From Being To Doing: How To Create More By Doing Less (Live)

No more pseudoproductivity! If you are struggling with your workload or find yourself with zero time to implement the bigger impact you wish to have, then this is for you. Learn how to do less, but create more impact, innovation, and valuable work through the lens of Conscious Leadership. We talk about aligned action versus productivity for its own sake and how this can shake up your current workplace culture (in a good way).

This is a recording from Nik's weekly lives on Insight Timer. To join her next time, see her upcoming events.

Transcript

What we're really looking at is changing this culture that prioritises or seems to champion output for output's sake,

Or productivity over everything else.

And I felt this a lot when I worked in corporate,

Was this pressure to always look like I was busy,

You know,

I always had to have something to do.

And sometimes we take this a little too far.

From doing to being.

How conscious leaders create more by doing less.

So we want to get rid of this pseudo productivity that seems to be quite embedded in a lot of workplaces.

So if you're struggling with your workload or find yourself with zero time to implement the bigger impact you wish to have,

This is for you.

And maybe you aren't struggling with your workload,

But you want to learn how to do less.

You want to create more impact,

Innovation and create more valuable work through the lens of conscious leadership.

We're going to talk more about that today.

So let's start off with a five minute grounding or presence exercise so that we can all just arrive here and give our full attention.

So if it's safe for you to do so,

Please close down your eyes.

And start to tune into your breath.

And just notice the quality of your breath.

Notice the depth of your breath.

And if you wish to change the quality or the depth,

Now is your time to do so.

Perhaps you want to breathe slower,

Fuller,

Wider.

Perhaps you want to complete,

Completely empty the lungs all the way out.

Tuning your breath into longer,

Deeper,

Fuller breaths.

And as you're breathing,

Just tune into your body and notice if there's anything that is tense that could easily be relaxed.

And as you breathe in,

Inviting in space.

And as you breathe out,

Simply letting go of that tension,

Letting your body relax.

Perhaps the shoulders come down.

Perhaps the face stops to frown.

Perhaps your hands relax,

Your jaw drops.

Your eyes sit back in their sockets.

No longer straining to see,

Enjoying this time with your eyes closed.

And as we come more inside,

More into ourselves,

We invite all of our attention to be here with us now.

So any thoughts that are out there in the future,

Bringing them back here to now,

Back to this breath.

And any thoughts that are stuck in the past,

Worrying about the past or upset about the past or stressing about the past,

Bringing them back to here,

Back to this breath.

Asking for all of our energy and all of our attention to come back and return to us here with each breath in and each breath out.

And we'll take five more long deep breaths here.

Enjoying this presence that you have cultivated.

And when you're ready,

Opening your eyes and returning with all of your attention and energy right here in this moment.

All right,

Welcome everyone here today.

So let's dive into today's topic,

Hopefully with a little more of you here with me.

So we're talking about this idea from doing to being and creating more by doing less.

What we're really looking at is changing this culture that prioritizes or seems to champion output for output sake or productivity over everything else.

And I felt this a lot when I worked in corporate,

Was this pressure to always look like I was busy.

You know,

I always had to have something to do.

And sometimes we take this a little too far.

And one of the keystone practices of conscious leadership is understanding what kind of actions you are taking and whether they are actually valuable actions or aligned actions,

Or if they're actions taken out of habit that take you further away from the goal that you have as a conscious leader.

So we want to move away from output for output sake,

Productivity for productivity sake,

You know,

Endless meetings or long lists of to do's,

Which out of the actions that are taken,

Barely any of them really make a dent or really make any kind of valuable change.

So if this sounds like something that you want to do,

Stick around,

Because we're going to look more at that.

So that is the vision is to move away from that.

So what is the alternative?

The alternative is an environment where we have more presence,

Where we're doing less.

However,

What we do has more value.

Has more impact than what we did before.

So we move away from just doing for doing sake or creating for creating sake.

And we start to look at taking action that is aligned.

So what does aligned action actually mean?

It means taking action that is in support of your mission and action and your vision,

Or as I call it,

Your big bold dream.

So what is your big goal?

And what are the steps I'm taking to get there?

Your actions need to be in alignment with that.

They also need to be in alignment with your values.

And they need to be in alignment with allowing you to become the leader you need to be to create the mission that you are on.

Okay,

That's a big one.

So allowing you to become the leader you need to be to create the mission that you're on or the big bold dream that you're on.

And I talk about these concepts mission and action and big bold dream or vision more in my upcoming book The Conscious Leader.

So when we're talking about aligned action,

We're being really intentional with where we put our energy and where we put our attention and where we go to take action.

Okay,

So our energy,

Our time,

Our attention.

It's very,

Very intentional where we put it.

So we move away from this idea of just doing because we either think we should do it or we have to do it.

And we start to look at what actions are actually important,

Really important to the achievement of my big bold dream or my mission and action.

Again,

It needs to be intentional,

Not just habitual.

So instead of doing,

Doing,

Doing,

You are being first and then doing.

So this is how we move from doing to being.

The first part of this idea was from doing to being.

What does that actually mean?

Well,

When we get out of the habit of having to do all the time,

We allow ourselves that grace to actually be present with what it is that we want to create.

And so from that place of being,

We start to make intentional decisions of where to spend our time and attention.

Without that,

If you just continue on with the to-do list,

You have endless to-do lists or the endless meetings,

All of which have a lot of actions,

A lot of productivity is being done.

It doesn't actually mean that you are achieving anything of value.

So we move from doing a lot to being more.

And in that being space is that opportunity for you to be contemplative,

For you to reflect,

For you to really understand what it is that you want to achieve with your leadership role,

And therefore be able to make decisions on what kind of actions you are going to take on or what kind of tasks or workloads.

So you are looking for quality over quantity.

And when you model this way of working for your people,

They're also inspired to do the same.

And you're going to create a team that makes or that produces more quality and therefore more valuable work,

Rather than a team that ticks off an endless to-do list.

The same thing can be applied to things like meetings,

Right?

I remember being so frustrated with one of my first corporate jobs and how many meetings I had to turn up to.

I was like,

Is this really necessary?

Does this really help me to achieve what it is that I'm here to do?

And to be honest,

Most of it didn't.

Most of these meetings could be run without me.

I didn't have to be present.

And this is what I mean by you switching from a doing model to a being model.

You need to have that time to be able to reflect to yourself and ask,

Is this really necessary for me to be present at?

Or is this really necessary for me to have my hand in?

And I guarantee that most of your list that you have,

Or that you have decided to take on,

Is probably not going to be necessary for you to do.

And a lot of what I see with this workplace culture that prioritizes doing or productivity for the sake of that,

Is that there is a lack of clarity of where things are actually going.

So if you're in such a leadership position where you have a say in the bigger picture of your organization or business,

This is also an opportunity to reflect on what kind of processes or procedures or cultures do we have that are creating more tasks for your people than are necessary to create what it is that you want to accomplish as a business.

So let's look a little bit more into this aligned action.

We've talked quite a lot about the difference between pseudo productivity and where we want to go instead,

Which is towards this aligned action or to this being space.

Okay,

So moving from doing to being.

So aligned action really is making informed,

Intentional action that supports your big bold dream.

Another way to say your big bold dream is your vision.

I call it your big bold dream because I want for it to be inspiring for you,

For it to be really something that you're reaching for.

So if we're to take aligned action,

We need to understand two things.

One is what is it that you want to create?

What is it exactly?

So what is your big bold dream?

What is the mission in action?

IE,

What are the steps that are actually allowing you to get there?

So that's the first thing you need to know.

You need to be clear on what it is that you want to create.

Hence why you have to have time to be,

Not do.

Seeing the shift there,

There has to be this time for you to have reflection in your work.

And if you want to be a conscious leader,

It's almost impossible if you are always in the doing.

Reflection or space,

Time to yourself is extremely important for you to be a present leader,

Which we've talked about a lot in my other lives.

So if you haven't checked out my other lives before,

I do record them.

I blank out all the names.

So if you do ask a question,

Don't worry,

You're not going to be revealed.

But I do record them.

So if you haven't followed already,

Go and follow me and check out my other lives.

I talk a lot about presence as a leader.

So to take a line to action,

We first need to understand what it is that you want to create.

You need to be clear on that because with the clarity comes a really easy yes or no.

They act as your North Star.

Is this an alignment to my big bold dream and my mission in action?

If it is,

Great,

I'll do it.

If it isn't,

No,

Won't be.

Really,

Really easy.

So clarity is really key here.

And again,

If you want to be clear,

You have to have time to reflect on these things.

So again,

We move from doing to being.

So the second thing that you need to know to take a line to action is how is it that you can create your big bold dream within the key business goals you have to fulfill in your position,

Right?

I'm not being like airy-fairy where I'm like,

You're just a leader who can just ignore the KPIs that you've been given in terms of your leadership role.

No,

I understand that you're working for an organization that has its own goals.

So we need to take this into consideration too,

Of course.

So how is it that I can create what it is that I want to create,

My big bold dream,

My mission in action,

Within the key business goals that I have to fulfill in my position?

So these two things are going to help navigate the kind of things that we're going to put our time and attention and energy to.

So then we're left with this idea.

What actions really help to create these two things?

What actions really help me to create my big bold dream and really help me to fulfill my role?

Everything else is extraneous.

It's wasted productivity.

So I guarantee if you were to go and you were to give yourself time to be,

Not to do,

Time to be,

And contemplate these two questions.

What is it that you want to create?

And what are the key business goals that I have to fulfill in my position?

And then you went through all of the meetings that you have lined up for you,

All of the to-do lists that you have,

You'd probably cut that thing in half just by putting it through those two filters.

So now we're really understanding how to take aligned action.

Aligned action is informed.

Aligned action is intentional.

It is not habitual.

And I think this is where we find a problem with the workplaces that we're in is that often they're so entrenched in how they do things.

They have done it for so many years,

Decades,

Doing it as it has been done.

I'm kind of one of these people who hop into positions and I change things up,

Or I really love good systems and I hate to see it when things are wasted or time is wasted over certain things.

So part of what makes a really great conscious leader and part of how you allow yourself to take back your time,

Which is really what this live is about,

Isn't it?

How do I do more by doing less?

Part of that equation is about taking back your time.

As conscious leaders doing that,

You're going to change or disrupt how the workplace has worked before.

That's perfect.

You're here to do that.

You're here to create a workplace that is more positive,

That is maybe more valuable.

And so part of that is the shake up.

So you need to have the courage to do that with your own position.

If you're overworked,

If you're finding that you don't have enough time to dedicate attention and energy that you wish to,

To create the big bold dream of this beautiful workplace,

Or this role that you make a big impact on people's lives,

Then you need to take back your time.

You need to do more by doing less.

This is how you do it.

Okay,

Let's dive into this last part.

So to achieve aligned action and do more by doing less,

You need to have space to be present with your big bold dream and your mission in action.

Have I said that enough?

You need to be being more than doing more,

Okay?

So you need time to be present to contemplate your goals.

You need time to just be and not to keep doing.

And as I said before,

You are going to naturally disrupt what has been done before in your organizations.

If they're an organization that has prioritized productivity for productivity sake,

Yeah.

In this though,

Remember that in this being,

In this modeling of you having time to contemplate what it is that you want to create,

You are being more present.

And with your presence,

You are also more impactful.

So in your presence,

You are able to be more with your people,

Really start to understand the processes of your team rather than stuck behind a desk or at meetings with zero time to connect with your people.

And you're also a model of a more easy way of achieving great things.

So you get to achieve great things by doing less and minus the stress.

And we all know that we could do with less stress in these times.

And one of the biggest parts of being a conscious leader is you being the model of what it is that you want to see in your workplace.

So with this idea of being present or with this idea of doing more by doing less,

You're going to have a bigger impact in several ways.

You also are giving room for innovation.

So if innovation is one of those things that you are really interested in,

Or maybe this is actually what your team does.

Yeah,

It's about innovation.

Remember that breakthroughs come often in the space of being and not doing.

So the Eureka moment,

It didn't come in the space of doing,

It was in the space of being.

So we actually need to give our minds rest.

We need to give our minds space.

We need to stop doing habitual doing and give ourselves space to have those moments of insight.

On insight timer.

So I hope that I've convinced you to take back some of your time,

Do more by doing less.

And hopefully what I have showed you today has given you some of the steps of how to do that,

How to move from productivity for productivity's sake to aligned action only.

All right,

For your contemplation,

If you have a journal,

Maybe you want to write this down.

If you've got your cell phone,

Chuck it in notes and take some time to do five to 10 minutes of reflection.

And this is the question that I have for you.

What would my day look like if I took only aligned action?

I'll say that again.

What would my day look like if I only took aligned action?

I'm actually really interested what it would look like.

Do some of you have an idea?

Maybe you already know and you can chuck it in the comments.

I think that if you are a leader who is finding yourself quite under the pump,

Under the pressure with a lot of workload,

That when you answer this question,

You're going to realize that your workload could be a lot easier.

You'd be less stressed.

You'd have more time to connect.

You'd probably end up being a happier,

More fulfilled person.

And in that modeling,

You're going to model to the rest of your people what it is or the possibility of that being their reality too.

Okay,

So the next question for those of you who already know,

Literally,

What would it look like?

So start going through your calendar and crossing out any of the actions that you have said that you would do and just saying no.

Or if that's not possible,

Because sometimes it's not because you've taken on responsibility,

Right?

From now on,

Start to say no to those things that are not in alignment.

Has this been useful for you?

Do you think you can implement this today in your workplace?

And I really do hope it has been useful because I do appreciate the time that you've spent with me today.

I know your time can never be taken back,

That you've dedicated 30 minutes of your time to be on here with me.

So I do try my hardest to make these really valuable for you.

And if you did find it valuable,

Come over and join me on Insight Timer.

Join me again next week for my weekly lives.

Come and listen to all my other resources as well.

I've got so many there.

I've got past lives that I've done,

That I've recorded.

I've got meditations,

Other talks.

And I'd love for you to dive into them,

Give them ratings.

And of course,

If you really loved it and you'd like to send me a donation,

I also would really appreciate that.

That would help me to get more of my work out there to the world.

So I hope to catch you again on a live or I hope to catch you as one of my new followers on Insight Timer.

Until then,

Have a beautiful rest of your day,

A beautiful rest of your week.

Bye for now.