Three Ways to Live Both Peacefully & Productively
Montanita, Ecuador
It’s no secret that we live in a fast paced society. At times it can feel like there’s just never enough time to do all that one needs to get done.
We wake up each morning with same routines and way of moving throughout our days.
We have a lot on our proverbial plates. We’re ambitious and driven by nature, but sometimes one of our biggest gifts actually prevents us from effectively living a peaceful life.
We may find it difficult to unwind in our free time, having mental loops play out in our head of what it is that we need to do next.
We truly find it a challenge to fully enjoy the present moment.
We know this at an intellectual level, but we crave more satisfaction in our lives.
Maybe financially we’re in a great spot, as consistent hard work and fortitude have led us to achieving more than our fair share of our dreams.
Maybe we’re in a committed relationship with a partner whom we love dearly and know they truly want what’s best for us.
Or there’s the constant pressure of continuing to build on the professional career that you feel fully entrenched in.
Whatever it is, wouldn’t it be great to not only live life at a highly productive level, but also one that fully elicits inner peace and happiness?
I know exactly how this feels because I’ve personally witnessed the effects of all three states.
The constant “pushing” to achieve.
The financial success, but underneath it, feeling like there was something missing.
And to be in a committed relationship with the love of your life, but still not fully be at peace.
My experience has taught me that there’s three different ways to not only maximize ones productivity, but to do so in a way that actually requires less time, promotes a state of inner peace, and ultimately leads to more authentic happiness too.
Slow Down
It’s easy to get in unconscious cycle of moving at a speed that overtime actually breaks one down, rather than continuously build you up.
We have a to-do list each and everyday with a ton of different items that we feel we must absolutely do.
It’s the first thing on our mind when wake up in the morning.
We play a mental rehearsal of all those tasks that need to get done and right from the onset we begin to feel a sense of inner pressure.
As soon as we officially begin our workday, we’re focused on one task with another still poking its rear in the back of our heads.
We finish and then move on to the next (with the same cycle).
This is continuous, and while perfectly normal to one degree, we must ask ourselves a question on the other.
Are we really being fully present and enjoying each task at hand?
Are we expressing gratitude for the opportunity we’re getting to do them?
Many times it can feel like we’re relegated to an almost robotic way of living.
We have this warrior like mentality that moves at such a determined pace, that we sometimes forget to sit back and actually smell the roses.
However the only way to do so is to slow down.
Is your mind constantly focused on what the future holds and deep down you know you won’t be satisfied until you hit said target or goal?
What if you could be just as happy right now, in this current moment?
Detaching yourself and happiness from the goal at hand.
How does it feel to read that?
I’m sure it sounds a bit crazy on the surface, but what if you’re inward acceptance wasn’t attached to anything external.
Not your house, type of car you drive, the appearance of your spouse, or anything else that lives outside of your eternal being.
Create some daily “me” time for yourself.
A time where you can truly just “be” rather than “do” and allow that quiet time (no matter even if it’s as short as 20-30 minutes) tore-center you into a pure state of immense gratitude.
Repeat all the things that you’re grateful for, no mater how trivial it may feel.
This lightens the underlying pressure and when practiced over time, energetically puts you in place of peace (no matter what’s happening outside of you).
Have a DailyMindset Routine
The mind is the most precious part of our entire bodies. We all intrinsically know that it the composer to how we perceive ourselves, our lives in general, and is the ultimate catalyst for the actions we take on a daily basis.
Wouldn’t it make sense to cultivate this inner sanctuary each and everyday?
Yes, every single day.
Since it’s the most important driving force for our deepest beliefs and values, it’s pristinely vital to set up a routine that cultivates its up keeping (similar to how we nourish our bodies each day with food).
You wouldn’t intentionally go an entire day without drinking any water would you?
However many of us, especially in our most arduous times, allow self-deprecating thoughts to fill our minds.
There’s one way to prevent the parasitic spread of those non-serving mental loops from hardwiring into the neural connections in our brain.
That is by having a daily mindset practice.
A daily meditation, prayer, or positive affirmations are a great way to genuinely begin each and every morning.
It’s when our brains are in its most receptive state.
Continued practice of this changes the body on a physiological level. It creates new hardwired patterns, which ultimately leads to a more uplifting way of being and more outward actions that serve you.
We’re all normal.
Some days are going to flow smoother than others, but through all the ups and perceived downs, consistently keeping a daily mindset practice in place keeps you progressing forward and still highly productive, even at times when it feels the results aren’t matching the output.
Do Less
A couple of my favorite books that describe this in great detail are “TheOne Thing” by Gary Keller and “Essentialism”by Greg McKeown.
I highly recommend checking them out if haven’t done so already, as both are gems on explaining the art of doing less.
Make a list off all the things you do each and everyday.
From the moment you wake up in the morning until you lay your head to sleep in the evening (the more detailed the better).
Once your list is fully compiled, give yourself a bit of space to really check and visualize what those daily patterns are ultimately leading you to.
Make another list of the insights you discover while actively creating the container to absorb it.
Then I want you to make another list.
This is going to be comprised of the top 10 things you truly want to create.
Some examples could be:
To work less and make more
More intimate time with my partner
To vacation abroad twice a year
To lose 15-20 pounds
To fully tap into my deepest purpose
Once your personal list is made, contemplate on the reasons why you truly want to create the things in which you listed.
Close your eyes and visualize what that life would bring you.
See yourself doing exactly each and every item on your list.
Pay attention to how you feel.
Notice if there’s any sensations in your body.
Do you feel tingling in your hands or openness in your chest?
Ruminate on this for a 10-20 uninterrupted minutes (even longer if it leads to that), allowing the visions to crystalize in your brain.
Once done, go back to your original list of all the things you do each and everyday.
Are they leading you to that life of your vision and dreams?
Are there some activities on their that instantly pop up for you, ones that are no longer serving you and are incongruent with the future vision in which you hold for yourself?
Circle or highlight the ones that you deep down know aren’t.
Staring at each and every individual one, it’s now time to create a new habit of letting them go.
If it’s not a top priority that is leading you to your highest ultimate vision, then gracefully say, “thank you but it’s now time for me to let you go.”
This is truly apart of the art of doing less.
Becoming clear on what you aspire and not allowing the past repetitive behaviors that have now become your comfortable way of being, prevent you from taking your next best step.
As the only way for us to be at our most peaceful and productive state, is to authentically move with our greatest dreams and desires, but to do so from a place of intentionality and by focusing the greatest degree of our attention towards the aspects that make us feel alive and purposeful.
From this place we slow down, do less, and tap into the most creative sides of our minds, leading to heightened tangible actions that lead us to a more peaceful, productive, and happier life.
With Love,
Brandon