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hannah willis

JUne 2023

I used to feel really empowered by a busy schedule. Wearing my full calendar as a badge of honor. As if the busier I was, the more impressive I must be. There are a number of reasons why I glorified being busy and one of the main ones is that we just live in a culture that values productivity above all else. I felt constantly bombarded with messages that told me I needed to be more productive, more efficient, and more successful and ultimately I had to restructure my view of success if I wanted to stay healthy mentally and physically.

I was so afraid of being seen as lazy or unproductive. I worried that if I slowed down or said no to an opportunity that I'd be left behind and never have another chance. I was so afraid of missing out on partnerships or experiences for my business that I'd say yes to everything and then end up losing money because I wasn't strategic with my time and efforts, and I was left feeling burnt out from the thing I loved. 

Once I had my first baby, I realized that just being busy and taking on as much as possible wasn't a sustainable way to run my business. It made it hard to enjoy my life and the fleeting moments in front of me. What I wanted to work toward was a healthy balance between floristry and raising my babies. The more I thought about the fact that I only get this ONE opportunity at motherhood, the more urgency I felt toward building systems and processes that created freedom to do so.

If we want to live healthy, happy lives, all we have to do is start. I remember feeling like I'd never be able to delegate a task and now I have whole crews running weddings while I'm able to rest with my children or have a moment alone. This didn't mean I had to stop being productive, sacrifice my standards, or lower my scope of work. But it did mean that I needed to be intentional about making time for the things that were important to my family and just starting the journey toward prioritizing those things was liberating. It meant drawing in, reshaping my goals, and then taking on the world with this viewpoint in mind.

If you're deconstructing the glorification of being busy like me, it can be difficult to slow down at first, especially if you're just used to this pace of life. But it is worth it to stop making excuses for yourself and start holding yourself accountable to not over-working and over-committing. Give yourself a chance to rest, recharge, and reconnect with the people around you. Give yourself the best chance at chasing your dreams and remaining grounded. The after hours texts from clients, the panic attacks about your inbox, the tears if something went wrong, the stress of saying no - I truly believe it's possible (and necessary) to build a business without these things.

A few things that helped me start the process, and hopefully help you too ~

Set boundaries. Learn to say no to commitments that you don't have time for.
Delegate tasks. Don't try to do everything yourself. Ask for help from others when you need it.
Take breaks. Schedule some time each day to relax and recharge.
Avoid multitasking. Focus on one task at a time and give it your full attention.
Spend time in nature. Feel the sun, or embrace a rainy day if that's your vibe.
Practice mindfulness. Pay attention to the present moment without judgment. 
Call your friends. Spend time with the people who fuel you, and just lean on them as you recalibrate.

Slowing down is not always easy, but it is worth it. <3