Healthy Chicks

I love doing things.

As an ENFP, self-starter, creative, workaholic type, I have a reputation for wanting to get sh*t done. I like to do things. I like to cross things off. I want to “be productive” and successful and all the great things in life. After all, we live in a society that celebrates this sort of behavior.

However, recently I’ve had a sort of epiphany; I’m beginning to realize that maybe this go-go-go mentality isn’t the best for productivity, and that “doing all the things” may not be moving me forward after all. In fact, perhaps it’s quite the opposite.

I recently saw a quote on instagram, which immediately become the background of my phone:

“Do less with more focus.”

Let that soak in for a moment.

Powerful stuff, huh? What if the notion that we need to do more, be more, get more done is actually working against us? What if less really is more? That you can actually do less things with more focus (that’s the key word!) and still be winning?

Those five words were an huge wakeup call. I realized in my efforts to be the best me and get it all done, I was actually losing the number one thing that keeps me going — my focus. All the assignments, last-minute deadlines, late-nights checking off the to-do lists, and “yes, sure I can’s!” were actually moving me backward, and in turn eating away at my focus. You see, the more I took on, the less focus and productive I became.

So what does “Do less with more focus” really mean, anyway?

First of all, it sure doesn’t make you lazy. It makes you smart. It means saying the no to the things that aren’t serving you, strategically prioritizing your time (that includes time for you!), being realistic about what can get done, and thinking about the bigger picture. It’s not checking 50 things off your to-do list, over-scheduling yourself (guilty as charged!) and hustling for the sake of hustling. It’s being bull’s eye focused vs. burning out. Because really, who wants to burn out?

As spring approaches (and one of the busiest years of my life I’ve had yet!) I’m going to work on taking less in, while letting my focus drive me forward. After all, I can’t get sh*t done, if I don’t have the time + focus to let my creative juices flow. That’s my secret sauce, baby! I encourage you all to think about where in your life you lose focus by trying to do all the things. What does “do less with more focus” look like to you?

xoxo,

Rachel