💎 Friday Gems #11 (Drawing the line, Time Oasis, A Better Way To Optimize)

Three gems of ideas to unleash your potential!

Mar 31, 2023

I’m a big believer in the phrase, “how you do one thing is how you do anything.” There are no boundaries in life or work. What we practice in life is what we can apply in our work and vice versa. The theme for today’s gems is using the time we have wisely. Whether it’s doing what we love to do, making time for those activities, or doing what we love to do, even when other commitments seem to take up all our time, we can prioritize our passions and our core values by giving them the time they need.

Let me know in the comments if any of the gems resonate with you. I always love hearing from you. 💜

💎 Where do you draw the line?

Drawing of a church courtyard in pen — Illustration by Charles Leon

"It may seem strange to say, but drawing on location or life means learning to see again. Most of the time, we tend to look and not really see. We have old eyes rather than fresh new eyes. We use everything we already know (or think we know) to ignore most of what we see."

In this inspiring article, Charles Leon, illustrator, and creative thinker, shares his path to developing his daily sketching practice. Along the way, he provides insights into the different ways a daily practice can help us grow. Whether it is doing the reps, creating a routine, or the benefits of learning to see when we draw from life, you will find nuggets that will help you in your own journey.

Source: Charles Leon

💎 To get control of your calendar, try a time oasis

Meetings are great...if done correctly, that is. Unfortunately, meetings also have a way of multiplying quickly to take up all our work day. Outside of work, we face responsibilities, demands, distractions, and a multitude of commitments. By the time you know it, the whole day has gone by without you being able to do something for yourself.

Being able to rest and recover each day is crucial to be able to come back the next day refreshed and ready to tackle what work and life bring.

How can we break out of our daily busyness? By creating a time oasis.

"To create a time oasis — a concept I was introduced to by author and time management expert Dave Crenshaw —you’ll systematically build in something to look forward to as a respite during the workday, Eventually, you’ll carve out longer breaks during the year to ensure you’re rested and performing optimally."

As with most habits, it is a good idea to start by creating a tiny oasis. One that doesn't disrupt your day and then slowly increases it to take the time you need to spend for your rest, relaxation, and recovery.

Source: Quartz

💎 A better way to optimize

Has this ever happened to you? You are cruising along with a great routine and then get working on a project where you go all in at the expense of other activities or values that are important to you. I know this happens to me at work when I need to meet a big deadline. I get such tunnel vision that the activities I love, such as running, writing, reading, and even this newsletter, fall aside until that deadline passes.

I now realize that is a recipe for burnout.

In this post, Brad Stulberg, writer and coach on excellence, well-being, and success, provides a good framework for doing what we love and holding up our core values even in times of high stress and focus.

The framework he suggests is that instead of abandoning what we love doing to focus on a big deadline or project, we can temporarily reduce the time we spend on them. Instead of exercising for an hour, we can reduce the time to 30 minutes. It seems obvious, but when we are in the thick of it, it's easy to abandon what we love to do.

So the next time you get the urge to stop doing what you love to do when you're deep in a project or need to meet a deadline, see how you can uphold your values and find a balance with your work or project and activities that make you who you are.

Source: The Growth Equation

Let me know in the comments if any of the gems resonate with you. I always love hearing from you.💜

Thanks for reading, and have a fantastic weekend!

Rizwan