How Do You Like to Work?

I like to do things BIG, all out, no half-stepping. I take on huge projects, plan and organize them, implement them (usually with lots of cursing throughout), and then I’m done. Making a pottery studio in my home. Remodeling my house. Creating an urban farm (three times). Starting my own business (twice). Doing a van conversion. Those are the types of projects I do. I feel a lot of pride looking back on what I’ve created. And then I rest until the next inspiration hits me.

I learned this about myself when I worked in the corporate world. One of my jobs was a project manager in healthcare administration. I loved planning and implementing new computer systems, work flow processes, and business structures. We’d have a celebration, and then I’d walk away, pleased. What I hated is if I had to stick around to manage the system after it was implemented. It was the same old thing, day after day, and it bored me. I thrived on the huge-ness of a project, sorting through all the tasks it would take to complete, and leading the way.

Know what you like.

A key to daily happiness is not only doing what you want, but doing it how you want. Look back on work you have done that has flowed the easiest, kept you engaged, brought you a sense of satisfaction, and fit well within the rest of your life.

If you like structure and same-ness, work that is similar every day will feel good to you. If you get bored easily, new clients or projects may appeal to you. If you get overwhelmed with many details and moving parts, smaller projects or areas of focus will be gentler on your mind and less stressful. Look for ways to steer your work in the direction that suits you best, delegate the unpleasant parts if posible, and continuously strive to improve your work life.

My most mentally-challenging project.

Creating my first doula curriculum was one of the most mentally challenging projects I completed. I had to identify every topic, learning objective, teaching aid, and resource for a 24-hour course. It was daunting.

My first curriculum weighed in at 55 pages.

But I wasn’t done. I soon expanded my doula training to 32 hours, to include racial and social justice content. Then I turned it into a week-long residential retreat filled with art and ritual. And finally I added more hours, creating my enCircle Doula Training, a 42-hour, seven-week series.

My latest project.

You may have heard I'm writing a book (if not, click here for the announcement, and here to read about our journey). With my book, I  capture that entire doula training that I created, and deliver it in a book. This will definitely be my longest project to date! I started in March 2020 and expect it be published in March 2022. Writing it has been like putting all the flesh, sinew, tendons, every vessel and nerve cell and organ, on the bones of that original doula training curriculum.

I'm breathing life into so much of what lived only in my mind, so that it will live on its own out in the world.

My upcoming book has traveled with me thru three pandemic shelter-in-place locations, weathered a career change, and captures my twenty year legacy as a birth doula and doula trainer. This will be the first book that provides everything a person needs to know to work as a birth doula. Follow along with my book progress here.