How to work less and live more!
Purdown on a Sunday Morning
Using Reflective Writing to Reclaim Your Time
It’s been a busy month. Managing a constant stream of deadlines has felt a like a game of whack-a-mole; as soon as I tick one off the list, another pops up.
Lessons from Four Thousand Weeks
To help me through, I’ve been following Oliver Burkeman’s advice from ‘Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals’:
Time is finite.
Prioritize what matters.
Don’t put off things that are important.
Keep a ‘Stop Doing List’
Keep a ‘Done List’
Practice living mindfully
Burkeman’s book is an important wake-up call for any of us in the habit of putting off what we really want until we’ve finished everything on our endless to do list.
It’s helped me become more conscious and intentional about making time for what’s important; focusing on one thing at a time; celebrating my ‘Done List’; and using my writing to help me pause, take notice and live in the moment.
The Struggle to Let Go of the ‘To Do List’
However, letting go of the endless ‘To Do List’ is not always easy, as I discovered last Sunday.
Arriving for a dog walk on Purdown, an almost-wild common on the edge of Bristol, my mind was preoccupied with all the chores I’d lined up for the day. Despite the beautiful morning, all I could think was, 'let’s get this walk done so I can get back to my list.'
But as my five-year-old lab bounded off to root in the grass, I paused to look up. Golden leaves speckled with black rust shimmied in the breeze, catching and refracting the light.
The words of my yoga teacher came to mind: “Take your time. Give each movement the time that it needs. Don’t rush. You have time”
Writing as a Tool to Pause and Reflect
I felt myself slow down. The sun was shining, and everyone was smiling. As I came to the goat enclosure, a man had clambered onto one of the World War II anti-aircraft batteries to sit with his small daughter. Together they watched the family of goats, and the goats watched them.
I kept trying not to think of the next thing on my list; but it wasn’t easy. So, I took out my notebook and started to write as a way of staying present.
I noticed the constant exhale of the distant motorway.
I noticed that the trees were already bare, and the blackberries fossilised remains.
I noticed the bright red trainers of the woman who ran past.
Passing a man with a camera, I realised we were both doing the same thing - paying attention as a way to stay present - he with his camera and me with my pen.
As I headed back to the car, I felt thankful for this beautiful morning and realised that I’d let go of my ‘To Do List’ for a couple of hours.
What Will You Do with Your Four Thousand Weeks?
So, remember, time is finite. We each have only about four thousand weeks.
What are you putting off until you have time?
How will you find ways to step away from your ‘To Do List’?
How can you celebrate your ‘Done List’ to see how far you’ve come?
What would you put on a ‘Stop Doing List’?
And how does creativity help you pay attention and be more present?
Discover Creative Reflective Writing
If you're looking for a way to step away from the endless cycle of tasks and reconnect with the present moment, yourself, and the world around you, creative reflective writing can help. Join me for The Reflective Journal and discover how this powerful practice can become your antidote to the never-ending ‘To Do List.’
