Time Management: Subtraction.

Shortly after I agreed to coordinate my temple’s participation in a national get out the vote campaign, I saw a tweet from Adam Klepetar, the Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Berkshire Community Colleges. Referring to “Want to be More Productive? Try Doing Less,” a Harvard Business Review article by Kate Northrop, Adam said “One of my best bosses made me create a stop doing list, both in terms of tasks and emotional/mental energy.” He called it one of the best professional development exercises of his career. I replied that it was equally good advice for a retiree!

I have recently decided to move away from leadership coaching and cut back on volunteer responsibilities in order to make more time for writing.  In addition to my blog and daily Haikus, I have started writing an historical novel based on my grandmother’s life story.  However, I have not yet taken the actions that will allow me the time I say I need to pursue what gives me joy.   

There are two reasons for this failure. First, I believe in the causes and organizations to which I have  committed my time.  And yet, when I was reflecting on the moral character trait of humility in a class last year, I had to question my motives. How much of saying yes is pride? Do I think I am the only one who can do the work, or the one who can do it best? Isn’t that a form of arrogance?

The second reason is my fear that the writing won’t be “good enough.” It is much easier to continue with the familiar than to take on new challenges. I will talk more about this in my next post.