"Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials."

– Lin Yutang

I ran across this quote recently and have chosen it for this week's selection because of the wonderful way it speaks to the importance of choosing what we do and when we do it deliberately or "on purpose." Other quotes that come to mind in this vein are: "Life is what happens while we are sitting around making lists" and "You can do anything you want, but you can't do everything you want . . . choose wisely."

The reason I have chosen this line of thought for inclusion in our weekly connection is the degree to which so many people seem to be so stressed and frustrated by time pressures these days. Whether it's getting things done at work or at home, or more likely some combination of both, almost everyone seems to be suffering from some lack of time, or a "to do list" that is so long it becomes a source of frustration in and of itself.

To be clear, I'm not saying that one should abandon the goal of "getting things done." In fact, this week's source, Lin Yutang a Chinese writer and inventor, correctly labels this noble pursuit as an "art," which implies a certain level of skill and practice will be required to do it well. It is certainly a message that most of us have heard most of our lives. As children we were constantly told that if we did what we were supposed to, or what was expected of us (kept our room clean, did our homework, studied for the test, etc.) we would be rewarded with good grades and approval from the "powers that be" or the authority figures in our lives, which were generally our parents and teachers. As a result, today there are numerous books, seminars, and systems for managing one's time, increasing one's productivity, and accomplishing one's goals, all of which can add value to one's life.

However, what if that is only one side of the coin? What if much of the stress and frustration experienced by people today results not simply from our determination to "get things done" but from our lack of skill in the "noble art of leaving things undone," or our inability to "eliminate the nonessentials" or only spend our time/energy/life on the things we have determined to be essential or important?

Of course, some fear that if people "leave things undone," nothing will ever be accomplished, and the world will fall into chaos, or at the very least, our experience of life will diminish. However, again, if we examine this week's quote closely, we see that just "leaving things undone" is not what is recommended. Instead, Lin Yutang suggests that we practice BOTH the noble art of getting things done and leaving the nonessentials undone."

So, maybe the question we should be asking ourselves is, "to what degree would I say that spending time on nonessentials is negatively effecting my experience of life?" or "to what degree am I practicing (and thus becoming skilled at) both the noble arts of getting things done and leaving the nonessentials undone?" If, as a result of asking these questions we determine that we have been practicing only half of the equation for success (the "getting things done" part), we can then turn our attention to the question of "what would our lives look like if we were to include the "noble art of leaving (the nonessential) things undone" in our daily practice." Or, maybe the question should be...do we have a daily practice where we choose what we do and how we do it on purpose, or do we simply move from task to task checking them off our list and calling this success?

You see, at its core this is not a debate on what should and shouldn't get done or what one should or shouldn't do, but instead, a suggestion that these choices be made in such a way that has us becoming skilled or practiced at the noble art of living life on purpose. This means making present moment choices about how we spend our time based upon what is most important, most congruent with our highest purpose, and the statement we want to make about who we are.

This way we can ensure that we are living not from fear and reactivity (brainstem) but instead from a neocortex perspective of wisdom, nobility, and life as a "both/and" experience, a practiced art of doing and leaving undone, a series of "Top of the Mind" choices that we would recommend to those we love, along with a series of choices that we teach to our children. Not a bad criteria for choice, don't you think?

Take care and God bless, Dr. Bill