It’s Sunday. Week's end. It's Time to extract the lessons for the week

Every Sunday, I sit down and ask: What did I learn this week? What worked? What didn't? What am I taking forward?

This isn't about perfection whatsoever; it's about paying attention to what happened.

Here are the 3 things I learned this week.

LESSON 1: I'VE BEEN LYING TO MYSELF ABOUT WHAT STAGE I AM IN

This week was all about Dr Benjamin Hardy's frameworks on 10x thinking and the stages of scaling.

I wrote about it. I posted about it. I shared the concepts with conviction.

And then I had to apply them to myself.

The Uncomfortable Truth:

I've been telling myself I'm in Stage 3 (Leader). That I'm leading through vision and culture, empowering my small team, building something that scales beyond me.

But when I actually did the Stage Audit, I recommended it to everyone else. The truth was obvious:

I'm in Stage 2 (Manager). And barely.

I have systems. But I'm still the one touching everything.

I have a couple of team members. But they can't make decisions without me.

I've documented processes. But I haven't truly delegated.

Why This Matters:

I've been taking Stage 3 actions while still operating at Stage 2. That's why growth feels like chaos instead of momentum.

I've been trying to lead before I've fully managed. That's why my team needs me for everything.

I've been acting like someone I'm not yet. And it's exhausting.

The Lesson:

You can't skip stages by pretending you're further along than you are.

The work isn't to fake it till you make it. The work is to be brutally honest about where you are, then do the work that stage requires.

For me right now, that means:

🔸 Finishing the systematization I started (not adding new systems, completing existing ones)

🔹 Actually delegating instead of just assigning (giving outcomes, not tasks)

🔸 Removing myself as the bottleneck (even when it's uncomfortable)

🔹 Building "good enough" systems that work without me (instead of perfect systems that require me)

The Win:

Clarity. I finally know why I've been stuck. And now I know what to do about it.

The Loss:

Ego (lol). It stings to admit I'm not as far along as I thought. But ego is expensive. And I'd rather be honest than comfortable.

Moving Forward:

This week, I'm implementing one major change: I'm removing myself from three decision-making processes that my team can own.

Not eventually. This week.

They might make decisions differently from I would. That's okay. 80% as good, done without me, is infinitely better than 100% as good, dependent on me.

LESSON 2: MOTION IS MY DEFAULT COPING MECHANISM

I read James Clear's piece on motion vs. momentum. The concept isn't new to me—I've heard it before.

But this week, I actually tracked it.

I logged every hour of my work week and categorized it: Motion or Momentum?

The Results:

38% of my work week was motion disguised as productivity.

Planning. Researching. Optimizing. Tweaking. Organizing. Strategizing.

All of it felt productive. None of it moved the needle.

The Pattern:

When I'm anxious, I plan. When I'm uncertain, I research. When I'm afraid to commit, I strategize.

Motion feels safer than momentum. Because motion doesn't require commitment.

I can plan forever. Research indefinitely. Prepare for every scenario.

But planning to do the work is not the same as doing the work.

Here are come examples From This Week:

🔸 I spent 4 hours "planning my Q1 content strategy" instead of writing one actual piece of content.

🔸 I spent 2 hours "researching some CRM add-on options" instead of just implementing the one I already know works.

🔸 I spent 90 minutes "optimizing my project management system" instead of completing the 3 tasks that actually mattered.

That's 7.5 hours of motion with ZERO momentum.

The Lesson:

When you're avoiding the hard work, you'll create elaborate reasons why planning is more important than action.**

Motion is a coping mechanism. It's how I avoid the discomfort of commitment, the risk of failure, and the vulnerability of shipping.

The Win:

Awareness. I caught the pattern. Now I can interrupt it.

The Loss:

Time. 7.5 hours I'll never get back. That stings.

Moving Forward:

I'm implementing a new rule: No planning sessions longer than 30 minutes without immediately taking action.

Plan for 30 minutes. Then do it for 90 minutes. Repeat.

If I'm "planning" for more than 30 minutes at a time, I'm probably procrastinating.

LESSON 3: SUBTRACTION REQUIRES MOURNING

I've been talking about elimination, subtraction, and the 80/20 principle all week.

But when it came time to actually eliminate something? I hesitated.

What I Needed to Eliminate:

A client relationship that's been dragging on for months.

They're good people. They pay on time. But the work drains me. It doesn't fit my 20%. And every hour I spend on it is an hour I'm not spending on what actually matters.

I knew I needed to end it. I've known for weeks.

But I kept finding reasons to delay.

The Resistance:

"They're counting on me." "It's good revenue." "What if I regret it?" "What if they're upset?" "What if I can't replace that income?"

All reasonable concerns. All excuses.

The Real Issue:

Letting go of this client meant letting go of an identity.

I've been "the consultant who never turns down work." The person who's always available. The one you can count on for anything.

That identity worked when I was building. It's killing me now that I'm trying to scale.

The Breakthrough:

I read my own article on identity debt. And I realized: I'm accumulating debt by refusing to let go.

So I had a conversation with the client. I explained that I'm not the right fit for this work anymore. I referred them to someone who's perfect for what they need.

It was uncomfortable. They were disappointed. But they understood.

The Lesson:

Subtraction isn't just tactical. It's emotional.

You're not just cutting tasks or clients. You're letting go of identities, relationships, and versions of yourself that worked at one stage but don't serve you at the next.

That requires mourning. Grieving what was. Making peace with what won't be.

And most people never do it. They accumulate identity debt, stay stuck in outdated versions of themselves, and wonder why they can't break through to the next level.

The Win:

Freedom. Space. Energy. I eliminated 4-6 hours per week of draining work. And I feel lighter.

The Loss:

$3,200/month in revenue. That's real money. But the cost of keeping it was higher.

Moving Forward:

I have two more eliminations on my list. Smaller than this one, but still necessary.

I'm not going to wait. I'm going to do them this week.

One subtraction at a time. One identity released at a time.

BONUS INSIGHT: THE THINGS I'M CARRYING INTO NEXT WEEK

I'd rather be honest about being in Stage 2 than delusional about being in Stage 3.

If I'm "planning" for more than 30 minutes, I'm probably procrastinating.

Protecting my 20% isn't selfish. It's the only way to serve at the level I'm capable of.

And paying it down requires courage, honesty, and the willingness to grieve.

The most profitable thing I can do is protect my energy, focus, and clarity.

✅ Did the Stage Audit and got honest about where I actually am
✅ Tracked motion vs. momentum and caught my procrastination patterns
✅ Eliminated a draining client relationship (despite the discomfort)
✅ Implemented new decision-making frameworks for my team
✅ Published content that challenged my own thinking
✅ Got vulnerable and shared the messy middle, not just the polished wins

❌ Wasted 7.5 hours on motion disguised as work
❌ Lost $3,200/month in revenue by eliminating a client (worth it, but still a loss)
❌ Realized I'm not as far along as I thought (ego hit, but necessary)
❌ Discovered patterns I've been avoiding for months

MOVING FORWARD

This week I'm committing to:

WHAT I'M READING NEXT WEEK

📚 "Essentialism" by Greg McKeown (re-reading, because I need the reminder)
📚 "Who Not How" by Dan Sullivan (to shift from "how do I do this" to "who can do this")

WHAT I'M GRATEFUL FOR

This week kicked my ass. And I'm grateful for it.

The discomfort forced me to confront truths I'd been avoiding.

The frameworks gave me language for patterns I'd been feeling but couldn't name.

The community engagement showed me I'm not the only one wrestling with these questions.

And the eliminations created space for what actually matters.

YOUR TURN

Three questions for your Sunday reflection:

Drop your answers in the comments. Let's learn out loud together.

One lesson, one week, one transformation at a time.

Grace over guilt. Always.

See you Tuesday for the next deep dive. Rest well. Reflect deeply. Come back ready to build.