Momentum Muse: Freedom Within the Form (#23)
An attempt to find just the right amount of structure to support our creativity.
Hello and welcome to Momentum Muse!
Before we get started, I want to tell you about Wicked Wednesday, which I just announced on my other newsletter, Purposeful Connection.
We all have those really, really hard things on our to do list. The ones we don’t even write down anymore, because we don’t want them to be real; the ones we pretend don’t exist because shame bubble just beneath the surface. I call them Wicked Things.
Wicked Wednesday is coaching and community support via Zoom and Substack Chat. Once a month, we get together on a Wicked Wednesday to name Wicked Things. Learn more about Wicked Wednesday here.
Now, onto Momentum Muse. Remember, there is no need to complete all questions. Be gentle, check in, and stop any time.
The plan:
Waypoint: want went well last week, what didn’t, and what ideas do you want to take forward? (5-10 minutes)
Pathfinder: intentions, priorities, GROW, and PINCH (15-20 minutes)
Quest: deeper reflection (up to 30 minutes)
Momentum Muse Zoom Sessions:
Book your slot here: https://tidycal.com/hannakeiner/momentum-muse-body-doubling. We check in, work in parallel through the questions, then check out.
Let’s begin…
What went well last week?
What didn’t go so well?
What are your ideas for next week?
This can include things you want to try differently, or things that you want to continue doing because they’re working well. Once you have a list, select one or two items to commit to.
What are you particularly proud of handling well?
What are your top 3 priorities for this week? (the What)
What are your intentions for this week? (the How)
Intentions could be: do less, focus, do one hard thing, be kind to myself, lower expectations at home to focus on work, connect with others, challenge myself, etc.
Optional Pathfinder A: Increase your chances of success by using the GROW model to get clear on your goal and next steps.
Last week, I introduced you to a new coaching framework. Let’s use it again today. The GROW model includes four stages: Goal setting (G), an assessment of the current reality (R), an exploration of options (O), and identifying the way forward (W).
What is your goal?
What do you want? Complete this sentence: “I want to….”
What is important about this goal right now?
What does your reality look like?
How do you feel about this?
What internal resistance do you have to taking action?
What resources do you have?
What are your options?
What ideas do you have?
What has worked in the past?
Who could help you with this?
What will you do?
What is your first step?
What might happen to prevent you from taking this action?
What can you do to support yourself?
Optional Pathfinder B: PINCH (ADHD Motivators)
“PINCH” - Work with ADHD motivators. For your priorities, how can you use your interest-based nervous system to motivate you? Brainstorm some ideas to incorporate passion/play, interest, novelty, competition/cooperation/challenge, and hurry.
Passion and Play - How can I turn this into a game or make it fun?
Interest - How can I connect this to my interests?
Novelty - How can I infuse some novelty into this so it sparkles?
Competition / Cooperation / Challenge - How can I turn this into cooperation or a friendly competition (with myself or others)?
Hurry - How can I create a sense of urgency?
Quest: What systems or structures support you? Find freedom within the form.
🛝 What if you treated your to do list like a playground?
A playground has boundaries, different options for play, not one prescribed way of using each station, and a limited number of options. A little bit of structure can help us unleash our creativity - it can help us play. But be careful, too much structure can feel restricting!
Today, I want us to explore:
What structures do you have that constrain your days just enough to make room for play and creativity without being restrictive? What structures support you?
For me, this includes things like: Momentum Muse on Mondays, my children’s school schedule, a publishing schedule, monthly and weekly priorities, my journal.
Next week, we’ll ask what structures feel restrictive and want to be loosened up a bit. I’ll also ask you to consider where you might benefit from a bit more structure to create room for play.
Love the idea of treating your to-do list like a playground. And it’s so important to identify our internal resistance to the things we’re procrastinating. Knowing why is the first step to moving forward to tackling it.