Hey Leader!
It’s the 4th of July this week, and everywhere you look, it’s red, white, and fireworks. But what if we thought about freedom a little differently, especially at work?
You’ve probably heard people say “figure out when you do your best work” or some variation of it. The key message is: build your schedule in ways that allow you to work with your natural rhythm.
My issue?
I do my best work early in the morning, and as a Managing Director, my direct reports were 3 hours ahead of me. So, every morning I felt like I had to check my email & Slack first thing… and then I’d go down a rabbit hole instead of starting my day with my most valuable work.
And then my coach asked me: “Alli, why not ignore Slack and email for the first hour or two of your day?”
My reaction 😳: “I could never!”
I didn’t know I was playing into an “always available” and “highly responsive” script that I could question, tweak, change, and model.
That’s when I realized: I was the one getting in the way of that deep morning flow. So I promised to try it for a week.
I gave my team a heads-up that I was going to ignore Slack & email for the first 1-2 hours a day, shared why, and told them to text or call if they needed something during that time (I knew they would because we had that type of relationship).
And lo and behold… nothing broke, nothing burned down… I did some of my best work… and it’s one of my FAVORITE changes I made as a leader.
A big component of freedom at work involves getting out of our own way and questioning the beliefs and mental scripts we’ve been operating from. Not all constraints are self-created, but some are, and those are powerful places to start.
What’s one work rule you’ve never thought to question—but could?
Lead boldly, live fully, & don’t forget to breathe.
In your corner,
Try This Today
Notice a default: Where in your week are you saying “I have to…” but maybe don’t?
Name a tweak: What could you try changing for just one week (like I did with Slack)?
Pro tip: committing to experimenting with something for 1 week makes it a lot easier to implement because your brain doesn’t think it’ll be forever!Create a freedom ritual: Protect it, put it on the calendar, tell someone, honor it like it matters—because it does.
Framework or Tool: The Life Design Loop™
The Life Design Loop™ is a 6-step process I use with clients (and myself!) to move out of autopilot and into intentional action. It’s called “the life-design loop” because I’m big on intentionally designing your life, but you can apply it to work, too 🙂
Reflect – What’s working? What’s not?
Reimagine – What do you want instead?
Redesign – What needs to shift in how you think, lead, or live?
Road-Test – What will you try as a short-term experiment? And for how long?
Reinforce – What habits, systems, or boundaries will support it?
Review – Did it work? Do you want to implement it long term? What needs to shift (if anything)?
This isn’t about burning it all down. It’s about noticing a default, choosing a shift, and testing it with care.
Then, you build in the support to make it last.
You don’t need a new life. You need a new loop.
Behind The Scenes
A peek inside what I’m building — at work & in life!
Work in Progress
The last few weeks have felt like a LOT.
Some days it’s overwhelming, and some days I feel like everything is clicking.
My pilot group coaching program, The Elevate Lab, kicks off on 7/15 (hit reply if you want more info!), and I’m about to start building my book launch team!!
Things are in motion, and I’m finding ways to build out my new rhythm as an entrepreneur instead of a senior leader!
Life in Progress
My parents are staying with us for the week, and believe it or not… they actually wanted to camp in our backyard for a few days.
They’ll spend the weekend inside, then migrate to the GIANT tent + air mattress for a backyard adventure.
I think they plan on stealing our dog every morning for snuggles 😂
Those of you who’ve been subscribers for a while will recognize the above tent photo!