Flow, Not Force: The Project Work Playbook for Career Transitions
- Your Intuitive PM
- 4 days ago
- 9 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
The Project Work Performance Domain: Managing overwhelming task variety while staying well
I had the big picture vision.
Prior to leaving my corporate career, I could see in a broad sense what I wanted to build. It had been brewing for a few years.
I wanted to help high-performing professionals who felt stuck, overworked, and in constant burnout mode, elevate their careers and their wellness.
The destination was clear. The passion was there. The expertise was solid as I was working on that myself.
What I should’ve anticipated but didn’t was how many pieces of the "building a business" puzzle I’d needed to construct from scratch.
I had to become:
Business strategist - zero professional experience.
Content creator / Audience Builder - learning as I go and a terrifying new skillset when it feels like you’re constantly talking to no one.
Networker - challenging when you're an introvert who recharges in quiet, alone time.
Operations manager - what does that even mean for a solopreneur?
Marketing strategist - using only free tools and prior professional experience because budget = nearly zero.
All while flying the plane (in public) I am simultaneously building.
Some days I feel like I'm making progress on construction. Other days I'm just trying not to crash. Most days I'm doing both, wondering how anyone successfully navigates this level of project work complexity without completely burning out.
The Project Work Performance Domain Reality Check
In the PMBOK 7th Edition, Project Work is recognized as a core Performance Domain and it's where processes are established and work is performed to deliver valuable outcomes.
Effective execution of this performance domain includes developing processes appropriate for the project, efficient management of resources, outstanding stakeholder communication, and improved capability through process improvement and lessons learned.
In corporate project management our assumptions might be that these are in place:
Defined roles for different types of work
Team members with specialized skills
Clear processes for handling various work streams
Established systems for quality control and review
Predictable resources for getting things done
In career transitions? You get none of that.
Instead, you get to be the entire team, learn entirely new skills, create all your own processes, figure out quality standards, and somehow stay motivated and healthy while doing work that challenges you in completely different ways every single day.
And all those assumptions? You may have to tailor your approach to career transition management to compensate for not having them.
The Scope Expansion Shock
Six months into building my business, I made a list of all the roles I was currently filling:
Content Roles:
Writer (blog posts, newsletters, social media)
Editor (because typos are not professional)
Content strategist (what to create, when, for whom)
Graphic designer (because free Canva templates only go so far)
Business Development Roles:
Market researcher (who is my audience really?)
Business analyst (which processing need to be optimized for efficiency?)
Product developer (courses, frameworks, systems)
Quality assurance manager (is this actually good?)
Marketing & Relationship Roles:
Social media manager (LinkedIn, newsletter, website)
Networking (building professional relationships)
Community builder (engaging with audience authentically)
Brand manager (consistent voice and visual identity)
Operations Roles:
Project manager (finally something I have extensive experience in)
Systems administrator (email lists, website, technology)
Financial planner (budgeting on zero revenue)
The Project Work for Career Transitions Challenge
Here's the thing about Project Work during career transitions: different types of work require completely different types of energy, and you need ALL types every single day.
This realization became the foundation for a completely different approach to managing project work. One that prioritized energy flow over time management.
The FLOW Framework for Sustainable Project Work
After months of fighting my energy instead of working with it, I developed the FLOW Framework because sustainable project execution comes from creating flow by honoring your natural work rhythm.
F - Find Your Energy Patterns
PM Concept: Resource Management & Capacity Planning
Life Application: Identify the four energy types and your natural patterns
Goal: Understand when you have which type of energy available
The Four Energy Types:
Every piece of work in your transition requires one of four distinct energy types. Understanding this changes everything.
Creative Energy Work:
Writing blog posts and newsletters
Developing new frameworks and content
Brainstorming solutions for challenges
Designing visual content and course materials
Feels like: Expansive, generative, requires mental space and inspiration
Analytical Energy Work:
Researching market trends and competitor analysis
Analyzing performance metrics and audience data
Financial planning and budget management
Systems optimization and process improvement
Feels like: Focused, logical, requires concentration and problem-solving
Social Energy Work:
Networking and relationship building
Community engagement and audience interaction
Speaking opportunities and collaboration discussions
Content promotion and social media engagement
Feels like: Outward-facing, connecting, requires interpersonal energy
Administrative Energy Work:
Email management and inbox organization
Website maintenance and technical troubleshooting
Calendar management and scheduling
Documentation and record keeping
Feels like: Structured, routine, can be done on autopilot
Map Your Personal Energy Patterns:
Track for one week:
What time of day do you feel most creative?
When is your analytical focus strongest?
When do you feel most social and extroverted?
When can you handle administrative tasks most efficiently?
My Personal Pattern Example:
5am-9am: Peak creative energy (write blog posts, develop frameworks)
10am-1pm: Strong analytical energy (research, data analysis, strategic planning)
2pm-4pm: Variable social energy (depends on the day - sometimes networking, sometimes need alone time)
4pm-6pm: Low energy, good for admin (email, scheduling, organization)
After 6pm: Depleted, need recovery time
For introverts: Social energy is the most finite. I learned to protect it and schedule it strategically, not constantly.
L - Link Work to Optimal Energy Windows
PM Concept: Resource Optimization & Schedule Management
Life Application: Match work type to energy availability
Goal: Stop fighting your energy, start flowing with it
The Mistake I Was Making:
Trying to write a valuable blog post (creative energy) at 4pm when my brain was fried.
Attempting networking (social energy) when I was feeling introverted and depleted.
Tackling complex analysis (analytical energy) first thing in the morning when I should have been writing.
The energy was wrong for the work. Everything took 3x longer and felt 10x harder.
The Energy-Work Alignment Strategy:
High Creative Energy Blocks:
Writing blog posts and newsletters
Developing new frameworks
Strategic planning and visioning
Content creation and design
Schedule during: Your peak creative windows (for me: early morning)
Medium Analytical Energy Blocks:
Data analysis and performance review
Research and competitive analysis
Financial planning and budgeting
Systems design and optimization
Schedule during: Your focused concentration time (for me: mid-morning to early afternoon)
Social Energy Blocks:
LinkedIn engagement and networking
Community interaction and relationship building
Content promotion and collaboration outreach
Speaking opportunities and meetings
Schedule during: When you're feeling most extroverted (for me: varies by day, I check in with myself)
Low Energy/Administrative Blocks:
Email organization and responses
Calendar management and scheduling
System maintenance and documentation
Routine tasks and follow-ups
Schedule during: End of day or when brain is tired (for me: late afternoon)
The Transformation:
Instead of scheduling by time ("I'll work 9-5"), I started scheduling by energy type:
"Today I have creative energy in the morning, analytical energy mid-day, and admin energy late afternoon. I need to protect my social energy because I have networking scheduled Thursday."
The most productive days are the days I match the right energy to the right work at the right time, not necessarily the days I put the most hours.
O - Organize in Sustainable Batches
PM Concept: Work Breakdown Structure & Process Efficiency
Life Application: Batch similar energy-type work together
Goal: Reduce context-switching exhaustion
The Context-Switching Tax:
Every time you switch between different types of work, your brain needs time to adjust. Creative work → Analytical work → Social work → Admin work all in rapid succession is exhausting and inefficient.
W - Wellness as Execution Foundation
PM Concept: Sustainability & Resource Conservation
Life Application: Treat recovery as essential project work
Goal: Build wellness into execution, not save it for after
The Biggest Mindset Shift:
During a a big career transition, your most important resource is your own energy and wellbeing. And that's exactly what's most at risk.
Recovery Time IS Project Time
This was revolutionary for me: Treating recovery and wellness activities as essential project tasks, not optional extras.
Weekly Recovery Requirements I Started Scheduling:
Daily Recovery (Non-Negotiable):
Quiet alone time for introvert recharge (30-60 minutes)
Physical movement for stress management (walk, yoga, exercise)
Technology breaks for mental rest (no screens before bed)
Weekly Recovery (Protected Time):
Complete day away from business work (or at minimum, half-day)
Social connection (but scheduled, not constant)
Creative activities unrelated to work (reading, hobbies)
Monthly Recovery (Assessment Time):
Full day completely disconnected
Assessment of what's working vs. what's draining energy
Adjustment of work approaches based on wellness observations
Celebration of progress and acknowledgment of challenges
The Wellness Integration Practice:
I started tracking energy levels alongside task completion:
Daily Check:
Morning: What's my energy level today? (1-10)
Evening: What work energized vs. depleted me?
Pattern: What's this teaching me about my energy management?
Weekly Review:
Which days felt sustainable vs. which felt like burnout?
What work rhythms supported my best work?
Where did I fight my energy instead of flowing with it?
The Result: when I'm well-rested, energized, and mentally clear, everything else becomes more efficient and effective.
Recovery isn't the reward for good work - it's the foundation that makes good work possible.
The Wellness Challenges That Could Lead to Burnout
Beyond energy management, there are specific wellness challenges unique to project work during life transitions:
Decision Fatigue:
Making hundreds of micro-decisions daily (what to post, how to respond, which task to prioritize, what to learn next) without the familiar structure of corporate decision-making processes.
Solution: Batch decisions. Make similar decisions at the same time. Create decision frameworks to reduce cognitive load.
Isolation Impact:
Working alone after years of team collaboration, especially challenging for someone who processes ideas best through conversation.
Solution: Schedule thinking-partner sessions. Use the SOLO Framework to build external team dynamics.
Impostor Syndrome Amplification:
Being bad at new things publicly while trying to establish credibility in a new field.
Solution: Use the VOICES Framework to manage internal stakeholders. Reframe learning in public as valuable content.
Boundary Blur:
When your life transition IS your work, there's no clear "off" time for recovery.
Solution: Create physical and temporal boundaries. "Work hours" even when you work from home. Separate spaces for work and rest.
Perfectionism Paralysis:
Taking forever to publish anything because you're simultaneously the creator and quality controller.
Solution: Apply "minimum viable" principles. Good enough is better than perfect (and healthier).
What I'm Learning About Project Work in Real Time
Some days I nail the energy management. I write during peak creative hours, handle analytics during focused mid-day time, engage on LinkedIn during a social-energy window, and organize systems when my brain is tired. Everything flows and I feel like I've figured it out.
Other days I fight my energy instead of working with it. I try to write when my creative energy is low, attempt networking when I'm feeling introverted, or tackle complex analysis when I need simple administrative tasks. Nothing feels efficient and everything takes twice as long.
Most days are somewhere in between, and I'm learning that good project work management isn't about perfect execution. It's about sustainable progress and iteration through lessons learned that doesn't sacrifice my wellbeing for short-term productivity gains.
What I'm discovering:
The work variety that initially felt overwhelming has become energizing. Instead of doing the same type of work all day every day, I get creative stimulation, analytical challenges, relationship building, and systems optimization all in one week - as long as I'm flowing with my energy rhythm, not fighting it.
Learning to be bad at things publicly is a project skill. Every expert was once a beginner, and my audience benefits from seeing the real process, not just the polished outcome.
The FLOW Framework enables working in alignment with your energy, creating sustainable rhythms that support your best work without burning out.
Your Turn: Project Work Performance Domain Audit
FLOW Framework Self-Assessment:
F - Find Your Energy Patterns:
What are your peak creative, analytical, social, and administrative energy windows?
When do you feel most energized vs. most depleted during the day?
What patterns do you notice in your best vs. worst work days?
L - Link Work to Energy:
Are you matching high-energy work to high-energy times?
What work are you attempting when your energy is wrong for it?
How could you reorganize your schedule to align work with energy?
O - Organize Batches:
How much context-switching are you doing daily?
What similar work could be batched together?
Could you create themed days or blocks for different energy types?
W - Wellness Check:
How much recovery time are you building into your work planning?
What recovery activities actually restore your energy for work?
Where are you sacrificing wellness for productivity (and is it working long-term)?
The goal is to work in alignment with your energy, resources, and wellness needs so that your progress is sustainable.
Project Work for career transitions is inherently complex and demanding. The most effective way to navigate it is to get strategically smart about creating flow through sustainable work rhythms.
Sometimes the best project work management is working with your human limitations instead of fighting them.
Next up in the Performance Domains series: Delivery - "How to Actually Achieve Your Transition Goals (When Success Doesn't Look Like Anyone Else's Version)."
Following The Intuitive PM Approach™? I'm sharing real-time how I'm tailoring and applying project management principles and strategies to my own career transition.
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