Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com.
Episode 1223:
Leo Babauta addresses the pervasive feeling of always being behind on work, offering a perspective rooted in mindfulness and simplicity. He suggests that this constant sense of anxiety and inadequacy stems not from our actual workload but from our mental approach to it. By slowing down, we can create space to breathe and reflect, questioning the necessity of our rush. Simplifying means letting go of the need to do everything and instead focusing on what truly matters—one task at a time. Cultivating contentment involves recognizing that doing just one thing with full presence and appreciation is enough. This mindset shift can transform our relationship with work and ourselves, moving from a state of perpetual catch-up to one of mindful engagement and satisfaction.
Read along with the original article(s) here: https://zenhabits.net/behind/
Quotes to ponder:
"Cultivating contentment. It’s a beautiful thing to do, worthy of some of your precious life."
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
[00:00:00] If you're on the lookout for a great news show to help teach you about business, check out The Hustle Daily Show, brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business builders.
[00:00:11] The Hustle Daily Show is your daily dose of business, tech, news, and original stories to keep you in the loop on what's trending in business.
[00:00:19] Just like here, it's a daily podcast on which their team of writers break down the biggest business headlines in 10 minutes or less.
[00:00:26] And explain why you should care about them.
[00:00:29] They'll also do deep dives on topics like a man who won the lottery 14 times and why it's nearly impossible to buy an original Bob Ross painting.
[00:00:38] I checked out a few episodes of The Hustle Daily Show, and to me, it was quick, educational, and feels like the perfect show to pair with OWD.
[00:00:46] So search for The Hustle Daily Show in your favorite podcast app, like the one you're using right now.
[00:00:51] You'll be glad you did.
[00:00:54] This episode is brought to you by Old Spice. Old Spice Sweat Defense Dry Spray is exactly what your armpits have been dreaming about.
[00:01:01] This spray gives your armpits the ultimate defense, with ridiculously long-lasting sweat and odor protection power.
[00:01:08] Get the swaggering scent of confidence with patented motion-activated fragrance technology, which also happens to smell like lime and cedar wood.
[00:01:15] Old Spice Sweat Defense Dry Spray. Tap the banner or visit this episode's page to learn more.
[00:01:23] This is Optimal Work Daily episode 1223, the feeling that you're always behind on work by Leo Babouta of ZenHabits.net.
[00:01:33] And I'm Dan, I'm your host, and welcome to Optimal Work.
[00:01:36] work daily where I read to you every single day from these great blogs on work and productivity
[00:01:41] and all sorts of related topics.
[00:01:44] So let's get to it now as we hear from one of our longtime authors on the podcast Network,
[00:01:49] Leo Babouta, and optimize your life.
[00:01:55] The Feeling That You're Always Behind On Work by Leo Babouta of ZenHabits.net
[00:02:03] Many of us have a constant, never-ending feeling that we're always behind on what we need
[00:02:07] to get done.
[00:02:08] We wake up and already have a sense that we're behind, and the slight anxiety that
[00:02:13] comes with that sense causes us to jump into our day, checking messages and email, starting
[00:02:18] the treadmill of tasks and distractions and busyness that doesn't end until we fall asleep.
[00:02:24] How do we deal with this slight, ever-present feeling of anxiety and this sense that we're
[00:02:29] always behind on everything?
[00:02:31] The answer comes, I believe, from slowing down, simplifying, and cultivating a sense of contentment.
[00:02:38] Let's look at each of these in turn.
[00:02:41] Number one, slowing down.
[00:02:43] When we rush through the day, constantly doing small tasks and checking and responding to
[00:02:48] messages and running to distractions, we will always feel a slight sense of anxiety, because
[00:02:53] we are churning through things but feeling like we're never getting anywhere.
[00:02:57] It's a non-stop treadmill.
[00:02:59] Filling down is about pausing in the middle of the rush, taking a breath, creating a little
[00:03:04] space, reflecting on what we're doing, finding a little mindfulness, being present with our
[00:03:10] bodies, breath, and surroundings.
[00:03:13] One asking, "Is there really a need to rush to the next thing?
[00:03:17] Can I stay and be present with this one thing, or do nothing for a little bit?"
[00:03:22] Also ask if there's really an imperative to be moving right now, to do everything.
[00:03:27] In truth, we create the problem of being behind.
[00:03:30] It's not really true.
[00:03:31] It's created in our minds, like all problems.
[00:03:35] Instead of allowing this problem to be solid and real, can we let it be less solid, like
[00:03:40] a mist?
[00:03:41] What would it be like to just sit here and do nothing for a little while?
[00:03:45] Will the world collapse?
[00:03:46] Will we be out of a job and lose the love of everyone we care about?
[00:03:50] Can we find the never ourselves, instead of worrying about losing their love and respect?
[00:03:55] Can we stay with the feeling of being behind, of feeling pressure and anxiety?
[00:04:00] What does it like to just feel that, without needing to act on it, without needing to get
[00:04:04] rid of the feeling as if it were some kind of problem?
[00:04:08] What if this feeling were exactly what we needed to feel right now?
[00:04:12] These are the things we can contemplate and practice with if we slow down just a little
[00:04:16] bit.
[00:04:17] 2.
[00:04:19] Simplifying
[00:04:20] Once we've slowed down and started to practice mindfully with whatever is coming up, we can
[00:04:24] start to simplify.
[00:04:26] What does it mean to simplify, in this case?
[00:04:29] It means to let go of attachment to doing everything.
[00:04:33] For example, if I've slowed down, I might take a look at my to-do list for today and
[00:04:37] realize that it's a complete fantasy.
[00:04:39] I'm not going to get all of that done.
[00:04:42] Let's move one thing to tomorrow, one task to a later this week list, and one to later
[00:04:47] this month, or even do next year.
[00:04:50] Basically, we're simplifying what we're going to focus on today.
[00:04:53] In fact, pick just one thing.
[00:04:56] If you could do just one thing for today, what would really make a big difference?
[00:05:00] That's not to say that you're not going to do the rest, but you'll only do them if you
[00:05:03] have time after you've done this one thing.
[00:05:06] What would that one thing be?
[00:05:08] Now let go of everything else right now and just focus on this.
[00:05:11] It's your entire universe.
[00:05:14] You can be completely present with it.
[00:05:16] This is what it means to simplify.
[00:05:19] One thing, even if it's just answering one of those emails that have been sitting in your
[00:05:23] inbox for a week, and then letting go of everything else, letting this one thing be
[00:05:28] enough for right now, letting it be everything.
[00:05:32] And three, cultivating a sense of contentment.
[00:05:35] What does it mean for this one thing to be enough?
[00:05:38] It means acknowledging that it's impossible to do everything on your list, impossible
[00:05:42] to get everything done, so you have to focus on one thing and let that be enough.
[00:05:48] Life in this case means your content with doing this.
[00:05:51] It's a beautiful thing to do, worthy of some of your precious life, worth letting the sands
[00:05:56] of time slip through your fingers because it's important and wonderful.
[00:06:00] In this way, we're cultivating contentment.
[00:06:03] Maybe you're not content with everything in your life, maybe not with yourself or others,
[00:06:08] but you're content with this one thing right now.
[00:06:10] It's lovely, meaningful, enough.
[00:06:14] You love this one thing, this one moment, just as it is.
[00:06:18] You're finding full appreciation for the miracle of this moment and this task.
[00:06:22] If you can cultivate that for one thing and one moment, you can do it for the next.
[00:06:27] The next. Soon you'll apply this lens of enough and full appreciation to other things you do and to yourself, to other people in your life, to this world. And all of a sudden you're not behind on anything, because what you're doing right now is enough. And it's all you have, which is perfect as it is.
[00:06:51] You just listened to the post titled, "The Feeling That You're Always Behind On Work," by Leo Babouta of zanhabits.net.
[00:06:59] Nobody goes on vacation for the moments that are just...okay. That's why Sunwing vacationers go all in like it's a buffet of fun.
[00:07:07] Whether you're skimming the treetops like Tarzan's long-lost twin, or deep-end swimming with your flippers and fins,
[00:07:14] or maybe you're just perfecting the art of doing absolutely nothing.
[00:07:20] Whatever vacationer you are, with Sunwing, you save more, so you can do more. Book with your local travel agent, or...
[00:07:28] Okay, it's sponsor time. But instead of reading a script about Gusto's payroll and benefits, we wanted to tell you what small business owners actually say.
[00:07:38] You know, the people who use Gusto every day. Here's one now.
[00:07:42] With Gusto, I think of payroll as a 30-second job. The website is so friendly and a joy to use.
[00:07:49] Friendly payroll. You don't hear that every day.
[00:07:52] Amy from Utah says,
[00:07:54] "I love Gusto so much. They do our medical, dental, vision, and life insurance. It's so painless. It's like going to the spa. And we have great options."
[00:08:04] starting with young children's and rates even though we're a super small team. Health insurance? Like going to the spa? Wow! And here's what Amkneet says about Gusto's support team. Whenever something comes up, I reach out and literally 24 hours later they tell us what to do or assure us that they've already handled it for us. Smart technology and friendly humans? That's cool. Honestly, the list goes on. And right now our listeners get three months free when they go to gusto.com/
[00:08:24] 3 months of payroll, benefits, admin and more, totally free. Again that's gusto.com/00UD. And thanks so much to Leo. Zen Habits is about finding simplicity and mindfulness in the daily chaos of our lives. It's about clearing the clutter so we can focus on what's important,
[00:08:51] create something amazing, and find happiness. It has over a million readers and was named one of the top 25 blogs by Time magazine. And if you enjoy his work, come and check out our other shows where we narrate a lot more of his content since Leo writes on so many different subjects, which match up with the podcast that we have. And you can find all of our shows by searching for Optimal Living Daily wherever you get your audio, and then click on that subscribe or follow button in the podcast app that you're using to get started.
[00:09:17] Click on that subscribe or follow button in the podcast app that you're using to get all the new episodes automatically downloaded every day, or you can come by oldpodcast.com. That's OLDpodcast.com to learn more.
[00:09:30] So that's going to do it for today. I appreciate you being here and hope you're having a good day out there. And I'll see you right back here tomorrow where we'll have another post and where your optimal life awaits.