Your Life As It Is Right Now
Most business advice skips this part. It assumes you can “make time” or “find the energy” just by wanting it enough. Real life doesn’t work like that.
Pause and ask yourself: What actually fills your week? Where do the unexpected interruptions show up?
Work, family, health, finances, unexpected chaos – all of it eats into the time and mental space you think you have.
You’re not creating a vision board. You’re capturing your real capacity.
Do This, Not That
- Do: Write down what your weeks really look like now (commitments, responsibilities, habits).
- Do: Notice where your energy peaks and dips.
- Don’t: Assume you’ll just “find” more time or energy if you want it badly enough.
- Don’t: Ignore non-negotiables that protect your health or relationships.
What This Step Is (and Isn’t)
This isn’t time-management coaching. It’s a reality check. You’re capturing a snapshot of your life as it is – not how it could be if you changed everything. You’re not trying to maximise productivity here. You’re trying to measure the available “space” your idea would need to live in.
- What’s already on your plate? List your key commitments, both fixed (job hours, school runs, care duties) and flexible (hobbies, social time, downtime).
- When do you have the most energy? Note your natural peaks and dips – times of day or week when you’re sharper, more creative, or more drained.
- What’s non-negotiable? Write down the things you are not willing to sacrifice for this idea – sleep, weekends, certain family time, health routines, etc.
- If your idea requires 20 hours a week and you’ve got 5 – better to know now than burn out later. This is also where you’ll spot possible friction early.
What you’ll do here
Map out your actual week. Capture your available time, energy peaks, and the non-negotiables you’re not willing to trade for your idea.
Think you know how much time and energy you have? Check out the Explore More stories before you move on.
This story expands on the importance of designing your business to fit your real life – not a fantasy week.
"In 1996, Charlie Bigham left management consulting to start a food business. He didn’t do it because he suddenly 'found' 60 extra hours in his week. He did it by making peace with the trade-offs and designing the business to fit into the life he wanted – not the other way round."
The takeaway: Don’t build an idea that requires a version of your life that doesn’t exist yet.
Here’s a practical angle on what’s already claimed your week.
"An idea doesn’t just need your attention. It needs the kind of attention you can actually give it. How much of your week is already claimed before you even think about your business idea?"
Reflection: If you’re honest about your week, what’s the single biggest obstacle to making space for your idea? Write it down – and be specific.
Use these prompts to get outside feedback on your real-world capacity and spot blind spots.
- “Here’s my week mapped out. Where do you see potential space for this idea – and where do you see red flags?”
- “Based on this, does my life have the right shape for the kind of business I’m imagining?”
Try out both prompts and see if anything surprising comes back.