"Sometimes the best technology during Mercury Retrograde is a notebook and a good pen."

Good Monday morning.

After the week we've had with power outages, internet issues, technology deciding to do whatever the hell it wants, and Mercury Retrograde proving exactly why it has the reputation it does, I decided to start the day a little differently.

Instead of opening a dozen tabs, checking notifications, responding to messages, and immediately diving into work, I grabbed my coffee and a notebook and sat down with an old-fashioned paper to-do list.

Nothing fancy.

No colour coding.

No elaborate productivity system.

Just a simple list of things that need to get done and a pen to scratch them off as I go.

Honestly, it felt kind of refreshing.

Maybe it's because I've spent enough time fighting with technology over the past couple weeks. Maybe it's because I've watched not only my own systems act up, but client systems too. Websites have been weird. Platforms have been weird. Logins have been weird. At this point I feel like Mercury Retrograde deserves its own IT department.

Whatever the reason, sitting down with pen and paper felt like a bit of a reset.

And judging by the amount of energy I woke up with this morning, it was exactly what I needed.

The sun is finally shining. I can hear dozens of birds outside my office window. Moo is currently passed out behind me enjoying her morning nap while hubby is outside mowing the lawn. After the storms, the outages, and everything else that seemed to arrive with them, the simple normalcy of a Monday morning feels pretty damn good.

The funny thing is that while I have a lot to do today, I don't feel overwhelmed by it.

A few months ago I probably would have.

Instead, I feel focused.

Excited, even.

Part of that comes from the monthly goal-setting workshop I have later today with one of the coaches I'm actively working with. And if I'm being honest, I'm really enjoying this season of having support.

Not because someone is telling me what to do.

Not because there's pressure.

And definitely not because someone is promising overnight success.

What I appreciate most is the simplicity of it. If I make the live sessions, great. If life gets busy and I catch the replay later, that's okay too. There's no pressure to perform. No pressure to constantly prove myself. Just support, strategy, and space to grow.

That space has been teaching me something I didn't even realize I needed to learn.

Trust.

More specifically, trusting other people enough to stop controlling every single aspect of everything.

Now let me be clear. This doesn't mean I've suddenly become relaxed and carefree. Anyone who knows me knows there's a very good chance I'll still be operating at Mach One with my hair on fire most days.

But there is a difference between being busy and carrying the entire weight of something on your shoulders.

For a long time, I didn't realize how much energy I was spending trying to oversee every detail, every decision, every outcome, and every moving piece. Somewhere along the way I convinced myself that if I wasn't involved in everything, something would get missed.

That's a heavy burden to carry.

And honestly, I didn't fully realize how heavy it had become until I started setting some of it down.

Lately I've been learning to focus on the things that only I can do. Working with students. Coaching. Creating. Building community. Developing the programs and long-term vision I've been dreaming about for years.

The rest?

I'm learning that it's okay to let other people help.

It's okay to trust.

It's okay to receive support.

And maybe that's the lesson Mercury Retrograde has been trying to teach me all along.

Not everything needs to be forced.

Not everything needs to happen today.

Not everything needs to be carried by one person.

So for now, I'll keep working through my paper to-do list. I'll attend my workshop. I'll check things off one by one. I'll probably sneak outside a few times to soak up some much-needed Vitamin D. And if the technology decides to cooperate, great.

If not, well...

That's what notebooks are for.

Until next time,