Last week I talked about following my own advice to do only what excites you and not attach to doing anything in particular.

I was writing about how I sat down to write a blog post, but it wasn’t coming. After waiting for a bit, it didn’t feel exciting to wait any longer, so I decided to call it off. Then the post came... actually three came.

That’s what non-attachment will do for you. When you have to do something, it’s difficult. When don’t want something to happen or be as it is and you and try to avoid it, it sticks around. The universe is funny like that.

As soon as I didn’t care if I had a blog post, I had three.

As soon as you stop having to leave your awful job, a new opportunity will arrive.

Do what excites you, don’t attach to anything in particular, and you’ll be on the path to the life you are meant to live.

Simple formula that’s way harder to follow than it is to write.
 

Last Monday I suggested that when it comes to work and life, we should only do the things that excite us. I also suggested that some days bookkeeping, billing, and filing actually fall into that category. I wasn’t kidding on either point.

When you do what excites you, you’re following your essential self. Your essential self knows how to get you to where you want to go (even when you don’t know where that is!).

The part of you that knows what makes you smile is the part worth listening to. The part that is afraid or logical isn’t the part of you that leads you to a happy life or a successful business.

I have a friend who, right now, only wants to do yoga and write. That’s it. Now, in this moment, doing those things won’t make a dime for her in her business. But she trusts this part of her to lead her in the right direction. She’s taking care of herself with yoga, and she’s working on a very important book. And she’s trusting it’s the right thing to do, even if her logic mind can’t make sense of it. I believe she’s right on track.

It might sound scary to do only what excites you, but when we follow this path, the universe provides... even if we’re not sure how it will happen.

Put the fear and the “need to know” aside, even if only for one hour or one day or one decision, and see what happens.
 

As I sat down today to write my blog post, I found a dozen other things to do. I was sitting and waiting for the post... (I don’t think about what to write, I wait and let the blog post come to me.)... and I kept getting distracted by other things. I finally decided that today might be a day to skip writing. After all, I always coach my clients, especially the business owners, to not do anything that doesn’t feel good. Today, writing a blog post didn’t feel as good as brainstorming a new idea that I’ve been stewing.

The moment I let go of having to blog today, because that’s what I do, the idea came: I, too, need to follow my own advice.

1. Only do what excites you.

2. Don’t attach to doing anything in particular.

I find the most joy and the most success in my business when I follow those two tips. Before I started operating this way, I was skeptical that I would get all of the things I “had to do” done, like bookkeeping, billing, and filing. However, there are days when those things feel fun, believe it or not.

Skeptical? I’ll write more in the coming posts on doing what feels exciting and not attaching to anything.

In the mean time, see what happens if you focus on what excites you. Report back and let me know how it goes.
 

When I feel overwhelmed, I repeat this mantra to calm me down and bring the current moment into focus.

Everything that needs to get done will get done, easily and efficiently.

It works.

And I wouldn’t even call myself a mantra person.

Try it out, and let me know how it works for you.
 

Are you focused on the end result, or do you enjoy the process of getting where you want to go?

Whether it’s figuring out what to do with your life or career, taking your business to its next level, or training a puppy, enjoy getting there. Once you are “there,” nothing really changes... except you’ll find a new “there” to go and the process repeats.

I learned this last week in rewriting several pages on my website, and I was reminded by it last night when I saw these irises opening. I love how they look before they have fully blossomed--more than I like them opened all the way. They reminded me to appreciate my own process of unfolding--in life, in my business, and with training our new puppy.

How do you remind yourself to enjoy the process of getting where you want to go?
 

Listen to your heart.

I know how easy it can be to get wrapped up in doing the “right next thing” in searching for a new career or building my business or working toward any goal. We look toward the logical next step. We believe that if we follow the steps 1-2-3 we’ll get exactly where we want to go.

Rarely does anything work like that, except maybe baking cookies.

Think about a goal or something you’ve accomplished in your life. When you set out to achieve it, was it a simple 1-2-3 process, or did you take some detours and unexpected turns along the way?

Sometimes, the next step on the way to finding a job you love is to go for a walk in the middle of the day. It may not be logical, but your true, creative, essential self knows that it serves you better to go for a walk then to sit and work on your resume.

The next step for building your business may be to take a long bath, have a good cry, play with watercolors, or make faces with your food. Your logical mind can’t explain it--and it never will be able to, but your true, creative essential self knows exactly what you need to do to get to your goal.

Next time you’re not sure if you should take this step, that step, or turn left, check in with your heart.

Get quiet.

Take a few deep breaths.

Ask your heart what is next for you. It knows.

Listen and follow. What you hear may not be logical. It doesn’t have to be. If your logical mind were all you needed to get what you want, you’d already have exactly what you wanted.

Check in with your heart today. What does it say is next for you?
 
photo courtesy of ilmungo via flickr

You’re busy with work, life, family, community activities, and more. You committed to someone that you’d do that thing, and you’re waiting on someone else to get back to you with some other details. Although the specifics of these tasks are all simple, it causes you stress and seems to take more time than it should. Yet you have no idea how to change things.

You think, “I just need to make some time to read that time management book.”

I will say, I’m not a fan of time management books. The details are so specific. They teach you that their way is the right way and the only way, and you better do it this way or your life isn’t going to get any easier.

No, thank you.

How you manage your time and your tasks should be as unique as you are. It should be customized to how you work and how you live.

There are, however, a few principles behind all time management systems.

1. Get stuff out of your head and captured somewhere.
2. Trust your “captured somewhere.”

This puts everything in the right place when you need it. You don’t have to trust your memory to tell you that you still need to pick up a baby card for your friend. It’s captured and you trust that it’s captured.

This brings in the third principle of time management systems.

3. Have a task retrieval system you trust.

You can use
a to-do list,
a calendar,
a small notebook in your pocket or purse,
a stack of post-its on your forehead,
any of the above,
or anything else you can imagine.

Create a system you trust.
Use the system.

That’s how your to-do list can be stress-free.

Setting up a system takes creativity and experimentation. Some people need a little help.

Put the time in now to create something that makes life easier. Your stress-levels will thank you.
 

Do you ever say, “Once I get or do [this thing], then I’ll take a break,” or something like that?

This is a common theme for me. I had a long list of deadlines for last week, and I saw that I was putting off taking a break until they were done.

When I made it through the list, the realization hit me that I was done. I took a few deep breaths, then I looked for the next thing to do.

Then I stopped myself. I noticed my accomplishments. I remembered my delayed break.

I took a few more deep breaths.

I said, “Now take that break you said you were delaying until you got it all done.” (Like a stern yet loving mother may say.)

And I did.

I relaxed, I read, I wrote, and I spent time sitting quietly. I enjoyed the break and reveled in my accomplishments. I laughed at how quickly they all got done, especially considering my frenzied moments earlier in the week.

I’ve committed to LISTEN and to ALLOW this year. I’m not embodying these words all the time, but on days like this one, I am one step closer. And that’s what matters.
 

This is the third of three posts where I share a method for deciding what to do and not to do when your to-do list is too long.

I saved the best for last. This is my personal favorite!

Trust Your Body

This method is perfect for anyone who wants to feel good when getting through to-do tasks. Every time I teach a client this method, they are pleased when they put it to use in their life. Try it for yourself!

1. Establish your baseline. Give yourself a few minutes to complete this step--it’s absolutely necessary and totally worth the time.

a. Sit comfortably and relax your body. Close your eyes. Pull up the worst memory you have from your life. Imagine you are in that moment--experience it as if you are there.

b. Feel the sensations in your body as you experience that memory. Describe them with words. It could be that your chest feels tight, your stomach is in a knot, and your throat feels closed up. Be as detailed as possible.

c. Give this overall feeling a name and give it a number, on a scale from -10 (as awful as you can image feeling) to +10 (the best you can imagine feeling).

d. Repeat steps a, b, and c using the best memory you have from your life. Imagine it, feel the sensations, describe the sensations with words, give it a name and give it a number from -10 to +10.

e. Now you have your body compass scale from the negative range through the positive range.

2. Rank your to-do list. For every item on your to-do list, rank it using your body compass scale. Imagine yourself doing the task, and feel the sensations in your body. Record the number associated with the task, somewhere from -10 to +10. Listen to what your body is saying, not what your mind thinks the number should be.

3. Do what feels best. Begin working on the task that received the highest rating on your scale. I recommend not doing anything that feels like a negative number--unless you want to feel awful.

4. Play with it. Play around with this idea for a week or two and notice what happens. For me, when I use this method to work through my list, I always feel good, and I seem to accomplish more than when I listen to what my mind wants me to do. Test it out and see what you find to be true for you.

When you feel like there is not enough time in the day, focus on what feels good to you. Your body, your emotions, and your family will thank you!

This is the second of three posts where I share a method for deciding what to do and not to do when your to-do list is too long.

Do What’s Easiest

This method is great when you feel like you’re “not getting anything done” and want to get some momentum going.

1. Consider time. Mark each item with the time necessary to complete it (or your best estimate).

2. Consider effort. Mark each item with Easy, Medium, or Difficult, according to the effort required to accomplish it.

3. Line ‘em up. Number your list from 1 to N, with 1 being the shortest and easiest task and N being the longest and most difficult item.

4. Get to work. Start with number one and move down the list.

When you feel like there is not enough time in the day and you aren’t getting anywhere, focus on the tasks that will give you a sense of completion and forward momentum. Sometimes we need a little kick-start like this to help us more on to more challenging tasks.