Season 1 – MC11: Balance is Bullshit with Laurel Staples

What this episode covers

In episode 11 of The Mindful Creator, I talk with Laurel Staples about the magical myth of work-life balance and why we should ditch it for good. Laurel is a Business “Jumpstarter”, marketing expert, writer and podcaster who left a corporate career as a hardware engineer In 2007 to launch a retail clothing store. Today, she is the founder of Go Fire Yourself – where she helps corporate prisoners escape the rat race, make a shit ton of money with their business & live life on their own terms. Laurel is also the host of The Go Fire Yourself podcast as well as co-host of the RED (Real Entrepreneur Development) podcast with David Hooper. Note that Laurel has recently rebranded to 10X10, which you can read more about at http://www.10x10coach.com/ Link Love Why You Should Ditch the Work-Life Balance model – Laurel Staples Let’s make a “to-don’t list” – Brett Henley How a Good Life Builds a (Better Than) Great Company : The Zen of Jonathan Fields – Terry St. Marie (Jonathan talks about the vitality, connection, contribution buckets I mention in my interview w/ Laurel). In this Episode * Laurel shares her story of working in the corporate world as a mechanical engineer designing color laser printers, the process of leaving the rat race behind to start her own retail clothing store, and the realization that led her to becoming an online entrepreneur. * Laurel talks about balance in her early days running a brick and mortar vs. her work today, and how running an online business has taught her how to work smarter, create intentional space, and make more money without killing herself. * Why work/life balance is an “unattainable ideal.” * Why we are consumed by this notion that we can create equal weight between obligations and passion, and why striving for balance is burning us out. * Why the process of creating an intentional life creates an urgency and pressure to achieve this false sense of balance. * People have to define a clear vision of what freedom looks like for them before they can understand how to prioritize and achieve their goals. * Why productivity and time management isn’t about “checking off” priorities; it’s about aligning them with your vision and goals and identifying what isn’t helping you reach your goals. * Why the concept of working smart vs. working hard is about mindset and energy, not tasks. * Laurel’s strategy of compartmentalization vs. balance and how we start to prioritize and be fully present in each “compartment” that comprises our day-to-day work and life. * Why it’s more effective to maximize the space that you’re in and not “cross the streams” between work and life (i.e. when you’re hanging out with family, hang out with family). * Beating distractions by breaking big tasks into small steps that you can work on in short intervals and giving 100% focus to whatever is right in front of you. * Making a to-don’t list instead of filling our days with arbitrary tasks and goals that we may not be aligned with * Why identifying the work that truly resonates will make the “chore” of prioritization much easier. * Why everyone is not necessarily destined to be an entrepreneur and that it’s okay to be an asset working for someone else. * Seeking alignment and the power of letting go of anything that does not serve our true selves as...

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