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Every Sunday I bring you an article, an interesting quote that has been on my mind, and a journal prompt, all related to working and living better.
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How To Find More Hours In Your Day
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Where I live, we will have shifted to “Daylight Savings Time” this weekend. This change led me to think about my relationship with time, how I managed it, and how fluid the whole concept of time can be.
As a driven, highly motivated professional who sets big goals, I pay a lot of attention to how I manage time. The number of things that I have on my plate forces me to be attentive about how I invest my time. My tendency is to squeeze as much as I can out of the time I have. I have a productivity system that helps keep me on track, making sure that I can deliver the right work at the right time. I view this as a foundational element for success in the modern world of work.
But I know that I also am prone to putting TOO much focus on managing my productivity. There is a definite tension there, a trade-off to be made between being present in the here and now versus being future-focused and actively pursuing goals. Life can’t be just about getting stuff done. We need balance.
Sometimes I have an energy of trying to get as much done as I can, accomplishing as many of the highest priority items on my never-ending to-do list as possible. This can lead to having the sense that there just is not enough time. It can generate stress. I suspect most of you can relate to that feeling.
The other day, I had a novel experience with time. I had the long to-do list in front of me and wondered how I was ever going to get the things done that I needed to accomplish. It appeared impossible to me, like there was simply not enough time for me to be successful.
Instead of letting that thought bother me, I let it go. I resolved to focus in on what the next thing to do was, and to just relax and do the work without worrying about the time. Just to do the work. No expectations of myself. No pressure. Just focus on the work, moving it forward as best as I could. I let go of thinking about all the other tasks that were still waiting for me. I just allowed myself to do the one task, to focus on it, and to commit to achieving that one thing.
I got that task done in quicker time than usual. So I then moved on to the next task, with the same type of energy. Nothing more than a quiet resolve to do the best job that I could with that one task, and to enjoy the experience of doing it. It was work that I enjoy after all, so it was not all that difficult to enjoy the process. I got that task done.
My wife approached me, intending to ask me a question. But she stopped mid-sentence, saying, “Never mind, I don’t think you’ll be interested.” That piqued my interest, so I asked her to continue with her question. She suggested we go into town together for a walk, visit the local bookstore and a couple other local shops, and finish up with a pint of beer at one of our favourite local pubs.
I felt shocked. I was not at all surprised that she would have asked me such a question, but that she felt I would not have been interested. This is exactly the stuff that I love doing! When I mentioned that to her, she said she knew I had a lot of things on my plate, so thought I wouldn’t be interested.
It was like a bolt of lightning struck me. I was obviously putting too much attention on accomplishing things, rather than on just being – or my wife would never have felt that way. It was a poignant reminder that I can become a slave to my goals, allowing them to have more power over me than what is healthy.
I told her it would thrill me to spend time with her doing what she had proposed, asking if it would be okay if we did it in a couple of hours. I knew that having a bit of time would allow me to make a bit of progress on my most important activities, while still leaving more than ample time for quality time with my wife. We set our departure time, and I continued on with my work.
My attitude of focusing on just the one immediate task continued, which was made easier to do because I felt there really was no way for me to get done all the tasks that I had intended to do. I ignored my to-do list, only worrying about the immediate task. My email inbox remained closed, and I kept the notifications on my computer turned off. I allowed the work to happen, rather than forcing the work out of myself.
A couple of hours later, I was speechless. I had achieved so much! Despite not reaching my initial objectives, the amount – and quality – of work I completed made me feel proud. I felt a deep sense of satisfaction with what I had done. And now it was time to spend time with my wife, doing things together that we both love to do.
By not worrying about time, by letting go of the mindset that there was not enough of it, by just allowing myself to focus on doing the next bit of work as well as I could, I got so much done. I also felt amazing during the process, the stress having melted away.
Then I had time and energy to reconnect with my wife, to invest in quality time together. We got to explore this great little shop that we had never noticed before. We got to just be ourselves, together as a team.
I accomplished more, reduced stress, did higher quality work, and got to invest in the most important relationship I have, all because I allowed myself to take my eyes off the clock. By allowing time to be fluid, I created more of it. That was a much more enjoyable experience than trying to manage time with a scarcity mindset.
I knew this already, but had forgotten. Can you redefine your relationship with time? Is there a way that you could allow it to be more fluid, to look at it from a mindset and attitude of “there is enough” rather than viewing it as scarce? I hope so.
Because the results can be incredible.
Had some success in your career but feeling trapped in a job that no longer cuts it? I’ve been there, and I can help you move out of that space. Don’t stay there too long; the impact on life quality is serious.
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Quotation that I have been pondering
In keeping with the theme of ‘time’, this quote from best-selling author Greg McKeown has been on my mind.
This is so true. You need to remember that you are the one that best understands what is important to you. Don’t give the power of prioritizing things in your life to someone else, as they will prioritize what is best for them, not what is best for you.
Journal Prompt
As we “spring forward” into Daylight Saving time, take a few minutes to jot down your thoughts about the journal prompt below.
The discomfort of failure leads us away from trying new things. To make matters worse, we often only allow ourselves to do activities that are “productive” or “useful” somehow. We forget about the need to have interesting experiences, to do something exciting, to allow ourselves the pleasure of play. Allowing space in your life for experiences that you find interesting or exciting allows you to bring your best self to the world.
That is worth doing, as we need your contributions.
