This Weekends Not-To-Do List:
1. Do not answer unrecognized phone calls
2. Do not e-mail first thing in the morning or last thing at night
3. Do not agree to meetings or calls with no clear agenda or end time
4. Do not let people ramble—forget “how’s it going?” and embrace “what’s up?”
5. Do not check e-mail constantly—“batch” and check at set times only
6. Do not over-communicate with low-profit, high-maintenance customers
7. Do not work more to fix overwhelm—prioritize
8. Do not carry a cellphone or Crackberry 24/7, seven days a week—make evenings and/or Saturdays digital leash-free.
9. Do not expect work to fill a void that non-work relationships and activities should
I don’t know if you’re like me… but I seemed to go through life in one direction (albeit a twisty, turny direction), at full speed none-the-less, for, like, ever and then LIFE unexpectedly throws up a roadblock that says “Slow the *Crack* Down!”
My yield sign is called Calvin.
The minute I’m hankerin’ to get back on the Life Autobahn, the message arrives via batting baby-blues-under-black-lash Morris code–challenging, “Really? You want to go back to that? Were you really so much better, so much happier at hyperspeed? Aren’t I just too cute? Wanna sit down on the floor and play with me?” And, I check my rearview mirror and slowly back off the on-ramp and recommit to our horse-and-buggy pace of life.
Funny thing about slowing down. You see how absurd it is to live at hyperspeed. I can multi-task with the best of them but I never did it so well that everything I touched got 100 percent. I feel hypocritical when I find myself so disconnected from, and often annoyed by those who still live like this. I wish I had the power to influence them the way Calvin affects me. “Don’t I deserve your full attention?”
Anyway, today I found the list above taken from a book titled, “The 4-Hour Work Week” by Tim Ferriss. He suggests that it’s hip to focus on getting things done, but it’s only possible once we remove the constant static and distraction. If you have trouble deciding what to do, just focus on not doing to re-focus. Different means, same end. Embrace the anti-Nike: Just don’t do it.
It’s alot harder to do than it looks! Still, I’m willing to give it a try because I think the people in my life are probably worth it.
