It seems like everywhere I look there’s a person, product or program telling me how to cram more stuff into my day.
How to get up at the crack of dawn so that I can have more hours to workworkwork.
Or how to burn through my to-do list faster, better and sexier than ever before.
Or how to rip through my inbox like someone knee deep in the middle of a meth binge.
Or how to stand on one leg and juggle whatever I’m doing so that I can stuff more work into every hour of every day.
And, seriously, I’ve hit a saturation point with all of this.
I heart working smart
It’s not that I mind productivity stuff.
Not at all. In fact, I’m a big fan.
Because knowing how to work smart is awesome.
And knowing how to get the stuff done that you need to get done without losing your shit rocks muchly.
What doesn’t rock is the sometimes not-so-subtle suggestion that I should be cramming more stuff into my day.
That it’s normal. And smart. And just how things are done.
And so naturally I should want to do it this way.
And that if I don’t I’m either thick, lazy or nuts.
Oof.
Eff it
My answer to all of that?
Eff cramming.
Eff trying to jam as much busyness into my day as I can before my head explodes.
Eff falling into the trap of thinking that getting something done fast is more important than feeling good while doing it.
Eff buying into the idea that being able to rock my to-do list or blitzkrieg through my email is somehow related to my worth as a person.
Eff believing that pushing myself ‘til I puke is proof of my dedication, passion or drive.
Eff. Cramming.
Can I get a witness?
Does any of this sound familiar?
Because I keep hearing from people who are as sick of cramming as I am.
People totally over pushpushpush being their norm.
So I’m putting my foot down.
For myself. And for anyone else ughed out by cramming.
A manifesto. With bubbles. And bike rides.
I’m invoking the holy name of Joey Ramone. And summoning the powers of all things punk rock.
I say it’s time for a revolution.
A revolution of thought. And action.
A revolution of relationship. With ourselves. And our world.
A revolution not just against the idea of cramming, but a revolution in defense of space. And breathing room. And playtime.
A revolution where we are at least as dedicated to lounging around as we are to launching stuff.
Where we schedule in time to blow bubbles. Or ride a bike. Or watch the birds.
Where we regularly say to someone, Sorry, I have to get off the phone now. It’s playtime.
Where we get that adding in pockets of do-nothing-ness into our day isn’t just nice, but essential.
Where we adopt looking at clouds and listening to our favorite music in our pajamas as our new super secret strategy for productivity.
Where looking at gorgeous art or eating delicious food or hanging out in a beautiful place is how we refill and recharge for our next round of awesome.
Where it becomes not just ok, but a matter of policy, to end our work day early when we need to fill up, chill out or just veg.
Eff responsibility? Uh, no.
I’m not saying we should slack off or set fire to responsibility.
I just think it’s crazy smart to seriously cut ourselves some slack.
And to be as responsible to ourselves as we are to our clients and our inboxes and our to-do lists.
And trust me. I’m not saying that it’s easy to say eff cramming.
Simple, yes. But not easy.
I get that.
I get that life is moving faster than ever before. And that we all have plates that are piled to the ceiling with stuff to do.
And I get how easy it is to work ourselves into the ground. Whether we work for ourselves. Or someone else. It really doesn’t matter.
I get how easy it is to give in to the anxiety. That tension that hangs out just below the surface of your inner bits. Whispering in your ear about how badly things will go if you don’t keep pushing. And how taking a break, even for a second, would be career suicide.
So I totally get how scary it can be to even think about easing up.
And I also get how much you want to do your Thing. Because you love it. And it’s awesome. And you want to give it wings. And get it out there in the world.
I get all of that.
Really.
The revolution is here… and it’s embossed!
But consider this an invitation to say eff cramming.
A gold embossed invite. Printed on fancy pants paper. With a matching envelope. And a stunning likeness of Joey Ramone emblazoned across the front.
The revolution has begun.
Your presence is requested.
You are cordially invited to get off the crazy train and get back to gorgeous.
Eff cramming.
Please RSVP with a fist pump and a rousing hell yeah!
No leaping required
And if leaping headlong into eff-cramming-ness feels too scary, it’s totally ok not to leap.
Just think about leaping. Or stepping. Or even just dipping your toe in.
Any baby step you take in that direction rocks.
Because, seriously, in all of the bajillions of sound sessions that I’ve done, I’ve never ever had one single person come to me because they want to find a way to cram more work into their day.
Everyone I work with and talk to and hang out with wants more awesome in their life.
Cramming isn’t the way to make that happen.
S-p-a-c-e!
If you want more awesome to show up, you have to leave room for it. You have to give it somewhere to go. Some wide open space that it can settle into.
Think about your very favorite song in the world.
You might love the singer. Or the guitar track. Or the drums.
But what makes the song a song is the space between the notes. The gaps where every bit of gorgeousness can be heard.
Silence. Space. Breathing room.
That’s what makes the music.
A song without silence is just one big cacophony of sound.
A life without playtime and downtime and youtime is just one big pile of suck.
So I say ¡Viva la Revolución!
Care to join me?
