, but, cheesy as it might sound, when I emerged it felt like a metamorphosis. I felt different. I wasn’t as excited about some of the things that I had spent the last few months being so excited about. So, I did the only thing that I knew how to do…I pushed through it!
Idk about you…but I’ve been the master of just putting my head down and grinding it out. Pushing through any “I don’t feel like it” and just doing the work. That’s my MO, and I’ve excelled at it in the past.
But now, it was around my business. And that sucked! I didn’t start my business to have it be something that I just pushed and hustled my way through, and yet there I was doing just that…
Eventually, I realized how fruitless and unfulfilling it was to just push through.
The past few years have taught me a lot about productivity. About mastering self-discipline, motivation, time management, and productivity. But, the last 12 months have been really special because they taught me so much about the importance of softening toward myself. It taught me that I do have an intuition…I just had to learn to listen to it.
My planner, which launched in November (have I mentioned this?! hehe) utilizes a system that I call intuitive achievement. You might be thinking, “what the hell is that?”
Well, before i tell you, i’m gonna nerd out for a second…
Achievement: a thing done successfully, typically by effort, courage, or skill.
Intuitive: using or based on what one feels to be true even without conscious reasoning; instinctive.
And just one more definition…
Mindfulness, according to Jon Kabat-Zinn: paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and without judgment
In my opinion, this is intuitive achievement…
Now, before those of you that have been with me for a while start going: “Damn, when did Ellyn get so woo-woo?” (which you very well might be thinking…), lemme clarify something. What I realized over this past year, and was only just able to start articulating recently in my journal is this:
Self-kindness, mindfulness, intuition? It’s all easy to cultivate when you’re not in the middle of the hustle. If you don’t have anything going on…anything that you’re working toward…it’s easy!
But what about when you’re working your ass off toward something you love? That you’re super excited about? Then it’s a lot harder…
And I know you! You’re like me. You’re multipassionate. You’re driven. You’re a goal-getter. You’re an achiever. And maybe you’re even a type A Enneagram type 3…which means you thrive in validation. And because of that…there’s damn near always something you’re hustling for, right?
Well, what if I told you that, when you have this kind of a personality, mindfulness is the most necessary thing you can cultivate? Cuz it is. It’s the most necessary thing you can do, but it’s also the hardest…
It’s harder when you’re like this because, as I realized this morning, when you have a big exciting project that you’re working on, it’s so easy to get lost in the work! It’s so easy to backburner all your mindfulness practices in favor of having something better to do. Something more productive…am I right?
But, that’s also why it’s so necessary. Because when you’re in this kind of a place in your life, there is no separation between where hustle ends and your life begins. The hustle can become all-consuming. You see what I mean? Difficult to prioritize…but so necessary!
Why else is it important? Two more things…
Firstly, because these are also the same times when we can get SO attached—too attached, almost—to our expectations and disconnect from our reasons WHY we started in the first place, you know? Sometimes, I find myself getting too wrapped up in the potential exciting results, the expectations and forget about the point and the reason why I started. Intuition and mindfulness…they bring me back to that.
Second, because as achievers we’re so driven by validation! That’s such an important thing to know about yourself. But, again, mindfulness becomes even more important because it helps you tap back into your reasons for why you did something and what you can celebrate about that thing beyond what others might validate you for…
That’s what I’ve realized! That’s why I believe intuitive achievement is so important…and why it’s the key to getting off the hamster wheel and avoiding burnout!
If I had to define it, intuitive achievement is this:
“Intuitive Achievement is the achievement of goals, accomplishments, and fulfillment in life that prioritizes your thoughts, feelings, and emotions - without judgment...”
action steps to implement intuitive achievement…
Prioritize YOUR mindfulness activities…I say your mindfulness activities because I’m not going to force mine on you! I love meditation and journaling, but you may not! Regardless, it’s important for you to identify the activities that allow you to get some downtime, to take space, to get into quiet and to spend some time with yourself! And when I say prioritize them, I mean DO NOT LET ANYTHING put them on the BACKBURNER. Promise?!
Proactively schedule down time…Maybe it’s a vacation. Maybe it’s just a me day or a staycation. However you want to think about it, it’s important that you take some time away from your to-do lists and away from purely focusing on whether you’re “getting enough done”.
Don’t force the hustle! This was the hardest one for me, but if you’re not feeling the projects you’re working on, if everything in you is begging for a rest…I promise, it will feel so much better to just allow yourself some relaxation instead of trying to push through. Embrace the rest and relaxation, embrace the downtime, and pick things back up when it feels good to! I know that might seem counterintuitive, but when you get into these moods, your body (and your intuition) is begging for a rest! You’ve just gotta listen to it…
Review yourself and keep track of what feels rejuvenating and what doesn’t. This is the crux of why I do weekly reviews and why it’s something that was a non-negotiable to incorporate into my planner! Because in doing consistent reviews, I realized that the weeks where I focused less on the volume of activities I was getting done and more on the quality of activities…those were the weeks that felt infinitely better! Doing reviews showed me the things that felt good and the things that didn’t so that I could proactively create a life that felt better!
