Which is Better: 5 Minutes or 5 Days of Solitude?

When was the last time that you took 20 minutes alone?

Too often we think that you have to go off to a monastery and spend a week with monks in robes.  We get this concept from movies. Celebrity goes off to find himself.  Returns a changed man.  Think 7 Years in Tibet.

Kathleen Norris, one of my favorite authors, made hanging out with monks a contact sport.

It's not the amount of time that you take to get away.  It's not about the people with whom you get away.  It doesn't matter if you come back feeling different.

It's enough simply to withdraw.

When we withdraw (another word for 'taking sabbath'), we pull back and actually give God a chance.  A chance to whisper something new.  An opening to get us to think about our day- its ups and downs.

Without withdrawing on a regular basis, our "faith system" doesn't get the full stretch that it deserves.  It's like owning a Porsche but never venturing into the far left lane.

Withdrawing is so right on so many levels.

It's enough simply to withdraw.

How to Rescue Your Vacation Before It's Too Late

Did you know that most Americans don't use up all of their vacation days?  If you don't believe me, read about it here.

I try to take two vacations each summer, one in early summer as a bit of a release from the pressure of the end of the year.  Then, in early August, I like to take another week where I can just be with my family and mentally prep for the year ahead.

Unfortunately, this week (which is my 2nd week) has been a huge disappointment.  I've let my job and its various stresses get the best of me.  My wife even said earlier today, "Seems like you're pretty focused on work this week, even though you're supposed to be on vacation."

Sad but true.

I don't wear this like a badge of honor like some people you meet.  You know, the folks at cocktail hours who spout off about how important they are and how "work would never allow me to get away", etc.

My problem is me.  I've allowed my self to fall into a couple of work-related traps that you can avoid if you really want to enjoy your time off.  If you can learn from my mistakes, all the better.

The pitfall of not cleaning up before your vacation. GTD founder David Allen says this about the feeling you get prior to vacation, "Isn't it interesting that people feel best about themselves right before they go on vacation? They've cleared up all of their to-do piles, closed up transactions, renewed old promises with themselves. My most basic suggestion is that people should do that more than just once a year."

I really didn't clean things up before I left for vacation.  It didn't feel tidy and several days later, I don't feel great.  My inbox was full and I had too many loose ends to tend to.  Big mistake.  It's totally worth the time and energy to address messy details before vacation (rather than during your time on the beach with the ones you love; BlackBerry smartphones weren't made to be used in tropical locations!)

The pitfall of being overly reachable during your vacation. My closest team members know how to reach me when things get hot (i.e. an emergency).  I've unfortunately been dealing with phone calls and crisis emails all week.  Even though I use a vacation auto-responder and my voicemail message tells folks that I'm away, my lack of discipline has made me reachable to too many folks.  While I've been writing this post, two calls have come in which needed some of my attention.  Ugh!

The pitfall of working while on vacation. Does this one really need an explanation?

So with all of this said, a vacation can still be rescued from the three pitfalls we discussed.  I'm going to turn off my phone, go back to a few activities that anchor me (journaling, blogging, fishing) and recommit to my family in the days that I have left.

I feel better already.

 

Why Judgemental People Find it Hard to Rest

I've been participating in an online, four week e-course sponsored by SpiritualityAndPractice.com. The facilitator is Terry Hershey, author of The Power of Pause. Terry left the hectic pace of, ready for this- ministry in order to write, garden and teach others about the importance of Sabbath.

One thing I've learned this week is that to pause, that is to practice Sabbath, requires truly entering into the moment.

Some call this "flow" and others describe it as being "in the zone". Whichever fits for you, taking a meaningful break to be more aware of who you are and what is around you (i.e. Sabbath) is a discipline that applies across religious traditions.

As we enter into the weekend, consider taking a serious pause. More than a break, taking time for Sabbath is about listening, slowing down and above all things, ceasing to judge.

Americans are great at evaluating/judging things.

"I had a good nap."

"Vacation was awesome!"

"I'm just not covering enough ground in my class."

For Sabbath though, leave the judgement behind. Just "be" and allow God to teach you whatever He needs to teach you. The Scriptures are a perfect companion as they can settle into your heart and mind. When you and I can leave judgement out of a spiritual practice like taking Sabbath, our hearts are more open to spiritual insights and life edits.

Why Your Productivity Shouldn't Require You to Think

When I was growing up in Massachusetts I dabbled in Little League and like most kids, I was pretty average.  Afraid of a high fast ball but quick to cheer on his teammates.

When I got into pitching at around Grade 5, the coach would say things that only years later would I understand.

Don't aim the ball.  Don't think.  Just go out there and have a catch.

Ask an 11 year old what that means and they have no clue.  Ask a 37 year old and I think it now makes all the sense in the world.  When you are thinking about what you're doing, drag is being created on the system.

This is why people talk about getting into "the zone" or "in the flow".  Athletes are not the only ones who get this.  Monks do as well as their daily routines of prayer lend to pushing away distractions and zeroing in on one pure thought.

GTD enthusiasts understand dig this too.  In a LifeHacker interview with David Allen, this kind of "less drag on the system" mindset came out, "Lists must be quick to add to, and quick to review, without any more than the necessary thinking involved."

In other words, don't think unless you have to.  Whether it's in the form of pitching a baseball or choosing a productivity app, you really shouldn't have to think about it all that much.

So here is a new wrinkle in the next app you're tempted to buy: only purchase if you can figure it out within 60 seconds.  If the learning curve is too steep, you probably won't use a month later.

A New Criterion for Choosing a Productivity App

The Mac App Store is now in a quiet war with the Android Marketplace and Amazon has entered the fray as well.

It's never been easier to take a productivity app for a test drive.  Many offer a free version for a week or two.  This allows you to see if you like it and to learn how easy it is to use.

I have been testing out The Hit List for Mac and it's quite impressive.  I'm delighting Apple's architects by doing exactly what they wanted users to do- play around.

Most reviews of apps like The Hit List focus on the ability to multitask, expand windows, sync wirelessly or whatever.  A New Englander's approach to getting work done- rugged and simple.

So I'm adding today a new criterion for how you should choose a productivity app.

Is it fun to use?

So many apps are powerful but boring (yes OmniFocus I'm looking at you).  Others are just copies of each other.

Why not make a pledge to enjoy your own productivity with tools that match your attitude? Work is hard enough as it is; we don't need our tech tools to make it any harder.

If the learning curve is more than 5 minutes, ditch the app.  Do this for a while and you'll shave that time limit to 60 seconds.

So far, The Hit List is passing the grade.  Anyone can figure it out in less than two minutes.

Oh and one more thing, it's fun to use.  I think I'll keep it around for a while longer.

Should You Ditch Your Productivity System?

We're all susceptible to the straying eye.  A new piece of software comes out and you just can't help yourself.  Like the latest tablet that is unveiled at Staples, you want to test it out and see how it feels.  The recent creations of the Amazon App Store and Mac App Store make it all too easy to explore new apps and techniques for getting things done.  I'm hoping that I'm not the only one who does this on a regular basis.

Some have called it "productivity porn".

A new planner.  A sleeker smartphone.  A simpler bit of software.  The latest TO DO app.  Just watch- something new will come out tomorrow that will call out to you, "try me out, you know you want me!"  This tug of war will test you at every curve and your will power (just like in the spiritual life) may not be as reliable as you think.

I recently gave in to this as I had been reading by Michael Hyatt (along with everyone else I suppose based on his obscene comment list; sure a little jealousy for sure) about how great Mac Mail is for email.  As a three year Gmail devotee, I waded into the water and tried it out.

Folders all set- check.  Digital signatures- check.  Mailbox rules- check.

And then I tried it out and actually missed my old friend, Gmail.

I missed the fact that I can use it anywhere.  I missed the keyboard shortcuts that I don't even have to think about.  And then it struck me- I had strayed again. Can you relate?  Did you ditch a part of your system in the past six months only to realize that it wasn't all that it was hyped up to be?

So I decided, bravely I think, to go back home to Gmail.  So long Apple Mail.  As sweet as some think you are, my Gmail works just fine thank you.  Heck, I don't even see the ads anymore.

How do you know that you should stay put instead of try out the latest and greatest?  Here are three signs that work for me:

• You haven't thought about another system for months. If it's not broken, don't try to fix it with something new.  Trust me, the level of improvement with a new gadget is minimal at best.


• You are currently very productive. If you're getting a lot done (and the right things), why bother messing with a finely oiled machine?


• You are at peace. This is the spiritual part of the discussion.  If God is using you to get a lot of things done and you actually feel good about it, your current system might be a-ok just as it is.  The negative consequence of new stuff is the added stress of learning how to use it.

Sometimes readers as me about my current system.  The details will be included in a future post but I'll spill the beans on at least some of what's working for me right now: Evernote mixed with Nozbe mixed with Gmail and plenty of pad and paper.  I'm sure this will change and evolve over time.

The next time you're tempted to stray, think twice.  Will it really make you that much more productive or can your current system do the job with an added focus and commitment?

What's working in your current productivity system?