Posts tagged ‘Living a stress-free life’

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.

January 20th, 2011

The Challenge to Be Better By Doing Less: Day 1

It’s the first day of the challenge and I have to say I already failed the first rule, which is this:

1. Establish a set time for work and commit to it.

{photo by wonderfully complex}


  • Whether it’s 9 or 10 pm, setting a routine schedule that gives you a few hours to unwind from the day, take part in something you enjoy (like how I’m feeling on painting these days), or spending time with your loved ones, is important.
  • It’s important for your own mental and physical health.
  • And it’s also important for your family too.

2. Let others know of rule #1:


  • Family members and friends will know when they can contact you so you’ll be more focused and they will feel less worried about interrupting. This is a MUST for those of us who work at home.
  • It also helps you stay on track. When the clock struck 10:30 pm last night, my husband came calling REMINDING ME that I made a promise to myself and to him that all work would stop at 10 pm. I might let things slip, but my husband won’t let me. And that’s imperative when keeping to your goals. High-five to him for supporting me!

3. When you make a mistake, let go of your initial reaction to beat yourself up about it: {photo by Trevin C}

  • Last year, I was all about this lesson. I forgot to send invoices, newsletters, missed appointments, got lost meeting friends. It was the most challenging year yet. On top of normal daily stresses, I also had to deal with the loss first of my dog, then grandfather and then dealt with my own startling illness, which I am still grappling with now.
  • Being perfect-free, meant that every time, I made a mistake I had an opportunity, a chance for growth and for forgiveness towards myself.
  • If you’re struggling with being too hard on yourself, read this article on Oprah.com called, “How to Stop Being So Damn Hard On Yourself.” {The title says it all.}

That’s it for today. The good thing about this challenge is that you won’t be sweating it, struggling or in pain to gain from it. It’s all about being kind and compassionate to yourself and learning how to transform your life by doing less.

Some famous bloggers say that you should create a challenge that is built on a foundation of followers and in a predetermined time. But I am breaking a lot of rules. I am doing this FOR YOU whether “you” means 10 or 1000. I am not doing this for money or fame or anything else, but to help start of wave of change so that we can stop stressing out and start enjoying our lives more. I also did not create a predetermined time for this challenge. Why? I read a Psychology Today article that said there is no evidence to back up the belief that change takes 21 days. And in fact, it could take 66 days. Also, if you mess up here and there, it would detract from your progress. Good news all around!

If you’re following the challenge, would love to know who you are and how it’s going. Please comment and join in on our group. Thanks!