Peake Productivity

A lot of my readers seem to be enjoying Beauty Secrets from Audrey Hepburn. Here's another piece of beauty education that I think every thirteen year-old girl should watch.

I have a dream that we will one day live in a world where we will not be judged.

Loving Each Day
"You will be happy when you learn to center yourself in your own divine love, love that flows out to all God's creatures.

So stand up in the beingness of your own love, and let that love be your connection to all things. When you can enter your loving, your spiritual center, it doesn't much matter what the world presents to you. You have the inner resources to create your own happiness and fulfillment."

- John-Roger (From: Living Love from the Spiritual Heart, p. 25-26)
Watch today's Moment of Peace.

What if you already have all the inner resources necessary to effectively resolve the challenges in your life? Suspend your "yeah but"s for a moment. Imagine what your life would be like if you chose to create and promote all of the experiences you want, starting now? Begin it today with one small step.

Ever heard the old adage "to kill two birds with one stone"? It's a common belief that the more we do and the faster we do it, the better. In work settings people often turn to multitasking in hopes that it will give them more time to do the things that are important to them. But despite good intentions, psychological studies reveal that attempting to switch between complex tasks actually slows us down. Clarifying next action steps accelerates the process by increasing focus. Multitasking can be a great distraction when you have resistance or unidentified fears about a goal. So much killing birds.

A different perspective is that we should manage our activities according to the limited time we have. There are only 24 hours in a day... what do you want to do with them? If this is true, then the only way to have more time for the things you love is to give up the things you don't. Enter the concept of identifying your Great Work versus Good Work. This simple can assist in aligning with your natural priorities, but it still puts "doing" in the center of the picture.

Despite countless attempts to attain relaxed focus, most people are walking around with a sense that they should be doing more. Ironically, holding onto "shoulds" and attempting to multitask are productivity killers. "Shoulds" don't work because our basic selves rebel against coercion. And trying to do more than one thing keeps us from being fully present and halts creativity. The best thing we can do is forgive our shoulds and come present. A wise and trusted friend offered me the following suggestion, especially for ambitious people: "Do less. Be more."

Some great reflections on doing and being from Blog of a Yogini:

And so the rub. I am a "doer". Organizing and coming together and seeing projects through is a skill of mine. And I enjoy the praise connected to getting things done. But when you are trying to "get stuff done," its easy to miss out on what is really happening.

A teacher of mine, Amit Goswami, refers to the "do-be-do-be-do-be" rhythm. As human beings, we are constantly in the tension between being and doing. And within that tension, our life happens.

This touches on another culturally accepted belief that doing is the best way to get what we want. (Wish we could ask the authors of Manifest Destiny if it worked out for them.) But what is it that we really want from the world? Success, money, recognition, happiness, peace... the list goes on. Ultimately all of these things can be reduced down to one thing: love.

A reminder that love is not something to seek out in the world. It exists inside of you right now. In this moment, whatever you think you should be doing, take a moment to be aware of what is present every day, all the time, in each moment. Pausing in this way can help us remember the simple truths in life. But doing more or less, slower or faster, is neither right nor wrong. It comes back to "Do less, Be more," which might be amended to say, "Be more, whatever you do."



Stay tuned for more on doing, resting, and la siesta.

Every now and then I find it’s important to check my lists and systems for areas where I am stuck, sticky, or unclear. I was going through this process with a client today when I mentioned “that part of you that likes to hang out in unclarity.” She stopped me, struck by the concept, and we discussed how tempting it can be to avoid clarity. Why is it that even when we have excellent productivity systems and know the process of getting on track, we sometimes choose, almost consciously, to hang out in the muck?

Hanging out in unclarity is another way of describing the limiting games we play. When Insight Seminars first introduced me to the idea of limiting games, the simple awareness that some of my behaviors were games was liberating because it meant I had a choice. The more I examine myself and my life, the more I become aware of and free of the games. The games become increasingly subtle, and I become increasingly good at detecting them.

What are the games we tend to play? In the productivity profession, the most insidious game I see is overwhelm. “I’m too busy.” “I’m too stressed.” “It’s too much.” “I won’t be able to…” I don’t let my clients get away with buying into the busy game, the feeling of overwhelm, or not having enough time to live a fulfilling life. Those are all just stories we tell ourselves, and challenging them is the key to opening up to greater abundance, relaxation, and joy.

How do we get out of unclarity, get unstuck, and start moving? I like to work the problem from three angles.

1. We gather the best possible tools to stay productive and focused in our work and lives. We clarify all our commitments and objectives in a trusted system so we can see things for what they are, no more and no less.

2. Then we gather as many uplifting and supportive tools and friends as we can muster. Self-forgiveness. Free-form writing. Uplifting music. Positive self-talk. Self-nurturing. To name a very few. If you have other ideas about how to pull yourself up by the bootstraps, email me.

3. We keep reminding ourselves of the automatic benefits that come with being clear and courageous. Remind yourself, as often as needed, that you have a choice. Set yourself up for success.

I spend the better part of my life helping people take themselves from unclear to clear. But why do we do it to ourselves in the first place? The simple answer: because we’re human. We limit ourselves with behaviors and games that may have served us in some way in the past, but don’t anymore. We evolve much too quickly for old habits to keep up with us.