Be more productive by doing less ... and leave room for magic

July 4, 2023

Every day, I have a to-do list with priorities on my calendar. As many of you have experienced, things don’t always go as planned, so it’s part of my routine to reprioritize work based on deadlines and work I get on a particular day.

When work starts coming my way, my first reaction is to want to take care of everyone and make everything a priority. Or to add more stuff to my already demanding to-do list whenever I have five extra minutes instead of taking breaks. I have been doing this for years, but it wasn’t until recently that I started feeling the consequences of doing too much, so I decided to start leaving room for magic.

For many years, I bombarded my days with things I thought needed to be taken care of immediately. Or I would plan to work on a project, and if I was able to finish the project earlier than I expected, instead of saying: “Good job, now I can take a break,” I would add another big project to my plate, and I would start it right away. I would deny myself the feeling of accomplishment and relaxation.
The more I did this, the more tired I felt, so I started comparing the days when I was able to stop and say: “Okay, I’ve done enough” to the days when I was doing too much, and I started to realize that when I made room for rest and play, or when I moved at a slower and more comfortable pace, I felt more productive and would end my day in a better mood.

I used to think that being busy meant I wasn’t being lazy, and I felt guilty every time I took breaks because I didn’t want to be lazy. I believe now that you can be more productive by doing less.
To me, doing less doesn’t mean you’re not making an effort or not showing up with intention daily. Doing less to be more productive means that I’m more present in what I’m doing, that all of my energy is nurturing and going towards the project or task at hand, towards the person I’m trying to help, and that I’m giving it my all without distractions, without the noise, without feeling stressed or exhausted, or overworking myself. Being more productive by doing less means you do things at a pace that feels good for you, allowing you to focus and think more creatively, solving problems better, and to better execution and performance. Being more productive means that after you’ve done everything you had control over, you pause and leave room for the universe to do its thing. You let the universe take care of the things that don’t have a logical explanation but work out in your favor. The things you never could’ve thought of on your own, the unexpected opportunities that land on your lap, the amazing connections you make … the little miracles of life. In other words, you leave room for magic.