If gliding through the day with all the grace of a swan feels like a distant dream, you’re not alone.
Wouldn’t it be lovely to move serenely through tasks, letting the mundane aspects wash over you as you edge effortlessly towards your grand vision?
Who are these people?!
Harassed and bedraggled urban pigeon is more my style.
Yours’ too? Great.
Here’s how to hit pause on the hustle and focus on what’s going to have the most impact on bringing your dream to life. So you can shake those sleek tailfeathers like the gorgeous swan you are.
How many tasks have you lurched through this week?
What’s your biggest challenge when working towards something? Particularly a big goal, a hard deadline, an objective that takes you out of your comfort zone?
When there’s something approaching from the horizon, I find there are two impulses battling inside me:
The urge to jump in, to simply crack on with it, to let the enthusiasm run away with me
The urge to follow distractions, to be side-tracked by things which don’t bear any relevance to the bigger goal: I’ve got ages yet, I’ll think about it in a minute… ooh! Now, let me attend to this fire with my sand bucket, clear out this desk drawer, clean those shoes…
Sound familiar? Maybe these impulses are universal, maybe they’re only mine. I’m not sure. What I do know, is that neither approach is particularly helpful.
Following Path One, I’m so busy doing, doing, doing, that I don’t think. Instead, I simply do. It takes time and energy and means those two precious resources are expended before I realise that the approach needs to be adjusted
Following Path Two, I’m so busy procrastinating, so busy giving my time and energy to every distraction that comes along, that I end up in a panic at the end. I haven’t given myself the time or the space to think. And the net result? Yep, it ends in a whole lot of doing, just to get it done, and not a lot of thinking
Do less, think more, see better results
I’ve found, through years of trial and error, that the best way is a kind of Middle Way.
Recently, I’ve been reminded of that lesson acutely as I’m working towards a big goal: I’m planning my first ever workshop and I’ve had to carefully balance those two impulses.
So what does The Middle Way look like?
It sounds boring doesn’t it? Not quite here, not quite there, just in the middle. Like compromise – sacrificing what you want, something that comes naturally.
Actually, the middle is where the magic happens.
The Middle Way is when you take time – when you MAKE time – to think before putting pen to paper. It’s where you turn the problem over in your mind like a Rubik’s cube, this way and that, looking at it from different angles. It’s a skill and it takes discipline.
The Middle Way looks a lot like nothing is happening. It’s actually very hard work! It’s much easier to take the route of busy-busy-busy or the ‘I’ll deal with that later’ route – to swing in time with the pendulum of extremes. And yet! Neither of those options favours the best outcome.
Think long, win big
I’m running my first ever workshop in 11 days’ time. I’m excited, nervous, giddy, and full of anticipation.
And the temptation to jump in and stuff slide after slide FULL of content is strong. Look at me! I can do it! Look at all this stuff I know that I can share with you!
The other part of me is pulling in the opposite direction. Deadlines. Meetings. Did you make that phone call?! Do the workshop stuff tomorrow… I suspect that it’s an avoidance technique my brain is devising. By throwing up things to think about I don’t have to focus on the big goal, because otherwise, I’ll be out there exposed, I’ll actually have to deliver. Gulp.
Thankfully, I’ve recognised the two competing urges. Thanks in no small part to David Hieatt at the Do Lectures. Earlier this year, when the first lockdown struck, I attended one of his courses. One of the central tenets of the course was simple. It went a little something like this:
If you had four weeks to deliver something, wouldn’t it be better to spend the first three thinking and the last one finessing? Rather than the other way around?
75% strategy, 25% execution
As I’ve forced myself to slow down, I’ve noticed that the time and headspace around me has expanded. Remembering that simple mantra has given me a chance to think slowly, calmly, objectively, instead of racing through and ‘getting it done.’
Most importantly, it has enabled me to put myself in the shoes of the attendee. A workshop is an interactive experience. It’s not death by PowerPoint. And yet, if I hurtle along Path One or Path Two, that’s exactly what I risk. Slowing down has enabled me to think about the experience I want to give the people who attend.
That’s where I can deliver the most value. If I can give someone knowledge, great. If I can share tips, fab. If I can give people a new skill, hooray!
But if I can do that and give them something they can feel, something they can live, that’s a much better outcome for them.
What are you working on?
You have goals, objectives, targets. Maybe you’re working on a vision, a dream, the big picture.
Here’s a question for you:
How many tasks have you lurched through this week?
How many of them relate to the big picture?
And how much time and space have you given to thinking, instead of doing?
Perhaps you’re on The Middle Way already. Or do you recognise any of the impulses here? Do you feel that you’re trudging Path One or Path Two? I’m not here to judge, simply to help.
If you want more effective action, breathe.
Here’s how.
Pause. It’ll help with the overwhelm. Promise.
Thinking slow is a habit, a skill that needs to be practised over and over. Here are some of the things I find useful. I hope they help you.
Pen and paper – You don’t need to have a stationery addiction, but it helps me. Scribbling by hand slows things down. It’s a disconnect of the best kind.
Tactility – If we’ve Zoomed, you’ll have seen my wall planner, dripping in Post-Its. Seeing thoughts on paper, being able to touch them, move them around, is endlessly helpful to me. That interaction fires different brain cells and encourages novel thoughts.
A different medium – Speech! Say it out loud. If you have a willing ear close by, bounce it off them. No? Before now I’ve addressed thin air, a brick wall, an ornament, anything to hear myself think. You’ll feel bonkers at first, though it’s strangely liberating.
Repeat it back – If you feel like channelling Mad Men rather than simply ‘mad-lady-talks-to-herself’, record yourself. Use your phone voice notes or Otter.ai to turn speech into the written word. Play it and see how it sounds coming back to you. Still make sense? What needs work? If you really want to go old school, use a Dictaphone. It has the double advantage of not being connected to the internet or a cellular signal. Imagine! A gadget in this day and age. No Wi-Fi, no distractions. No distractions, better thinking.
Go for a walk – A change of scenery does wonders.
Exercise – Yoga, running, hula-hooping, whatever. Get that blood pumping and think with your body for a change, not your brain.
Do something totally unrelated – No, don’t reply to 72 emails in 60 seconds. Do something that stimulates your brain. Dance. Read a book. Play an instrument. Listen to an inspirational podcast. Watch a documentary.
Sleep on it – I’m not a brain expert, clearly. But taking a break and coming back to the job fresh gives you a whole different perspective. And that could just be the breakthrough you need…
I hope you found this helpful. Leave a comment and let me know what takes you from harassed pigeon to graceful swan!
And if you’d like to check out the workshop, the details are below.
Have a great (slow) week.
Your words matter,
Laura
Workshop – HOW TO WRITE A TAGLINE FOR YOUR BRAND
Can you imagine Nike without its swoosh logo? How about McDonald’s without the golden arches?
You wouldn’t launch a brand without a logo.
So, what about your tagline?
A tagline is a bit like a verbal logo. Can you imagine those same brands without “Just do it” or “I’m Lovin’ It”?
Of course not.
Your verbal brand is just as important as your visual logo – it’s a valuable brand asset that identifies you in the mind of your customers. Think “Because You’re Worth It”, “Every Little Helps” or “Maybe she’s born with it…”.
Learn to write your own in my workshop.
When: Tues 24th November
Where: Online
Investment: £30 – as part of my network you can use code ‘Laura15’ to receive a 15% discount when booking
Feel free to share it with anyone who might be interested. And hope to see you there!
The Weekly Writing Reflection
Welcome!
Each week I share an inspirational quote and a writing prompt. The idea is for you to spend a moment doing some active reflection through writing.
Here’s your quote for this week. Enjoy!
‘You are lost the instant you know what the result will be.’
- Juan Gris
And your writing prompt, if you’d like to use one:
I’m excited that I don’t yet know...
What’s Caught My Eye This Week
Each and every week I’ll share a few snippets of inspiration, thought-provocation and jubilation. Hand-curated delights, selected by yours truly to stimulate your mind and soothe your soul.
The words matter –They certainly do. Seth Godin explains why slowing down and being selective with our words can only be a good thing.
This is not a guide on how to work from home – The title of this blog alone makes it worth a recommendation. Luckily Naomi has some useful insights on how she gets stuff done. Key word? Focus.
Gerald and his big veg – If you’re not yet familiar with the work of Gerald Stratford, you need to check him out. His gardening videos are strangely hypnotic and to a West Country lass, his accent is warmer and more homely-sounding than… well, something warm and homely-sounding! If you’re having a rubbish day, I’ll bet Gerald will put a little smile on your face. Cheers!
See you next week!