Another week without a phone, and I must say, it feels better and better. I will eventually replace it, but I’m amazed at how much freer I feel without it – especially in the car. Just like last week, only deeper…and along with all the readings, I feel like my brain is shifting more to freedom.
The not-being-able-to-check-email-anytime-while-out experience has led me to want to check my email for my business less, and my personal email too: no more than 5 times a day….for now. All my working life, I was always thinking of serving the customer, always being ‘right there’, dropping all I was doing if someone called/emailed/stopped by my desk/cashier’s station (in the case of my high school retail job). It’s part of my deep-seated people-pleasing nature. That costs a lot of energy and brain power. More than I ever realized. I took everyone’s requests as urgent. Even though 90% of the time, they’re not. If I am available, great…but no need to drop everything else, all the time. Just to make sure a client gets an answer right away. It’s OK if some of them get an answer a few hours or even one day later. It’s not like I’m an ER physician!
Two other cool things from this week:
1. I’ve not checked business email after 7pm; I have this month’s awesome scroll to thank for that! 🙂
2. I participated in a Valentine’s day greeting card-making class – I haven’t done this in decades. All the shapes-creating, drawing, vision-board making is bringing a part of my creative brain back to life that’s been dormant all these years, it’s like something deep inside me is seeking expression. I don’t know all of what it is yet, but I can feel it deep in my heart – and I will keep listening.
SO exciting and freeing!
Here are 2 imperfect, fun samples of the cards I made:
You’re sooo right. Putting the electronics down and remembering our true priorities is very free-ing. Thanks for the reminder! Cheers!
Dennis, indeed. Cheers right back to you! 🙂
Oh my..talk about time for yourself. Great stuff with the no phone as you get to reflect more deeply which led to you expressing your creative side. Well done to you…keep up the great work 🙂
Thanks so much, Debbie, for the k i n d words! 🙂
Ilona that’s a great experience ! In my PPN, I wrote : “I exchange TV, newspapers and time passed on Internet and Facebook (No Web, no FB between 9 :00am-9 :00pm), to create the energy, time and attitude to accomplish my best.” For now you have plenty of time for your thoughts. And as Emerson said : “Thought is the property of those only who can entertain it.” And you got it !
Dominique, I LOVE those sentences from your DMP!!!! Congrats on such brilliance!
Ilona, you made some great points here!!! Last week I was without my phone for about 4 hours and it was interesting how I handled it vs a year ago!!! A pleasure reading!!! Enjoy, Carol
Thanks so much, Carol!!! Glad you thrived too without the phone! 🙂
Yay! Thrilled to hear about your daily improvements in structuring your business and recognizing that YOU and your time are just as valuable as your clients!
Your cards are gorgeous!
Aww thanks so much for the kind words, Ellen! So appreciate it. 🙂 It’s definitely a learning curve re valuing myself, my time….
I am going to take your lead and not look at my business email after 7pm…awesome idea.
The cards are beautiful !
Thanks, Ferial – and I’d love to hear how you are doing not checking your biz email after 7pm! 🙂
Llona…Boy do I agree with you on the cell phone thing….I like you have to have one (who doesn’t!?) but I would like to drop it off the Golden Gate bridge in my dreams…I’ve always thought that we the slaves to our possessions, not the other way around.—-Love your Valentine cards!