This week had some unexpected work cancellations and all-day lists that were reduced to half days. You know what? It was GREAT!
I managed to get to the home stretch of finalising the US visa, meet with my accountant and banker and get some other paperwork finished while having the time to explore a new area, spend time in the library AND witness the brightest aurora I’ve ever seen!
I’d call that a win for the week!
One thing I realised is that if I my work is about 20% less, I’m SO much more productive/happier than going at full speed. It turns out that while I’ll get more clinical work done, I tend to do that at the expense of less urgent tasks that tend to build up until they’re a crisis.
I remember reading something similar from Derek Sivers about how he used to cycle at 100% intensity but then decided one day to enjoy the process and was only a minute slower but so much happier. Maybe it’s time I adopted a similar approach…
One thing I’ve started doing from the last 2 weeks after reading 4000 weeks again: making a completed task list. We’re very used to to-do lists but I find that even as I get through the work, the amount outstanding is so large that it’s demotivating. Now, whenever I get stuck or procrastinate, I write down the things I HAVE done even if they’re tiny.
Let’s look at today given that I came home at 4am from shooting the aurora and woke up at 11:
- Made bed
- Cleaned kitchen
- Cleaned camera equipment
- Answered Instagram DMs
- Wrote article
- Edited photos
- Wrote the Sunday Surprise
I still have some tasks that I want to get done by tomorrow but it’s already feeling more achievable given what I HAVE done today. It’s a new little change I’m trying and so far I’m quite a fan.