Archive for February, 2011

February 21st, 2011

One GMDL Challenger Reports On Her Experience

Lisa Verdi is a woman with a business after my heart. It’s called MindfulBIZ and it’s all about helping creative entrepreneurs create a sustainable business through something we all could use some help with-designing a clutter free and focused website.

When she decided to take the Get More by Doing Less challenge I was pretty excited. Not only did she take the challenge, but she wrote down her experience here. Want to see if accomplishing less brought her more? Read her guest post below.


Confessions

One of my intentions for this year is to switch off from my business off when it’s time to pick up my kids from school.  I really love working on my business so much that it rarely feels like work, but I’ve noticed that I distract myself with busyness after my most productive time of the day is over. Far too often than I care to admit I’ll be checking my email or Twitter, catching up with the blogs that I follow or commenting on a business forum instead of being present with my family or making time for other activities I enjoy.


The Challenge

Brandi linked to a video about work-life balance and this message really resonated with me: you must take responsibility for setting the boundaries you want in your life.

I decided to give myself a challenge: unplug the computer between 3pm and 9am.

I was pretty good at meeting the challenge but there was one night when I turned on the computer after the kids were sleeping and my husband was late coming home from work. Plus Friday and Saturday nights were excluded from the challenge because that’s when my husband and I usually watch a movie on the computer.


The Uphill Battle

It took a few days to get into the new routine. The first morning of the challenge I definitely felt disorganized and lost. I ended up doing a lot of reading online instead of my tackling my to-do list in the morning. Throughout the week I noticed I would start to feel stressed in the early afternoon when I looked at the clock and thought that time was running out.  And just before 3pm I’d find myself rushing to squeeze in the last few tweets or emails. It always took me a while to relax after I shut down the computer.


The Result

I can honestly say that I felt more present with my kids after school. We did some activities together like shoveling show and reading a book or talking about their day at school. During the bedtime routine with my kids I was more relaxed because I wasn’t rushing to get back on the computer. I also stopped eating breakfast in front of the computer.

My house got a bit cleaner because I used the few minutes before 9am to put the dishes away or do some spot cleaning. Most nights I went to bed earlier than usual too.

I’m a big believer in the idea that letting go creates space for new ideas and opportunities. Before the challenge I had been too busy ”working” in the evening to see the bigger picture. I got real about how many extra hours the busyness added to my work week.

I thought about my ideal lifestyle and how many hours per week I will choose to work.

In The Big Leap (a book I finally finished during this challenge once I stopped “working” in the evenings!), Gay Hendricks presents the idea of Einstein Time. When you live in Einstein Time, YOU are the source of time so you can make as much of it as you want. Time is abundant. In contrast, the old paradigm is that there’s a finite amount of time. When you think there’s a scarcity of time, you always feel rushed or like you’re running out time as I experienced during the challenge. When you take ownership of time, you stop being a victim of time.

I’m still wrapping my mind around this concept, but it does seem to be the key to Doing Less and Getting More.  And I probably wouldn’t have discovered the idea if I hadn’t slowed down!

My next challenge is to notice how often I complain about time. Will you join me? See how often you think or say “I don’t have time to do that right now.” or “There aren’t enough hours in the day!” It’s the first step to taking ownership of time and MAKING it yours.

Isn’t that exciting?! I’m so happy for Lisa. If you find her as inspiring as I do and want to learn more about her and her business, you can check out her blog at MindfulBiz.com. Thanks again Lisa!

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February 17th, 2011

GMDL Day 21: The Final Day of the Get More Doing Less Challenge

{flickr photo by: Tambako the Jaguar}

The Preciousness of Time

Perhaps no one expressed it better than my grandma. With the early stages of Alzheimer’s reaching in and tugging at her memories, time seemed to fall soft, and slow like the sands upon an hourglass.

Being with her was both frustrating and peaceful. At the time, I did not realize it felt like toggling two worlds-one was part of the world I was still in and she had left. It was the world of accomplishments and getting things done.

It was a world she had been the star of. She was always busy. Busy bee crafting, cooking, baking and cleaning. I don’t remember ever seeing her sit down and just talking with me.

Then the other part was somewhere new. Alzheimer’s stole her short-term memories and wrapped it up, hid it so no matter how hard she looked she could not find it. Instead, she smiled effervescently at a young child, rocked a baby doll, laughed at feeling happy being with family and feeling immense gratitude for being in the presence of a beautiful flower.

This was not the grandma I knew. But this is the grandma I had always wanted to know.

Alzheimer’s & Living

My grandmother’s Alzheimer’s touched me greatly. I blogged about it here and I wrote a newspaper article about it in the past. And although sadness and grief takes over me every time I see her suffering, I am reminded about that one moment in time. I remember the moment she stopped being busy and just stopped to enjoy her life.

The End of the Road

We’ve come to the end of the road. It’s been 21 days of doing less and I’m exhausted. It’s been a challenging challenge learning how to accept who I am separate from the tasks that fill my life.

One by one as I let things drop and slide, I faced my fears of feeling inadequate. I was reminded what it felt like to move in time with my mind instead of trying to catch up to it.

I spent more time with activities I love and put less weight on accomplishing them. In the 21 days that I’ve done this, I haven’t had an article published or a job accepted. But I survived. I enjoyed my life. I enjoyed moments dancing in the den with my husband. I spent moments in silence. I found my song and was reconnected with my purpose.

What have you accomplished or not accomplished?

As we end this challenge, I hope you will continue to bring a little bit of doing less into your every day life. As a lot of nutritionist will tell you, “it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle.” As we come to the end of the road, let’s continue to appreciate and love our lives.

Daily Challenge: Whether it’s writing, working, or playing, do one activity and fully be present in it. Learn to be mindful in everything you do from now until the end of your life and you will not only find happiness, joy and peace along the way, but you may even find yourself- that present-minded happy person I discovered in my grandma that day.

Thank you for supporting me on this challenge! If you have been inspired or touched by any of these posts, please share them with those you love and leave me a comment here.

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February 16th, 2011

GMDL Day 20: Awakening to Your Life

{flickr photo by: yellowcloud}

If you haven’t picked up a copy of The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have by Mark Nepo you are missing out.

I heard about it after Oprah mentioned it as one of her favorite things. And now it’s become mine.

The book is broken up into short introspective, daily lessons and it is beautifully, if not, poetically written. Nepo’s prose and intuitively way he expresses his intentions makes me catalogue Mark Nepo as one of the people I wish I could write like. I find it lifts me up, provides insight and reflection at the end of my day.

But when I got to February 1 (I’m a few weeks behind), I had to hold up and pause because there was something very important about this chapter that I knew I needed to share with you:

Live Slow Enough

What does it mean to, “live slow enough?” Here’s an excerpt from his February 1st entry:

“Follow anything in its act of being-a snowflake falling, ice melting, a loved one waking-and we are ushered into the ongoing moment of the beginning, the quiet instant from which each breath starts. What makes this moment so crucial is that it continually releases the freshness of living. The key to finding this moment and all its freshness, again and again, is in slowing down.”

Isn’t that beautiful?

On top of the importance of observing our environment, he also mentions how sad it is that we are all running around so fast and for so long, that only two things can stop us: “illness or breakage.”

Isn’t that sad?

But it is true. Illness is what keeps me motivated on this daily challenges. And I hope that it won’t be what stops you from a too busy existence. My biggest regret is thinking and rethinking last year and wondering if there was anything I could have done to prevent the chronic illness that I have. I often wonder if I had lived my life enjoying it and worrying and stressing less, I would not be in the situation that I am in.

I don’t want that to happen to you.

Keep up the journey we are near the end.

Daily Challenge: Do one activity in slow motion. Whether it’s taking a shower, washing the dishes or even going for a walk. And as you do so, observe how you feel, be conscious of every motion. Sometimes slowing down gives you insight to a problem. Sometimes it gives you a sense of peace. Other times it feels as luxurious as a mini vacation. Try it. Then let me know what you think.

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February 15th, 2011

GMDL Day 19: Possessing Awe

This post all started with this photo:

Are you an entrepreneur wanting to take your business to the next level? Have you ever wanted to fulfill your dreams as a freelance writer? Are you a writer who wants to find a way to increase your client list?

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You may not think doing less can do that for you. But it can.

How?

Imagine for a moment what it’s like to be a conscious entrepreneur. You are focused on your clients. You have the energy and the time to give your clients your best. That’s what it’s like when you spend less of your time on unnecessary tasks and more of it on things that are important to you.

Part of that has to do with this three letter word: a-w-e.

If you are possessed by awe, you are enraptured by the moment. The feeling some define as “flow.” Time melts away like ice cubes on hot concrete. And there is just you and what every it is you are trying to accomplish.

To get to that feeling of wonder and appreciation, you need to drop all the things in your life that are not supporting your vision.

This journey that you are on requires a light load. Minimize your baggage and learn to let go of the things in your life that are preventing you from an awe-inspired life.

Stop holding on with desperation at every job that comes your way. Forget about perfecting every single thing in your life.

And spend more of your time reveling in what and who is in front of you.

The more moments you spend in awe, the greater your awareness of possibility. You are opening up a space in your life for whatever you desire most to fall into place.


Here’s your challenge for today:

Do one thing that fills you with awe.

1. Visit a museum where you can admire creative expression.

2. Read a book that invites awe into your life.

3. Surround yourself with people who you admire.

4. Listen to a song that fills you with awe.

Do it and let me know how the experience impacts you, in BIG and small ways.

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February 14th, 2011

Day 18 GMDL: Dealing With the Big Chunks

flickr photo by: nedrichards

This post is all about turning the big chunks into little chunks. Ugh sorry that doesn’t sound very good does it?

But my intention is this: If we are going to create a life worth living getting more by doing less, we need to take the big daunting goals and turn them into bite-size pieces.

I’ve been thinking about this challenge and how it has impacted me in the last few weeks. The hardest part has been fully enjoying the time I have without the guilt of not accomplishing. As I do less, I see others making BIG leaps and doing more. But the decision to change my life, to live a life of health and love means I need to commit to the process. I also realized just because I do one, does not mean I need to sacrifice the other.

WARNING: The Path Gets Windy

As you get further along the journey, the path will get rougher. There will be moments when you doubt the purpose of doing less. If you have got yourself on a treadmill of going, going, gone, creating space for nothing will feel scary, lonely and empty.

But the moment will come and go, like all moments. Part of dealing with what’s keeping us here is dealing with the feelings that come up. Another part is creating doable tasks that will help get us to our goals without sacrificing all of our goals in life.

Puree the Big Goals

As I am attempting to do less, I am spending more of my energy on doing one thing at a time. I am blogging without the constant Twitter interruptions and working on my essay minus the occasional online window shopping. The results have been less stress at home, more contemplating my purpose and time to focus on the vision I have for my life.

But I also want to continue to work on other goals. I want my blog to reach and teach others to live a more authentic life. I want to network with other like-minded souls and I want to continue to build my business so that I can inspire more people.

How Do You Do Less While Gaining More for Your Life?

1. Take your BIG goal. Whether that is publishing a book, making  $____ amount of sales, networking with ___ amount of people.

2. Break it up into smaller goals. Every day I spend a little time focused on social media. In addition to Twitter and Facebook, I will work on my profile on Mediabistro, ask/answer questions on LinkedIn, or think of ways to network with other writers and entrepreneurs. Although it is a slower process, I’m giving myself enough time to think through the process and work on creating a better result. In the end, it helps me to work towards my ultimate goal of reaching more people.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

It’s more of a slow and steady approach and takes more time, patience and faith to get there. But it’s also helping me to stick with my goal of doing less.

How are you managing all of your day to day tasks and doing less?

If you’re new here, welcome! Don’t worry about starting on day 18 of the challenge. You can start at anytime. If you want, you can start here on day 1 of the challenge. Feedback’s always welcome. I would love to hear how you’re doing.

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February 11th, 2011

GMDL Day 17: Things That Make You Go Hmmm…

{flickr image by: dcosand}

It’s the end of another week of tips to inspire you to do less. Whew it’s been a good one. Hasn’t it?

So far, I’ve had one awesome and courageous entrepreneur sign up for the challenge and another beautiful and talented photographer send me the sweetest email with the subject line, “I love your blog.”

It’s been an amazing week. Good and bad (did I mention a power outage and almost getting hit by a car?), but I’m embracing both. I’m alive. I’m grateful. And I’m still as motivated to do less as ever.

And we’ve still got a few days left in the challenge. I hope you’re still here with me.

To end the week, I have a few inspiring things including something I found in an inspiring book entitled The Purpose of Your Life by Carol Adrienne. Hope it will keep you motivated on your own challenge to do less!

Be Inspired


1. Accomplish More, Do Less: Find Your True North

This Care2 blogger and reader has a lot going on in her life (things like yoga, blogging, school, daily chores). Sound familiar? I’m sure we can all relate. But I was over the moon excited when I read this part of her blog:

“At least once a week someone asks me, ‘How do you do it all?’  My answer is always the same – I do less.”

In her blog, she shares her journey from doing too much to slimming down to the necessities. She also provides helpful tips on how to get there.

2. The Power of Vulnerability

I can’t take credit for finding this awesome, honest and super inspiring video. It was a colleague that discovered it.

You may be wondering how being vulnerable has anything to do with doing less. Here’s the thing. Sometimes we feel ashamed and fearful of being vulnerable. And instead of embracing our fears and imperfections, opening our wounds raw for everyone to see, we avoid the pain at all costs. Sometimes we do so by filling our life with busyness. It’s a powerful 20 minutes and I hope you will take the time to watch.

3. Anything is possible.

That is the title of chapter 4 in Adrienne’s life changing book. This weekend, reflect on this statement, what it means, and say it to yourself every time you stumble or encounter a mental block. I have been reciting those three beautiful words to myself and with it have found peace. What will you find?

If you’re new here, welcome! Don’t worry about starting on day 15 of the challenge. You can start at anytime. If you want, you can start here on day 1 of the challenge. Feedback’s always welcome. I would love to hear how you’re doing.

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February 10th, 2011

GMDL Day 16: Creating Your Vision

flickr photo by: -RejiK


Having a Vision for Your Life

Something organization expert Peter Walsh often talks about is having a vision for your life. What he’s usually referring to is your home, clutter-free. But it also applies to our challenge to get more by doing less.

In order to achieve that goal, it is important to have a vision of what “less” and “more” will look like.

Will it, for example, mean more time with your kids, less time worrying about your finances?

For me, it means spending more time enjoying my life doing activities I love (biking, painting, writing and photography) and less time worrying about and forcing myself to do things that doesn’t serve me or the vision I have for my life.

Take the Challenge: Create Your Vision

You won’t ever get there unless you know where you want to go. Close your eyes and visualize exactly how you want your life to be. Imagine what it would look like, what you would be doing, who you would be doing it with. Experience how you feel in this space. Are you happy? Excited? At peace? Visualize an entire day of your dream life. Think about what you would do after you awake, how you would spend most of your time and how you would feel doing what you do.

  • Spend as long as you want in this place.
  • When you open your eyes, jot down every detail you can remember.
  • Then, create two columns. One with the word, “More” and the other with “Less.” List everything you want more of in one column and write down everything you want less of in the other.
  • Work towards getting more things done on your more list and eliminating what is under less.

Soon you will get to your goals. Soon you will be living the life you visualized. It works. I’ve been spending my whole life visualizing. I’m driving the car I envisioned and working in the den I dreamed of. It takes time and patience, but it works. You’ll see.

If you’re new here, welcome! Don’t worry about starting on day 15 of the challenge. You can start at anytime. If you want, you can start here on day 1 of the challenge. Feedback’s always welcome. I would love to hear how you’re doing.

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