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“For fast-acting relief try slowing down” (Great Work quote)

“For fast-acting relief try slowing down.”
~ Lily Tomlin

So the clock has ticked over, the page has turned, the new calendar has gone up on the wall – and it’s 2010. Hurrah!

How are you feeling about things?

I’m feeling like I was 10 once again, and attending my weekly piano lesson. You have to know, I’m a long long LONG way away from being musically talented and piano lessons where most certainly even more torture for my teacher, Mrs Birmingham, than they were for me.

Sitting on her piano bench, anxious to get going, anxious to not fail, anxious to be done with it … my nervous tic was my right leg jiggling up and down, up and down.

It made everything vibrate. Me. The bench. Mrs Birmingham. The piano. It drove Mrs Birmingham crazy, and in truth it drove me crazy too. I started getting anxious about being anxious: insult to injury.

I’m noticing my right leg starting to jiggle as I look ahead to 2010.

Thinking about Lily Tomlin’s lovely, funny quote, here are three ways you might consider slowing down and stopping the overwhelm that can come hard and fast at you in these first few weeks

1. Pick your three themes of the year

Chris Brogan has been talking about this recently. He picks three words to give his year focus and clarity. It pulls you back and away from the minutiae of to do lists, and helps you connect with the bigger picture of what matters. It’s a connection to the themes of Great Work.

2. Don’t make New Years Resolutions

Or if you are going to make a NYR, know why you’re doing it and do it right. Penelope Trunk has done the research for you and shows you here how to get smart about NYR, why they will make you happier and why the wording really really matters.

3. Stick to your New Years Resolutions

OK, if you’re going to make a New Year’s Resolution or three (or if you did so and have already broken them), get smart about how you do it. Leo Babauta at Zen Habits has set out a clear road map (and even created a new site) that can help you focus on changing and achieving one thing at a time. His key insight? Pick just six changes for the year and truly master them.

How about you? How are you managing the rush and excitement and anxiety that this time of year can create?

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