What’s Working Wednesday: Creating Less and Showing Up More
The last couple of weeks have been a lot. A. LOT. LOT. 95% of it has been a good “lot”, but it’s been many of those kind of days when you look at everything on your list and wonder how it could possibly all belong and get done? That’s pretty much where I am right now.
There’s client work to do, Canva classes to prepare for, emails to send, things to design, things to write, and all of the regular pieces of running a business that don’t magically stop just because the week is already full.
But, funnily enough, I’ve been showing up on social media more this week than I normally do. Just not in the way I usually would!
I’m Trying Something New
I’m part of a business group that is doing a 30-day Instagram Stories challenge, which means I’ve been getting on camera and actually talking in my Stories.
For some of you, that probably sounds like absolutely no big deal. For this introvert? It’s a big, huge thing. I’m much more comfortable sitting behind my computer designing a website, creating something in Canva, or writing words like these than I am holding up my phone and talking to it.
But I decided to do the challenge because I know it’s good for me AND for my business. And ultimately, it’s a way to connect with those of you who might want to work with me, but just aren’t sure who is behind the curtain….er, computer screen. I want to show up and let you know I’m here for you, I’m a real person, and I care about what I do – and how I might be able to help you!
So this week, some of my content-creating energy has been going toward simply getting comfortable showing my face, talking about what I’m working on, and letting people see a little more of the person behind the business. I’ve mostly been rambling in the evenings, as I wind down my day, and the last few days? I’ve actually been enjoying it!
But that’s not all. Since I’m doing something new there, I decided I didn’t need to be doing something new everywhere else, too.
My Old Content Is Working Again
Along with showing up in stories, I still want to keep the feed full… so instead of trying to create brand-new reels for my feed this week, I started looking at what I already had.
And guess what? There was plenty to choose from! Reels I created months ago are still relevant. The information is still helpful and some (or most) of the people following me today probably never saw them the first time. Even the people who did see those older reels probably don’t remember everything I posted six months ago. I certainly don’t remember everything everyone else posted six months ago! (I don’t remember everything *I* posted six months ago!)
So I’ve been reposting. And it has been such a good reminder: Not everything in our businesses has to be new at the same time. We put so much pressure on ourselves to keep creating. A new reel. A new post. A new email. A new product. Meanwhile, we have folders and feeds and websites FULL of things we’ve already spent time creating. Why aren’t we using them again?
Put Your Energy Where You Need It Most
This week, I’m putting some of my creative energy into something that’s new and a little uncomfortable for me: talking on Stories. And I’m working hard behind the scenes on the Canva Workshop Series, and a few others ideas that have popped up now that I’ve dipped my toe into the “teaching” realm.
That means I’m giving myself permission to let something I’ve already created do the work somewhere else. I think that’s something we could all do a little more often in our businesses.
Maybe you’re launching a new product this week, or learning a new skill. Are you getting ready for a craft show? Or is life outside of your business is simply taking more of you than usual. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to disappear from your business until things calm down. It might just mean asking: What have I already created that can help me keep showing up?
Pull out an old reel or reshare a blog post from last year. Turn an old email into a social media post – or vice versa. Show us a product you’ve talked about before, or last year at this time. Remind people about something that you assume they’ve already seen! Because…. there’s a very good chance they haven’t!
Creating Less Doesn’t Have to Mean Showing Up Less
So, that’s what’s working for me this Wednesday. I’m creating less content from scratch while still showing up consistently. I’m trying something new in one area without convincing myself that everything else has to be new, too.
On a week when my to-do list is longer than the hours available to accomplish it, I’ll take that as a big win! And maybe this is your permission slip today too. Before you sit down to create one more thing from scratch, take a look at what you’ve already made, and repurpose! Your old content might not be finished working for you yet!
(And yes, I did write a new blog post, so I do have ONE new piece of content this week… but writing the “What’s Working Wednesday” posts are a commitment to myself and blogging that I’m trying very hard to keep).
