How often have you sighed this week that there just aren’t enough hours in the day? How many more hours would you realistically want? You’re probably already going to bed later and getting up earlier to squeeze things in. Yet work, family and all the other stuff seems to squash and uncomfortably splurge around the edges like a great muffin spare-tire over the waistband of life.
When did it all get so busy? Why are we always up against it and working at breakneck speed? As one stressed and over-worked client sighed recently “I run everywhere and even rush to get to the full stop at the end of my sentences”.
But here’s a radical concept that will feel so counter intuitive it will feel like wearing your bra backwards or your wristwatch on your ankle. How about doing less? Yes, you heard me right, decide to stop. I can practically hear the sharp intake of outraged breath throughout the women folk of the land with their towering to-do lists, meals to plan, shops to scour and fish to fry.
I know it’s a crazy idea but, listen, it works. We only have so much energy and so often in the process of over-working, cramming things in and doing too much we hit the wall of diminishing returns. We make mistakes, we don’t progress and we find ourselves going around in circles. We became snappy and short tempered parents, burnt out bordering on useless employees and end up being of no use to anyone.
In my unofficial nationwide drive to encourage creative loafing in our everyday lives I do believe we need to re-learn the art of sauntering (no more power striding), set aside time for professional day dreaming and insist on early to bed and weekend lie ins. It’s not as mad as it sounds.
Some mind mapping experts have found that focused daydreaming that is goal orientated and deliberate can enhance creativity and restore energy at work. Even going outside at lunchtime and sitting quietly with a notebook is more likely to bring about a Eureka moment than frenziedly dashing around.
Think of your psyche like your PC. Sometimes it needs to be shut down and rebooted and then it works like new again; all glitches ironed out.
In her book The Joy Diet, Martha Beck (Oprah’s coach) insists we take out 15 minutes of each day to day dream, look at, but not judge, our thoughts and notice what our brain is telling us and processing.
When I ask my clients what are they currently tolerating that could be draining their energy in almost all cases where the client is male the response is “my partner/wife booking too many social things in at the weekends” and bemoaning the lack of a lie in.
Again researchers from University of California Berkeley have found that dreaming and a good night’s sleep is “a soothing balm” that is a form of overnight therapy; releasing us from pain and helping resolve difficult problems we may have struggled with when awake.
Please then if you do nothing else in your frantically busy week take time out to daydream, go to bed earlier, build in a weekend lie in and resolve to do considerably less. If anyone picks you up on it tell them your coach has told you to practice “responsible deviancy” and give them my number.
Tagged in Lifestyle