Even in the midst of everything happening there’s nothing more for me to do.

I am not an essential worker and gratefully am not facing termination or furlough at this moment. Yet even as I sit at home all day, every day, I still find myself in the groove of ‘doing less’. ‘Doing less’ the driver of every post on this blog and especially since last year. Saying less, doing less, thinking less. Just less.

I feel so many people who are high achievers pressing on with the message of “if you don’t X then you are Y, once this whole thing is over”. I just can’t bring myself to agree. It’s so easy to say “everything you wished you had more time for then you have time now, so wassup?” But can we? Do we? Especially now? When the idea of doing or not doing that thing left me stressed, anxious, and depressed then—now suddenly I can press through this new situation that I didn’t plan for (save the few who budget money for such emergencies) is the perfect time to start something that already made me pensive and seemed hard to do?

There’s definitely a ‘yes’ available there. And there’s also an obvious ‘no’. Fam, forget all this noise about productivity right now. And not because I believe in self-care. Bump all this noise because sometimes more is just more. More output, businesses, IGTV (I might try my hand at this), and interior decorating isn’t it. What’s “it” is doing well. Feeling good. Contentment and peace of mind.

If that means you ‘make’ then great! If that means you watch all the #classic movies of yesteryear then that’s perfect. Whatever you do, do it with the intention you’ve already set for your life/year or with whatever is newly inherent within you in this moment. I will force one idea on you though, and that’s to find whatever shameless ounce, bone, mentality, part of you that you can while you stare down your future of business building, matcha latte mastery, or streaming repertoire. You will need it. Why? Because it will help you to answer, or not answer, the questions that you, your family, or your boss will have for you throughout and after all of this.

One good way to measure your success is by measuring the feel-good factor. If it feels “good” then do more, try different ways, or share what that is with people in your life or on that same fan club. “Good” is certainly relative. We can also admit that some things that feel good aren’t great for us (most drugs, for example). This ‘good’ I’m talking about is that knowing stillness, the joyful thing, the part of it that costs nothing but is so rewarding. That part. For me it’s continuing to try new cooking recipes, exploring holistic health and healing, re-watching my favorite shows, and doing Pilates. My fiancé is playing Sims City to throwback to his younger days, crushing Spanish lessons on Duolingo, working his butt off to have work to go back to, and going to the ‘bar’ with his friends once a week. Writing this post is another one, for me. One that felt silly in March. Felt forced on April 1. Today though, it felt wrong not to write it.

So I want to encourage you to stay the course of less. Stay the course of doing only more of what matters. And doing both of those really really well.

Sending lots of love and hope out your way.

Melissa