Comments on: A Chilled-Out Plan to Stop Being Over-Productive

By: Lauren

Lauren — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 20:15:28 +0000

Hi Anastasiya,

Great post – and timely!

While I have never been a Type-A person (I could often be the person in the hammock in the photo), I do tend to drive myself hard sometimes.

For example, getting my blog going has involved 10-15 hour days for a couple months. I won’t mention all my other work while doing this! Crazy!

The thing is I love it! I have always produced in waves. Sometimes I allow myself to be very busy and other times I do nothing but relax. It feels good to me when I love the activity I am involved in. Doing nothing but relaxing is so fun too.

I agree, it is all about balance. For me, I think it all comes out in the wash, so to speak!

By: J.D. Meier

J.D. Meier — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 07:36:23 +0000

I really like having a chill-out room and setting limits. They are a powerful combo.

I value my downtime. My downtime is key to my uptime. As Deepak once said, play hard like a child and sleep like a baby.

By: Anastasiya

Anastasiya — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 02:24:10 +0000

Hi Jeffrey,
all activities that you’ve mentioned seem like “distracting” activities to me:))
In my life I get too busy not only working but also doing stuff around the house, taking care of the kids and writing for this blog that is why I need some extreme measures to quiet and relax both my mind and body. The day-off works best for me right now but before I had kids I could not even think about it.
Different stages in life require different “tools” that would help us stay relaxed, happy and sane no matter what. The most important thing is to enjoy every stage and take the most out of it.

By: Anastasiya

Anastasiya — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 02:16:10 +0000

Hi Rob,
after all life is all about balance (in my opinion of course.) You work too much – and you forget what was the initial goal of your work. You rest too much – and you lose yourself in laziness and sluggishness.
You have picked a wonderful term “marvelously obsessed,” I really like it. I am not a fan of any obsessions though (obsession sounds more like an extreme to me and I do not like extremes in life) but if I wanted to become obsessed with anything in life, then I would have definitely chosen “marvelous obsession.”
I am glad that you are happy with what you are doing and that you still find time to relax in life. We all have different amounts of “productivity” that we can take in life without any consequences to our inner peace and happiness.

By: Anastasiya

Anastasiya — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 02:09:52 +0000

I read Renee’s book and I found it extremely inspiring. I think that it is a must-read for any mother because this book can give us a relaxed and happy attitude that helps us be the best moms in the world.

By: Anastasiya

Anastasiya — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 02:08:16 +0000

Like I said at the beginning of the post, some people are lucky to be able to chill out in life naturally. I am glad that you are one of those lucky people. Most of us still have friends or relatives who tend to be over-productive and sharing this “chilling” attitude with them is a big present that we can give them.

By: Jeffrey Tang

Jeffrey Tang — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 22:36:36 +0000

Anastasiya -

It was very interesting for me to read this post, because my personal experience has been so different. I’ve found in my life, for example, that taking breaks or relaxing in ways that truly distract me tend to be counterproductive. I wind up feeling lazy, or sleepy, or apathetic, and it takes me a long time to get back to work that matters. For me, what works is finding break activities that don’t stop the flow of thoughts, but change them: things such as reading a book that makes me think, writing about a different topic that’s been weighing on my mind, engaging in a discussion with friends.

Sometimes I wonder whether it’s better for me to take days on something else, rather than days off.

By: rob white

rob white — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 21:09:16 +0000

Hi Anastasiya,
You touch on something that I too work on. There is a delicate balance with having a ‘marvelous obsession’ and balancing that with the other domains of our lives. I realized that if I am going to master anything in my life, if I am going to become a maestro of any discipline, it begins with mental discipline (for me it is writing).

Being Marvelously Obsessed is a very practical term; it elevates your consciousness above the challenges that stand before you because you’ve risen above the feelings of limitation. Seeking excellence and being marvelously obsessed go hand in hand; they both begin with discipline and practice.

I’ve noticed that when I turn this asset up too high it becomes a bad habit. The best way for me to do this is Tip #7, there is nothing I love more than getting together with friends for some nice Sushi on a Friday night.

By: Amy

Amy — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:11:25 +0000

OMG! Good is good enough is so my mantra!!! I have to tell myself that over and over each and every day just to get through the day. I have three small children and my house is a complete disaster at all times. I feel like I run from one giant mess to the next all day long! I used to NEVER allow anyone into my home without it being spotless so it ended up that I stopped spending time with friends. Then about six months ago I was introduced to the whole Good is Good Enough concept in a women’s Personal Renewal Group I belong to based on The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal by Renee Trudeau (www.reneetrudeau.com). It really spoke to me and helped me to put things in perspective. No one else expects me (or my home) to be perfect so why should I? We really have to let go of those perfectionist tendencies and focus on what’s really important.

By: Zeenat{Positive Provocations}

Zeenat{Positive Provocations} — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:10:24 +0000

Lana,
I think we were separated at birth …my god i keep thinking exactly the same thing…how to seriously get organized….Timers, notebooks, post it notes….come into my den and see these all over