Consistency vs Intensity
This week I seem to be spending quite some time plotting out just what this next year holds – go figure, huh.
I’m not the only one of course, and the hills are alive with the sound of bloggers sharing top tips on how to do/not do New Years Resolutions and how to plan/not plan the year ahead – I shared some of the best in yesterday’s post.
Brian Johnson, who writes the terrific Philosophers Notes, has put up this very useful video on his planning process for 2010. The distinction that leapt out for me was what became the title of this post – the power of consistency vs intensity. His point, and it’s a fine one, is that many of us burn ourselves out in the first 5 days of the new year trying to exercise more, write more, love more, play more, meditate more all while eating less, wasting time less, watching TV less, doing busywork less…
This intensity exhausts us and is not sustainable. What works, what makes the difference, is focus and consistent application.
Easier said then done of course.
Einstein – who clearly had a gift for snappy quotes as well as being able to unpick the deeper mysteries of the universe – once said “Time is nature’s way of keeping everything from happening at once.”* That’s a relief, because even though I know I should be following Leo and Brian’s advice, focusing on one thing and being consistent… I find on my list for 2010 such things as: exercising more, meditating more, writing more, creating more, networking more, playing more, relaxing more. And that’s just for January. It feels a little like everything has to happen Right Now to be a success.
So this week, I’ve spent time with the Box of Crayons team, my coach Ernest, and my ‘brain trust’ (Jen, Molly, Eric, Michele and Mark) and their job, when it comes down to it, is to tell me to relax… and stop trying to make it all happen at once.
And I’m still struggling.
So help me out here.
How do you manage yourself so you’re not trying to do it all/have it all/be it all at once?
*Although that quote has also been attributed to John Archibald Wheeler and Woody Allen. Let’s just let them fight it out.
**OK – and just for laughs… I love the scene from ‘Lost in Translation’ with Bill Murray filming the advert for Suntory Whisky. Remember “More Intensity!”?
thx for the shout out, michael. i appreciate you highlighting this Idea as it was one of my top foci (go me with the fancy word!
of 2009 and I’m excited to see both the results I’m creating and my quality of life flourish as I embrace it more and more.
here’s to an amazing 2010, sir!
-bri
Great post, Michael, and nice to see synergies and complementarities amongst my fave gurus – you, Brian and Leo. For a great example of the application of consistency as the foundation for success, see http://www.sparkpeople.com and Chris Downie’s book The Spark – a voice of reason in the wild world of health and weight loss, particularly this time of year. Happy New Year!
I don’t really have a good answer for you, but I do at least sympathize with the whole intensity thing. I’m absolutely guilty of trying to do it all/have it all/be it all at once ALL YEAR LONG. For 2010, instead of the pages-long list of things to accomplish this year (which is exciting to write and overwhelming to read once completed), I chose 3 areas to focus on…and gave each area just one word – not pages and pages of “to do’s” – and for now, won’t worry about the “how.” Chris Brogan wrote a great post about this, though his words (Ecosystems, Owners and Kings) are fancier than my words (Veggies, Couch and Biz)!
Eileen – the ‘three words’ is a terrific structure, isn’t it? Curious of course what ‘couch’ means for you…
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Since you asked…I will explain what I mean by “couch”! At home, I tend to spend very little time sitting still or relaxing, and I most certainly never “rest” except to sleep. Always on the go, always busy, always trying to “get things done.” I have 3 couches in my house and almost never actually SIT on them. But when I do finally sit still, I find that my family — a husband, 4 kids and a cat — are very happy to have me in a stationary position and we all connect much better that way.
So while many people make it their New Year’s Resolution to “get off the couch” — I’m planning to spend more time on mine.
Happy New Year, Michael!
I just read a terrific post at The Positivity Blog by Henrik Edberg (http://www.positivityblog.com/), about this very issue ~ and she came up with a perfect word for what happens when you’ve overdosed on intensity: “enthusiasm backlash”. (item 9 – Homeostasis)
Going on the theory that what you can name, you can deal with, I’m easing up on the ‘gotta get it all done NOW’ thinking, too. So far, it’s definitely helping.
I notice that lots of your 2010 items use the word “more” to imply success ~ but, Dude, that’s not a real measure! It’s so vague that you can’t ever really be sure if you’ve reached it.
Try changing the wording just a little bit: Instead of “Exercise more”, say/write “Exercise 3 times a week” or “… 10 minutes a day”. That way, there’s a definite point where you can give yourself a Gold Star and move on to the next project. Very satisfying, and it doesn’t give your Internal Judge any ammunition to beat you up with.
Bright Blessings for 2010 and beyond!
Karen J
In keeping resolutions and in everything that we do, it is exhausting to be intense all the time. More often than not, such intensity leads to burnout – and that lands the fault right on our front door. We have a choice and I, myself, choose consistency most of the time. I get to enjoy what I do more because of it.
Whenever I feel though that intensity is streaming out and starting to get the better of me – and to not go overboard with anything – I try to step back and breathe a little before I continue with whatever I’m doing. I find, too, that setting goals a day at a time helps me maintain my focus.
P.S. Visit http://www.makemorelivemoregivemore.com and discover how to be consistently successful in keeping our resolutions and in business this 2010.
Intensity is a concept that grows with your expectations.
More often than not it is misused. We do not mean “intense” but rather “chasing our own tail” in mindless circles- notice how we spend more time chasing the thought of doing things than actually getting on with them in a flow naturally adjusting to the circumstances?
Intensity in an ordinary sense is like pumping more air in a balloon. It either eventually burst ( which solves the restrictions problems !) or one stops pumping.
So perhaps, one could imagine intensity as the art of adjustment, focusing neither too tightly, nor too loosely, according to inner and outer elements of life, this adjustment of our perceived or self imposed boundaries …