Wherever this finds you, I look forward to meeting you in the space of keeping it simple.  

For years I’ve been driven by a desire to help people be their best selves by letting go of that which gets in the way of their dreams. These dreams stir up an excitement that leads them into the great unknown with courage and creativity. When focusing on what they love, the doldrums fizzle away. So whenever I hear someone say, “I have to ___ (fill in the blank)” I feel my stomach contract in a little cringe. Why do you have to do anything? The answer to this has roots in our reasons for being in our current situation—reasons resulting from choices and circumstances.

For most people, working isn’t an issue up for discussion, it’s a given. Whether we like it or not, it’s a necessity in the current state of our economy. In fact, we spend a hefty portion of our time doing what we call “work”. Many people spend more than half their waking hours engaged in work activities. That’s a lot of time! Setting the intention to enjoy your work makes a lot of sense. But whether you love your profession or not, the day-to-day experience of work isn’t always enjoyable.

Shortly after college, I worked as the office manager of a small retail store that sold game and pool tables. The storefront was on a street with minimal foot traffic; it was a destination location. Unfortunately, it was rarely a destination for anyone. I spent many an hour in the little office, jumping when the phone would shrilly upset the soothing tones of the classical radio station that was indubitably playing. “Work” became synonymous with “boredom”.

Soon thereafter I was an administrative assistant with a ToDo list at least a mile long. My employer, a non-profit organization, was short on many resources, staff being one of them. We were encouraged to work long hours in support of the always-important and always-timely issues at hand. I’d get home feeling like my brains might burst from my forehead if I thought too hard about what to have for dinner. “Work” became synonymous with “brain-fried”.

Boredom? Brain-fried? Was this to be the nature of work life I’d have to endure for the next 40 years? My sunny perspective on life couldn’t and wouldn’t allow me to believe it. Life was to be an adventure, a blank canvas onto which I could paint anything!

Wake-up call: back to the day-to-day activities in the workplace… informally defined as: “numerous tasks demanding your energy while rarely allowing the satisfaction of fulfillment”. Who came up with that?!? And there are countless ways that our minds can end up feeling like the contents of a shaken up can of soda (as if you needed to be reminded.)

Do any of these ring a bell?
-Feeling overwhelmed by the amount to be done.
-Feeling weighed down by numerous large, amorphous projects.
-Feeling confused about how to proceed with something.
-Feeling frustrated that important projects always seem to get procrastinated until the last minute.
-Feeling like your brain has short-circuited due to too much to think about.

When I worked for the non-profit, I regularly cycled through each of these. Sustainable work habits weren’t a priority.

There is always time for joy
Finding peace with your work, whether it’s the fun part or the has-to-get-done part, can make a huge impact on your life. Considering how many of your waking hours are spent working, just think how your life and peace of mind would be different if your work were easier and more fluid.

Of course there are many tips and tricks for this (several listed in the Tip section below), but first, start with the goal in mind. Let the vision of how you want to work guide the changes to your habits.

For example, I visualize a master builder. She knows what needs to be done given the foundation, the desired house specs, and the type of materials to be used. I see her as calm, confident, sure, skilled, thorough, competent, communicative, and working in a zen-like manner. Along with the foundation, she lays the groundwork for the utilities and services. (Electrical isn’t glamorous, but it needs to be included as part of the building!) I see her begin each day with a fresh perspective and a positive attitude. At the end of the day she may be tired, but it’s that good kind of tired—resulting from hard work, combined with the satisfaction of seeing her vision manifest right before her eyes.

A quick reminder on visualizing: see and feel the vision. Not only create a picture of the work style you desire, but also explore how that work style feels. Experiencing this during a relaxed time will help the changes happen more rapidly. I refer to this as living it before it’s actually happened.

Joy—the coffee substitute
Reinforcing the reminder that most of our attitude is a head trip, I’ll close with a story from this morning. Faced with workshop preparation, the newsletter to complete, client work, and two more deadlines for other organizations, I found myself beginning to feel harried as soon as I got out of bed. Resisting the temptation to get right to work, I stuck with my morning routine of yoga and meditation. While sitting in meditation I felt a sudden shift followed by the phrase coming to mind: there is always time for joy.

4. Your Simplification Tip

Separating planning from doing acknowledges that multi-tasking is a necessity at times. It also acknowledges that planning and doing activities utilize different brain functions and that jumping back and forth between the two is practically inviting your brain to short-circuit. When you catch yourself not knowing what to do for an activity, stop! Take a few minutes to define the goal, and only then switch to doing mode. (For more on planning vs. doing, see “Planning Time vs. Doing Time”.)

Routinely using a work flow productivity system, like David Allen’s Getting Things Done, provides huge relief for your head. This clears your mind from trying to keep track of unfinished and unscheduled tasks and projects. Not to be underestimated!! I say routinely because it does take discipline to maintain.

Doing the important stuff first prevents frantic scrambling at the end of the day. We also enjoy more fulfillment from making progress on what’s important.

Scheduling make-up time in your busy weeks allows you to keep up with your high-priority ToDos while being flexible with unexpected demands. You decide when this would work best for you. One client dedicates one hour Wednesday afternoon as well as three hours Friday afternoon just for catch-up.

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5. In the News

In the News is compiled by The Simplifier co-editor Lance Brown.

If you know of something in the news that should be featured here, let us know!

6. Featured at ProjectSimplify.com

7. Keep Smiling