Ep 258 Doing Less to Produce More

We are in the final quarter of the year – what is the one result you will accomplish by the end of 2023?  We don’t have to wait until the New Year for setting new goals and today I am talking about a way for you to consider how doing less will help you produce more.

• Doing less to produce more in a busy professional’s life.
• Setting goals and reducing energy-draining activities. 0:51
• Busy vs productive mindset and prioritization. 2:56
• Prioritizing essential tasks for personal growth and satisfaction. 6:49
• Prioritizing life goals and enjoying the journey. 8:36
• Game Changers: Molly Fletcher
• Essentialism: Greg McKeown
• The One Thing: Gary Keller – Jay Papasan
• 6 week coaching program: www.michellebourquecoaching.com/integrate

 

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Episode Transcript: (Transcribed by OtterAI with minimal edits)

You are listening to the It’s Your Time podcast and I’m your host certified life coach Michelle Arnold Bourque, and today’s episode I’m discussing doing less in order to produce more. Welcome to the It’s Your Time Podcast, the podcast where busy professionals like you get the practical solutions and support you need to gain control of your schedule. So you can strive to be the best in your career, but without the stress and overwhelm. If you’re looking to increase your energy and decrease your stress, you are in the right place.

Michelle Bourque 0:36 Hello, hello. Hello. Welcome back to the podcast. Friends. Here we are the first week in October, the last freaking quarter of the year if you follow the calendar year, right? And if you can believe it, Holy Hannah, where did the time go? This week, I actually have a few questions that I want you to consider. And I want to look through the lens of being able to do less in order to produce more. Now the first question is, what is the one goal that you will accomplish by the end of this year? Since we are here in our final quarter? I want you to think about on December 31? What is the one thing that you want to be able to say that you accomplished so one goal by the end of December? And now the next question is what are two to three things that you are going to stop doing in order to get that result might not have been what you thought I was going to ask right? Of course, most folks want to add things to their to do list. I am suggesting that you take away a couple of activities. And you can consider maybe based on the idea of last week’s podcast, maybe look at things that seem to drain your energy, or what are the things that you just seem to do because it’s a habit? Or what are the things that you’re doing just because you always have, here’s the thing, I love to work, I love a good hustle. But the change I’ve made over the past couple years is that the hustle used to come from this energy of wanting to prove some sort of worthiness. This is different. This is me stepping into just owning, hey, listen, I’m a generator by human design, I love to use my energy on things that light me up. And that’s okay. And let me just give you a little side note, if you aren’t familiar with human design, you can go check out Jovian archive.com, it’s free. And you find out what your human design is. And then you can just go ahead and Google search more about the info that you find. And this is what I want for you, I want you to be able to work in a way that works best for you. Okay, so back to the questions. What are the two or three things that you’re going to do less of this is key. So many people think that busy is a badge of honor. And listen, at times, full transparency, I still fall into this programming, especially in this industry. But busy is not the same as productive. And I was just communicating with a colleague a couple days ago about being out of the field for a few days. And she seemed to think that it just was not possible because there was too much going on. And she needed to be here in her territory. And the couple days, by the way that we’re going to be out, it’s for professional development, which we could also choose to think will help the team and the company at an even larger level down the road. When we get into this, like I can’t possibly leave my territory mindset. It keeps you stuck where you are. And so I mentioned to her, Listen, I know if I die tomorrow, the company is going to be just fine. And I’m quite confident that they will figure out how to keep the territory going. I mean, right? Listen, companies, lay off people and do reorganizations all the time, they will figure it out. We tell ourselves a story that adds extra pressure and extra stress when in fact, there are other options to consider. Just get curious. It is not needed. The extra layer of stress is not needed. What is needed is for you to be intentional. And I want to talk about Greg McEwan, he talks about the idea of the discipline pursuit of less in his book essentialism. It’s another great book to consider on this topic as before I get into the essentialism is the one thing that’s also a really great book. But for today’s episode, I do want to share some of the ideas around McEwen discussion, specifically looking at the model of non essentialist versus the essentialist. First, he says essentialist means living by design, not by default. essentialism is a disciplined, systematic approach for determining where our high test point of contribution lies, then making execution of those things almost effortless. Okay, now that we have that clear, the model that he uses is broken out into what the non essentialist thinks, does and gets, versus what the essentialist thinks, does and gets. And I want to add a twist here to consider. Ask yourself as we’re going through this, how do you think one feels versus the other? Remember, the feeling part is important, because our feelings are what lead us to either do or not do anything. It’s the thing that ultimately gets us our results in life. Okay, so let’s start with the difference in how the essentialist things versus the non essentialist. The non essentialist thinks all things to all people. I have to, it’s all important. How can I fit it all in? Sound familiar? I would say yes, Ben there right. Now, the essentialist thinks less, but better. I choose to only a few things really matter? What are the trade offs? And notice even the questions each one asks, I always talk about asking better questions. So when we look at how can I fit it all in? Versus what are the trade offs? The difference? And each question can really make a difference in your life. Okay, let’s move on to what McEwen says the difference is in what each does the non essentialist has the undisciplined pursuit of more reacts to what’s more pressing, says yes to people without really thinking and tries to force execution at the last minute. Do you know some folks who operate like this? Oh my god, it drives me crazy when people run their businesses as if everything is always a fire drill. I have been part of that, and it is not fun. The essentialist he says, has the discipline pursuit of less pauses to discern what really matters, says no to everything except the essential and removes obstacles to make execution easy. Now, speaking of easy, I am not here saying I think that the list of what the essentialist does is easy. In fact, I think sometimes it is more challenging to say no, to do less. I get it. But you know, I talk about discomfort being the currency that we often pay for new results in our lives, and being comfortable with being uncomfortable because we’re trying new things. Because we’re saying no, because we’re setting boundaries, because we’re doing less, that’s when you start to see big changes in your life. And it’s not because we’re doing less and wanting to sit around and eat bonbons, it’s because we’re doing less because we are being more strategic about what it is that we’re doing. So you just have to decide. And also question, if you like the reasons that you’re either going to start living more like the essentialist or not. And maybe his last list will help you with that decision, because he talks about what each one receives the non essentialist gets a life that does not satisfy. And I might insert that maybe for you it might be feeling stuck. He also says the non essentialist takes on too much. And work suffers, feels out of control, and is unsure of whether the right things are actually getting done. And by the way, feels overwhelmed and exhausted in the process. And on the other hand, the essentialist list of gets includes a life that really matters. I mean, isn’t that what we kind of all want at the end of the day. He goes on to say that they choose carefully in order to get great work done, feels in control, gets the right things done, and experiences joy in the journey. And I need that reminder of experiencing joy in the journey. Also, I was listening to the podcast game changers with Molly Fletcher. I just love it, by the way, totally recommend it. And Mike McDaniel was being interviewed about his leadership style and he was talking about his favorite emoji to use is the present as a reminder, that is all we really have. The past of course, took place, but it’s not here. And we worry and think about the future. But same, it’s not within our immediate control. So what are the essentials that you want to do, too? Dang. It’s so funny. I think about especially around enjoying the journey reminds me it was story years ago I was with one of my nieces we were in the dollar store with her. And yes, by the way, I’m a big spender, take her to the dollar store. It’s huge toppings.

Michelle Bourque 10:00 Get whatever you want. But I had so much packed into the day, I think she was like five or six. And we were going to have fun, whether she wanted to or not, I had a list of activities, and I was trying to get through the store so that we could get to the next activity. And she was taking her own sweet time. And she looked at me and said, I want to enjoy the journey. And I was like, Oh, my God, yes, we should be enjoying the journey through the dollar store. And I have learned so much since then. And I’ve changed so much since then. And that’s why I share it with you because I know that I feel better and I get more done these days. That is why I show up here please, to offer you the opportunity to get it faster, right. And if we think about the wisdom of kids, oh my gosh, I can go a long way. I think we just get in the rat race of adult life, and sometimes forget to be intentional with the true life that we want to create and live. So let’s work on that this week. Think about the goal that you want to accomplish by the end of the year. Think about what you can take off your to do list in order to get those results and begin enjoying more of your life as you go. That’s what I have for you today. Friends if you need help figuring this out. I would suggest checking out the six week coaching program that I have one of the week’s talks about your future self and how you can start living that now. And another week is around setting priorities. And you also receive the it’s your time planner, just head to MichelleBourquecoaching.com/integrate to learn more.

Okay, let’s circle back next week but for now, make it a great day take care Michelle Bourque 11:49 Did you know you can take this work to a deeper level with me one on one, go to Michelle Bouruqecoaching.com and click on get started to begin