I guess one cant really start a post with an aside (given that there is no content to aside from), but as I sit here in DC at the Open City cafe, I am struck with the striking differences between living in the “big city,” and living in a place like Boulder. Aside from the obvious, there is one thing that strikes me as eerily the same. The energy.

Last night someone, who is pretty important to me (meaning I had a real desire to help), explained to me feelings of being overwhelmed. Of wanted to do some much more than she is doing right now and not knowing how to do it. When she asked me for The Answer, I said “Slow down.”

Her reaction? “Be serious!”

I am serious.

Before I started Current Wisdom and during the growth and sale of the company, I moved at lightspeed. I had to be better, faster, shit, just MORE than everyone else. What was important to me wasnt doing great work, it was being perceived as great. What was important to me wasnt creating something sustainable and scalable, it was being perceived as the best.

And what that quest culminated in was a distinct feeling of fradulence and an inability to focus on the things that were really important to me.

“But, Micah,” she said, “thats you. You have that kind of drive. You are ultra-competitive. You just want to win. In order to handle everything, didnt you just work all the time?”

I explained that yes I work a lot (because I love what I do), but at the end of the day, its about three things: energy, priorities and slowing down.

It took me 36 years to learn this with a few derailments along the way. I dont know if this will work for all, but it seems to be working for me.

Let me explain.

Energy:

To do great work, or to do many projects simultaniously, one must expend a great deal of energy. Sometimes, I get the best work done when its just me and thoughts focused at the computer in my home office. The world gets shut out and my focus is singular.

Other times, its like today. I sit in a noisy coffee shop, with the rising crescendo of noise becoming a white noise that continues to buzz in the back of my head as I begin the same hyper-focused behavior (this seems to be how I like to write posts).

But more importantly, I have gotten to a point where I recognize when my energy begins to wane. I dont try and “power through,” because that leads to poor output, instead I change what I am working on until I find the project that gets my energy to kick back up.

So, can I do more work in a city like DC? No, because my energy comes from a mix of internal factors and the people I am around. People in DC are much like people in Boulder, they just move faster. (I think that East Coast folks move faster because they have been taught that “its the way.” I think if you sat down a cross-section of folks from DC, NYC, Philly, Boston, etc and asked them why they walked so fast, they would not have a good answer. And asked if they ever slowed down, they would be appalled, without knowing why.)

Priorities:

The simpliest concept is often the most difficult. In most jobs, the assumption is that priorities are set by supervisors and our job is to complete the priorities laid before us.

The same with life. We have a list of “to-dos” which we assume all have a similar priority (even GTD and Covey use some variation on this theme, which is really a misnomer and forces people to split hairs).

I select 4 daily priorities: Personal, Professional, Psychological and Physical. Thats it. Sometimes, I will get adventorous and select 2 priorities from each quadrant. The goal is that if I complete those stated priorities, then I had a good day. If a priority is not completed, I move it to the next day. If it sits in a quadrant for 3 days, I dump it. Clearly, its not a priority.

Priorities come and go. They shift and change. The most important thing to remember about priorities is that they are personal. Your priorities are not always my priorities. I probably dont care about your priorities unless they affect my priorities.

Whats the punch line? Minimalize your priorities to what can be accomplished today to help you accomplish tomorrow’s priorities.

Slowing Down:

“I have to run at a 100mph, Micah, otherwise I will get nothing done.”

“The only thing you will accomplish is burning yourself out.”

There is a reason the turtle beat the hare. The turtle walked at the fastest speed it could obtain and still move forward constantly. (Read that again.)

More people need to do the same. Most people tend to try and achieve terminal velocity (the top speed an object falling obtains – resulting most often in certain death for a living creature) rather than constant velocity (a speed that can be achieved and sustained for long periods of time – not resulting in a conclusion of death).

(I took physics in high school. My only real knowledge of terminal velocity came from the Stallone movie. Please take that into account.)

There are two times that every day I physically stop. Lunch (I always take a lunch away from the office. My rule – no discussion about work); and when I get home and sit in my backyard and watch the dogs run around.

Those two moments, probably never more than 2 hours total per day, allow me to put in 12-18 hours per day (if necessary) comfortably.

Those two moments allow me to reset my brain, release any built up tension, refocus on priorities, replace my energy stores, and smile (which is probably equally important).

It took me 36 years to understand one simple equation: Life Trumps Work Always. (stop shaking your head. There are no exceptions, corollaries, interpretations, grey areas or what not in that equation. None.)

My first boss gave me some great advice that I truly didnt understand for years.

“Micah,” Larry said (because that was his name) “Do you live to work, or work to live?”

Now, when I start to get overwhelmed, when it seems that I will not be able to “do it, baby, just one more time” (yes, I quote Britney Spears, what of it?) I remind myself of that equation.

I work to live. And, generally, I have a pretty nice life.

Oh, and one more Super Secret….

Trust in yourself.

There is no one that can do everything you do better than you.

Dont believe me? Ask someone to do what you do exactly on a daily basis for a week. I bet you that you win.

Hands down.

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