Believe it or not, “work” can actually mean standing still.
In my previous role at a large financial institution, I found that “work” meant “activity”. When someone was working, a lot of times that meant they were taking action – actually doing something physically. Work was defined as something tactile or physical, like email for example. If you wanted to feel good about what you were accomplishing, culturally, you needed to spend a lot of time on emails.
“If you wanted to feel good about what you were accomplishing, culturally, you needed to spend a lot of time on emails.”
Unfortunately, when work is limited to the likes of email, it means a lot of very helpful things don’t count as work- like thinking, or reading, or coming up with strategies. I have been in meetings where people were praised for responding to emails very quickly. I remember thinking to myself, “Wait- if they are sitting and watching their emails that closely and are able to immediately respond, what are they actually accomplishing?”
I love this quote by George MacDonald- “There is such a thing as sacred idleness, the cultivation of which is now fearfully neglected.” Sacred idleness basically means you can take time to take a step back. You can take time to quiet yourself and your approach. You can take time and really focus on what is meaningful, and what is going to help move you toward your objectives.
“There is such a thing as sacred idleness, the cultivation of which is now fearfully neglected.”
As so many of us are now dealing with social distancing and working from home/ working remotely, we have more of an opportunity than ever to find those moments of sacred idleness during the workday.
My challenge for you this week is to think about where you can take a moment for sacred idleness. When can you take step back and read something that’s been on your reading list? When can you take time to meditate, or talk to your family? When can you take those steps back so you can evaluate your overall trajectory and make sure you’re focusing on the most important things?
You may find that these moments give rise to your best work of the day.
RR#6,
Dave
Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. Please see the Disclaimer page for full details.