This Spring, Try Pruning Instead
While everyone else is trying to fit more in, there's a quieter move that actually works.
It's that time of year again. Q1 is wrapping up, Q2 is loading, the days are getting longer, and the cultural conversation is in full bloom.
New energy. Fresh starts. Spring momentum.
If you've been watching your inbox or your LinkedIn feed lately, you've noticed the theme: do more with the season. Set bigger goals. Maximize the daylight. Bloom.
I want to gently push back on all of that.
Because here's what I know about you.
You haven't been holding back.
You've been carrying a lot, probably more than anyone around you fully sees, and you've been doing it thoughtfully. You've made the trade-offs that needed to be made. You've covered the gaps. You've shown up when it counted. And somewhere along the way, you told yourself you'd come back to your own needs when things settled down.
They didn't settle down. They rarely do.
So I want to offer you a completely different kind of spring reset. Not more. Not a new optimization system. Not another way to squeeze productivity out of a calendar that's already full.
I want to talk about pruning.
What every gardener knows that productivity culture doesn't
Here's the thing about spring. It's actually pruning season. Not metaphorically. Literally.
Before the new growth comes in, gardeners cut back. They remove what's crowding the plant, what's drawing energy away from the roots, what's blocking the light.
Not because something failed.
Because they understand that sustainable, healthy growth requires intentional removal, not just addition.
I've been practicing this in my own life and work for years now, and it's changed how I experience every new season. Instead of asking what I can add, I ask what I can clear. Instead of preparing to do more, I make edits. I create room in my calendar for better things to grow.
Pruning rather than prepping has given me more of what I actually want. Not just a more manageable schedule. A more nourishing one.
Where to start
The goal isn't a dramatic overhaul.
It's small, deliberate cuts in places that are quietly draining you.
Here are a few worth checking:
Unsubscribe from emails you delete without reading. Every one of them is a tiny tax on your attention.
Toss expired makeup, prescriptions, and anything else you're holding onto out of inertia. Physical clutter creates low-grade mental noise.
Clear out the old food in your fridge. It sounds small. It doesn't feel small when it's done.
Choose two after-work commitments to keep this spring and release the rest. Not permanently. Just for this season. Your capacity isn't a fixed resource, and right now it deserves to be protected.
The part that feels scary
I know that dropping something, even something small, can feel like dropping the ball.
Especially when you're the person people count on to hold things together.
Even if you cognitively know it might be a good idea to prune, there's a good chance your body's holding some fear- that you'll look like you couldn't keep up, that you'll let someone down, that taking something off your plate means you're not as capable as everyone thinks.
But that fear is worth examining.
Because the exhaustion you're managing right now didn't come from weakness or poor planning.
It came from being very good at what you do and very caring about the people around you.
Your competence and your compassion, the things that aid in your success, are also a part of what trips you up.
You're capable of carrying more, so you do. And the people and systems around you learn to count on that.
Pruning is how you start to interrupt that pattern.
Not by withdrawing or shutting down.
By making one clear, intentional choice to create space for yourself, and trusting that the things and people that matter can hold their own for a season.
Your spring can look like this instead
Less noise.
More breathing room.
A schedule that reflects what you actually value this season, not just what accumulated from the last one.
Pick one thing this week. Just one. Something you can unsubscribe from, step back from, or gently release. Notice what it feels like to have that space.
That feeling? That's what you're making room for.
I'd love to hear how pruning season treats you.
Cheers to creating space,
Lisa
Lisa Bobyak founded Living Fully Balanced LLC because she got tired of watching brilliant women break themselves trying to maintain excellence- in part, because she'd been one of them. For over a decade, she's worked with female founders, executives, and leaders who've achieved everything they set out to accomplish, only to realize the cost was higher than they wanted to pay. She helps high-achieving women build sustainable strategies so they can keep their edge without sacrificing their health, relationships, or the life they're working so hard to create.
If you're a high-achieving woman who's tired of choosing between excellence and sustainability, you shouldn't have to break yourself to prove your worth.
Here are some things to consider:
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