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Stuck in “Doing Mode”? Here’s Why It Might Be Holding You Back
I see it with many women I work with — being in “doing mode” 24/7, meticulously planning jobs, families, kids’ activities, and community roles. It’s a carefully scheduled cycle:
- Showing up here
- Dropping off there
- Wrapping up something for one event
- Already planning for the next
We often lack time for anything beyond managing the present. We are constantly addressing urgent needs and putting out fires.
But have you ever noticed how impossible it is to turn off that racing mind? Even as you finish one task, your brain already asks, “What’s next?” It’s exhausting. We become experts at doing but often struggle to make space for simply being.
Here’s the real challenge: Constant doing mode keeps us so profoundly embedded in (notice I didn’t say enjoying) the present that it’s hard to make space to think about the future. We’re surviving and getting things done but rarely advancing our lives meaningfully.
Worse, this mode can lead to automatically saying no to opportunities that don’t immediately fit the schedule or seem to complicate the present. Without realizing it, we prioritize tasks and responsibilities over our own growth and desires.
