Less is More

“Doing less meaningless work, so that you can focus on things of greater personal importance, is NOT laziness.”
I came across this quote recently. Timothy Ferriss is an American author, entrepreneur, and public speaker, best known for his 2007 book The 4-Hour Workweek. I often have more than one “book” on the go. I have a Kindle and the Kindle App for various devices. I have Audible on various devices. I do have real books too. I also use the internet for reading and research.
I like Audible because it allows me to listen to books when I am driving, walking, exercising (not enough of that it seems),  just laying in the sun or drifting off to sleep. I have read some amazing stuff using this app. I like Kindle too. I like it because it keeps down the amount of clutter around the house. It also makes packing up and moving my library so much easier and lighter – not to mention the ½ dozen books that I need to pack for vacation! I also like Kindle because it saves a few trees here and there. I like to feel that I’m doing my part to keep our planet alive and healthy for future generations. There are a ton of similar devices  and applications out there. It’s just a matter of choosing which one(s) work for you. I also sometimes like real books (Blog: What is it about books?) because I like to hold them, smell them (no not in a kinky way), scribble notes in them, see the illustrations and photos in them, and display them.
Now where was I? Oh yes, less is more. If you’ve ever done the personality inventory called True Colours (or Colors for my American friends) you will know that the colour that is usually the busiest, most organized, workaholic type, is GOLD. I’m a Gold/Blue 50/50 mix. Blue addresses emotions and spirituality. (More about the individual colours here.)
There are a ton of other personality inventories out there. I tend to return to this one because it’s so simple. Another one that I do like is Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath. He now has a follow up book called Strengths Based Leadership, which I must get and read. You take an assessment that will give you your top five Strengths. Mine are Connectedness, Empathy, Intellection, Arranger, and Relator. In short I’m a doer! At least that’s the way I used to see myself. Now I have come to see myself as a creator. I have always found myself frustrated by my busyness. I would end my day exhausted and wonder what I’ve accomplished or truly completed. Now I seek out projects and work that help me create; projects that are purposeful. Yes, sometimes that causes me to be busy, too. But busyness isn’t my focus anymore. Creation sometimes means sitting/thinking and dreaming/planning. Sometimes it means employing others as part of a team with skills and gifts that I don’t have . Sometimes, to someone else, it looks like I’m doing something meaningless. But it is meaningful, to me, because it’s important to what I’m creating.
My Truth: I am learning to quieten both other’s and my own judgements around my way of creating and accomplishing what I desire. I am learning that dreaming/planning/introspection is part of a process that gives me joy and peace –>> creation.
Less is More