10 Ideas for The Gathering
Over the years, I have taken part in many ‘implementation’ and co-working sessions - just a friend and I, or with many others all working together at the same time.
Even though I require solitude for most of my work, I love to take time each week to share my heart and space with other women - I find I can get more done in those few hours than the rest of the entire week!
There’s something about the focussed energy that turns up inside me during these sessions that pours out through my fingers and into whatever I’m creating. And I love spending a few minutes being inspired by what everyone else is up to as well.
Some of you I know are curious, especially if you’ve never taken part in such a thing before - so I thought I’d brainstorm 10 ways you could use these four golden hours we have together in The Gathering each week.
Design a new offering for your clients. From concept to fully mapped out program or sales page in one morning. Be cha-chinging by the afternoon :)
Working on your book. Many of you would love to be authors - I wrote my own book, A Little Peace of Mind in just four days of fully focussed writing.
Painting. Dig out the watercolours from the back of the cupboard, fill the jam jars with water and just make marks while the mind rests
Tackling that DIY project you’ve wanted to do for ages. One of our Gatherers built her daughter’s bunk bed and pulled together a mood board for decorating the room on pinterest during one of our sessions.
Writing your memoirs. I lost my own mother this summer and realise there are so many questions. would have loved to ask her about parts of her life. Just day-to-day details about where she went to primary school, and who her maid of honour was at her wedding. This is definitely going on my ‘Ideas for The Gathering’ list I keep in my notes app on my phone.
Banging through your Shit-List. This one is no fun, but sooooo rewarding. The idea is this: as the week goes by, gather a list of all the things you know need doing, but you really can’t be arsed. Then, join The Gathering session and knock them off one by one, heart and mind screaming in protest as you do. Call the car insurance people, book smear test, buy new pants, do the accounts - that kind of thing. It’s a horrible four hours but my goodness, you do feel shiny and clean like you’ve had a colonic afterwards :)
Decluttering one room. You know which one you’d start with - we all have them. With one dedicated morning, think how much progress you could make. There’s something about setting a timer and shouting ‘go!’ that just makes that stuff get done.
Plan a garden. Want to grow your own flowers? Taking some time to plan what you’d like to grow, where you’d plant it and making yourself a step-by-step plan is perfectly possible in a 4-hour session.
Actually doing the course that you bought but haven’t got round to starting yet. Whether it’s your languishing duo-lingo subscription, your social media marketing program or how-to-build-a-car-from-scratch online workshop (you do have one of those, right?) - this is the time you can dedicate to completing it. Then use the following sessions for implementation.
Mix it up completely. Start with 15 minutes of meditation and 30 minutes of yoga. In the next session, write a blog post or a love letter (I write them to my children). And in the final one make a flower wreath. Use the time to play with whatever you fancy - it doesn’t to be a ‘get all the urgent stuff done’ session - you can choose to focus on what’s important instead.
What you’ll find is once you get started, you start to develop a love for these sessions and what happens inside them. You’ll start with one idea and then progress to the next, each unfolding from the one before.
And because you’re doing this in the shared, quiet energy of other women, there’s a feeling of togetherness, even though we’re all working on our own projects.
Come try it out - I think you might like it:)
Nicola x
