Away but not gone
I hear this all the time: “I wish I could just get away from it all and just sit on a beach somewhere!” Mostly people say this, or something like it, when they are fantasizing about getting away from whatever pickle they’re in.
I can relate; I’ve had that same thought myself more than once.
But the thing is, once I get to that beach (or that mountain or forest or other far-away place) and tune out…eventually my thoughts come right back around to the ones that were there before I left.
Because while we may leave home, we never leave ourselves.
I could go on to say that this dynamic points to the work we need to do to resolve within ourselves the thing that is causing consternation…but my recent experience being away brought forward another noticing that feels useful to me (and hopefully to you too).
When I go away on a trip (vacation, not a work trip), I usually do a certain amount of work maintenance that takes minimal focus but allows me to keep the tidal waves at bay. This approach keeps me from worrying about what might hit when I am back to work and makes my return transition much easier. Other than that planned maintenance, I release all the usual little day-to-day to-dos and reminders.
This time I noticed that the release of the little things created so much spaciousness for my mind to wander on the big things I’ve been working on. Without the omnipresent distraction of the checkmark kind of tasks, I had more mindshare to allow those big work thoughts to simmer and bubble and boil in the back of my mind, unencumbered.
Why does that feel so hard at home?? Sheesh.
This last trip left me with two ideas to bring forward more of this focus on a regular basis (not just when I’m away traveling):
Set aside time blocks or a day where I consciously release the little things to focus on the big things. (I know I need to start small because it’s definitely something I’ll have to work up to before total elimination!)
Create more “time away” in day-to-day ways – whether it’s time at my WeWork, a local coffee shop, co-working at a friend’s house, or time in a park…frankly it doesn’t matter. Just being in different spaces that shift me away from the home work space where I am more easily distracted will be a win.
What can you do to create more space for the big, important things that often get crowded out by the itty-bitty distractions?
