3 Steps to Do Less & Accomplish More, Yoga from the House, The Hedonic Treadmill…
Business
3 Steps to Do Less & Accomplish More
We’ve already established that true wealth is free time. We also talked about how to create more free time by Spending Less and Making More Money.
Today I want to show you how to create more true wealth by doing less. There are 3 steps:
Knowing What – Knowing what you are passionate about, what you are great at and what matters most to you is the first and most important step to creating free time by doing less.
At work, when are you able to work in your passions and your strengths? How can you align your passions and strengths behind the goals and objectives of your organization? Essentially, how can you give your best at work to help the organization achieve its goals while you achieve yours?
This task may seem overwhelming at first. Especially if you are not led by leaders who know how or make the time to ensure their people are in the right seats on the organizational bus. If you are not currently led by one of these enlightened leaders then you have to make it happen. Ask great questions. Know where the company is trying to go. Ask how you can help the company get there. Playing the right role will make you more motivated, engaged and a better player on the team.
At home, where are you most needed? There is not a one time answer to this one. Every time we add a kid to our crew my “most needed” spot changes. In the first few months of Adeline’s (our 5 month old) life, I was most needed in the mornings. Now I am more needed right before dinner and at bedtime.
Know how and when you can contribute at home and get your work done around those times. Get up earlier, work later. If your workplace provides no flexibility to meet your life goals start looking for a new job. Flexible workplaces that allow their people to win at work and at life are the only workplaces that will flourish in the future. Do yourself a favor and start working for one of those workplaces. You’ll have a better life now and more opportunities in the future.
Lastly, know your priorities in life. Life is a constant pull in many directions. There is not always a solution that will please all parties. Know who you will choose when those conflicts arise. Is it your family or your work? Again, in the short term, we all have to make sacrifices at work and at home. This is life. Deal with the short term swings, plan and negotiate to achieve your long term goals.
Know How Much – Know how much your skills are worth in the marketplace – just in case you need to make a change to meet your life goals. Always be networking and engaging with people in your field and in your network. Know how much money you make per hour in your work (we’ll need this number later). Ask how you can contribute more at work to make more.
Know how much your life costs. Are there ways you can buy time by spending less to improve the quality of your life? If you know where your money goes, you can always find “low value” spending that you can stop without hurting your quality of life. Stopping some spending will actually improve your life! Think about the value added to your life by cable TV, alcohol, tobacco or Diet Mountain Dew….
No – Learn to say it more often. You can say it sweetly, you can say it softly. Whatever makes you feel better. Know that accomplishing great things in life requires focus and the world is conspiring to distract you from your most important tasks. This is true in business and life. Focus on the most important and ignore the rest.
You will have to say no to many great things. Great charities, great business opportunities, great learning opportunities and much more. They are all great opportunities, but not the best to accomplish your goals in life.
Follow Nehemiah’s lead. When Nehemiah’s enemies were asking him to meet with them, he replied “I am doing a great work, I can’t come down.” (Nehemiah 6:3) Be doing your great work and don’t let anyone distract you from it.
As a born people pleaser this is incredibly difficult for me. I have had to enlist my wife in the cause. I am not allowed to say yes to anything until we talk about it, pray about it and sleep on it.
You’ll have to do this at work too, so be sure you know your priorities and can let you boss know the cost of taking on new assignments. Saying yes to something means you are saying no to something you were already doing. Make sure your leadership knows what they are asking you to say no to.
Lastly, say no to work around the house that you don’t like doing. If you know how much money you make at work, you can create some pretty good leverage by hiring specialists to do tasks that you do not enjoy. If you don’t have money in your budget to make these moves, revisit your budget and see what you can cut out to buy some free time.
Life requires planning to accomplish great outcomes. Know where you want to go, make your plan and work your plan.
Health
Yoga from the House
As many of you know I was big into triathlon before I got married, started having kids and realized there were better things to do on a Sunday than spend 8 hours on a bike. I still love tri, but I am working to be much more flexible in my workouts.
Speaking of flexible, after the birth of Adeline I needed to be in the house more in the mornings (when I do my workouts) and I needed to be kinda quiet to keep from waking up the house. So, I turned to P90X3 Yoga and Pilates routines to do some form of exercise in the little time I had.
I have now become hooked on yoga. It is great for aging athletes like myself. It combines flexibility, strength and balance. All needed to age well! If you are new to yoga and a little concerned about it eastern religious roots, don’t be. Yoga is a great form of mind/body exercise that is completely compatible with Christianity. I am thinking about God a lot while I’m doing the work. It’s all about where you focus your mind.
So, I found this great YouTube channel by a yogi out of Austin, TX. She has a ton of videos for all levels and many that you can find based on the time you have available – which is great for me. Check it out and get your yoga in no matter where you are!
My two oldest girls went to their first kid yoga class this past weekend and they loved it, so I’m hoping to do some of these videos with them!
Life, Fun, Whatever…
The Hedonic Treadmill & the Lottery
Do you play the lottery? Do you want to know how money can actually make you happier? Watch this fascinating 4 min video to learn about:
- The Hedonic Treadmill – how our minds adapt to great or terrible things.
- What really happens to the lives of those who win the lottery.
- How novelty and giving drive greater happiness than physical items or stuff.
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