“We but half express ourselves, and are ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Many books, articles and blog posts have been written on the subject
of productivity. Many of these contain great advice, including things
such as: check your e-mail in bulk, and only twice a day; touch each
paper that comes across your desk just once; set a strict limit on the
amount of time you spend on social networking sites; have clearly
defined goals; break your goals down into milestones and then into
small, achievable steps; schedule those steps into your day; and so on.
These are all logical, linear, and progressive steps that you can, and
should, take to become more productive.
However, by putting so much emphasis on the linear aspects of
productivity – that is, on things such as organization and time
management – the non-linear, quantum leap aspects of productivity are
being neglected. The other side of productivity involves synchronicity
instead of decluttering, serendipity instead of creating processes, and
coincidences instead of daily planners.
Coincidences
“Coincidence” is defined in Wikipedia as “the noteworthy alignment of
two or more events or circumstances without obvious causal connection.”
Swiss psychologist Carl Jung devoted a large part of his work to the
study of “meaningful coincidences”, or synchronicity, and how seemingly
chance occurrences can move our lives forward significantly. Sitting at a
sidewalk café you overhear a conversation at the next table which you
incorporate as a brilliant plot twist in the novel you’ve been
struggling to finish for the past year; a book you pick up from the
discount table at your neighborhood bookstore opens to a significant
passage; a missed train starts a chain of events that changes the
direction of your life; and so on.
Serendipity
Serendipity can be described as good fortune, luck, or a fortunate
accident. It’s the effect by which you accidentally discover something
fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely. Two
examples of serendipity are: Fleming’s discovery of penicillin and the
creation of the Post-It Note by a 3M research and developer.
In “Do Less, Achieve More”, Chin-Ning Chu explains that the field of
quantum physics has discovered that an electron inside an atom, under
the proper stimulus, instead of traveling smoothly from one orbit to
another, disappears from one orbit and reappears in another. That is, it
makes a quantum leap. By planning meticulously how you’re going to
achieve your goals, how many calls to prospects you’re going to make
each day, how much time you’re going to devote to your writing without
allowing any interruptions, and so on, you’re moving forward in a linear
fashion. And with discipline and consistency it’s very likely that
you’ll achieve many of your life goals. However, by allowing yourself to
be pulled forward by sudden, quantum leaps, you could go much farther.
Believing in the phenomenon of coincidences and serendipity does not
mean that you shun work and sit cross-legged waiting for the universe to
deliver your dreams to your doorstep. It simply means that you plan
your days utilizing the best organization and scheduling tools, tips,
and advice you can find, while leaving the door open to startling,
dramatic occurrences.
Three Methods for Attracting Coincidences and Serendipity
The first thing you can do to begin attracting more coincidences into
your life is to consciously expect for coincidences to happen. When
they do occur, acknowledge them. As you’re writing down your goals
always include the phrase “This or something better for the best of all
concerned.” With this phrase you’re sending out an invitation for things
even better than those that you have envisioned for yourself to come
into your life.
The second thing you can do is to let go of attachment to only one
outcome. A lot of people fail to notice that what they’ve been striving
for is right in front of them because it doesn’t come to them in the way
that they had expected and it doesn’t look exactly like what they had
envisioned.
A third method is to put yourself in harmony, or create inner order;
create an environment within yourself that attracts coincidences and
synchronicity. You can do this through meditation, yoga, tai chi,
breathing exercises, or even by spending time in mindful contemplation
in nature.
Conclusion
By putting together the logical, methodical, step-by-step side of
productivity, with the nonlinear, accidental discovery, sudden quantum
leaps aspect of productivity, you can accomplish a lot more than by
relying on simply one of these two aspects. Plan your day, but expect
for things even better than those that you have planned to happen.
0 Comments: