Good morning!
This is the time of year where my wife and I typically work six days-a-week. It’s cold and dark in New England and you can only paint the rooms inside your house so many times.
So that we can create some momentum and have a chance to get outside for some fun when it gets warmer, we work. This year, however we are not working six days a week.
We are working seven.
Why? Because business has seen a sharp increase at the same time we are freshening up Sales Vault content at the same time Allison decided to rebrand the website at the same time we added AI education and how-to workshops.
It has been a lot.
Typically, I thrive in this kind of environment. I love chaos and I don’t mind the added stress. That said, I also recognize the fact that there is only so much quality work you can do in a day; only so much juice in your creativity reservoir. So, a few weeks ago in a moment of inspiration I took out a piece of paper and wrote four words in red Sharpie:
Slow down. Do better.
While it’s great to get a lot of work done in a day, it’s more important to get quality work done, even if it means less check marks next to the day’s tasks.
Applying this mantra, I find I am more present and less stressed. Repeating these four words multiple times, I am experiencing more joy. No longer am I thinking about the next thing, the next thing, the next thing. Now, I focus on THIS thing, whatever it is.
Slow down. Do better.
The chaos has NOT subsided just because I am willing it to. Business is still nuts and I sometimes feel completely overwhelmed. I am not even close to getting caught up, nor do I see a light at the end of the tunnel (and for that, I am grateful). I wish I could say my heart flutters have dissipated as a result, but no, A-Fib doesn’t know or care about my new approach. The only difference I see is me and how I approach this mountain of work and the current pace of my life. It’s the one thing I can control.
Now, I try not to fill every moment of the day with a to-do. I allow myself extra time for every action, even things like grocery shopping or cooking. I’ve stopped rushing and started consciously focusing on the quality of the task at hand.
I hope there is a difference in the outcome. But I can report, there is a difference inside. More is not always better. Sometime more is just more. Strive for less and strive for quality.
Slow down. Do better.
