I’m a doer. I DO a lot. I love a checklist, and some might say my commitment to productivity is less of an obsession and more of an addiction. I love to optimize my time, and nothing makes my insides wiggle with glee more than an efficiently organized grocery shopping list that is perfectly in sync with the path I take through the store. (I may or may not even time how long it takes me to unload the dishwasher – always looking for my next PR!)

As an entrepreneur and mom to a very active 6-year-old, managing my time is important! However, I can easily take it too far. I recently had a lull in my work commitments, and my initial instinct was to look around for projects and clean-up items and outstanding tasks that needed attention. I could organize the garage finally! I could clean up all my digital files! Get ahead on blog posts and presentations! Have coffee meetings with potential clients and lunches with friends! And then I thought: 

What if I just didn’t?

Instead of do, what if I tried DO NOT instead? After all, I know what happens when I do all the things. I’ve been doing that my whole life! I know how to do it, where it leads, and how it feels before, during, and after while I’m doing it. What was totally unfamiliar territory to me, however, was what it might be like to NOT DO all of the things. Maybe to even not do ANYTHING at all. 

Gasp! The horror! How could I possibly?!?

I was intrigued enough to give it a shot. And let me tell you- I learned a lot. A lot about myself, a lot about how I spend my time, a lot about my comfort zones, and a lot about what I actually value. There’s a huge difference between what I’ve gotten familiar with and where I’m actually comfortable. It gave me a lot to think about. 

I’m not super great at this just yet, but as I integrate it more and more – sometimes in little tiny spaces and sometimes in much bigger ways – I’m realizing the potency of the pause when I make it a true pause. A space not just to exhale, but to inhale again, exhale again, and perhaps even do that a few more times before I lace up my running shoes once again. 

If this sounds scary, not achievable, or even totally foreign to you, I’d like to invite you to give it a shot. It’s an acquired skill for sure, but exploring it as something that’s not a decelerant, but rather an accelerant has fueled my progress in ways I haven’t imagined. (Both inside and outside of work!) 

If this sounds awesome, completely familiar, or totally normal to you, first of all, congrats! I’m thrilled! I have a lot to learn from you. AND – how can you take it to the next level? For yourself, or to show others what’s possible?

If you’re interested in trying this out for yourself but feel a bit lost as to how to get started, let’s chat. I’ve been there, and I’d love to help you play with NOT DOING. After all, you’ve already got the doing part down!