Can I do little but get more done differently?

I am in the enquiry space. Around organising what I do.

I take note of some ideas that pop up. Not all.

I organise ideas in lists, and by theme. Some get done. Some get lost over time. And clog up my electronic storage.

I am not quite happy about that.

I don’t want to do everything. Far from it. I have long stopped wanting to be Elza Do It All.

But I am not sure I am taking care of all the really important things. And I am not sure I always know what the really important things are. Sometimes I have a feeling I have lost perspective, and when the feeling is there, I probably have.

I have some system going in an attempt to stay on top of my ‘to do” list. I spend time every night deciding what are my top 3 intentions for the next day. I pause at the start of every day to decide the 3 most important things I have to achieve at work. This “keeping it to 3” really works for me.

But the big projects. The big ideas. They get deferred. Possibly indefinitely.

So I am in the enquiry.

About possibly going a bit left. Or a bit right. Being open to a little bit of course correction. There are always options.

I have seen a friend rave about a “Getting Things Done” (GTD) system. I quickly checked it out yesterday. It speaks to me. I’ll be giving it a try while being mindful of my intention to not go too far the way of “doing”. I kind of want to have a lean working system which I can wear like a loose garment, not be feeling constrained by it as a corset.

So may be there will be more to share about that.

How do YOU do it?

Much Love,

Eliza Do Little (and can it be dine differently?)

Nothing is ever a “should”

I think “should” is overrated. Overused.

It’s also Over for me.

At least I hope it is.

 

Don’t ever tell me what I “should”. Because the truth is you have absolutely no idea. At best, you might know what you “should”. But even that is questionable.

That list of things that you think I should be doing, and people I should be like or with, or places I should go see or else, and thoughts I should be thinking, and heights I should be achieving… They don’t exist. I am absolutely clear about that and if you beg to differ, you are wasting your time preaching to me. I don’t think you know the same way I don’t think I know. Consider that it is possibly grandiose to think otherwise.

 

That list of things that you think you should be doing, and people you should be like or with, or places you should go see or else, and thoughts you should be thinking, and heights you should be achieving… Equally, what if you stop and consider that you don’t?

Is it possible that you will feel relief if you reject the “shoulds”? Especially if somebody else passed onto you those “shoulds”.

If that’s vaguely the case – the choice is yours to do just that. You can stop complying with the shoulds. It’s not something you should do. It’s something you might like to consider.

 

Good luck getting back to basics without any “shoulds”. Your own untried, untested, slightly messy but somehow liberating way. That road probably leads to a more satisfying life. A lighter one, for sure.

Nobody ever dreamed of a heavy life.

 

Much love,

Eliza Do Little (especially when it comes to the “shoulds”)

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When I have no clue ​

 

Sometimes I have no idea how to proceed.

I have no idea what the expectations are. If I can or should be doing anything. If a line has been crossed. I basically don’t know what next.

It’s an uncomfortable place to be. Smudged in vagueness and mental fog and heightened anxiety.

It happens often. I often don’t know how to proceed.

In those moments perhaps more than ever it’s good to do little. Just the next tiny step in an unknown direction perhaps. Sort of a tentative beginning. Nothing more until the course becomes clearer.

That’s probably enough. Even that is “moving forward“. I’ve got no choice but to trust that’t the case.

“Life is a marathon, not a sprint” someone told me yesterday : ) “Without a map” is what I’ll add to that.

Doing little still moves you forward on your path. Which is a big deal when you don’t know where you are going with this.

 

Much Love,

Eliza Do Little (and when you don’t know for sure, doing a little has got to be enough; more will be revealed)

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Savouring the moment

There are days after something big happens when you are out of action.

 

Because you spent yourself and need recharging.

Because you are regrouping before you decide what next.

Or because you just simply want to savour the moment.

 

It is the last that sounds extravagant and hence sometimes invites guilt.

It shouldn’t be.

 

When a peak event in life comes to pass (like a birth or an anniversary or achieving a milestone) there is nothing wrong with stopping all else to relive it in memory, while it is still fresh. While the adrenaline is still lingering in your system and the images are sharp and the taste of happiness strong and all consuming. To do anything else but stop, do nothing and sit with the memories is probably called “rushing through life”. It just does not seem right to do so.

So don’t. Stop. Savour it. It is entirely ok and allowed and acceptable and right to look at the photos and the videos over and over and over again, all day, and do nothing else.

There is always time for the something else. It’s called “tomorrow”.

 

Much Love,

Eliza Do Little (especially when there are so many amazing memories to savour)