DO LESS TO DO BETTER

 

What are things you might stop doing that could improve the quality of your day-to-day life? Harvard professor and researcher Arthur Brooks calls this a “to don’t” list: things that you find yourself doing out of habit or obligation even though they lower happiness and productivity.

As you consider your own list, I encourage you to try the following:

Kill Your Buzz

The average person receives 146 notifications on their smartphone every day. In a world that requires staying present to be your best self and do your best work, our environment is set up to have us constantly distracted. Several years ago, I found this to be the case when trying to keep up with texts, emails and social media alerts during a team meeting. A team meeting I had called!

Immediately after the meeting I went into my phone’s settings and turned off all notifications, cold turkey. No more texts buzzing in my pocket while listening to a colleague or family member talk. No more email notifications catching the corner of my eye while working on a project. Nothing I’ve stopped doing has improved the quality of my life and freedom in it like being untethered from this inbound barrage. I always make time for communicating with those who need me, yet doing so intentionally allows the quality of that communication to be much improved!

Just-ification

Just. It is such a small word, yet it has tremendous impact. As a non-profit consultant and, before that, a leader within a non-profit, my main currency is giving direction and counsel (both solicited and unsolicited!). During one such instance, I provided a well-thought out and reasoned way to execute a back-to-school event at a local housing complex. Throughout, I found myself saying “just” several times. “Just call the fire department and ask them to bring a truck out for kids to explore.” “Just get with your cousin the hairdresser and ask her if she’ll provide free haircuts for the kids.” “Just ask the sponsor to provide free backpacks again this year.”

It hit me that there is no such thing as “just.” Every action we take for the good of ourselves and the good of others requires energy, time, and often real sacrifice to make happen. Eliminating “just” from your vocabulary will allow people to know that what you are guiding them to do has significance and is not being taken lightly.

A Call to Arms

This is one you’ve likely heard before: crossing your arms across your chest gives the perception of defensiveness and being closed off…and you thought you were just trying to stay warm in that frigid conference room!

Think about it, how many times have you been talking with a donor, colleague or supervisor and the crossing of their arms gets you thinking: “Are they mad?” or “Why don’t they like what I’m saying?”

I’ve experienced feeling more confident in conversations, being told that I’m a good listener and improved presentation skills all from breaking the habit of crossing my arms. (Not to mention, less wrinkled shirts). When you feel yourself going to that comfortable pose, reverse course. Put your hands in your pockets, on your hips or clasped behind you. While at first, it will be awkward, you’ll be amazed how empowered you feel by demonstrating a position of openness and composure.

Whether or not these three examples of “to don’ts” resonate with you, I encourage you to take a quick inventory of things worth stopping. Ironically, you find by stopping a few things, you’ll go much farther, faster!

 

ThingsToStop (1)As important as knowing what to START doing, it’s important to know what to STOP doing. “Because we’ve always done it this way” is a terrible reason to do something. This month, we’ll share things you should STOP doing to further your organization.

 

 

 

 

Posted by Johnathan Teal
Johnathan Teal

Written by Johnathan Teal

Johnathan Teal, CFRE, brings more than 20 years of working with nonprofits building impactful programs, establishing dynamic community partnerships, and creating capacity for greater impact. Before working with DBD Group, Johnathan served in diverse leadership roles from lifeguard to program director to VP of Development, working primarily with the YMCA, and launched a start-up nonprofit as well.

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