I was recently trying to get some work done, and there was one cat banging on the blinds and the other one on the desk draping her legs over my forearm as I tried to type. I was thinking about writing the article about cats as productivity destroyers, but then I realized that cats actually understand deliberate living concepts in a way that most humans don't. So here is the Official Cat Guide To Deliberate Living:
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Did you ever feel so overloaded that you simply want to shut down? Or perhaps you need to be at least two places at the same time? It gets worse at this time of year, too, with all the holiday activities added on top of everything else. It may be time for you to perform an activity audit.
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We all think we know how we spend our time. But if you were to actually track it, you might be very surprised at how different from reality your ideal truly is. The way to get an accurate idea of how you spend your time is with a time audit. And of course an easy time audit is the best because it's, well, easy.
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Mom sayings: there are certain things that all moms seem to say. I don't know where they started, but I know that my mom said them (or variations of them), and they can all be looked at in the light of deliberate living. Here goes:
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A mindset shift and a timer can help us in reclaiming time in small pieces, yet most people will tell themselves that they can’t possibly get anything done of worth and will fritter it away. A large part of managing time is to use the time that we have. Small chunks of time can be used effectively if we shift our mindsets and use tools to help us stay within the bounds.
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I have a lot of pens. And most of them don't work for me. Even though I have a few that work, I keep buying, hoping for better. This is giving me a lens to examine my consumption; and to give you a challenge for Earth Day.
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"Life is too short to fold socks." There are so many wonderful things in life. And there are things that really don't need to be done. Here is a list of things I'm not doing anymore.
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It's no secret that I like to plan. It's isn't just about the end result which is working on the best activities (when I stick to the plan). I also enjoy the planning itself. Most of my life is driven by plans and lists. And it works for me - for the most part. But new years is more about direction for me.
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There comes a time in every examined life where you have to stop and say "What am I trying to do?" Here are some questions to help you answer that.
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If you were to come to me and tell me you weren't as productive as you wished, and your life was complicated, I would tell you five things you probably do that contribute to this state of life.
