Taking time away from being visible

Taking time away from being visible is - ironically - essential to being consistently visible.

Oftentimes people mistake consistency with treating oneself like a robot or a machine. The industrialised mindset makes us think that we have to turn up each day, putting in the same - or greater - amount of effort, and hope for increasing results.

But as we move away from this way of thinking about work, there's room to incorporate a more creative, expressive, emotionally aware way of being (whilst retaining some of the best aspects of industrial productivity).

Introducing the flow of creative energy into a process of systematisation allows us to respond to our needs whilst still being of service to others. It ensures consistency while minimising burn out.

As a mother, I have walked this tightrope for many years, working out how to be true to myself and my own needs and desires, whilst still being present to my children.
🧩 Sometimes that means being available without being super engaged. Just there. In the room. In their space but doing my own thing.
🧩 Sometimes it means scheduling efficiently so everyone's needs are met at the time they need it.
🧩 Sometimes it means dropping everything and being fully present to the needs of one of my children.
🧩 Sometimes it means stepping away from the family entirely and having my own time to refresh, rejuvenate and reconnect with myself.

So it is with visibility.

🔑 Sometimes I can be showing up on socials without sharing a fully thought out post like this one. Instead, I might share a quick picture from my day or repost something I think will resonate with the School of Visibility community.
🔑 Sometimes I will spend hours batching posts or blogs or recording podcast episodes so I have a whole lot of content in the hopper waiting to be shared.
🔑 Then there are times when I'm fully engaged; when I'm teaching a workshop, when I'm responding to someone on email or socials, when I'm preparing content.
🔑 And finally, there are times when I step away entirely. The batched content holds down the fort while I'm taking time for myself and the break time means that when I do return, I'm refreshed, rejuvenated, and more connected with myself, which in turn, opens up space for me to be more connected to you.

The beauty of running your own business is you're at choice as to how you work. There's no one forcing a way of working on you. In the fifteen years I've been running my own business, I've seen people veer wildly away from their old working habits to the point where there's no structure in their days or in their approach at all. I've also seen people implement the exact same working habits into their business as they had when they were an employee.

For myself, I like balance. I like structure and I like creative expression. I like systems to support me so I can direct my brain power toward higher level analysis and creative expression. I prioritise rest because I know it makes me more productive when I do work.

But this approach wasn't handed down to me. I had to break down capitalistic, patriarchal notions of how I was 'supposed' to show up and behave in my business. I had to welcome in the wisdom of the feminine and I had to see my old masculine habits for exactly what they were; unhealthy ways of being that were making me chronically ill.

You don't have to be 'on' all the time to be consistently visible to your community, you have to:

• dismantle ideas about what work looks like,
• be willing to embrace the technological revolution that's freeing up time in ways we could only have dreamt of 100 years ago, and
• be willing to step out as a new kind of person within a capitalist system, bucking old trends and having the confidence to model a new way.

It's for all these reasons that we have detailed resources inside Women Speaking Up that are focused on breaking down patriarchal habits and norms. We want each student to embody a new way of living and working. One that balances healthy masculine and feminine wisdom and practices. One that's both systematic and creative. One that intuitively knows the right balance between rest and work and play and allows that to inform their approach to being more visible in both business and life. Find out more and join us here.