We are often told that if we want something badly enough, we just need to push harder. Work longer hours, say yes to every opportunity, keep going no matter what. And for a while, that can feel like it’s working. The to-do list gets shorter, the diary fills up and from the outside it looks like real progress.
But what happens when the person driving all of that starts running on empty?
Sometimes the most productive thing you can do for your vision is nurture the person creating it
Busy isn’t the same as focused
There is a big difference between being busy and being focused, and it’s surprisingly easy to confuse the two. Busy feels productive. It gives us a sense of momentum. Yet so much of what fills our days has very little to do with where we actually want to go.
Think about the last week. How much of your time went on the things that truly move you forward? And how much was swallowed up by other people’s urgent requests, the email that needed answering straight away, or the drama that somehow landed on your desk?
Imagine a business owner with a clear vision for the year ahead. They know exactly what they want to build. Yet by Friday, they’ve spent most of the week fixing problems that weren’t theirs to fix, sitting in meetings that didn’t need them and replaying a difficult conversation in their head. No wonder they feel exhausted and wonder why nothing seems to be moving.
It isn’t a lack of effort. It’s a leak of energy.
Whose expectations are you carrying?
Other people’s expectations can be incredibly heavy, especially when we don’t notice we’ve picked them up. The client who expects replies at 10pm. The colleague who assumes you’ll always step in. The family member with strong views on how you should run things. Even the version of you that you think everyone else wants to see.
None of these people are necessarily doing anything wrong. But if we carry every expectation as if it were our own, there is very little room left for what really matters to us.
And then there are the dramas. We all know them. The situation that has nothing to do with you, yet somehow you find yourself drawn in, offering opinions, losing an afternoon to it and taking it home with you at night. Drama is very good at disguising itself as something important. Ask yourself, will this matter in a month? Is this mine to solve? If the answer is no, perhaps it doesn’t deserve your energy.
“Not every fire is yours to put out.”
Boundaries are an act of care
I spent a long time in roles where boundaries were crossed again and again, and I put up with it because I had my sights set on the next rung of the ladder. Deep down I knew things didn’t align with my values, but I told myself it was the price of getting where I wanted to be. My body eventually made the decision for me, and that is a lesson I would rather others didn’t have to learn the hard way.
What I understand now is that boundaries aren’t about keeping people out. They are about protecting what you are building. They are a way of saying “this matters to me” and then acting like it does.
A strong boundary might be as simple as not checking emails after a certain time. It might be saying no to a project that pays well but doesn’t sit right. It might be stepping back from a conversation that keeps pulling you into someone else’s chaos. Each one feels small, but together they create space. And space is where focus lives.
When values get crossed
Our values are like an inner compass. When we’re living in line with them, decisions feel clearer and energy flows more easily. When they are crossed, even in small ways, something feels off. That nagging feeling, the tiredness that doesn’t lift, the tension in your shoulders when a certain name pops up.
These are signals worth listening to. Every time we override them, we spend energy trying to make something fit that was never meant to. That is energy we could have given to our vision instead.
So it’s worth taking a moment to get really clear on what your values are. Not the ones that look good on a website, but the ones that, when crossed, leave you feeling unsettled. Once you know them, it becomes much easier to see what deserves your time and what doesn’t.
So how do you get more done?
Here’s the part that might feel a little counterintuitive. Getting more done often starts with doing less.
Less of what drains you. Less of what belongs to someone else. Less of what crosses your values. And more of what fuels you.
A few questions I find helpful:
- What are the two or three things that will genuinely move my vision forward this week?
- What am I doing out of habit, guilt or other people’s expectations?
- What gives me energy, and how can I build more of it into my days?
- Where do I need a clearer boundary, and what’s stopping me from setting it?
And then, perhaps most importantly, look after the person doing the work. Rest isn’t a reward you earn once everything is finished. It’s part of what makes the work possible. A walk, a proper lunch break, an afternoon with the people you love, time doing something that simply brings you joy. These aren’t distractions from your vision. They are what keep it alive.
When you are rested, clear and aligned, you make better decisions. You notice opportunities you would otherwise miss. You trust your intuition again. You get more done in a focused morning than in a whole week of running on empty.
“Your vision is only as strong as the person holding it.”
Bringing it back to you
This is a big part of what I explore in the Inner Edge work. Helping people reconnect with what truly matters to them, recognise where their energy is going and build the kind of boundaries that protect both their business and their wellbeing. Because success that costs you your health, your joy or your peace isn’t really success at all.
So the question is:
“What would change if you started protecting your energy as fiercely as you protect your goals?”
