So are the Ants
My brother-in-law had an ant farm as a child.
Frustrated by how slowly they were moving, he decided they must be cold, and that the solution to kick them into gear was to heat them in the microwave. It did not end well.
Henry David Thoreau, who had much more patience, was known to spend hours observing the behavior of ants at his beloved Walden Pond. On one occasion he said,
"It's not enough to be busy, so are the ants."
Then went on to say, “The question is, what are we busy about?”
There is a difference between being busy, and being productive.
Have you ever had a day that feels like this?
I call them treadmill days. Running, running, running, only to end up right where you began.
Exhausted, but feeling like you have little to show for your endeavors.
Here are three things that get me through the treadmill days.
1. Think again
At times when you feel like you haven't accomplished anything, and trust me I get it, I promise you have! Take a moment and discover what it is.
* Are you a mother of young children, ending the day with a messes and the guilt of having lost your patience? Look more closely. Remember the moment you buckled a carseat, applied a bandaid, or made a sandwich. Those moments are the building blocks of their young lives, and you should be commended for stacking them.
* Did you spend the day at work, spinning your wheels? Look for the value in the fact that you showed up and kept your commitment. Think of one person you helped, even in the smallest way, one thing you learned, or reason to be proud of yourself. Well done!
* Are you in a slower phase of life, with a calendar that feels too empty? Try to be mindful of the little things. Too often we are fed the message that we have to be accomplishing something to be valuable. Not true! Acknowledge the feelings of slow or loneliness, but also include gratitude for the conversations, insights, tastes, or tiny moments that made today a gift.
2. Choose one clear objective to keep in mind
When the day begins, imagine yourself at the end of it. What one thing to you want to feel the satisfaction of having accomplished? Keeping that in mind throughout the day will increase your chances of seizing the opportunity.
3. Limit multitasking
Trying to do too many things at once, ironically, often results in feeling like you have done nothing at all. Handle tasks and priorities one by one.
That is, after all, how ants go marching.