do less to do more
Is anyone else feeling more than ever like they would rather flow than hustle? On my recent trip to France, I (once again) realized the way of life over the pond is so different from our American hustle. It feels so natural to sip your coffee a little slower, to sit in the morning sun a little longer, and to slow your pace down in every day, little ways. So here are a few things I’d like to share to help you have more freedom to slow down.
Chase productivity, not busyness
In Gary Keller’s Book, The One Thing, he talks about our natural tendency to fill our days with endless lists that almost always leave us feeling like failures by bedtime. I know I’m guilty of this. That feeling of inadequacy when I haven’t checked every single box on my to-do list is very familiar…and completely toxic. Most of us have a default state of making lists of unnecessary to-do’s, overscheduling our time with meaningless stuff that seems important and urgent. It’s really no wonder why we fall victim to this bad habit. Checking a box gives us a quick high and affirms that we’re “busy”, which we associate as being productive. Being productive and busy are very different, though. For those of us who chase the high of busyness, this practice can be completely transformative. It was and continues to be for me.
More Meaningful Boxes
After reading The One Thing, I decided to put into practice something Keller suggested as a shift away from meaningless busyness. Instead of compiling a list of to-do’s at the beginning of the day when my will power is highest, I’ve started creating Success Lists instead. My girls have even gotten in on this new routine as we’ve been together more. As we put together our Success lists for the day, we ask ourselves this…What’s the one thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary? This question can produce one goal for your day…and that’s completely ok! Less is more. If that one thing will leave you feeling like you had a win for the day, perfect. You can also create categories for this question to build out more variety…
What’s the one thing I can do for my physical health such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?
What’s the one thing I can do for my job…?
For my spiritual life…?
My girls and I have our own categories for our days, and they fluctuate depending on whether it’s a weekday, weekend, holiday or just a unique day. Here’s an example of how I structure mine with things that are most meaningful to me:
PHYSICAL: Long walk
MENTAL: Meditation
EMOTIONAL: Meditation
CREATIVE: Shoot August dessert recipes
PERSONAL: Make bday reservations for Kae & Kenz birthday
HOME: Pack
I hope this inspires you to create your own success list for the day. Remember, less is more. Simplify down as much as you can and see how it changes your feelings at the end of the day. I promise it will help you to feel more accomplished, less stressed and infuse more meaning into your days. Share yours with me if you do! I would love to see.