Permission to eliminate and the myth of multi-tasking

If you’ve been following along, you know I’ve been sharing my insights from Rory Vaden’s book Procrastinate on Purpose. 

Vaden talks about 5 permissions to procrastinate, the first being the permission to eliminate, or ignore.  He asks us to consider all the things that we are doing, but shouldn’t be doing.

Sounds simple, right?

He shares a long list of likely candidates – revisiting decisions we have already made, attending unnecessary meetings, alternating between activities, watching TV (did you know that, according to A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day, which in a 65 year life span means 9 years!?), gossiping, volunteering too much, and the list goes on and on.

One of the ones that really jumped out at me, and I wager I’m not alone here, is switching between activities, also known as multi-tasking.  I must admit, I’ve been proud of my ability to multi-task. Many of us have - it’s become a cultural badge of honor.

The fact is, according to neurological research, multi-tasking is actually a myth. We are not mentally capable of doing two things at once, we are actually just switching back and forth between tasks very quickly.

Multi-tasking, despite its elevated stature in our hyper-paced society, is stressful and anxiety provoking, harms our creativity and concentration and actually costs us time, energy and efficiency.

I think it’s actually an addiction.  I mean, let’s be honest, how long can we go before checking our email or our smart phone?

So, what’s the answer?

Here are two suggestions that I am implementing:

1. Be the boss of your technology.  I, for one, must admit to being a slave to my cell phone ringer… What if I miss something important?  So here is a radical notion; turn the ringer off for periods of time so you can actually concentrate on what you are doing.
2. Focus on one task at a time; keep doing it until you have completed it before starting another. If you were to peek at my computer screen, you would probably be horrified to see how many screens I have open at once. No more!

I’m already feeling withdrawal pangs…

How about you,  what can you eliminate today so you have time for what really matters?

Why our Why matters

“If you’re not living for something, you’re dying of something.”

Dr. Chris Michaels on Healing Your Life 

Holy cajole, you just never know what you are going to hear as you are merrily driving along on a Thursday afternoon to the grocery store.

I like to call my beloved green VW bug my university on wheels. In my role as a freelance interpreter, I’m often on the road to appointments, and I like to take advantage of my time behind the wheel to listen to podcasts -  it’s such a perfect opportunity to learn new things, get inspired, get challenged with ideas I wouldn’t normally encounter, stretch my horizons.

This phrase leapt out at me with the force of a cannonball.  Dr. Chris went on to say “Consciousness does not allow coasting. There is only growth or death. If you’re not growing, you’re dying.”

You know, that is just so true in my experience. We all need something to live for, something that gets us out of bed in the morning with a spring in our step. If we are not living for something, perhaps our bodies start to get the message that there is no purpose in carrying on, so things start shutting down, winding down, especially as we move past those first 5 or 6 decades of doing and accomplishing, and start wondering what is next for us.

And that something to live for?  Well, it’s different for all of us of course, but I believe it is about serving a higher good, being in service to something bigger than our individual egos. It’s about fulfilling our life purpose and our passion. Our why. Our soul journey.

What are you living for, dear reader?

P.S. Not sure what your why is? Here is what I did to help me to get in touch with mine.   

“I'm up to 25 steps and counting…” A journey of hope and inspiration

I received an email from one of my readers recently, and I was so blown and away and inspired by her story that I asked her permission to share it with you.

“Right now,” she writes, “I'm experiencing your voice as a lovely synchronicity with how my life is transforming in completely unpredictable and unexpected ways. For the past 15 years I've been struggling with a strength sapping, life-sapping condition… it had reached the point where what was happening to my body had simply become unacceptable. I hit the wall! You know ‘I'm mad as hell and I refuse to live with this one minute longer!’ and I meant it with every ounce of passion in me.

I started imagining what it would be like to reclaim my life, to walk again, to be able to travel to be there for the big events in my grandchildren's lives, etc. The next day I stood up and took 9 steps without even thinking about it, totally surprising myself as you can imagine. I think that was about the time of your blog about the 2am fears of our mortality and how you came away from them determined to live every day with all your energy and enthusiasm. Boy did that resonate!

No more frail little old lady for me. I'm up to 25 steps and counting with a whole plan of action worked out… for reclaiming my body completely. Your words have been a counterpoint to my life. You never know who you are speaking to and how your voice is helping to transform our lives.”

Isn’t that a powerful story? I tell you, it gave me goose bumps. It humbled me. You know, I almost didn’t write that blog post she is referring to. Who wants to hear about someone’s 2am freak out?

But… this blog has always been about being willing to be a channel for whatever wants to express through me, so I surrendered, and wrote it.

So if you have something inside you dear reader, don’t hold it in. Express it. Share it. You never know who is waiting to hear your words.

In awe,

Julie

A dream come true….35 years later!

Beautiful Guatemala

Have you ever had a dream that somehow got buried over the years…. A vision that got lost in the day-to-day realities of life?

That happened to me.  Thirty-five years ago, give or take, I left Guatemala, my home for almost 15 years, with my husband, 2 young sons, a daughter on the way, and 7 boxes containing all our worldly possessions.

We were fleeing the political violence that had overtaken this beloved country, the genocide of the indigenous population that we were working with as health educators, feeling the need to move to a more stable and safe environment to raise our family. It was a painful decision, and I left with the dream of one day returning to work with the traditional birth attendants I had grown to love and admire so much.

My plan was to study midwifery so I could return and help teach them how to deal with the obstetrical complications that took so many lives. I did study midwifery, establishing my own home birth practice in rural western Massachusetts for 7 years. I also studied and received my Masters degree in health education.

But the dream of going back to Guatemala to live and work faded over the years, as new opportunities and realities emerged and my family settled into a new life in the US.  

Well, the Universe works in mysterious ways. A couple of weeks ago, almost thirty-five years later, I received an invitation from a dear colleague and friend to join a team of medical volunteers who are going to Chiapas this May, one of the poorest and most vulnerable regions in Mexico, to provide simultaneous interpreting for skills-training for local medical providers, including traditional birth attendants.

How perfect is that?  Needless to say, I am so excited to have this opportunity. It’s not exactly what I imagined all those years ago as we left Guatemala behind, but it’s an amazing chance to be back in that part of the world, putting my interpreting skills and my midwifery knowledge to service.

Will you help me get there?  https://www.crowdrise.com/MMMchiapas/fundraiser/julieburns2