BIRD BY BIRD
On this episode of The Karen Kenney Show, we’re diving into one of my favorite concepts from Anne Lamott's best-selling book, Bird by Bird.
This simple, but life-changing strategy has been wicked helpful not only for me, but for my mentoring clients, too!
It’s one of the key ways that I’ve learned to approach and tackle overwhelming to-do lists without totally losing my mind.
The core idea comes from a story that Anne wrote of in her book about a challenge her brother was facing as a kid, and how her father encouraged him with these now infamous words, “Bird by bird, buddy.”
I share how this concept can be a total game-changer for you too, especially when you’re facing an intimidating project – which can be anything from cleaning out a newly deceased parent's house to helping your kid apply to college, or learning a new skill or trying to start a podcast, etc.
Whether you're an entrepreneur struggling with some fancy fandangled tech stuff or someone feeling frozen in their tracks by a complex task, the "Bird by Bird" method is your secret weapon against overwhelm and procrastination.
The key is to stop looking at the entire mountain of work ahead and instead to simply focus on just the next teeny-tiny step you can take.
Print out that PDF form, open the website, take a deep breath, type one sentence, do just one small thing to get you moving forward and gaining momentum.
I'm all about keeping our nervous system calm and not letting fear and anxiety hijack our progress.
Sometimes that means we’ve gotta’ break things down to the absolute smallest action or even calling in help from someone who finds that “daunting to you” task easy.
My biggest takeaway?
We're capable of so much more when we're not in fight-or-flight mode. So please don't beat yourself up or get stuck in a shame spiral, and remember: you can handle anything by taking it “bird by bird.”
KEY POINTS:
• Breaking big projects into tiny steps helps reduce overwhelm.
• Try to focus on one small task at a time.
• Avoid time traveling / future-tripping.
• Your nervous system might respond better to incremental progress.
• Ask for help from a smarty-pants when a task feels too complicated.
• Don't shame yourself when you’re feeling stuck or frustrated.
• Most overwhelming projects become manageable when approached step-by-step.
• Recognize when you're entering a habitual stress response and hit pause.
• Remember that many tasks seem harder in anticipation than in execution.
• Repeat the mantra "Bird by Bird" when feeling overwhelmed.
• The Nest: Spiritual Mentoring Group + Community 🪺
• The Quest: 1:1 Spiritual Mentoring ❤️
• My Tip Jar 🫙
KAREN KENNEY BIO:
Karen Kenney is a certified Spiritual Mentor, Writer, Integrative Change Worker, Coach and Hypnotist. She’s known for her dynamic storytelling, her sense of humor, her Boston accent, and her no-BS, down-to-earth approach to Spirituality and transformational work.
KK is a wicked curious human being, a life-long learner, and has been an entrepreneur for over 20 years! She’s also a yoga teacher of 24+ years, a Certified Gateless Writing Instructor, and an author, speaker, retreat leader, and the host of The Karen Kenney Show podcast.
She coaches both the conscious + unconscious mind using practical Neuroscience, Subconscious Reprogramming, Integrative Hypnosis/Change Work, and Spiritual Mentorship.
These tools help clients to regulate their nervous systems, remove patterns, rewrite old stories, rewire new beliefs, and reimagine what’s possible in their lives and business!
Karen encourages people to deepen their connection to Self, Source and Spirit in down-to-earth and actionable ways and wants them to have their own lived experience with spirituality and to not just “take her word for it”.
She helps people to shift their minds from fear to Love - using compassion, storytelling and humor. Her work is effective, efficient, memorable, and fun!
KK’s been a student of A Course in Miracles for about 30 years, has been vegan for 23+ years, and believes that a little kindness can make a big difference.
KAREN KENNEY LINKS:
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