Hi there,
Yesterday, you looked at what worked better than you expected. (I’m loving reading your responses!) Today, we’re staying in reflection mode, but flipping the lens.
Week 1: Looking back
This week is about spotting patterns before we try to change anything. Not judging past decisions. Not fixing. Just noticing.
Week 1, Day 2: What drained energy without paying off
Looking back over the past year, what’s one thing that took more of your time or energy than it was worth?
This could be:
a meeting you kept attending out of habit
a responsibility you never fully let go of
a way of working that felt busy but didn’t meaningfully help
a pattern you tolerated because “that’s just how things are”
You’re not making a list of everything that went wrong. You’re identifying one pattern worth noticing.
This isn’t about regret. It’s about information you didn’t have at the time.
My example
One thing that drained more energy than it paid back last year was being the person who made ambiguity workable.
When roles or decisions weren’t fully clear, I often stepped in to translate and connect dots so work could keep moving. That helped in the moment, but over time it meant I was carrying context that should have lived in the system, with decisions routing through me by default.
That approach worked at smaller scales. It just stopped paying off as the organization grew and my role changed. The load was unsustainable, but I kept carrying it instead of forcing the system to change.
How to complete today’s prompt
If replying to the email helps with accountability, hit reply and jot down your answer.
If you’d rather keep this private, write it down somewhere just for you.
There’s no perfect answer here. A rough sentence is enough.
Tomorrow, we’ll look at where leadership felt easier or harder than you expected, and what that tells you about how you actually work best.
Onward,
Kelly
Missed a day or starting late? You can find all challenge prompts here.