I received a message this week from someone who asked if I could send her my weekly blog articles via DM.  She was a little sheepish: I know you send them via email, but I just can’t face my inbox.  I know the feeling!  I have a few thousand unread emails myself.  Not to mention the Slack messages, Asana messages, Basecamp messages, text messages, DMs across platforms… the list goes on.

We all have too much information coming our way.  We *think* we need it all: those emails you signed up for the take-the-discount-off-your-first-order promotions; those updates from your child’s school; those important messages from where you volunteer; the work emails, the play emails, the friend emails, the colleague emails… we’re saturated in communication that we have neither time nor capacity to consume.

Of course we can’t face our inboxes.

This onslaught of communication, necessary and not-so-much, is a symptom of our collective capitalist, hyper-productivite, hustle-hustle-hustle mindset.  We go until we drop.  We take pride in our overachieving, our late hours, our early hours (“I’m a member of the 5am Club, how about you?”) as if depriving ourselves of sleep is a badge of honor.  We were raised this way… and we raise our own kids in the same manner.  This is the cycle of human doing over human being.

And it’s an addictive cycle.  The addiction of our times is digital connection, instant gratification, and the cheap adrenalin high of constant busyness. Arianna Huffington has framed it this way (also using the language of addiction): "I believe this is a very special moment in history, a kind of perfect storm. There is a growing recognition — to borrow language from AA — that our world has become unmanageable."

I’ve mentioned before that I feel there is a shift in our collective energy going on right now: a pushback, whether intentional or not, against this hyper-productivity culture.  There is more and more focus on rest and wellbeing – something that is being both recognized and embraced (at least seemingly) by corporate America, as well.

More and more leaders in big companies are beginning to recognize the insidious costs of moving so relentlessly and at such high speeds.  However, according to Gallup, burnout is actually getting worse, especially for managers and those in leadership positions. Gallup tracked self-reported burnout at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 and again throughout 2021. While the percentage of managers who report being burned out "very often" or "always" was slightly higher than that of individual contributors in 2020, the gap widened considerably in 2021 (source: Jim Harter, Ph.D., Chief Scientist for Gallup's workplace management practice).

If you’re in one of those offices that now offers a yoga studio and weekly massages, incentives for exercise, and a healthy eating plan, surprise!  You are just as likely to experience stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout as those who are still slogging through either the “traditional work environment” or this new-WFH-normal due to unfair or disrespectful treatment at work, unmanageable workload, lack of role clarity, lack of communication and support from one's higher-up’s, and unreasonable time pressure.

SO WHAT DO WE DO?

Let’s talk first about what we should not do: add R&R to our to-do list!  It’s the ultimate irony that our deeply ingrained productivity-driven habits say we should solve this problem by adding more to our plates.  Okay, okay, we say, we’re doing too much.  We’re burnt out, exhausted, depressed, anxious and sleep-deprived.  So, we’re going to start meditating, exercising, resting, connecting with family and friends, keeping a food journal, putting our devices down… it’s more tasks.  More things to do.  Sure, they’re “good” things, but they are still TASKS.  You could add them to your already overflowing list and you’ve only succeeded in making the list looooooonger.

Just below the surface of our shared compulsion to do ever more, ever faster, is a deep hunger to do less, more slowly.  How we do this is to… STOP.  Ask yourself this: the last time you were sick or your child was sick and you were forced to take a day off, what happened?  Did the world fall off of its axis (I assume not since we’re all still here)?  Did you lose your job?  Did everything fall apart in dramatic and catastrophic fashion?

Probably not.

The current trend toward the four-day work week (CNBC, the WSJ, and the Financial Times have all recently touted and showcased different companies that are moving to this model) is the perfect example of this resetting and redefining shift in how we work.  But the key here is to become wildly protective of the time when you are not at work.  This means NOT allowing work to take up space in your head or drain your energy while you are not “working.”

Consider birds on a power line.  Birds can sit on power lines and not get electric shocks because the electricity is always looking for a way to get to the ground. The birds are not touching the ground or anything in contact with the ground, so the electricity will stay in the power line.  The birds are unconcerned with the deadly power flowing beneath them.  They are watching, alert, yet still and calm.  They are able to BE in their environment even though they are not necessarily DOING.

Last week, I detailed a framework to help combat triggering situations.  It is essentially a method of being more present.  This type of exercise can help when working to become more of a HUMAN BEING than a HUMAN DOING.

Here are four more tips you can use to help shift from doing to being:

1. Use your 5 senses for observation. Most people pay some level of attention to what they see and hear. Ask yourself whether you use your other senses with the same regularity.  That old saying “Stop and smell the roses” isn’t bad advice. If you have the ability to use all five senses, practice observing what you feel, smell, or taste.
   

   Being more present can be as simple as:

   • savoring the taste and fragrance of your morning tea or coffee

   • relishing the softness of your favorite sweater

   • noting distant sounds, like music, your neighbors’ voices, birdsong, and so on

   • enjoying the warmth of the water on your skin as you shower or wash your hands.  

2. Focus on your breath.  Deep breathing and other breathing exercises help you remember to take a moment and mindfully connect with your surroundings.  You might find these particularly helpful while driving in traffic or during other times of stress. Breathing exercises can help you ground yourself and help you avoid distracting yourself further by ruminating on worries or picking up your phone.
   
   Try this exercise:

   • Breathe in slowly, focusing on the sensation of your lungs expanding and filling with air. Hold the breath for a count of three, then release it slowly.  Repeat three times.
     

3. Use your break time mindfully.  What’s the first thing you do when you start your break? There’s nothing wrong with checking your phone or grabbing a snack, but give yourself a few minutes for mindfulness first.  Closing your eyes and doing a quick body scan can help you note areas of stress or tension. Sometimes, just acknowledging these feelings can help relieve them.

   Take a few deep breaths, imagining stress and tension leaving your body with each exhale.  Also consider changing up your break by taking a walk. A few minutes outside, feeling fresh air, can help you feel more present and connected.
   
   Once you finish a task, take a minute or two to rest instead of rushing immediately to the next item on your list.

   Try: praising yourself for doing your best and appreciating the co-workers who helped you out.  Don’t think about what comes next. Just take a minibreak to simply exist.

   
   

4. Become aware of your energy.  It’s incredibly difficult to raise your energy levels without first knowing where they are!  Your ability TO BE is deeply connected to your understanding of you ARE, how you react, and how you are able to interpret and interact with other people, your environment, and yourself.
   
   If you are ready to meet the ultimate tool of self-discovery – one that is more neuroscience than woo – you must become familiar with your Energy Leadership Index.  It is the ultimate tool to help you transition from HUMAN DOING to HUMAN BEING.  Explore the Energy Leadership Index Assessment here.

How are you becoming more productive by doing less? How are you shifting from more DOING to more BEING? Let me know in the comments!