Jessica’s shoulders slumped forward a little and her head lowered. “I’ve been working so hard on this, and I don’t seem to be making any real progress.”
In one of our coaching sessions, Jessica had just finished describing to me her process. She gets up early. She has her schedule all laid out the night before. She efficiently moves from one get-to-do item to the next. She gets stuff done.
Still, her goal eludes her.
Jessica is incredibly good at being efficient. And yet, she’s sometimes not very effective.
This is a trap that all of us can fall into. We substitute efficiency for effectiveness. I sure have done it, especially when I’m really focused on accomplishing something important to me and my business.
Truth be told, being effective, getting a project completed that’s the best work we can do, isn’t a straight path.
We can’t simply apply efficient effort and have the best outcome. When you do that, you take the creativity out of the process. You take out your own special brand of soul.
Nobody’s creative process is linear. The most effective people on the planet have amazing stories of wandering way off the path, and stumbling on something they wouldn’t have found in the land of efficient execution.
Wandering is essential to doing your best work. I don’t mean, 40 years in the desert wandering. I mean creating space in your doing for some new ideas to come, to germinate and take root.
Some of the best ways to create space can be simple. Take a walk. Go to the coffee shop. Drive.
At times, more stringent measures are needed. Take a mini-break for a couple of days. Or a full-fledged vacation. Do something you’re always wanted to do.
Whatever you do, ease up on your expectations of efficiency. You can’t do your best work when you’re just efficiently checking off items on your list, one after the other.
Efficiency can also be a convenient hiding place when you’re scared about what you’re working on. Will it work? Will people like it? Is it good? I know when I’m getting a new offering ready, I can find the most efficient ways to do my laundry in the shortest time incredibly compelling. Fulfilling work, no doubt. But hardly an effective way to get my best work out there.
Ultimately, there’s no hiding place when it comes to doing good work. It won’t leave you alone. You’ll keep being called back to the work you want to do the most.
So, quit being so efficient, and start wandering a little more. Your clients and customers will thank you for it. And you’ll be a whole lot happier doing your best work.
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Here’s your Alchemy Assignment, your chance to transform what you learned in this article into awareness and action for you and your business:
Carve out a little time to wander. What’s a happy way to spend your wandering time? What’s your best way to take a break from your get-to-do’s? Make a point of taking wandering time every day, whether it’s sitting and daydreaming, or stepping out for some unstructured time. You’ll find ideas popping up. Keep those ideas: record them on your phone or in a notebook you take with you wherever you go. Once you’re back at work, see if any of those ideas shift and improve what you’re working on.