Summer gives us the luxury of slowing down and being more relaxed. With that said, finding time to do all our work, sometimes means taking things more slowly. In our rush around world, we often are so involved in “doing” we forget to reflect on our “being”.
Think of this as summer school – what can you try this summer that will create a more mindful second half of the year. Start with your email. Many people feel obligated to respond to an email the instant they get one on their computer or mobile device. This often distracts them from what they are doing.
Fast responses sometimes lead to angst at a later date. Most great leaders take the time to respond in due time, thoughtfully and respectfully. You will never have 100% of the information to make a decision, but a strategic answer will bode well for most. If you feel you need more than a day, send a note that you will get back and give a time when the person can expect your response. Tim Ferris ,in his book, 4-Hour Workweek went so far as setting his email so that when people emailed him, the sender received an auto-response saying that he only responds during certain times.
Next you will want to actually schedule your time to respond. Put it on your calendar or task list. If you are using Outlook, you can actually drag an email to your calendar or task list and schedule when you will respond. This takes all of 5 seconds and saves so much memory space in my brain.
By being mindful of your time, thoughtful in your responses, you will be leaving space for the wisdom you have to be used with others. We all have wisdom it just sometimes gets bogged down in the “busyness” of life.
