Do Less. Accomplish More.

“Having lost sight of our goals, we redouble our efforts.”
- Mark Twain

There is an old story of a man riding very fast on a horse. As he rides past his friend standing on the side of the road, the friend yells, “Where are you going?” The rider turns toward his friend and yells, “I don’t know, ask the horse!”

The pace and intensity of our lives, both at work and at home, leave many of us feeling like the person riding that frantically galloping horse. Our daily incessant busyness – too much to do and not enough time; the pressure to produce and tick off items on our to-do list by each day’s end – seems to decide the direction and quality of our existence for us. But if we approach our days in a different way, we can consciously change this out-of-control pattern. It only requires the courage to do less.

This may sound easy, but doing less can actually be very hard. Too often we mistakenly believe that doing less makes us lazy and results in a lack of productivity. Instead, doing less helps us savor what we do accomplish. We learn to do less of what is extraneous, and engage in fewer self-defeating behaviors, so we craft a productive life that we truly feel good about.

Just doing less for its own sake can be simple, startling, and transformative. Imagine having a real and unhurried conversation in the midst of an unrelenting workday with someone you care about. Imagine completing one discrete task at a time and feeling calm and happy about it.

Every life has great meaning, but the meaning of our own can often be obscured by the fog of constant activity and plain bad habits. Recognize and change these, and we can again savor deeply the ways we contribute to the workplace, enjoy the sweetness of our lives, and share openly and generously with the ones we love. Less busyness leads to appreciating the sacredness of life. Doing less leads to more love, more effectiveness and internal calmness, and a greater ability to accomplish more of what matters most – to us, and by extension to others and the world.

Read more: Career, Do Good, Health, Life, Mental Wellness, Self-Help

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Joan S.

11:49AM PDT on Oct 3, 2011

Sometimes I have to remind myself to slow down and let things happen a little more naturally.

send a green star

11:48AM PDT on Oct 3, 2011

This really hit home for me

Andrea M.

9:20PM PDT on Jun 21, 2010

Thank you!

Fariha I.

12:52AM PDT on Jun 20, 2010

nice ... thanx

Amber K.

12:17PM PDT on May 11, 2010

Thanks.

Monica D.

12:21AM PDT on May 3, 2010

Living a more environmentally friendly life can involve doing less also - fewer car and plane trips, less consumption of meat and consumer goods, etc. And more quality time spent simply enjoying the garden, for example.

Svjetlana K.

5:13AM PDT on May 2, 2010

Inspiring, Thanks for this article. :)

Nellie K A.

6:06PM PDT on Apr 18, 2010

I think I heard of that story

Mari '.

4:59AM PDT on Apr 18, 2010

TY:)

NO EMAILS P.

12:24AM PDT on Apr 18, 2010

thanks for post