How Doing Less Benefits You More

Rebecca Lewis January 09, 2015

At the start of each year, we tend to make promises to ourselves that we are going to be better, more productive, healthier, and so on. And these are backed with an action plan. We set timeline with detailed description of what needs to be done. We just want to keep ourselves busy and achieve as many goals as possible before another year comes to an end.

So it is isn’t a surprise that doing less is probably the weirdest New Year’s Resolution you would hear.

Fortunately, this habit can actually benefit your physical and mental health more.

But doing less is only effective when it is spent on mindful activities, particularly connecting to your inner self. If you spend your leisure time browsing on Facebook, reading emails or chatting with someone you have not met in person, it won’t make significant difference on your mood, or the quality of your well-being. Worse, it could just make you feel unproductive, guilty, stressed, or frustrated.

Doing Less & Being More

It may sound like nearly impossible, but doing less and being more is actually easier than you think. And once you get the hang of this practice, you will never want to go back living your life in a rush.

So how do you do it? Start by giving time for relaxation. Rest your brain. Ditch your worries. Let go of the criticism and harsh judgments about yourself. Make a promise to love yourself a little more. Treat yourself like you would treat your best friend. Let go of the anger, the disappointment, and the “what ifs” you have in. Let go of the boundaries and rules you place upon yourself. Save it on the weekdays – when you are required to abide by them. Show yourself nothing but compassion and care. You are God’s gift. You deserve it.

Disconnect to Connect More

Next, unplug. If you spend most of your free time in social networking sites, you will never get a chance to reconnect with yourself. Each day, dedicate some time to unplug from technology. Switch of your phone. Make yourself unreachable. And connect to no one but yourself. See the magic that happens next.

Free your mind. Disconnect from the internal conversations. Stop listening to the voice inside you that says nothing but unpleasant things. Give your heart a day to rest.

Then, listen to your body. Start seeking connection. Listen to your heart beat. Chat with your muscles. Feel the ground under your toes. Listen to every part of your body. It’s always telling you something.

Connect with your well-being, mood and happiness. Connect with your creativity. Let your brain rest from the constant worries and tasks it needs to think about. And just enjoy being with yourself – living in the moment.

After establishing connecting with your inner self, it’s time that you connect with others – not in a virtual environment but in live social interaction. Connect through meaningful conversations. There’s nothing like saying the words that come from your heart. Connect with your environment – with the nature.

Taking the Baby Steps

Divide your tasks into smaller ones, and work on each one until the last piece. This maximises efficiency, reduces burnout and increases the chance of success. Don’t be overwhelmed by your to-do lists. Just take it one at a time. Do the baby steps.

And lastly, drop the guilt of giving yourself more time, doing less, and taking a time off. There’s really no point about being guilty. Because when you start to become more organised and do less, you actually gain more in life, health, work and relationship.