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Do you ever notice that when you work by yourself you feel very different than when you work with other people, especially when they're more extroverted? Maybe you feel great working by yourself: You have your process, you get into a good flow, you feel balanced and productive. But when you work with other people, it's exhausting. The day runs away from you and you never seem to get done the things that you intended to do. People regularly tell me that they struggle to maintain energy to focus and work in an environment where they're surrounded by extroverts. 

I used to design and make clothes for myself. One time, I was in my student apartment drawing out the design for a dress. Having been a bit of a tree-climbing tomboy growing up, college was when I started to explore girly dresses and frilly fabrics. I bought fabric and buttons at a local market and I came home on Friday evening. Cutting the pattern then sewing it together. I hand-stitched everything because I didn't have a sewing machine at the time. I made the buttonholes by hand too and stitched on all 60 buttons on the - slightly needlessly complicated - design.

“Taking on too much and not getting enough rest.”

“Balancing energy and output.”

“Maintaining energy to focus and work in an environment where I am surrounded by extroverts”

“It’s been hard this year to get enough quiet time for focused work because my spouse and dog are always here with me.”

“Overcommitting to work, and then conversely not being able to concentrate due to stress and burn out, making the work burden even heavier.”

Have you ever doubted if you can be a great leader as an introvert? Many of us do. It's a topic that a lot of people in my innie community say is the biggest misconception around introverts. 

Did you know that shy is a synonym for introvert?

When you're starting out with something new, it can feel daunting. Even more today when you can basically invent a job and make money with little more than a laptop and a wifi connection. From what to eat for breakfast to which design to choose for your one-off personalized sneakers, the options are endless. If you are just starting your business you may not know where to start. Sure, you have some idea of what you will do with this business, and now what? I started my first business four years ago and I can tell you, I did not go willingly.

As the lockdown situation continues and evolves around the world, I am still mostly at home with my family. Still, the simplest things can give you inspiration. Like when I was watching my toddler the other day. 

In the business world, it would seem that time management is the holy grail of productivity. When I first became interested in productivity, I also focused on time management. I thought that if I could manage my time as efficiently as possible that would be the answer to achieve all my goals. For a while, it seemed to work. Then, a few years after nearly burning out, I realized why this was the wrong approach. Especially because I'm introverted.