The title of this post is the title of one of my favorite Eagles songs and also my new motto in life.
The easier I take it, the more I get done.
I have no idea why this is so. But I see clearly that the days I pour an extra half cup of coffee and spend a bit of time on the @#$% Sudoku, I get more done. The days I allow myself to read a few minutes after lunch, I'm much more focused on my writing in the afternoons. The days I allow myself to–shudder–take the evening away from the computer I accomplish much, much more.
And the days I'm rushing around telling anybody who will listen how busy I am I rush and I spill and I crash into things and nothing works. And even though I'm so terribly busy and important, I don't get much done. And then I'm cranky and crabby and mean and nobody likes me.
Still, I find it very, very hard to embrace this way of living. To tell myself its okay to read the latest Get Fuzzy instead of rushing right back to the computer. To put my head against the back of my chair and close my eyes for a minute. To take a bit of time to meditate or journal in the middle of the day.
Our society, particularly the US, is very caught up in being busy and important. If we looked at this carefully, it would probably reveal we do this to hide our fears that we're not busy and important enough. Or, simply not enough.
And so perhaps taking it easy convinces the mind otherwise. Allows us to remember that we are enough as we are and that our writing is important just because. That we don't have to justify and look busy and important. And when we are content just being who we are, doing what we do, the space opens up to allow us to get things done.
Have you experienced this attribute of taking it easy? And do you have any similar experiences to share?
No, that's not me and my family in the picture, its an image from Les Chatfield, courtesy of Flickr.
J.D. Frost
That’s a great picture. They say pigs are intelligent; maybe these guys got the right idea.
Charlotte Dixon
I love the photo, too. The pigs just look so completely and totally happy.
Jessica
I’m a big believer in the power of napping (I think I’ve said this before). Anyway, today its powers were proved again. I was struggling with a project, took a nap for half an hour then came back and saw it in a whole new light.
It is interesting to see that those people who seem to glide through life never rushing from one spot to the other but maintaining an easy plodding pace appear to get more done in the process. Perhaps it’s because they’re not stopping an starting, sitting then running then sitting some more. Let’s face it, if we drove our cars that way, we’d wear them out long before their natural life. Surely our bodies and minds work on the same principle…
rebecca
Here it is Friday night and I sit at the computer networking. I should have taken the night off to rest and let my brain relax.
Roy
I agree a hundred percent, Charlotte. I think a lot of what you said is a second cousin to the thought of “multi-tasking.” So many people (I see throughout the day) are so stretched because they as so enslaved to this philosophy. There’s nothing wrong with being focused, being a specialist. Being Calm! And the more stretched that I see people, the less they get done or the quality of “all” that they are accomplishing is low. Scattered. I am in your camp on this one. Taking It Easy is NOT being lazy and not working smart. I think Taking It Easy means allowing yourself small pockets of downtime throughout the day to remember what it means to be human, to recharge, to be much more focused and productive in whatever we choose to do.
I think the folks in Spain have so much to teach us, in terms of how they allocate their days. Even now–well into the next century–they have several hours off at lunchtime to recharge, to be human. Then, they return in the late afternoon for another stretch of work. Dinners are a 10 p.m. Nightlife goes on till 2 a.m. And I don’t mean drunken craziness till 2 a.m. Just more normal, rechargable personal life.
And don’t get me started with the vacation policies in this country. A total joke!
Anyway, great post!
Angela Artemis
Charlotte,
I love the new look of your blog. I’ve been on overwhelm since the launch of The Daily Brainstorm two weeks ago where I’m the now director of marketing. Between my full time job, blogging and now this I cannot tell you how close I am to cracking…
Your post is the perfect thing I needed to read this morning. To relax a bit, slow down and turn to other things is rejuvenating. Thank you so much for reminding me.
Charlotte Dixon
Jessica, I’ve experienced that with napping, also. Sometimes I find just the act of getting up from the computer causes my mind to start throwing ideas at me–and them I’m scrambling for paper and pen!
Rebecca, Many are the nights when I have found myself doing the exact same thing!
Angela, Thanks for the compliment on the blog and congratulations on your new job! Now you are under orders to go relax.
Roy, I think in this culture people are looked on as weak when they nap or take a few minutes to relax. But it makes such a difference! And yes, the Spanish people certainly have the right idea.
Sharon Lippincott
How lovely to be reminded to live in physical space as well as virtual. Your beacon of light, clarion call, or whatever it is, rings true and timely for me. Thank you for the reminder.
Charlotte Dixon
Sharon, it seems to me that a lot of us (myself included) need reminding of this! Thanks for dropping by.