In last week’s post, I wrote about why pausing to reflect and realign is really important. It is about slowing down to take stock and reset before stepping into a new season.

This week, I want to share one of the biggest lessons from my own personal autumn reflections (so far): how I’m thinking about where I focus my energy and how that shapes everything I achieve. Because when I have been honest with myself, I realise that this year I have said “yes” too much and haven’t achieved what I wanted to. 

How you choose to use your time determines what you build, how you grow, and whether you feel fulfilled or stretched too thin.

The 24-hour truth

I recently revisited something Ed Mylett (performance coach, entrepreneur and author of The Power of One More) shared about productivity. He talks about how he divides his day into three equal segments - almost like living three days in one.

He doesn’t literally add more hours to the clock, but he’s hyper-intentional about how he uses them. Family, fitness, business, etc. - each has its place, and each gets specific, focused attention.

The result? While most people make progress in one area per day, he makes progress in three.

Ed is incredibly deliberate with how he uses his time.

You may be thinking "yeah that's great, but he doesn't have a day job", maybe so, but we can all learn from this concept - me included. 

This year, I’ve realised just how easy it is to spread myself too thin.

When your focus is scattered

If I’m honest, I’ve said yes to too many opportunities. All good things - meaningful projects, exciting collaborations, interesting challenges - but still distractions from what truly matters to me at this phase in my life.

In trying to make progress everywhere, I’ve diluted my focus. Luckily, through my reflections I have realised this so I can do somthing about it.

It’s the same pattern I’ve seen in so many talented people I coach - doing lots of “good” things but not necessarily the right ones. Many people don't even have career or life goals, so find themselves taking on more and more and getting nowhere, feeling stuck and often overwhelmed. 

Last week I shared a quote I love: you should fire one rocket to the moon, not fly ten kites in your back garden.

It doesn’t mean doing only one thing. It means having one clear direction - and ensuring that everything you do, across every part of your life, is aligned with that bigger goal.

When your energy is distributed intentionally, progress feels natural. When it’s scattered, even small wins feel exhausting.

The Focus Flow Model — and how I apply it to life and work

There’s a model I use often - I call it The Focus Flow Model - based on the idea that how you distribute your time and energy directly shapes your growth.

It’s the framework I use to get clear on what really matters in my life and where I want to make meaningful progress. Once you take out sleep, family time, and self-care, what’s left in the day is yours to design. Those remaining hours are where your growth, learning, and impact live - and how you spend them matters.

I use this model to define where my focus goes each year. Sometimes it’s split between my career, my business, and a personal goal - other times it’s simply about ensuring I’m growing in the areas that matter most right now.

Let’s break it down through an example. It may resonate, but if not, switch out the examples for things that are most relevant to you:

There are 24 hours in a day; deduct 8 hours for sleep, 3 hours for family time per day (eating and spending time together), and 1 hour for self-admin (getting ready, etc). 

For a weekday, this leaves 12 discretionary hours per day to apply to the 70:20:10 model. The numbers are indicative, they can flex!

70% = around 8.5 hours per day - Your core focus, this may be your day job or perhaps business. 

20% = around 2.5 hours per day - This could be relationships, mentoring, a side project, or something creative. 

10% = around 1 hour per day - Learning, reading, reflection, or skill development - anything that helps you grow. 

And that is just the working week. If you take into consideration the weekends, how much time do you spend on the things that matter most? Whether it is family, self-development or starting something new, you need to make sure the hours each day and week are working towards your life goals,and not against them. 

For me, this model helps keep things in perspective. It’s not about rigid time-tracking - it’s about awareness. When I notice one area expanding too far, I can consciously rebalance and make sure my energy is aligned with what truly matters.

Or perhaps it looks different for you. The key is awareness.

When I reflect, I sometimes realise that one area has quietly expanded - work, travel, commitments - and that means another area gets squeezed. The distribution shifts without me noticing, and before long, I start to feel stretched.

Reflection helps me rebalance.

Systems and pivots

I want to share another adjustment that I am thinking about which has only popped up through my recent reflections.

This year, one of my biggest goals was to build systems - ways of working that would help me avoid burnout and maintain consistency. And I am glad to say that I have achieved this goal!

But through reflection, I’ve realised that my systems also need to evolve.

For example, I set up processes for posting across LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram - and it worked. But as I’ve reflected on where my audience is most engaged (and where I feel most energised), I’ve realised that my focus needs to shift.

LinkedIn is where I have the most meaningful conversations about career, clarity, and self-development. So rather than stretching myself thin across multiple platforms, I’m choosing to go deeper where it matters most. I also find Facebook and Instagram increasingly distracting!

The same principle applies to my work, my business, and even my personal growth - if I’m going to put my energy somewhere, I want to know it’s aligned with my bigger goals.

Where your energy goes, growth flows

So, as I continue to reflect on my year, I’ll keep thinking about what has worked and what hasn’t, where I can improve, and what matters most. I’m also asking myself: where do I want to make progress next year?

And more importantly - is the way I’m spending my time, focus, and attention helping me get there?

The next phase is about taking these reflections and translating them into goals for 2026 - how to dream big, think strategically, and turn vision into action. I am still very much in my reflection phase, and will keep journaling each day. Stay tuned as I share more of my own journey over the coming weeks and months. 

What have you uncovered in your autumnal reflections?

Always with love,

Elsa x