An Unhurried sense of time. I need that this week and so I decided to reread and update this post. Writing does slow down my sense of hurry.
Unhurried and time: words that don’t go together smoothly, do they?
“An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth.” ― Bonnie Friedman
I’m famous for doing “one last thing.” I’m known for thinking I can squeeze more into my day than you’d think was possible.
But over the past two years, I’ve focused on being more realistic with myself and with my time specifically. We’ll put it all under the category of self-care. What IS the rush? Is there an answer to the question for you?For me, I rush because I don’t really want to accept that I can’t do all that I want to; but that’s part of this, making strong choices about how you use your time.
Suggestions – Some will work for you; others may not resonate. See what strikes you or tweak one that’s here.
Do one LESS thing. This became a new mantra for me. When I heard myself saying “just this one last thing” before I’d leave for a meeting, or “one last thing” before I stop for a meal or a break … I’d change one word. One LESS thing.
Create time anchors in your day so the whole day doesn’t slip by unnoticed. The point is to stop and pause during your day so you become AWARE of time passing.
My time anchors include: take a break every 2 hours or after each big task. Let out the dogs. Go see my partner working. Get the mail.Ways to stop and pause (without getting distracted!)
Answer the question: What IS the rush? And what happens if I don’t get this long list done today? Can I do some of these at another time this week? Most likely, I can. I put more pressure on myself than others do on me. So, get real about deadlines. Set them where you don’t have them, too.
Find a method that works for you to set priorities on your to do list. A precursor to be able to do this is having a master, “everything goes here” list, binder, journal, software — something so you CAN then review the list and pull out today’s priorities. That’s right; two lists. One is the laundry list. The other is JUST what’s on for today. Stops the overwhelm of a long list.
The David Allen weekly review was key for me. Thursday/Friday, I look ahead for the week and check on the week’s flow, number of client meetings and calls, travel time, class time, evening commitments – and how much time for me and my personal life.
An unhurried sense of time… perhaps a new favorite phrase. Or feeling.
Tags: appreciate, home office, simplify, time management
I wish I had had your insight when I was so busy working and raising my large family. However, even now that I am older and retired, I have discovered something very helpful: my self esteem rose and fell according to how much or how little “I got done”. So if I had a hard day because of an unexpected event as, for example, an illness ( mine or someone in the family) I’d add to the stress by either rushing through tasks my perfectionistic attitude demanded ( of myself or others) or feel ” less than” when I couldn’t do as much. Today I am aware that I am ” good enough, do enough, am enough.” What I DO comes FROM the good, worthy person I am, and leaves me free to be grateful for having time ( being alive) to choose what I CAN do and give. I catch myself
I wish I had had your insight when I was so busy working and raising my large family. However, even now that I am older and retired, I have discovered something very helpful: my self esteem rose and fell according to how much or how little “I got done”. So if I had a hard day because of an unexpected event as, for example, an illness ( mine or someone in the family) I’d add to the stress by either rushing through tasks my perfectionistic attitude demanded ( of myself or others) or feel ” less than” when I couldn’t do as much. Today I am aware that I am ” good enough, do enough, am enough.” What I DO comes FROM the good, worthy person I am, and leaves me free to be grateful for having time ( being alive) to choose what I CAN do and give. I do catch myself sometimes judging my value by my to do lists, but not as often. I dare to believe I do the things I do because I have a good heart, from healthy motives, and less out of fear from what others might think (which I can only assume), to people please (co dependency) or to prove anything to myself or anyone else. All I read in your blogs supports and affirms the self care, self acceptance and progress we as women, especially, so need to move towards our equality as co-creators of a saner, more peaceful world!
Mary, talk about insight and wisdom. Thank YOU for what you wrote.I hope many will read and REread your comment. There are so many things we “do” each day, for ourselves and for others, which never even make it on our ‘do’ list. Because it is who we are, we do these things naturally. We’d do well to become more aware in this sense. And I love your phrase: good enough, do enough, AM enough. Yes, absolutely.