As a high achiever, I've come to recognize the significant importance of pause and reflection in my journey towards a sustainable business.

Taking time to pause not only refreshes my mind but also creates space for new ideas and perspectives, especially in my business.

Such intentional pauses serve as critical checkpoints where I reflect on how I want to do things better before I take action has been vital to building a business that feels right for me.

They prompt essential questions like:

• Am I on the right path?
• Do I still feel aligned with my goals or have they shifted?
• Do I need support, and how can I ask for it?
• What aspects of my business are flourishing, and which areas need reevaluation?

The practice of scheduling regular 'thinking time'—whether through personal retreats or intentional breaks within the month, acts as a powerful tool in leveraging the 'pause' for deeper self and business reflection.

As the saying goes, what’s the point of going somewhere fast if it’s not the destination we want to go towards?

I've learned the hard way, through burnout in 2015, the importance of not pushing myself relentlessly.

To gain clarity and construct a vision for our ideal way of working requires us to take necessary pauses to evaluate and gain perspective.

We can’t get to this ideal vision for our work and life if we’re in “doing mode” all the time.

Here's how I've integrated "Thinking Time" into my business rituals:

Scheduling Weekly "Thinking Time" 🧠

Every week, a 2-hour block of time for "Thinking Time" is scheduled on my calendar.

Regular thinking time has been vital for my creativity to flourish.

Away from the distractions of daily tasks, my mind can explore new ideas, think outside the box, and enhance my ability to have a fresh perspective on things that feel stuck in my business.

This creativity isn't just about generating ideas. It's about connecting dots in ways that aren't always possible in the hustle of a regular workday.

I do this on a Friday morning with a template on my Notion Dashboard so it's easy for me to show up and use the reflection questions to think about a higher-level vision for my business.

It might sound counterintuitive, but scheduling time to think can actually make you more productive. Knowing you've got time set aside to strategize makes it easier to stay focused when you're in work mode.

More importantly, having a weekly scheduled Thinking Time block helps you to make smarter decisions.

When you're not in the thick of things, decision-making becomes a whole lot clearer. You can take a step back so you can see your choices without all the emotional fog, leading to more grounded decisions that feel right.

Quarterly “Thinking Retreats" 🌴

One of my favourite ways to gift myself time for rest, deep work, and reflection.

I’ve loved having a ritual of going away for a Thinking Retreat at the end of every quarter where I get to nourish myself while reflecting and planning for the next 90 days.

It’s an opportunity to take a necessary pause and give myself a big reset to pivot plans and create fresh intentions if I need to.

It’s also a time to reflect on what happened in the last 3 months that can provide insight into what I want to keep pursuing or eliminate going forward.

I love using a fresh quarter to reset my intentions, re-align my plans, and review what I want to continue doing.

Sometimes I get an Airbnb just for a weekend or choose to go somewhere special for a a few days.

You can do it for a full day at the library, a cozy cafe, or your happy place by a lake or a park.

It's such a powerful practice that I teach a Quarterly Planning session every 90 days in all my coaching programs so that my students get an opportunity to reflect, realign, and be reinvigorated with their goals.

It's been so insightful and helpful because I get comments like these after a Quarterly Planning session:

• "After auditing what brings in clients for my business, I stopped doing all the busy marketing activities and focused on the 1-2 things that have made a difference."
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• "I started to see where I was busy doing 'stuff' in my business but a lot of things weren't creating progress at all. After eliminating those things, I have more space to double down on things that grow my business."
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• "After the Q1 planning session, I realized I took on complicated strategies that made marketing feel complex and not fun at all. It feels so much better to take the time to figure out how to make marketing more of a creative expression of what I do rather than do a bunch of tactics that have never felt right to me, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was before."

I've found that using different themes for how I plan and reflect on each quarter has been helpful.

For example in Q1 (first 3 months of the year), I focus on creating my business vision for the year and ensuring the strategies I want to implement align with my values and strengths.

For Q4 (final 3 months of the year), I focus on taking stock of what worked and didn't work in the year, and diagnose why. It allows me to create better systems/processes for what's working, and identify where I need support/new approach for where I've been stuck.

Do You Need "Thinking Time" In Your Business?

Using the concept of Thinking Time, whether it's in the form of a weekly scheduled time block or a Quarterly Thinking Retreat for self-discovery and strategic planning, encourages a shift away from the relentless hustle culture.

It invites us to design work and life around our authentic selves, ensuring that all micro decisions in our business are intentionally leading us toward our true version of fulfillment and success.

It's especially necessary when we're feeling overwhelmed. Taking more action isn't the answer.

Pausing, compassionate inquiry, and creating space to think, are the best gifts we can give ourselves during this time.

Does integrating Thinking Time feel worthwhile for you in your business (whether you're in the stage of starting or growing your business)?

I'd love to hear from you!
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​ ​ -Lydia

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ALSO: Here Are 3 Ways To Get My Help, Whenever You’re Ready…

1) Tiny Business Revolution 💫

I'm working with an intimate group of people who want to build a minimalist business so that they have time to enjoy their lives while making a good living.

The goal is to create a sustainable and satisfying business, that integrates seamlessly into the lifestyles we want and the kind of growth that feels right for us.

Ideally, you've launched a business, or you've already worked with a handful of clients.

There are some special perks if you’re part of the “founding members” round, like:

• A discounted rate to the coaching program.
• 1:1 time with me to ensure you’re integrating the work into your business.
• A complete Notion Biz HQ business operations setup worth $700+ (the exact system I use to run my Tiny Business).

💌 If this piques your interest, reply to this email with the subject line "Tiny Business", and I'll send you an invitation to chat with me!

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2) 90 Day Launch Academy 🚀

You can start your dream business with the existing skills you have in as little as 90 days.

Get my mentorship to go from employee to entrepreneur, create work you love, and start getting clients you love to work with.

The outcome is simple: discover the meaningful work that’s right for you and launch a business that’s designed from your strengths, values, and personality type.

You'll get Lifetime Access so you'll have plenty of support and time to launch your dream business, even if you're in a full-time job.

​Learn more about the Academy here.
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​3) Walk & Talk Sessions 💗

An opportunity to pick my brain on a 1-hour audio call - ask me about your work reinvention or business-building questions. I come up with brilliant ideas when I’m walking.

These sessions can be so heart and mind-opening for myself and my clients, especially when we move our bodies while having a conversation. Our session will be done virtually which means that you can choose a spot to walk wherever you’re at while speaking to me.

​See if this is a fit for you here.​