Ep. 112 - How to do less and have more with Kate Northrup

Worklife juggleMotherhood Toolkit
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This week I’m speaking with bestselling author and entrepreneur, Kate Northrup. Kate has reached hundreds of thousands of women through her work online, and through her bestselling books, Do Less: A Revolutionary Approach to Time and Energy Management for Busy Moms and Money, A Love Story: Untangle your Financial Woes and Create the Life you Really Want.

Kate’s mission is to support ambitious women, particularly mothers, to light up the world without burning themselves out in the process. I really resonate with that - and it’s definitely something I need to keep reminding myself of!

In the episode, we speak about our experiences in lockdown and the role that many women have taken in the household during this time. We speak about Kate’s experiences with her own mother, and how she saw her overworking.  Kate also gives lots of practical tips and tools to help you manage your own time and energy.

I hope you enjoy it – and as always, we continue the conversation over on Instagram, so do come and join us there.

You can download a transcript of this week’s episode here.

Key takeaway’s from this week’s episode:

Collapsing Systems Brought by Covid-19:

  • There is a need to re-evaluate the higher education system in the United States with the introduction of remote learning. (04:58)

  • We are becoming more aware of how globalisation has made us dependent on unsustainable supply chains. (05:21)

  • There are external and internal systems that keep the status quo when it comes to home, family and child care systems. (05:47)

  • External manifestations include the lack of female leadership in the government and companies. (06:00)

  • However, what the pandemic is highlighting is the systemic internal manifestations, which is going into the default reaction that it’s women’s job to handle house and child care. (06:24)

Overcoming the Stay-at-Home Pressure for Women:

  • Under times of stress, women don’t have the bandwidth for higher consciousness to overcome the brainwashing. (08:06)

  • However, all it takes is awareness to overcome this pressure and stress. (08:46)

  • It's essential not only to look at the way systems are failing us but also to participate in raising awareness willingly. (08:55)

  • Kate says that we need to have the revolution both in the kitchen and in the boardrooms. (09:09)

Being the She-Fault:

  • Kate and her husband have established systems and structures within their marriage that made her not the ‘she-fault’ with childcare. (10:22)

  • They have set up a balanced home and business workload that makes it equitable for both of them. They update it every six months, so it's not just a 'set it and forget it' matter. (10:42)

  • Everyone’s in a different boat right now when it comes to childcare and business. (11:42)

  • She and her husband established a schedule around who will be in the office and who will be with their kids. (12:25)

Doing Half as Much & Being Twice as Productive:

  • According to Kate, there are two layers of how she realised it’s more effective to do less and be more productive. (14:32)

  • The first layer happened by accident. Kate had problems with the birth of her first daughter, and she didn’t have enough support. However, they still made the same revenue despite working way less. (14:33)

  • The second layer happened when she was editing her book while her husband was sick, putting into practice what she had written. (15:19)

  • They eventually got through a hard time by being diligent about the 80/20 rule, identifying the best use of her time and asking for help. (16:47)

Misconception & Common Beliefs Towards Women:

  • Women are seen as the weaker sex. (17:38)

  • To prove we are not weak, we often put a mask on and not ask for help. (19:26)

  • Asking and needing help is an essential part of being human. (19:53)

  • After that realisation, Kate found that she becomes stronger the less she’s pretending to be okay. (20:25)

  • Kate emphasises the importance of knowing when to listen and when to give suggestions. (21:34)

Changing the Generational Pattern:

  • There is a hyper-overworking legacy in most families. Parents model this behaviour to their children. (24:05)

  • Kate’s work is about doing fewer things that don’t matter and, instead, making our most impactful work. (25:02)

  • It’s not busyness that proves our worth; it’s how we are investing in the work that has the highest use of our talent. (25:26)

  • Listen to the full episode to hear Kate’s story of interrupting their family legacy of overworking. (25:49)

Busyness as an Avoidance to Sit with Ourselves:

  • Her mother encouraged them to express themselves and their emotions. (27:52)

  • Women have a collective and intergenerational experience of being in danger for going anything beyond the subservient norm. (28:58)

  • The work around healing the nervous system is powerful because we cannot simply heal trauma through our thoughts. (29:50)

  • Listen to the full episode to discover Kate’s different tools and techniques for nervous system healing. (30:36)

Tracking Your Energy:

  • A lack of energy prevents us from being effective and efficient. (32:47)

  • It’s more effective to manage your energy instead of time. Knowing your energy sources can align your work with predictable energy flows so that you can do more in less time. (33:13)

  • The concept of time-bending is having more than enough time even though, on a linear level, you shouldn't. (33:37)

  • Kate’s energy-saving tip: Get to know your creative process and honour it. (34:13)

  • The world's time management system's was mostly set by and designed for cisgender men. Knowing your energetic needs and flows enables you to work with who you are, instead of trying to fit into that system. (35:07)

Where to Start with Managing Your Energy:

  • If you have a natural and unmedicated cycle, start to track the four phases of your cycle. Get to know how you feel throughout the month at different times and what support you need. (37:36)

  • If your cycle is irregular, Kate recommends getting a lunar tracking app. (37:54)

  • For instance, emotions can be more intense during full moons. Knowing this can help you support yourself with the energy you have. (38:30)

  • Daily energy practice over time allows you to determine the support you need. (39:05)

Overcoming Disappointments:

  • Kate shares that she’s currently in the middle of a situation that has a people-pleasing nature. (41:16)

  • She’s on an ongoing journey of increasing her capacity to feel okay disappointing others. (41:31)

The Experiments in Do Less:

  • Her book Do Less has 14 experiments, which include tracking your energy instead of time, using your cycle as a superpower, becoming a time vendor and asking for help. (44:14)

  • Another experiment is receiving help. We often forget that there’s help available to us because we’re blocking and resisting it. (44:36)

  • Her all-time favourite is treating sleep as a spiritual practice. When we are well-rested, everything works better. (46:31)

  • Kate recommends checking out Yoga Nidra for sleep restoration. (47:02)

Resources mentioned in this episode:

About Kate

Kate Northrup is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, and the founder of the Origin ® Collective, which currently has over 1,000 entrepreneur members. Through her multimedia educational platform, she teaches soul and data-driven energy and time management practices that result in increased productivity and less stress.

Kate is also a loving mother of two. Aside from being partners in life, she also works with her husband, Mike, as business partners. She is the author of the best-selling books, 'Do Less: A Revolutionary Approach to Time and Energy Management for Ambitious Women and Money: A Love Story.

You can connect with Kate through her website, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube channel.

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Ep. 113 - How to profoundly connect with your child (in just 15 minutes a day) with Joanna Fortune
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Ep. 111 - Reflections on motherhood and redefining success with Ella Mills