Creating conditions for clarity
Less chaos and confusion. More stillness, silence and space
Is there any better feeling than clarity?
Perhaps. But, as someone who has spent the past week drowning in self-doubt, I clung to the moments of clarity like Rose did to the floating door in Titanic.
I have had the theme of clarity earmarked for months now, and while it would have made for a nice end-of-Q1 topic, whatever I was feeling in March was at the opposite end of the spectrum from clear. As luck would have it, this month’s Future You makes a nice segue to last month’s - if surviving is associated with chaos, then it follows that thriving is connected to clarity.
It’s almost impossible to make meaningful progress amidst the swirl of confusion. As we covered last month, we live in a world that encourages us to constantly focus on the next thing—to do more and be more. But clarity doesn’t come from more. It’s only by stripping away the clutter and silencing the chatter that we create the right conditions to connect with it.
Clarity is about knowing, deep down, what’s important to you. It’s values and priorities that are, ultimately, a guiding North Star to help point you in the right direction. When faced with tough times or decisions, you don’t need to know all the answers or have it all figured out; you just need to get clear on what the priority or most important value is and let this lead the way.
One of the best frameworks I have found to help clarify things is to ask myself, in the end, what I will regret more. This powerful question, combined with some silence and space, usually provides a loud and clear path forward.
READ: Work Backwards
Most of the good books I read fall into one of two categories - those I enjoyed and those I want to experience all over again.
’s latest book, Work Backwards, is the latter.No stranger to tackling multifaceted topics, it was the culmination of selling his company Junkee Media, the COVID pandemic, and his dad's passing that compelled Tim to focus his attention on the topic of work. Tim credits the process of writing as his way to understand a topic - something I (and many other writers) can relate to entirely - but what I love most about Tim’s work is how he manages to write books that are both deeply insightful and practical - not an easy balance to strike. Or, as Seth Godin said, “This is a rare book: both profound and useful.”
As the title would suggest, Work Backwards dives into the history of work and how we have got to where we are today, where work is often at the centre of our lives and identities. Highlighting how even the term work-life balance is backwards, Tim encourages us to flip from the default mode of living where we Work - to earn Money - to live Life, to put life where it belongs, first. It’s only by reversing our thinking and starting with Life, then Money, that we can Work to design the life we want.
Split into three sections, Work Backwards begins with the end in sight - by helping you create a MAP (Meaning, Anchors and Priorities) to get clear on how you want to live your Life. Now you’ve defined where you want to go, the Money section introduces the concept of a backwards budget to help uncover what ‘enough’ means for you. The final section shares all the tools available to help shape how you Work, encouraging you to experiment with evolutions in the way we work, from better meetings and AI, to four-day work weeks and everything in between.
A result of the extensive research and interviews Tim undertook, Work Backwards is filled with encouraging case studies spotlighting how everyday people are redefining work on their own terms to suit their lifestyle and needs. One of the key takeaways that struck me about how Tim and countless others have made this shift is the irony that freedom is ultimately the result of much planning.
It would be impossible to distil all the wisdom in Work Backwards* but, in my humble opinion, I am yet to come across a better companion to help you map your path to freedom (or life-work balance).
*Tim does frequently distil his own wisdom in his Substack OUTLET.
IMPLEMENT: Direction > Details
Not all realisations are created equal. Recently, I was exposed to the wisdom that you don’t have to know how to get there, you just have to know where you want to go. Having lived my life under the illusion that I did need to know, step by step, how I would get to where I wanted to go, this was a profound lesson for me.
All those years spent fixated on trying to figure out the minor details, only to realise I’ve been doing myself a major disservice. It would be funny if it weren’t so true.
Having goals - knowing where you want to go - is helpful as it provides direction. Fixating on the next step, in an elaborate plan, often limits us, as it’s rigid and fails to allow for all the unknowns that life will throw at us along the way. It’s also the perfect excuse not to progress, as we tell ourselves that we can’t move forward until we have all the answers/everything figured out.
But this thinking only sets us up for failure. Not only are we never going to have everything figured out, but the nature of life is learning along the way.
When I look back at the biggest moves I’ve made, I did not have all the answers or a perfectly laid plan. What I did have was a clear idea of where I wanted to get to (direction) and the conviction that I would figure out how to get there. In 2014, I booked a one-way ticket to London with minimal savings and no visa, job or place to live. Had I waited until I had every detail figured out, I’d probably be married with kids living in Melbourne. But by taking a leap of faith in the desired direction, I created momentum. By February 2015, I had savings, a visa, a job, and a flat. Even when that job contract was cancelled (through no fault of my own), I still chose to go as I had faith I would figure it out.
Next time you find yourself bogged down in the details, trying to map out your future, one perfect plan at a time, remember to zoom out. Like any great explorer, you don’t need to know the exact route - all you need is a clear idea of the direction you’re heading in - a North Star to guide you - and the conviction that you’re capable of forging your own path.
DO TRY THIS AT HOME: Digital Detox
It’s springtime in the northern hemisphere. Surrounded by all the signs of renewal and fresh energy, it's almost impossible to resist the urge to declutter. As someone whose mental state is highly influenced by their physical space - and vice versa - I’m all for Spring cleaning.
And while tending to our physical environments in this way is a great start, it doesn’t address the numerous (potentially elephant-sized) screens in the room(s). In today’s digital age, the reality is that most of us spend the majority of our time in our ‘digital spaces’, which means it’s just as crucial to declutter our desktop as it is our drawers.
As part of their April Awakening Challenge, Reframe had a helpful Digital Detox Framework that I thought was worth sharing:
Assess your digital habits: How much time do you spend on your phone each day? Do you feel like your screen time is supporting your goals, or is it distracting you? Identify areas where digital overload has taken over your life.
Establish clear boundaries for how and when you’ll engage with technology.
Review your screen time to identify any areas or apps where you’re spending longer than you’d like to.
Set limits to reduce your usage to a certain amount of time each day (I limit my social media and shopping usage to 45 minutes per day).
Turn off any non-essential notifications to reduce distractions.
Create a curfew for when you’ll log off at night and back on the next morning, or use Do Not Disturb features to give yourself a good break from screens overnight. (I have my phone set to DND between 10pm-7am every day and sleep with it outside the bedroom.)
Clear out unnecessary digital clutter
Delete apps that don’t serve a meaningful purpose in your life.
Unsubscribe from emails that you don’t find helpful or relevant.
Organise your inbox and set up email filters to prioritise important messages.
Review your social media accounts and unfollow or mute accounts that don’t leave you feeling good about yourself or don’t align with your values.
Engage in offline activities. Use the time you’ve freed up from screens to engage in more meaningful, offline activities. Whether it’s exercising, reading a book, going for a walk, or in-person social catch-ups, these activities help ground you and recharge your mental energy.
Reflect on how you feel. Did you feel more focused or less stressed? Were you able to engage more deeply in your offline activities? Use any insights from the detox to make longer-term shifts to your digital habits.
CONCEPT OF THE MONTH: Kinhin
Translating to “walking meditation”, kinhin is a common practice in Buddhism. Used as either a standalone practice or to break up long periods of seated meditation, kinhin is based on the belief that movement, particularly in certain environments, can unlock a different kind of stillness than traditional meditation.
But far from just going for a walk, the idea of kinhin is to maintain the same meditative mind by staying mindful and present while walking. Easier said than done, one of my favourite ways to embrace the concept of kinhin is through technology-free walks in nature. Just as our body craves movement and freedom, so does our mind. By being present in the act of walking, we give our mind a break from its default mode of ‘always-on’.
The ideal antidote for when you’re feeling overwhelmed or stuck, this type of walking helps you to get out of your head and back into your body. And, if you need an added incentive, it’s often on my kinhin-style walks that I experience clarity - ideas crystalise on topics I was grappling with, the answer to a dilemma appears, or the words I was searching for come to me. As Ryan Holiday said, “I’m not saying going for a walk will solve all your problems, I’m just saying there’s no problem that’s going to be made worse by going for a walk.”
When in doubt, go for a (kinhin-style) walk.
CURATED CLICKS:
Building on the concept of direction > details, this One Thing Better framework highlights how a theme can be far more powerful than a 10-year plan.
In a similar vein to the digital detox, Artah, my superior supplement brand of choice, recently shared this science-backed reset for clarity, energy, and focus - the dopamine detox.
I loved
’s article on an ongoing dilemma I face: How to focus when you want to do it all, including making like Maslow and creating your own hierarchy of needs.
PONDER:
“When you don’t know what to do, do nothing. Be still.” - Oprah
“At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.” - Lao Tzu
I hope this instalment of Future You has sparked some inspiration. If so, please do share it with a friend or colleague who could also find it useful.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this month’s topic. Let me know in the comments how you create the conditions (stillness, silence and space) for clarity in your life?
Best,
SJ
Direction > Detail is GOOD