Hello hello, luminous soul! 💛

Happy September! I love the fall, especially in Colorado - with all the beautiful color changes and that specific scent in the air that lets you know that spooky season is right around the corner!

There's something so magical about this season, the way the light shifts softer, how everything feels a little cozier, and suddenly we're craving warm drinks and snuggles with our little ones. I'm already dreaming of pumpkin patches with my daughter, watching her eyes light up at all the orange magic, and those precious moments when she'll inevitably want to be carried by her daddy because she has had so much fun.

These are the moments that make my heart full. The slow mornings in fuzzy socks, the afternoon walks collecting leaves, the way our babies look at the world with such wonder during this season of change.

And yet... if I'm being completely honest... sometimes in the middle of all this beauty, that familiar voice creeps in. You know the one. The voice that whispers you're not "productive enough" anymore. That you're not getting enough done, not moving fast enough, not accomplishing what you used to.

Here's what I've learned in this sacred season of motherhood: productivity didn't disappear from our lives, it transformed! And honestly? The transformation is probably exactly what our souls needed.

The Old Story We Told Ourselves

Remember when productivity meant crushing your color-coded to-do list by noon? When successful days were measured by how many boxes you could check, how many meetings you could dominate, how efficiently you could move through your perfectly planned schedule?

That version of productivity was built for a different version of you. A version who had uninterrupted hours, predictable energy, and a nervous system that wasn't constantly attuned to tiny cries and needs.

But here you are now - still you, but different. Deeper. More intuitive. Operating from a place of love so profound it literally rewired your brain.

The beautiful truth: You're not broken because the old playbook doesn't fit anymore. You're evolved.

Your New Productivity Paradigm

Micro-Moments Are Magic Moments

That 10-minute window where you respond to emails while baby naps? That's not "barely surviving"—that's you being resourceful and present. You're learning to work with life's natural rhythms instead of against them.

Soul shift: Instead of "I only had 15 minutes," try "I honored my 15 minutes beautifully."

Energy Flows, Not Schedules

Your energy now moves like water - sometimes rushing, sometimes still, always finding its way. Some mornings you wake up ready to conquer the world. Other days, getting everyone fed and dressed feels like climbing Everest.

Both are perfect. Both are productive.

Try this: Notice your natural energy rhythms for a week. When does your body feel most alive? Most creative? Most capable of deep focus? Work with these rhythms, not against them.

The Invisible is Visible

Sweet soul, you are productive every moment you:

• Keep a tiny human thriving

• Hold space for big emotions (yours and theirs)

• Manage the mental load of a household

• Navigate identity shifts with grace

• Learn new skills daily (seriously, motherhood is like a master class in everything)

• Show up with love, even when you're tired

This is profound work. This is world-changing work.

Practical Magic for Your New Normal

The "Good Enough" Revolution

Perfect is not the goal anymore - presence is. That email doesn't need to be a masterpiece; it needs to communicate clearly. Your home doesn't need to look like a magazine; it needs to feel like love.

Good enough is often more than enough.

Batch Your Beautiful Chaos

• Group similar energies: all phone calls, all creative work, all admin

• Stack activities mindfully: listen to something inspiring while folding laundry, process thoughts during walks

• Prep during high-energy moments for the tender, tired times

The Two-List Gentle Method

Must-Do Today: 2-3 non-negotiables (be realistic, be kind) 

Can-wait: Everything else lives here with zero guilt attached

Time Confetti Strategy

Keep a list of 5-10 minute soul-care tasks for unexpected pockets of time: order groceries, text a friend who lifts you up, book that appointment, declutter one small space that brings you peace.

Your New Success Metrics

Old Measurements:

• Tasks completed

• Hours worked

• Items crossed off endless lists

Your Evolved Measurements:

• Showing up authentically for what matters most

• Adapting with grace when life shifts unexpectedly

• Honoring your well-being while nurturing others

• Growing through challenges with self-compassion

• Creating moments of joy and deep connection

• Trusting your inner wisdom over external expectations

Permission Slips for Your Tender Heart

You have permission to:

• Have days where simply surviving is your superpower

• Count emotional labor as the profound work it is

• Adjust expectations based on your current season

• Celebrate the smallest victories

• Rest without having to earn it first

• Protect your peace by saying no

• Redefine what "having it together" means for you

The Sacred Truth

Here's what my heart knows to be true: The most productive thing you can do some days is slow down. The most efficient choice might be asking for help. The most successful moment could be choosing rest over rush.

You're not failing because you can't maintain the pace you once did. You're not broken because the old rules don't fit your beautiful, complex life anymore.

You're blooming. You're becoming. You're exactly where you need to be.

And this evolution, this sacred redefining of what it means to live purposefully. Is the kind of wisdom the world desperately needs more of.

This Month's Affirmations 💫

💛 I am more than the roles I play for other people

💛 My definition of success is allowed to evolve as I grow and change

💛 I honor both my visible accomplishments and my invisible labor with equal respect

💛 I am productive in ways that matter most to me and my family

💛 I give myself credit for adapting with grace to my new reality

💛 My worth is not determined by how much I give to others

💛 I release the need to be everything to everyone

Remember, luminous soul: You're not doing less. You're doing different. And different doesn't mean lesser, it means adapted, intentional, and beautifully, perfectly human.

From my heart to yours,

Catherine May 🌸

P.S. - Your productivity is not your worth. Your worth is inherent, infinite, and unchanging. Let that truth settle into your bones this month.