You may have heard about Project One, a holistic self-development program launching in Hamilton, Ontario on October 25 & 26. To prepare for it, Erin and I are going to use ourselves as guinea pigs for the different activities and experiments of the program. We're going to do it here, in real time, on the blog. And you're invited to join us!The three fundamental areas Project One will help you develop are Living, Working, and Being. Just thinking about what those areas mean, and what aspects of life fall into which category, is an exercise in itself. But rather than waxing too philosophical, this blog is going to focus on concrete actions, small tweaks you can do right now to start making improvements in your own living, working, and being.
Erin and I are both busy people (maybe you can relate) and can't cram in an extra three-plus hours of activities to our day. So the challenge we set ourselves was to find small changes in how we live, work, and are that will yield the biggest results. We aren't going to make any recommendations to you that we can't pursue ourselves. Which means we'll all be in this together! In fact, that's the part we're most excited about: the opportunity to move forward in small steps as a community over time.
A community of whom? Of people who know that more is possible—more health, more well-being, more contribution, more art, more LIFE!
So each week for the next six weeks, we are going to write a post that lays out three challenges in the domains of Living, Working, and Being. The challenges will all be related to one another, so you can work on one general skill, spread out over three areas of life.
Monday will be the post that describes what the challenges are for the week. Wednesday will provide updates and insights based on pursuing the challenges/tweaks. And Friday will be feedback from members of the Project One / Aquin Yoga community. Yes, your stories are what makes this whole thing work! We can't wait to hear from you, and watch all of us grow over the next six weeks.
To kick things off, here are the first three tweaks, all designed to help you increase your focus.
Living. One of the most important aspects of having a good life is your relationships. In countless studies, both scientific and anecdotal, the thing people value most at the end of their lives is their relationships. So the small tweak/challenge for this week is to focus entirely on the people you are with when you are with them. That means:
- No multi-tasking during conversations with loved ones
- No picking up the phone to check an incoming text, email, voicemail, tweet, facebook message, or other dinging alert while you're engaged with someone in conversation or other hang time
- No emailing from your phone in bed
- Give the person you're speaking with your undivided attention and avoid looking at:
- The TV
- Other people walking by
- A magazine sitting nearby
- The label on your beer bottle
- Your laptop, phone, iPad, abacus, or anything else to distract your attention from the person right in front of you, whom you love very much
Working. This is a tough one. Some might say it's impossible. But leave work at 5:30 pm every day this week. If Sheryl Sandberg can do it, so can you. Focus on the things that will get you to the end of your day just after 5, then head out the door, knowing you did everything you needed to that was important for that day. If you need to take care of a few things in the evening, that's fine. Schedule 20 minutes to deal with any loose ends from the day and prepare for tomorrow. Ask yourself: is this something I can do tomorrow? If so, leave it. The extra time with your family and friends you'll gain by leaving work before too late will pay tremendous dividends in the quality of your life, and I'm willing to bet your productivity at work won't suffer too much. If anything, it may even increase.
Being. Each morning, meditate for 15 – 20 minutes. Do a very simple practice of bringing your attention back to the present moment when your mind wanders. Focus on not trying. When you get distracted by a thought, just let it go the moment you're aware of what's happening. Let your attention be free of all the thoughts that come up. Allow yourself to focus on awareness itself. It takes no effort. If you're trying to do it, you're doing it wrong. Just let go, and continue to let go. And then let go some more. Gradually you will notice that your ability to focus increases, and your level of disturbance from your mind and thoughts decreases.
To summarize, the tweaks are:
- Focus single-mindedly when you're with loved ones
- Schedule your time, energy, and expectations at work so that you can leave the office by 5:30 pm each day (or whatever your equivalent may be)
- Meditate for 15 – 20 minutes in the morning to build your ability to free your mind from distractions
