You don't want to see me burned out.

I get a little wiggy when it comes to packed schedules and excessive togetherness. I mentioned my fear of non-stop kid chaos during school breaks in Thoughts for the Thoughtful and An Introvert Prepares for Summer Parenting.  I spoke of a deep need for meaningful accomplishment in A Room of One’s Own.  More than anything I want to be a loving family member and a self-actualized human being. Some days this seems next to impossible. I would never claim to have all the answers (my own balance is tenuous at best) but I find peace through intention, simplicity and renewal.

  • Intention: We spend most of our days in what social critic Linda Stone calls partial continuous attention. We seek out and tolerate thousands of distractions and interruptions. We must intentionally dial back our focus in order to complete meaningful work. Bestselling author of Be Excellent at Anything and founder of the Energy Project, Tony Schwartz, recommends being intentional with our work. Tony says to devote the first 90 minutes(maximum time humans can focus intensely on one task) of the day to whatever is most important. Most important can be defined as whatever has enduring value (*hint – usually not something that is quick and provides short term gratification i.e. Facebook, twitter and email). This time must be sacred and uninterrupted to be effective.

This summer I have been waking up at 6:30 A.M. and shuffling to the study to write. My husband is off to work already and the kids are still sleeping upstairs or rousing into consciousness in front of the basement television. It is quiet and I do not have to fear interruptions. I am usually able to complete one project I designated as important the night before. Starting the day feeling accomplished is magical. One piece of advice – Go into your 90 minute session with a project in mind. I have bounced around between topics and felt unproductive at the 90 minute mark.

  • Simplicity: Less is more. I finally get it. In writing, the more succinct a piece is the better it reads. One idea, minimal words. Our gnat-like attention spans find simple thoughts pleasurably digestible. I know I am discussing three concepts in this post but I did use bullet points.;) A writing teacher once said she almost gave herself a complex because the more words she removed from her writing the better it got. She was afraid she was going to end up with a blank sheet of paper.;)

I spoke extensively in Meaningful Minimalism of how I sort out my key life elements by reflecting on what is keenly meaningful to me. These days I keep my brain from the drain of an ADD buzz by focusing on Family, Exercise and Writing (F.E.W.;). I keep the schedule refined. Do the kids really need another half-day camp? Is it just a time filler? I would rather spend two hours in the pool showing them different strokes than drive them to a daily 45 minute swim lesson for a week. Chunks of open time on a calendar are so pretty. It is really OK for children to be bored. It encourages creativity and renewal.

  • Renewal: We are not computers with the ability to process infinite amounts of work at breakneck speeds. We are organic like the earth. We have finite sources of will-power and energy. We must renew ourselves by resting. Tests have proven that we are most productive when we move back and forth between periods of work and periods of

    Bestselling author Tony Schwartz and his latest book, The Way We're Working, Isn't Working

    ease. Taking a break does not have to mean we lie down or do nothing. According to Tony Schwartz, active and passive renewal are equally energizing.  Some examples of active renewal are: running, yoga, laughing, playing.  Passive energy can be found in: meditating, napping, reading, etc.

I am all about stillness, that place where I go internal. This is where I recharge. Stillness is in short supply in the summer when the kids are home. I intentionally create space in my week to be alone. Sometimes it is only a few minutes in the shower. Sometimes I can steal away to the library for a whole afternoon. My sense of well-being is high after a break from the commotion. A small miracle happens when I return from the break. Those around me are given an energy boost as well. My energy spills over onto them. We can all be each other’s renewable resources.

The world is not going to slow down but we can make space to live by working intentionally, keeping it simple and renewing our energy.

 Tell me one way you simplify. Where are you intentionally working?  How often throughout the day do you renew?  Is it active or passive renewal?

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