Do less...
achieve more
❖ When it comes to mindfulness, I am highly sceptical. It seems to cover so many different descriptions and sometimes comes across as a woolly concept. But I’m encouraged by the no-nonsense style of Rohan Gunatillake. He’s the man behind the hugely successful Buddhify app. His latest book, This Is Happening: Redesigning Mindfulness For Our Very Modern Lives, is relaxing in itself to read. Rather than looking at how to be more productive in work and life, his approach is more about slowing down completely.
His theory is that if you build in breaks and opportunities to sit, breathe and do nothing, you will be more productive once you return to work, or whatever you are doing with your time. I have to admit I hate the idea of this. Stopping what you are doing when you don’t have enough time to do it feels counter-productive. But I force myself to do it at the times he suggests.
If you have five minutes while you’re standing in a queue or waiting for something to come out of the oven, take a moment to relax, close your eyes and let your thoughts pass without focusing on them. This, he says, will cure Monkey Mind, a hyperactive awareness that prompts your train of thought to jump around. I find this curiously restorative.
Another way we can slow down is by becoming more emotionally aware. I start the week by focusing on how I am feeling, and acting accordingly. Am I getting enough sleep? Am I choosing social commitments over rest? Am I spending enough quality time with my family? It is an easy enough thing to do, but surprisingly transformative. After a week of checking in with how I’m really feeling, I have a sense of calm I usually associate with returning from a holiday, and feel more in control of my weekly calendar.
It has been an eye-opening experience, not least because I realise the main thief of my time was staring at me in the mirror all along. I am my own worst enemy, so obsessed with how busy I was that I didn’t want to include the planned moments of rest and relaxation (and yes, mindfulness) that would help me to feel less busy. But those moments are vital in slowing time down to a manageable speed. If you want me, you will find me
busy – taking more breaks.