One Hour at a Time: From Soul Frustration to Fulfilled Action

A fellow soulpreneur wrote:

“I’m loving JoyPro! It’s already generated more useful action than I have for months! But I do have a tendency to want to solve everything now, and feel some degree of frustration that my life just doesn’t allow for that…”

Bear with me while I bring in a bit of woo here — I believe this problem arises from our intuition about eternity…

We have this sense of our soul’s real capacity to be everywhere all at once, and to do everything all at once because — in the spiritual realm — there are no limitations of time. We intuitively feel we should be able to do everything deeply and experience it all simultaneously!

Yet here we are, in this soul gym called Earth Life, where we can only do things step by step. We are required to work within the confines of linear time. For the most part — until we learn to automate and delegate better — things must happen one after the other.

This means we have to practice setting excellent boundaries — not just with other people, but chiefly with ourselves.

This means accepting that it’s okay to focus on what’s in front of us right now.

As the saying goes: “Give us this day our daily bread.” — Jesus. This experience, this moment, has been given to you right now, to bring as much Spirit and presence as possible into Now.

Yes, there are many things you want to solve, do, build, and systematize. But alas, one thing at a time. If you can bring as much depth and presence into each task as possible — you’ll feel a lot more fulfillment each day.

In terms of business, I completely understand the feeling that everything is supposed to get done all at once.

A few years ago, when I was setting up a new system that integrated my mailing lists, affiliate program, course delivery, and website — the all-in-one system of Simplero — I wanted the entire thing installed at once and have it all working immediately!

That week, I had to send an email to my list, but first I had to move away from Mailchimp which I’d been using for 12 years. My affiliate system wasn’t set up yet at that point, nor was my website fully transferred to the new system, and moreover, my upcoming course had to be set up on the new system too. It all felt like it had to happen simultaneously!

Yet, I still had to prepare for meetings, show up for calls, and work on my next course. So how did I handle this feeling that everything must happen at once?

Of course, the only thing I could do — one thing, one step at a time.

I carved out just one hour a week for installing the new system. During that hour, everything felt like a top priority. I then asked myself: “what’s the most urgent deliverable?” It became clear: my email to my client group.

So when everything feels important, ask what is the most urgent — what’s the closest deliverable that is expected of you?

I went ahead and imported my clients and sent them the email. Even if they might find my website in the new system and it’s not ready — that’s okay. I’ll just put up an “under construction” notice there. So actually, that ended up being the most urgent — put the “under construction” onto the site.

This approach aligns with a concept that I often lean into — strict about showing up, lenient about results. Instead of striving for perfection, which leads to overwhelm and inaction, aim for next-step progress. It’s about taking small, manageable steps that move us forward, even with imperfect results. Action is priority.

Also, I’m a big proponent of creating “minimum viable offers” in business. Rather than trying to launch a fully-fledged, complex product or service right away, start with something simple that you can offer quickly. This allows you to start generating results and feedback, which you can then use to improve and expand your offerings over time.

To summarize, if you have lots on your place, here’s what I recommend:

Look at your priorities — which feel most important to you? If there are more than 5, ask which 5 are the most urgent? Then carve out 5 hours per week on your calendar — one hour for each of your high-priority items. This way, you feel like you’re making progress, even if it’s slow.

Do you have these hours scheduled in your calendar? And will you follow through?

This is especially important if there’s no obvious deadline for an important, long-term vision. Do you have time carved out for it? Even if there’s no deliverable for a while, it’s still important to make regular progress on it, if it’s truly important to you.

Simply take things one step at a time.

Productivity isn’t about constantly pushing yourself to the limit, however. Self-care is an essential part of joyful productivity. Make sure to schedule breaks, time for relaxation, and activities that rejuvenate you. When we’re well-rested and taking care of ourselves, we’re much more effective in our work and better able to handle the challenges that arise.

All we can do is to focus on our daily bread — the task at hand. If we bring as much Spirit and presence as possible into each moment, we can find fulfillment while still making “slow” progress on our long-term goals.

It’s about balancing our soul’s eternal nature with the limitations of our earthly existence. Remember, it’s okay to aim for “good enough” rather than perfect, to start with minimum viable offers, and to prioritize self-care alongside your work.