Hey friend,

Different email from me today.

I just wanted to be super open in sharing that I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed the past couple of days.

After having a full week off on holiday last week (which was absolutely incredible) naturally getting back into the flow of things has taken some time.

Right now there’s so much coming to me inbound that I’m finding my time and attention pulled in so many directions.

That’s a good problem to have, of course it is, but it’s a problem nonetheless. It’s hard to spot the real opportunities from the noise.

I’ve learned this year that problems don’t go away on their own. They have to be addressed and resolved.

I’m still navigating this situation, but I did want to write about this and felt it was worthy of a newsletter.

💭 Thought of the week

Reach out to others when you need help.

Something that helped me today was reaching out to others.

The truth is, no problem is unique.

We can like to think that we’re special, and that we’re the only person in the world to face a particular problem, but thats obviously not true.

Feeling overwhelmed and my stress levels rising, I opened up WhatsApp to message a few people about specific problems I’m facing.

I love the Naval quote: “All advice cancels to zero.” Said differently, you could ask two people for advice and they could give you completely opposite answers, rendering it useless.

I mention this first because it’s important to consider who can actually help you improve your situation.

• Who’s had this problem before and solved it?
• Who’s opinion do you trust for this specific type of problem?
• Are you seeking emotional support or a solution?

It’s great to have confidants who we can go to for support. You might just need a listening ear to talk to and that’s absolutely fine.

If you feel out of depth facing a particular challenge, maybe instead consider who you can contact for more specific advice.

Feeling overwhelmed, I contacted a few people who are a lot busier than me to ask how they manage their time. In particular, I’m struggling a bit mentally at the moment with FOMO.

It’s clear we can’t do everything, but as I’m somebody who’s always said yes to opportunities and benefitted from that, it feels very uncomfortable to me to say no.

Sure enough, I got sent different resources, voice notes and messages that have helped me understand more how I’m feeling. This has been very helpful and immediately reminded me that I need to ask for help more.

Maybe you do too?

We can all benefit from mentors.

Another great source of wisdom are mentors.

When facing a particular problem, imagine if you could speed-dial somebody who’s been there before to ask for their perspective? That’s how it feels to have a mentor.

There are good people out there who want to help you.

Whether it’s advice for your relationships, career, or life goals, its invaluable to talk out-loud what you’re going through with another human being.

Mentors don’t even have to know you exist.

A mentor can be advice authors have left for us in books, or in the digestible and palatable format of a podcast or YouTube video. We’ve never had more information at our fingertips than we have now.

Not feeling up to talking just yet? Carving out the time to journal or even heading out on a walk alone with your thoughts can help face up to what’s causing you problems.

Intentionally consume the information you need.

When facing a problem or challenge, explore shifting your consumption habits to be more intentional during this period.

We’re faced with so much information nowadays that we didn’t actually ask for in the first place. I call this the “The TikTok-ification of Social Media.” More on that in a future newsletter.

TikTok created a huge shift in how we consume content online with the majority of our feeds now full of recommended content, instead of what we actively selected to follow.

The average person spends 2 hours and 24 minutes per day on social media. An immediate move you can make is to try and channel some of this time spent on suggested content into more intentional learning.

Emphasizing an earlier point, you’re not the first person to face a problem so if asking your immediate network for a solution isn’t possible, the next best thing is to directly search for a YouTube video, podcast or book on the topic from an expert.

To round up my thoughts, I’m sensing the need for a reset. If you’ve tried Monk Mode or have had an extended break to reflect in any shape or form I’d love to hear your experiences.

Please also reply to this email if you’re going through anything yourself. Remember that you’ve overcome every challenge you’ve faced so far. You’re not alone.

Always in your corner,

Joe

P.S After being on holiday I owe you 1-2 more emails. Stay tuned.