{"id":3583,"date":"2016-10-03T02:31:50","date_gmt":"2016-10-03T01:31:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marvel7077.wpengine.com\/?p=3583"},"modified":"2016-10-03T11:16:20","modified_gmt":"2016-10-03T10:16:20","slug":"the-abundance-of-slowness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marvelapp.com\/blog\/the-abundance-of-slowness\/","title":{"rendered":"The abundance of slowness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Learning to value smart work over hard work requires a paradigm shift, but pays dividends.<\/h2>\n

Workaholics aren\u2019t heroes. They don\u2019t save the day, they just use it up. The real hero is already home because she figured out a faster way to get things done.
\n\u2013 Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson, Rework<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

In March of 2011, I was in the depths of burnout. I had been working 80+ hour weeks at least twice a month since the previous fall. My design studio, Metagramme, had an ongoing project that grew beyond all reckoning, swallowed the majority of our billable time, and crippled our ability to pursue new work.<\/p>\n

I developed vision trouble. Distant objects refused to snap into focus and reading became difficult. Stress-induced bald spots cropped up in my beard. My relentless schedule created tension on the home front. Something had to give.<\/p>\n

I bought a better monitor. I delegated more (I hired Jason, my first full-time designer around this time \u2013 poor guy didn\u2019t know what he was in for). I made a half-hearted attempt at afternoon power naps. My eyesight improved, but the stress and exhaustion persisted. These efforts were really just Band-Aids on a gaping wound. As soon as time opened up and things slowed down, the hours were magically filled with other things. My motivation for working long hours wasn\u2019t creative exuberance. I was driven by a superhero complex \u2013 a burden of responsibility that we shouldn\u2019t have shouldered. I had said yes so often that I\u2019d developed a warped sense of what I was truly responsible for. I was driven by fear of failure and an addiction to work.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say you work in a high-level management position for a monthly or weekly publication. You\u2019ve been with the company for years and have lived through several waves of growing pains. Over time, you said yes to more and more responsibilities, even if it seemed many of them weren\u2019t sustainable. You became responsible for the output of one or two additional departments. You add more content, more platforms, more offices. Granted, in the world of time-sensitive content and late-breaking news, the occasional frenetic day is unavoidable. But for years, this has been your norm. And when you finally break down and scale back, a host of new tasks floods in the gap. Family ties weaken and friendships fall by the wayside. The weight of the world is on your shoulders, and if you don\u2019t stand under it the entire operation might collapse. You\u2019re in crisis mode even on a good day.<\/p>\n

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\"We\u2019re afraid of what our lives will look like if we slow down and pay attention\"<\/p><\/span><\/blockquote>\n

Does this situation sound familiar? When a friend asks how you\u2019re doing, is your default answer some version of \u201cbusy\u201d? Do you feel a touch of pride when \u201ccomplaining\u201d about the busyness of your schedule to a friend? Do you dream about an easier life, but feel victimized by a slave-driving boss or company culture? (Here\u2019s a hint: You\u2019re not a victim. You\u2019ve merely said yes to the wrong things). In the U.S., we\u2019re trained to think that successful people are busy. If our schedules aren\u2019t chock-full, we\u2019re unimportant. We run around like chickens with their heads cut off, as my great-grandmother used to say. People who take long vacations or even long lunch breaks are viewed as lazy or untrustworthy. We\u2019ve all heard about the inevitable burnout that occurs when people work too much. But we quickly forget these cautionary tales and rationalize our habits, because we\u2019re afraid of what our lives will look like if we slow down and pay attention. Deep down, many of us wonder if we\u2019re wasting our time on things of little consequence. So we keep skittering along the surface at a feverish pace, avoiding the mirror of introspection.<\/p>\n

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\"Our frantic days are really just a hedge against emptiness.\" \u2013 Tim Kreider, NYTimes.com<\/p><\/span><\/blockquote>\n

At Metagramme, the problem wasn\u2019t cruel or unreasonable clients. They were actually kind and generous, for the most part. I had no one to blame but myself. It was time to man up in a major way. One of the glaring issues I faced was a total lack of boundaries. No phone call was too late to answer, no email too early. My lack of boundaries came from fear. Fear of what would happen if I said no more often. Fear of missing deadlines or disappointing customers. I was also afraid of allowing quiet reflection and creative diversions into the work day. I was punching the clock like any hourly employee. The story I told myself was that slowness and emptiness were the same thing. I couldn\u2019t have been more wrong. I\u2019ve found recently that when the time is used well, slowness can actually be one of the most profound sources of abundance.<\/p>\n

When fear rules our lives, even the most amazing calling can be downgraded to a career. On the trajectory of fear, careers wane through the grey purgatory of jobs, and jobs break down in quivering heaps at the fiery gates of slavery.<\/p>\n

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\n\"When fear rules our lives, even the most amazing calling can be downgraded to a career\"<\/p><\/span><\/blockquote>\n

I don\u2019t know about you, but I don\u2019t want to settle for anything less than a life\u2019s calling. And I\u2019m sick and tired of seeing beloved clients, colleagues and friends settle for less.<\/p>\n

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\"I don\u2019t know about you, but I don\u2019t want to settle for anything less than a life\u2019s calling\"<\/p><\/span><\/blockquote>\n

Your calling doesn\u2019t have to be your day job. If it\u2019s possible for you to blend the two, then fantastic \u2013 go for it with all of your might. There is honor in working a day job that you don\u2019t love, as long as it allows you the time and space to pursue your soul\u2019s work on the side. But there is no honor and no love in fear.<\/p>\n

By accepting the status quo of long hours and trying to play the hero, I compartmentalized our studio\u2019s creativity into the box of client work. I didn\u2019t think of running a business as a creative endeavor. It didn\u2019t occur to me how vital it was to carve out time for rest, play and personal creative pursuits. I was running a sweatshop, but I wasn\u2019t really in charge. My fear ruled the roost. It wasn\u2019t long before our work started to suffer. Design solutions began to look and feel the same.<\/p>\n

By early 2012 I\u2019d had enough. I was dreading coming to work each day in the business I\u2019d created. There\u2019s something really screwed up about that. So with the help of business coach and mentor Peleg Top, I started to make some drastic changes.<\/p>\n

Before his work as a business coach, Peleg ran a successful design firm in LA. He once told me that in the 18 years he owned Top Design, he never encountered a true design emergency. That simple truth resonated deeply with me. At Peleg\u2019s firm, they weren\u2019t saving lives or fighting wars. It was a service firm, and they lived accordingly. His team was in the office from 9\u20136 Monday through Thursday, and 9\u20132 on Fridays. They set realistic expectations for their clients and met deadlines. The business thrived. But they didn\u2019t answer the phone at night, and were unavailable on weekends. Peleg\u2019s team had clear boundaries, made them known, and their clients were happy. They worked when they were rested and present. The quality of their output spoke for itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds lovely,\u201d you might say, \u201cbut that kind of lifestyle just wouldn\u2019t fly with my boss\/company\/clients\/fill-in-the-blank.\u201d Perhaps you\u2019re right. At times, working late is indeed necessary. Sometimes you create a problem and need to fix it on your own dime or after hours. Sometimes you commit to a task that requires learning new tools. Being a responsible grown-up occasionally requires a sacrifice of time. And on the positive side, sometimes entrepreneurs work on their businesses after hours out of love, rather than straining toward an overly-optimistic deadline out of fear. I\u2019ve been there, I\u2019ve put in the hours and I\u2019ll do it again. But not unless I\u2019m motivated by love.<\/p>\n

What we\u2019re ultimately striving for here is a joyful harmony between work, rest and play. And you won\u2019t know if harmony can be achieved if you don\u2019t try. You could even make it fun. Make a game of it, and challenge your entire office to get involved! This week, I invite you to try nine things:<\/p>\n

1. Slow down. <\/strong>Someone once said \u201cthe trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you\u2019re still a rat.\u201d When we slow down, priorities become clear. I once asked Peleg which activities could\/should be removed from my life. His response was that I was asking the wrong question. If you\u2019re busier than you\u2019d like to be, don\u2019t try to curate your life. First, slow down. Focus on the here and now. Get present. Pay attention to where your energy is drawn, the good and the bad. Healthy priorities will naturally reveal themselves and your life will start to curate itself.<\/p>\n

2. Stop trying to be a hero.<\/strong> Commit to a schedule you can sustain and tasks you can complete without killing yourself. No one will go into cardiac arrest if you turn down a project.<\/p>\n

3. Go home. <\/strong>Leave the office by 6 pm, or earlier if possible. Have dinner with family or friends, relax and get a good night\u2019s sleep. You\u2019ll feel refreshed and focused when you arrive at work in the morning.<\/p>\n

4. Minimize meetings.<\/strong> Sometimes meetings are wonderful and necessary, but more often than not they are straight-up time wasters. Respectfully ask coworkers or your boss if there might be a more efficient way to make decisions. Offer suggestions. Get creative.<\/p>\n

5. Go dark.<\/strong> Switch your mobile phone to airplane mode. This will temporarily disable incoming calls (they\u2019ll go straight to voicemail), GPS and internet access. For myself, this is hard. But we have to acknowledge that our communication addictions aren\u2019t making us happy or productive. Create an atmosphere of minimal distractions. Stay offline unless you truly need to do some research. Do your important work first, and answer emails later. Be proactive, not reactive (I\u2019m still working on this one). And for crying out loud, stay the hell away from Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter unless you\u2019re taking an intentional break. The comment your cousin made about a former coworker\u2019s dog\u2019s sweater vest can wait.<\/p>\n

6. Leave your desk for lunch.<\/strong> Eating lunch at your desk is just sad. Read a book, take a walk, visit a museum \u2013 anything to change your environment and unplug for a bit. This is a good time for airplane mode. Sometimes I\u2019ll write a few lines of poetry, or just have a good long stare at nothing in particular. The change of scenery is refreshing, and I\u2019m ready to tackle the afternoon\u2019s work when I return to my desk.<\/p>\n

7. Give up on multitasking. <\/strong>Others have said it, and I\u2019ll throw my hat in the ring too: multitasking isn\u2019t sexy. It\u2019s inefficient. You might be able to go broad when juggling several tasks at once, but you can\u2019t go deep. People who claim to be gifted multitaskers are lying, either to themselves or to you. Instead of spreading yourself thin, set aside large chunks of time to focus on one task at a time. Let coworkers know you\u2019re unavailable. If they give you crap for it, who cares. They\u2019ll stop when they see the results.<\/p>\n

8. Say no.<\/strong> When deciding how to respond to a request, ask yourself if saying yes would be driven by love or fear. If the answer is the latter, politely say no and suggest an alternative. This is another opportunity to get creative.<\/p>\n

9. Hunt your fear.<\/strong> To paraphrase Peleg, fears are stories we tell ourselves about futures that don\u2019t exist. We cannot defeat fear until we recognize it and name it. Fear is inevitable, but beware of fear gaining power in your life! Most unnecessary pain in the world can be traced back to fear. Fear loves to masquerade as prudence, wisdom, power, or moral outrage. Fear wears many faces. It lies, it lurks. So how can we fight it? First, by facing it long enough to understand it. Second, by filling our lives with love so that fear can no longer gain purchase. Third, by hunting it. Fear must be hunted with ruthless abandon. Hate it as one of the few things in existence that deserve your unmitigated contempt. The more you look for fear\u2019s shadowy tracks, the quicker you\u2019ll become at catching it before it takes control. When faced with a tough decision at work and you detect fear on the rise, ask yourself: what am I really afraid of? What is the worst possible outcome? Is the worst outcome really so bad? List all of the things that scare you, write them out on paper, then crumple up that paper and recycle it. Burn it if you\u2019re feeling zealous.<\/p>\n

Have courage. Your life depends on it.<\/p>\n

Try these nine things for one week. I think you\u2019ll be pleasantly surprised by how much you accomplish, and how much beautiful, free, slow time you have on your hands. Conversely, if you find that promoting smart work over hard work in your place of work is truly untenable, then it\u2019s probably time for you to move on. Sometimes giving up is the bravest, kindest thing you can do. It might be the wake-up call that company needs.<\/p>\n

From our experience, I can say that my team and I are more excited than ever to arrive at work each morning. The quality and variety of our design work has grown. We spend time with our families. We have lives. We close the shop at 2 on Fridays. We get things done on time. Our business is growing at a sustainable pace. We\u2019re far from perfect, but I wouldn\u2019t change a thing.<\/p>\n

So how am I doing these days? If the fullness of my beard is any indication, then life is good. Things are nice and slow, and I\u2019m at peace with that.<\/p>\n

For more on the topic of smart work vs. hard work and the culture of busyness, I recommend:<\/p>\n

The \u2018Busy\u2019 Trap<\/a> by Tim Kreider, via NYTimes.com
\nPersonal Whitespace<\/a> by Peleg Top
\nRework<\/a> by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson (cofounders of Basecamp). Available in print and on iTunes.
\n
\nThis post was originally published on Matt Steel's blog<\/a>. Follow Matt on Twitter here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Learning to value smart work over hard work requires a paradigm shift, but pays dividends. Workaholics aren\u2019t heroes. They don\u2019t save the day, they just use it up. The real hero is already home because she figured out a faster way to get things done. \u2013 Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson, Rework In March of 2011, I was in… Read More ￫<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":3648,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-viewpoint"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\t\n