Treat #117
: What can you do with a minute?
I am leaving for a trip and have a lot of small incompletes to handle. I am very aware of the power of focus in this moment.
I am sure you all know the experience of using more time than you actually need to do something. If you know you have a whole day to do a project you will take the whole day. But if you only have two hours to do it you still get it done. To me the difference is focus.
The more I focus, the more I am able to complete in the time I have. The daunting In-box and Next Action list dwindle quite easily if I stay out of "efforting". The key is to have a clear, relaxed focus moving in tune with the action.
This morning I had an appointment at my house and the person was late. I started to get ready for their arrival (it was a Feldenkrais session) by laying on the table. But, given what I knew was on my plate before leaving town, I kept going with the actions on my list. It was quite remarkable (even to me) as I handled about ten things in those ten minutes.
I am continually reminded of how long a minute really is. It is especially long if I fully immerse myself in the moment and stay present.
In a Feldenkrais class earlier this week we were focusing on bringing awareness to tiny movements with the feet. I experienced the deepest relaxation from these very simple, infinitesimally small movements. The teacher explained that the movements are designed to bypass the mind and place attention with the body. I noticed with that level of gentle yet steady focus that time also seemed to lengthen.
A minute can be very spacious if I let go into that moment.
Lately I've noticed back-to-back meetings scheduled on many of my clients' calendars, with no space in between. I wonder what just one minute of uninterrupted time between these meetings might give to people--perhaps to step back and focus on the day ahead, to focus on what just took place (are there next actions to record?), or to simply breathe and relax for a minute.
The constant prayer I hear is to have more time.
A minute is a very long time when we choose to be fully in it. .
Martha Invitations
1. Experience how long a minute can be. Look at your watch for one minute, and just watch your breathing.
2. Give yourself a full minute before you open your computer and just let your mind show you where it wants to focus.
3. Track and marvel at how much can be handled in a focused minute.
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