I’ve long loved the analogy that life has seasons.
In some seasons, if we’ve laid the groundwork well, we get to see growth and harvest the rewards of that growth.
The winter season of rest and the spring season of doing the work without seeing any results (or even knowing if the work will yield fruit) are often overlooked. They’re just as important, though.
If you’re feeling off-kilter, it might be worth considering which season of life you’re in. (Not which season you want to be in. The season you’re ACTUALLY in.)
Give yourself the freedom to be fully in that season. Pull out that long forgotten “stop doing” list (or write one for the first time) and follow it as carefully as you do the “to do” list. The things we invest our time, attention, energy, and money into need to change with the seasons.