Thursday, July 24, 2014

Variety is the spice of life

  1. Variety is the spice of life.
    Prov. Cliché You should try many different kinds of experiences, because trying different things keeps 
    life interesting. I know we usually spend our summer vacation camping out, but I think we should try something different this year. Variety is the spice oflife.See also: lifespicevariety
    McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

I get asked a lot - like, daily -by people who say "how do you get so much done in a day?"  Or... "you've accomplished more by 730am than I'll get done all day!" ... 

My response is usually two-fold:
1.  I sleep a lot.  I believe in the power of more rest, not less.  Is it "unproductive" time, spent behind those closed eyelids?  Perhaps.  But 9-10 hours of good shut eye and I can charge through a day like nobody's business.
2.  Variety.  If I just practiced law, or I just taught spin classes, or I just rode/raced my bike, or I just taught bike ED classes... I would not be nearly as productive.

Burnout is a productivity killer!  VARIETY is key!!!

There are just days when you won't feel plugged into option A - the creative juices aren't flowing, the drive isn't there, the passion is temporarily "out of order..."  But yet option B - well on that day, you can't wait to attack it!  Having more than one focus or more than one pursuit is critical!  

People tell you to excel at something, you have to make it your singular focus... but I don't agree with that.  Perhaps at the very elite level, yes.  But for the rest of us mere mortals, I firmly believe variety keeps us plugged in, keeps us sharp, keeps us moving.  

From now on - if you're "just not feeling it" on whatever you "A" is, move on to "B" or "C" and just watch what happens.  Taking a break from A and spending a day on C, will ultimately return you to A feeling recharged and refreshed.  It's like a mental health day, except instead of checking out, you moved onto something else that you enjoy.  


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