Diary extracts February '24
Slowing down | we all see differently | on being interested | the aesthetics of work| knowing how much dana to give!
Once a month I post some diary extracts. Sangharakshita, the founding teacher of the order I belong to, was asked, ‘How can I get a mind like yours?’. He didn’t say, ‘meditate all the time’, or ‘read lots of dharma’. His advice was to ‘reflect on everything that happens’. Writing a diary can be an insight practice. Reflect on everything that happens in your life, in the light of the dharma.
Dear friends,
Has a book ever inspired you before you’ve read it? I’m inspired by one that’s not published yet! I pre-ordered Cal Newport’s ‘Slow Productivity’ and was sent some bonuses. One was a video in which he was going to share the three main ideas from his book. Great. Cup of tea, get comfortable, let’s go:
Do fewer things
Work at a natural pace
Obsess over quality
Is that it? I must admit, I felt disappointed. Oh well. But then, as the days went by, these three became a little mantra in the back of my mind. Number three is key. Obsess over quality. But in order to create something of quality, you’ve got to do fewer things and work at a natural pace. Here’s how I think this mantra would transform my work:
Do fewer things: It takes courage to focus solely on what you really want to do. As a self-employed person, my insurance policy is having lots of ‘irons in the fire’. What if I only focussed on creating beautiful wabi-sabi Dharma? What if I wrote my book? The last thing we need right now is ‘more’. So why not make less and make it better?
Work at a natural pace: This means reconsidering what work is. Do I only count time sitting here at my desk? What about yesterday when I took a long walk, then immediately came in the door to jot down various solutions that had magically appeared? Can I trust that making space to do other things is also an investment in my own work?
Obsess over quality: For me, to create something of real value can only come out of a different way of working. It can’t be rushed. Instead of keeping my nose to the grindstone, it’s about walking away from time to time. Having the courage to go slow. It feels so attractive, yet scary!
How would these three ideas affect how you work?
Below are some snippets from my February diary: