We live in a culture that continues to demand more and more. We find ourselves spiraling in perpetual cycles of frenzied hustle and increased levels of pressure to get things done.
In addition, we get sucked into social media and the comparison game, where we measure our worth against some arbitrary metric of success we have bought into. Much of which, isn’t even real. It’s an illusion. One where all we see is the A side of the track; we never see the B side.
It’s easy to share a highlight reel, but very few share the reality of managing life and all its nuances and demands.
The expectations have escalated, pushing people to “do it all” and “have it all,” often at the expense of our well-being and sanity.
We wonder why we are sick all the time. Why we feel so stressed. And, why we insist on suffering so much.
Mental health issues and suicide are on the rise. There are some parallels we ca draw between the state of our collective mental, emotional, physical — and, might I offer, spiritual — wellness and the inefficiencies we create.
In our ongoing attempt to keep up and prove our value, we wind and grind, burn and churn, and hustle for the muscle. In our efforts to do more, we also are creating endless amounts of wasted time and inefficiencies.
Enter the mighty “I” in the N.O.I.S.E.
In this article, Part 3 of our journey into Strategies to Destroy the NOISE, we are going to explore the Inefficiencies We Create Every Day
Inefficiencies show up everywhere in our lives, our work, and even our relationships. We are addicted to living in a constant state of distraction. We are asleep and wandering around like zombies most of the time, unaware of our energy leaks and the costs we pay for our lack of presence.
We lost sight that our mission, vision, and purpose are slipping further and further away from us. We talk a good game about time management, when in truth, this is part of the problem. For when we manage our time, we are simply watching the clock, and the hours, minutes, and seconds slip by.
When we, however, consciously choose to reframe where we place our attention, and rather, begin managing our focus, we then start to watch our impact, instead. Our real ROI becomes a return on impact, not merely a return on investment. Because our time and energy are the most expensive investment we can make. It’s the only resource we cannot replenish.
Wouldn’t it then be wiser of us to tap into and connect the investment (of our time and energy) we choose to make with the impact we deliver, as a result?
Let’s explore this a bit further, by breaking the “I” down into three parts:
Inability to say “no”
One major source of the inefficiencies we create is our inability to set boundaries and say “no.” Thus, we find ourselves saying “yes” to things as a function of being accepted or people-pleasing. It’s our own imposter syndrome that has saying “yes,” when we really want to say “no.”
As a result, we find ourselves overcommitted, overwhelmed, exhausted, and unable to discern which demands on our time and energy are truly essential. We lose our ability to properly prioritize what matters most.
Not to mention, our feelings of regret, anger, frustration, where we begrudgingly carry out the thing we committed to.
“Yes” and “no” are complete sentences and it’s up to use to determine how and when to use both. Nothing more is needed.
The key factor is being clear on what truly is your “yes” versus what needs to be your “no.”
Neither one requires a justification, explanation, or apology on your part. When you stand in your truth and in integrity, that’s more than enough.
Inability to properly qualify and de-quality
Similarly, we struggle to effectively qualify new opportunities, people, and commitments, and just as importantly, to de-qualify those that don’t align with our priorities. This leads to us spreading ourselves thin across too many projects and tasks, diluting the magnitude of our impact.
Think about any typical sales training. Participants gets taught how to properly qualify prospects to be potential clients, but very rarely are they also taught to properly de-qualify those that aren’t.
It’s in the ability to truly say “no, I’m not available for that” or “no, not for me” that you access your greatest power.
For we are not here to serve everyone. We are here to serve those meant for us. Therefore, we need a filter to cut out the rest, to destroy the NOISE. Otherwise, we find ourselves quieting down our leadership voice, diluting our message, playing small, and trying to be all things to all people.
A recipe for wasted time, energy and focus. Talk about a huge inefficiency.
The ultimate 4-letter word
Now, if you spend five minutes around me, you would know that I love a LOT of four-letter words. My love language is part trucker, part sailor, and part sports fanatic. Meaning, I can drop a good f-bomb on the regular.
When I say the ultimate four-letter word, I am talking about: BUSY
Or, should I say: Busy Under Shoulding Yourself …
Busy, the pervasive badge of honor and metric of success is often a mask for a lack of true productivity and purpose, and is the ultimate catalyst to creating unnecessary inefficiencies in our day-to-day interactions.
Getting trapped in the cycle of BUSY robs us of the ability to work with intention and create meaningful results.
In the endless pursuit of more, more, more … and, then even more, we get ourselves all twisted up and tangled in producing more stuff. Our entire focus than becomes how much we produce verses what we create.
We’ve got to start leading and living differently, as we have developed a culture of wind-and-grind, burn-and- churn, no-pain-no-gain, and being busy just for the sake of being busy. We hustle for the sake of the hustle.
Have you ever wondered what you are hustling for?
Are you even hustling for the right thing or anything that truly matters?
So, many times we get so caught up in the momentum, and the day-to-day grind, and being busy for the sake of being busy, that we forget to hit pause to check in and make sure all the work we are doing really is with purpose.
Leadership is a choice, and you are the creator of your own play book. Time to get YOUR (right) hustle on!
We are creating more and more work for ourselves, and getting further and further away from living a life filled (and overflowing) with greater meaning, purpose, passion, intention, joy, love, and true fulfillment.
There’s a hustle that works when it’s aligned with your impact. Then there’s also the hustle that has you moving everyone else’s agenda forward.
So, which hustle are you working? Is it the one that aligned with your heart’s desires, your Soul’s Purpose, and allows you to be aligned AF?
Or, is it one that is sucking you dry?
Strategies to Destroy the N.O.I.S.E.
The inefficiencies we create can cause us to shrink our light, play small, and allow imposter syndrome to take over.
We second-guess our capacity and capabilities to try new things and to tap into to what makes our heart truly sing.
Here are a few strategies to help us refocus and reprioritize:
#1: It's not about time management; it's about focus management
Think about it … time management is a function of watching the clock (the seconds, the minutes, and the hours tick by). Whereas, focus management is a function of watching your impact (the way you serve other).
Focus management creates space to prioritize high-impact activities and engagements, eliminate distractions, ask deeper, clarifying questions, and create more meaningful connections in our work and with others.
Imagine building a calendar with meaning, once designed to work for your highest good, and to help you lead your Living Legacy. A calendar that provides a roadmap to create real impact, one driven by inspired action.
#2: There is NO life-work balance; it's all your life
We need to stop thinking that life and work are two different things.
You only have one life, and work is simply one of the many buckets inside that life. Or, it’s a spoke on the Wheel of Life.
Imagine if you stop making work more important than your own well-being, your own self-care, and your own joy, and your relationships with yourself and your loved ones.
Imagine building a calendar where your fulfillment, joy, satisfactions, and peace were a priority, not a wishful thought. A way to integrate ALL the pieces of your life, rather than seeing them as separate domains.
Imagine if you prioritized you & your deepest desires. You let inspired action lead how you work. You did meaningful work you truly love.
#3: Prioritize your self-care and implement the bookends
Stop putting yourself last. You cannot pour from an empty cup. It’s only when you prioritize yourself that you can give to those you love most, including your kids, your team, your aging parents, and anyone else you feel responsible for (that includes your pets).
I need you to let this sink in: It is not selfish to make yourself a priority; it’s actually is selfish when you don’t.
For what you end up giving to everyone is the residual, leftover crap, as a result of you not making YOU a priority. We need to learn how to pour from the overflow. And, that starts with carving out dedicated, intentional time for yourself. Meaning how you start and end your day is everything.
I call this your bookends.
You need space in the morning before jumping into your calendar, email, and social media to ground yourself in your truth and set your intention for the day. This is your Morning M.A.P. (Mindfulness, Activation, Purpose).
You also need space at the end of your day to fully close out the day. To rest, recharge, and breathe. This is your Evening P.J.S. (Put the devices away, Journal or reflect on the day, Set yourself up for success for the next day).
You can grab my free resource to learn more about how to establish the right Bookends to empower you here;
How you start & end your day is everything! This guide gives you exactly what you need to set yourself up for a…candybarone.myflodesk.com
You see, we only get this one life, and once we realize that we’re not here to live in a constant state of hustle, suffering, grind, or busy for the sake of being busy, we give ourselves the freedom to truly live.
The constant state of distraction, addiction, busyness, and inefficiency that permeates our culture is a trap. It’s one that robs us of our focus, our joy, and our true purpose. Now, is the time to break free.
So, let’s put an end to the mindless time management and frenzied hustle.
Instead, let’s commit to focus management — prioritizing high-impact activities, eliminating draining distractions, and building a calendar that reflects our deepest desires and highest calling.
Let’s redefine success as a way to serve and offer our own well-being to others. Recognize that there is no such thing as “work-life balance.” It’s all part of your life, and every aspect deserves your attention and care.
This is your invitation to rise above the NOISE and reevaluate your relationship with time, productivity and impact. Decide now what truly matters most, and let that guide your choices, focus, and journey forward.
The path to your greatest impact and most meaningful life begins with putting yourself first. Only by reclaiming your time, your energy, and your sense of purpose, that you can live your most aligned and authentic life.
What will you choose to do with this precious gift you’ve been given?