The Big Prune
Photo: Roberto Sorin @ Unsplash
It might require you find the justification or meaning to motivate you - or you might be ready to start culling, letting go of or removing the dead wood. Either way, here’s a list of prompts to get you thinking about how to embrace a ‘do less’ and Joy Of Missing Out lifestyle proposed by our featured authors this month.
Good luck - and get ready to share the impact of this thinking and your actions at our group session! I’m looking forward to finding out how you’re getting on.
Some provocative questions for you…
In general - and based on what is most important to you right now…
What can I stop doing?
What is on my to-do list that doesn't need to be done?
What is on my list that could be done by someone else?
What doesn't need to be done now?
What do I need less of (to create more of something else?)
What can I do less of (to create more of something else?)
Ask yourself - what will you do with an extra hour of time to yourself, every day?
Ask yourself - what are you avoiding when you make yourself "too busy"?
Who are you if you are not busy?
What would it bring you to be less busy?
Boundaries
Sometimes, we need to put boundaries in place in order to protect ourselves from ‘too much’. But in order to make them really effective, it is worth interrogating why they exist, what they mean in practice - and how you will sustain them. Here goes…
What boundary do you need to put in place to enable you to do less?
What are you doing, in practice, to put the boundary in place?
How strong is it, and how permeable might it be? What is the threat to it?
What happens when it gets breached?
Who needs to know about your boundary and why it is important to you?
And here are some autumn pruning questions, to help you take some decisive action this month!
Name…
One thing you can give away
One thing that needs replacing
One thing that needs mending
One thing that needs to be sold
One thing that needs to be thrown
One thing that needs a new home
One relationship that you can invest less time and energy in
One work practice that you can delegate to another person
One household task you can delegate to another person
One self-concept you can be more forgiving about
One habit you can interrogate (and let go of)
One belief that holds you back (and let go of)