Happy new year! 2015. A new year always seem to herald a forgetting of the past and a fresh start to all the things you meant to do, but didn’t get around to finishing – or starting. But what if forgetting the past also means forgetting who you really are? A new year is the perfect time to put a stop to the things that stop you from getting what you need done (or started) and going back to the thing that does – you. While Owl (of Winnie the Pooh fame) represents a mind that tries too hard, Pooh’s taoist approach is about putting things in motion without forcing them to a single perceived resolution. Act without force.
Appropriate Engagement
David Allen is an expert in Getting Things Done offers simple tactics to productivity. Keeping things natural and necessary help us to use our energies appropriately and effectively – and take full advantage of the 24 hours we have each and every day.
Starting or finishing – don’t make it harder than it has to be.
- Don’t seek perfection
We often use the excuse, “I want to make sure it’s done right” as a way to procrastinate, a reason why we can’t start or finish. The big secret is nothing will ever be perfect, nothing will ever be perfectly timed, and you will never be perfectly ready. Be as prepared as you can be in the moment and act – the rest will unfurl as it will.
- Stop overthinking
Our brains are wonderful, but they also get in the way a lot. We overthink and overanalyze. We put things off because we have a million and one reasons why we can’t or shouldn’t. By paying attention to our true nature, we start to listen to the real voice inside us and not the inner critic that tries to detour us from acting.
- Keep it simple
We often overcomplicate projects with plans and strategies and plans for strategies. All the clutter we create for ourselves create seemingly unsurmountable obstacles to getting anything started or finished. By distilling projects done to their simplest purposes, and doing a small bit by small bit help us to reduce the clutter and make progress.
4. Act without acting
People often think that “letting things be as they are” means being passive. Quite the contrary: getting things done is different than forcing things done. When we try to force a result or our own way, we may be simply pushing a rolling rock uphill. This is not do say things don’t require hard work – they require action, but not force.
5. Do it with gusto
* Our disclaimer as non-religion academics is that we can’t speak to the entire teachings or historical accuracies of Taoism as a religion or philosophy. That said, our use of the word “Tao” is understanding its root meaning as “the way,” or “the path” of life. In essence, it is about being in tune with one’s natural self and with nature. It’s about gaining balance and greater harmony with the world. Approaching things with these intentions in mind and finding our natural “way” help us to be better versions of ourselves.
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