Why focus work starts with energy, not discipline

You have not yet experienced anything of what you can really achieve. And when you learn how to unlock that power, you can do what most people call impossible.

But not in the way you think.

Last week I sat across from a female entrepreneur who told me that she gets up at five every morning to work before her family wakes up. She had applied all the productivity hacks, scheduled her calendar down to the minute and sometimes worked more than 10 hours a day.

Yet I feel I am only a fraction of what I could be she said. 

Her challenge was not her discipline; on the contrary, she was tough on herself, results-oriented and disciplined. Her problem was that she was exhausted. She kept running in her rat race and hardly spent any time on her own health. And that was to the detriment of her health, relationship with her partner and children, because she simply did not devote the time and energy to it. How contradictory, because she wants to. Her words, at home the atmosphere is to cut and I prefer to be alone, rest and withdraw from the whole situation.

The bill of working harder pays for itself

Drive and hard work is often rewarded and romanticized. Twelve hours a day, getting up early, no excuses. The story that you have to grind until you drop. But no one telling you and telling you that you have already proven that you can work hard. After all, you accomplished a lot and that's why you are where you are today. The problem is not that you don't work hard enough. The problem is that you're not using your time and energy strategically.

Because focus work, the work that really matters, where you make a difference, doesn't require more hours. It requires focus energy. And energy doesn't come from discipline alone. It comes from how you take care of yourself.

This insight changed everything for me. And it is exactly why I look at leadership so differently than most business coaches. As also that I don't see and position myself as a coach by the way, Well as the long-term partner alongside my clients. 

Female leadership requires different rules 

In my work with women entrepreneurs and leaders, I see the same pattern over and over again. They try to squeeze themselves into systems built on male biology and logic. Linear work, constant performance, ignoring what your body is telling you. 

And yes, I definitely recognize it in myself as well during my career in corporate business. But also when I started my own company. Although I didn't think so then, but now I know better. I was (and still am sometimes) too hard on myself, I was bullish, disciplined and had to perform.

But by now I know, female leadership requires something else. It requires:

• Cyclical work rather than linear rushing through. Recognize that your energy fluctuates and respond to it instead of fighting it.
• Intuition instead of just analysis. Learning when to push and when to rest, not because a schedule says so, but because your body tells you to.
• Integration rather than isolation. Your work, your health, your relationships and your well-being are not separate boxes. They feed each other or they undermine each other. And for that matter, not striving for balance either, because when is something in balance and for how long? That's like still working "hard" and wanting to control everything instead of integrating and letting it coalesce so it's right from the inside out.

This is not a weakness. This is a strategic advantage if you use it instead of letting it work against you. Then if you ask what I wish I had learned earlier that it is definitely this. To be my wife's life and lead instead of the strong masculine of (in my case) fighting.

And from this realization, I discovered what it really takes for deep, meaningful work.

The psychology of focus: doing what really matters

I don't care about the latest deepwork hacks. If it works for you, especially keep going with that. I care about what works, if I see the point and need for it and know why I need to do it now. 

And what works are three foundations:

• Clarity about what you are working toward. The biggest focus hack is knowing what you're doing, why you're doing it, when it needs to be finished and exactly how you're going to do it. Without that clarity, you'll lose focus and you'll also start doing things that won't help you or contribute to your larger goal.
• Energy to get the job done. You can have the brightest vision, but if you are exhausted, nothing will come of it. Energy is your currency for impact.
• Structure that moves with you. Not a rigid schedule that forces you into a straitjacket, but a system that fits who you are and how you work.

These three fundamentals form the basis of how I work with my clients. And it always starts from the same point.

The Integral Growth Systems™: health as the foundation

In my Integral Growth Systems™, I work with three pillars: Health, Wealth and Freedom, in line with personal, business and financial leadership and growth. And there's a reason why your health is number one.

Because true leaders take care of themselves first. Not as a luxury, but as a condition. 

Your mental and physical health are your most important assets; like your valuable time, they are the tools for impact and being meaningful there. If you do not maintain those tools, you can grow all you want, you will always perform below your potential.

To me, these are essential components for continuing to invest in your health:

• Rest as a strategy. The quality of your work depends on how much time you take for recovery. Your mind needs a constant flow of new information as well as time to process that information. Sleep is not a luxury; it is essential and indispensable. 
• Movement as an energy investment. Not only to burn calories and stay fit, but also because it helps your brain think, solve problems and be creative. Fresh head, strong body.
• Nutritious food as fuel for performance. What you eat affects how clearly you think, how stable your energy is and how well you manage stress levels. Garbage in = garbage out.

Entrepreneurship is not a wellness hobby. These are fundamentals of Health & Business Strategy. Also reason why, as a health scientist, commercial ex-corporate, value- and impact-driven entrepreneur and sports fanatic, I named my company so.

But how do you specifically apply this in your day? That's where my biggest discovery comes in.

Two types of time: productivity and creativity

Most people wear overtime as a badge of honor, as part of your job and always being busy. But if you focus on the small amount of leverage tasks that really get you closer to your goal, you can get eight hours of work done in four hours or less. 

Because honestly, I recognize it from my time in corporate business and the many (inter)national meetings. A lot away and always on-the-go. But if we are honest with ourselves and about what work you can just stop doing, you keep a lot of time.

For myself, my whole business is built on two hours of focus work a day. That's the most leveraged thing I can do. The rest of my day consists of two other blocks:

• Creation blocks. In the morning, when my energy is highest, I create. Writing, strategic decisions, the work that moves my business forward.
• Work and inspiration blocks. In the afternoon, I fill my brain with books, learning and conversations. I go for walks between work blocks. I listen to videos and podcasts. This is where the ideas arise that I capture and use later.
• Empty blocks. Before bedtime, I walk. This gets the noise out of my head so I can sleep and rest well.

If you are stuck in operations, nonstop in "do mode," your mind becomes clogged. You run out of room for new inspiration and ideas to use during your focused work. So block out dayparts by default.

For me, this now guides my agenda and the conditions I undertake on. In practice, this proves more difficult to change. And that also comes from our upbringing and environment. Because of which we often postpone and push it forward for later....even until retirement.

This brings me to one of the biggest roadblocks I see.

Why procrastination holds back your progress

You procrastinate because your survival is not at stake. At least, not in a way that your brain recognizes. 

When you see yourself as someone working toward big goals, discipline becomes seamless. You feel threatened when you don't, which gives you energy to act. As also your loyalty and sense of responsibility that contribute to that.  

But if your identity is still what is expected of you, who you were, not who you want to become, your brain will sabotage any attempt at change. Read this sentence again.

You change your identity by letting go of what no longer serves you, by changing your circumstances and environment. Surround yourself with like-minded people who are pursuing the goals you want to achieve, the beliefs that your future self would leverage and give you clarity.

This is why networking and community are so powerful. Not for networking, but for lasting identity change.

And this is exactly what Scale to Freedom is all about.

Scale to Freedom: Achieve more through strategic simplicity and tranquility 

Scale to Freedom is not just another business program. It is a complete redefinition of your success, of how you work, live and lead.

Because what I've learned in twenty-five years is that you don't achieve more, you can't scale if you're exhausted. You can't lead if you don't have the right energy and fit. You can't make the difference you want to make if you exhaust yourself and are struggling in the process.

In this track, we work on all three foundations:

Health. We optimize your energy by looking at your routine, your rest and how you take care of yourself. This is not an afterthought, this is the basics. And no, no life coaching and health hacks. I believe in healthy living in your own style, in your rhythm. As a leader and direction giver of your life from the essence and with meaning and fulfillment. And that from mental and physical fitness, spiritual intelligence and healthy relationships, routines and results.

Wealth. We build a business that doesn't deplete you but feeds you. From selling time to delivering value, from working reactively to leading strategically. A business that facilitates your lifestyle and gives you satisfaction and freedom. And no longer the other way around. And building an asset, your own IP (Intellectual Property). A business that continues and grows profitably even without your presence. A business that grows in value.

Freedom. We create space in your life so that you are not only successful, but fulfilled. So that deep work doesn't feel like a struggle, but a natural expression of who you are.

This is not superficial coaching, but a profound transformation, a strategic partnership in which you learn to steer from calm, direction and vision.

You have more in you than you think

That woman who told me she gets up at five every morning? She now works fewer hours, but does more impact. Not because she found a hack, but because she has learned to manage her energy instead of exhausting herself.

She has learned that deep work does not come from discipline, but from energy. And energy comes not from pushing harder, but from taking care of yourself smarter.

If you are reading this and thinking, "I know I have more in me, but I don't know how to get it out," this is your moment.

Scale to Freedom is for women who are ready to stop fighting against themselves and start working with who they are. For what they are here for from meaning and with fulfillment and freedom.

Go to www.gerdihulsink.nl/strategiesessie To schedule your strategic exploration. Together we will explore where your energy is leaking and how you can regain it. Where you are leaving value now and how you can turn that into impact and profitable growth.

Because you were building rock hard on your career for someone else or your business. Now you get to build a life that nourishes, deepens and enriches you instead of at the expense of yourself, your health, your growth.  

One Life. Lead it. Live it.

Enjoy. Stay healthy and fit. Have a good time. Now and in the future.

Warm regards,
Gerdi

Your healthy growth, success and freedom. My mission.

P.S. You haven't experienced anything yet of what you can do. But it doesn't unlock by pushing harder. It unlocks by taking care of yourself smarter. That's the paradox of growth. 

Energy is the new productivity. And the women who understand that are the ones leading the future-fit. Fit and future-focused personally, professionally and financially.

When you want to achieve your more: The movement for change, deepening and enrichment

In my premium route Scale to Freedom we work intensively together for six months on your complete transformation integral. We reset, redesign and rebuild your business and life. This is not superficial coaching, but a deep strategic partnership in which you learn to steer from peace, direction and vision.

In addition, for visionary women who want to build their legacy, there is ELLLE: Elite Life, Leadership & Legacy Empowerment. This is not just another business networking club, but a high quality and high value partnership with women who are willing to invest in their position, their legacy and the future of women's leadership.

This is a new phase and movement in your life where it is no longer just about being successful, but also living fulfilled and enriched from the inside out. And no longer being led and lived the other way around. Creating a change that is needed now and for the new women leaders and next generations.

ELLLE: Elite Life, Leadership & Legacy Empowerment

ELLLE is not a network, but a movement. ELLLE is a systemic change that reaches beyond and enriches. A collaboration with women who use their knowledge, influence and ability to redefine the standard of leadership.

• For established women leaders and entrepreneurs.
• For visionaries and forerunners who want to increase their impact.
• For women who want to consciously shape their legacy.

ELLLE requires guts, commitment and a willingness to invest. It is for women who bring movement, not afwac