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Check out this post on Brain Based Business called, Brains Under Pressure. Here is a snippet:
A fine colleague of mine just resigned from several boards ... and cut back on work hours. His doctor warned that stress has spiked his blood pressure to life threatening levels. Have you seen it happen?
We can do only so many things well and with full engagement. If we spread ourselves too thin, we never get into anything to the degree where we can reach a flow state.
I like this post from Zen Habits called, Simple Living Simplified: 10 Things You Can Do Today to Simplify Your Life. I really like this one:
2. Drop 1 commitment. Think about all the things in your life that you’re committed to doing, and try to find one that you dread doing. Something that takes up time but doesn’t give you much value. Perhaps you’re on a team, or coaching something, or on a board or committee, or whatever. Something that you do each day or week or month that you don’t really want to do. Now take action today to drop that commitment. Call someone, send an email, telling the appropriate person or people that you just don’t have the time. You will feel relief. I’d recommend dropping all commitments that don’t contribute to your short list (from Item #1), but for today, just drop 1 commitment.
Simplifying is critical. That said, I think the more accurate word is to streamline, or reduce the clutter or volume. Because we are human and because the most rewarding experiences likely involved other humans, life will not be and ought not be simple - human systems are chaotic by nature and therefore complex.
That said, if our relationships are gunked up with crud and baggage, they can be more complex than optimal. So you should simplify there.
But the techniques in the Zen Habits post are more about streamlining and reducing, which is very important and beneficial. The more focused your life the better able your are able to deal with and relish in life's inherent complexities.
Why do we keep doing things that take lots of time and energy and yield little benefit? Why do we ignore or under do those activities that can most enhance our lives.
An age old question with no real answer.....
Sometimes we need a visual to help us make better choices. Check out this simple grid I created:
It's simple to understand, harder to act on, right? I was feeling in a funk today (we had to say goodbye to our 16 year old poodle, Jet, last night). I get reflective about life when I am in a funk. Does that happen to you? It's a good time to take stock in what I am doing and make adjustments.
Click on this link to download and print off this grid in a one page exercise.
Download ClumpGridExercise.pdf
There are two important considerations for the exercise:
1. Include as many activities as possible. Take the time to be thorough.
2. Define "reward" wisely. This is the key, isn't it? We will each define rewards differently, but we need to be clear so we can put activities in the right boxes. And what you find rewarding might change over time. How you define rewards ought to align with your goals and how you define success.
In my previous post, I told you about my struggle to read. On my reading list this week was the book, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. I wanted to get the book read before all the media exposure about the upcoming movie (directed by Sean Penn) affected my reading the story fresh.
I think you should read the book before seeing the movie. And then see the movie.
It's a great story that is both provocative and evocative. Into the Wild tells the true story of Chris McCandless, a college educated young man from a well-to-do family who shed most of his possessions to choose the life of a drifter. He hitchhiked, camped, canoed, and lived like a vagabond for two years. After spending four months in the Alaskan wilderness, he died of starvation.
You might remember this story from the news in the early 90s.
I like this book because it will make us take an inventory of how we are living our lives and the degree we are actually LIVING it.
It's a short and easy read but packs a punch and could catalyze breakthroughs. The true life story is compelling.
OK, no jokes about the pool gag where you throw a candy bar in the water and then yell, "turd!" What I'm suggesting goes the other way.
I am a big fan of redefinition - I don't mean in a slimy "being sold something I don't need" kind of way. I mean redefinition that makes your life work better.
Reality is socially constructed. Change your definition - change reality.
Here's a small tangible example.
I struggle with reading. I have had adult ADD and find it hard to sit and read for more than 15 minutes and I find most books boring. I know, a book writer ought not say these things.....
I have struggled with this for years, but I need to lick this problem for two reasons:
1. There is a strong correlation between writing skill and reading. Writers need to be readers.
2. I am enrolled in an MFA program that requires me to read and annotate (report on) one book per week minimum. Yikes - that's about 1000% more than my normal reading pace.
I did a few practical things:
1. I got my eyes checked and got new glasses.
2. I got a good reading lamp and chair.
But I still struggled, why? Because reading for me has always been a turd. As long as it remains a turd, there will be no breakthroughs forthcoming. I need to turn reading into a Candy Bar. How do I do this?
1. Change my view of what reading means. This is important. Reading for 15 minutes is reading. It's like a wee spa treatment for my brain. It's like a 3pm soy latte. It's like a quick walk around the block. Reading in bits and bites is my success formula (not how I fail) and if I do this 3-4 times a day, my life will be blessed and transformed. Candy Bar.
2. Create anticipation and excitement by planning for my reading spa Candy Bar sessions. Today, for example, I got all the little things in order - made tea, selected the book, collected my highlighter, went to the little girl's room (TMI?), put on my office space heater (yes, already, Fall has arrived in Seattle), and cleaned my glasses, face, and pulled my hair back. Like a lover might prepare for a hot rendezvous, I prepped for my reading. Candy Bar.
3. Increase opportunity. I have put books everywhere (I have many to read), so it is very easy to do a bit a spontaneous reading. Candy Bar.
4. Pair reading with other pleasurable events. In my case, my cat loves it when I read because I recline just enough to make my lap a cozy place for her to lie. Having a reading lap cat makes the experience more enjoyable and I read longer because I don't want to disturb her. Candy Bar.
You might be asking, What if a turd is just a turd? That's a great question. If a turd is just a turd, then flush it, for heaven's sake. Get rid of it. But if you want to reinvent your love for some ritual or habit (exercise anyone?), then you can turn that turd into a low calorie high taste Candy Bar.
What will you transform this week?
How many of you are looking for a job? What does your resume look like? What impression does it make?
I think the career books are wrong most of the time with regard to what makes a resume great.
They say: There are three formats......
I say: Don't do any of the formats, they don't stand out.
They say: don't use color.
I say: boring! Don't come across like a three-year-old (unless your are 3), but color is great.
They say: You must use our online submission form.
I say: OK, go ahead and do that, but you need to find another way. Find a human! Connect with a voice. Put paper in hand. Spend 41 cents. Personally, I hate inflexible online submission systems.
Sidebar: Hey HR people! The best candidates won't play games with your mandatory rules. what does this mean? The people who comply are not the ones you want.
They say: The order of information on your resume should be X, Y, Z.
I say: Communicate your essence. Share the reasons they ought to hire you. Do this in any way that makes sense.
Fine print: If you are out of work and need a job to pay the rent and buy Mac and Cheese, don't follow my advice. It will turn some employers off and perhaps you should not do that. If you are employed but curious, give this irreverent approach a try - you never know!
Report back.
Dire Straits - Why Worry
Why worry, there should be laughter after the pain
There should be sunshine after rain
These things have always been the same
So why worry now
The lyrics of this song - especially the chorus - are very wise. Here's a You Tube version of the song.
Why worry?
Dale Carnegie had a nice way of dealing with worry. Here is a snippet from his book, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living:
I love this post from Zen Habits called, Haiku Productivity: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential. The post offers several ways to focus on the most important tasks and includes ways to ensure you don't waste precious time.
One of the suggestions is to limit yourself to 10 RSS feeds. Interestingly, I just went through and unsubscribed to a bunch of feeds last night because my list had gotten too long. I don't check my aggregator when I travel and often come back to hundreds or thousands of unread posts. I did not get to 10, however, I still have over 100. I think I should shoot for 50. Emphasizing this suggestion could well bite me in the tail - I guess I will just have to see if my subscriber numbers go down!
Check out all the suggestions. In the spirit of focus, try just one!
I like this post from Dr. Ellen over at Brain Based Business called What Does bob Woodruff's Mental Miracle Say About Yours?
And related - sort of - check out this post from zenhabits called, Get Off Your Butt: 16 Ways to Get Motivated When You're in a Slump.
Reinvention is a privilege - we can do it anytime, but realize that most people do not. Most people let the drone of the everyday swallow their hearts and passions.
I am not an exception. I live what most people would call a privileged life. I agree. I can pretty much do what I want and I have some very special client relationships that allow for flexible and interesting work. Even so, I struggle with determination and get sucked in by the machine that is my daily routine.
The difference between how we are living our lives and our potential is usually just a couple decisions each day. People who live their best lives make different choices. On any given day, we can be the person we aspire to be and generate the life we most value.
Commit to the small and be great in tiny ways every day.
Lisa Haneberg
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