Why Quitting Is Essential To Increasing Your Effectiveness
If you are living a life feeling over-committed or even fully committed with little wiggle room in your day . . . beware. This may be a sign for you to make a change. Today might be the time to quit.
Quit until you have breathing room
You might sense deep inside that something must be done, but you aren’t sure what. Set your mind at ease. We don’t want to quit everything. Instead, we want to cut back on activities so you can have room to take a walk, think, and ensure you are spending your precious hours doing work that matters and is aligned with your purpose and consistent with your values. Wouldn’t living a life filled with purpose be better?
Focus on being productive instead of busy — Tim Ferriss
Quitting is what winners do to discover their passion
Haven’t you noticed that the most successful people seem to have enough time to do what is important to them? It’s no secret how many hours we each have in a day. When we are committed to our cause, we can give it the attention it deserves. We want to allocate our time based on our life priorities, then divide up whatever time is left among other areas of interest.
Successful people stop doing things that are not helping them achieve their mission. For most of us, now might be the time to stop doing some good things to make room for the better things we need to be doing. Giving up something we might want to do. It is what some call, sacrifice. In performing this act is where we find the true meaning of passion.
Passion
What is your passion?
Passion is not something you search for and possess. Instead, passion can be a result of consistently performing our best work with excellence. Passion equates to sacrifice. We can all do that.
This is good news. It means we don’t have to go looking for our passion. Instead, our passion will show up as we do our best work.
Stop it with the excuses
On the other hand, sometimes we hear from those we work with, I’m too busy. That is probably true. Maybe you say this too. Admittedly, I did it until I purposefully took responsibility. Every minute of every day is mine to decide. Sure. We need to work and have other things that require our attention, but ultimately we are accountable.
Purpose (strategy, legacy, cause)
The most successful among us know how to quit. It’s not about doing the 1 big thing. It has more to do with performing the little things consistently over time.
You don’t have to be an expert. As a one-of-a-kind human, you can do at least one thing uniquely better than anyone else. Begin with seeing how you might combine your existing talent, personality, skills, and service orientation to improve the condition of another human. Apply your strengths to your mission, then start reducing time spent on activities that aren’t helping.
Question to ask. How does activity ABC help me perform my mission with excellence?
If activity ABC doesn’t help in any way, it might be a good candidate to quit (or at least, reduce).
Deciding what to quit and how to do it well can help you in living a healthier, more productive life.
Health
Question to ask. Are you involved in activities that are hurting your health?
Probably good to reduce spending on these right away. Not only will your health improve, but you will get to re-invest your time into what matters most to you.
Allocate your energy to support your purpose
How are you investing your energy? Are most activities you are involved in life-giving or are they draining you?
Most of us have a certain time of day we feel most energized. Consider replacing your most important activities that further your purpose during those precious periods. Leave the less important time slots you have less energy and focus.
Don’t neglect your own needs to recharge your energy supply.
If you are responsible for leading teams or an organization, be careful not to become the starving baker illustrated in Dr. Tim Elmore’s book, Habitudes. These types are individuals who spend all their time serving others that they forget to eat and eventually starve. Feeling drained or anxious for an extended are signs you need to make a change . . . fast. Do it now.
The exemplary leader understands we can’t give what we don’t possess, so taking care of ourselves first is part of what it means to lead yourself well and is the first principle I teach as part of the shepherding framework.
Commitment
Are your current commitments still meaningful to you and supportive of your mission?
Question to ask. How is your job supporting your mission? Does it align with your values?
It is our responsibility to invest our lives in what is most important. Remember. Your work is broader than the job you get paid to do. When we see our work as our contribution to making things ‘better’ using our unique talents and skills we are empowering ourselves to stretch into other areas that need changing too. Sometimes our job is a means to do our best work. We get paid to do some of it, and the additional effort we give might be thought of as ‘giving back.
People
People. Humans. Take action to ensure those closest to you love and those you are here to help. Our time is short. As a leader, a large part of your purpose and what you are here to do is to care for people, grow them, and help them find how they can influence and make their most significant impact.
Prioritize those you love
These people are dearest to you. People you adore. Family. Closest friends. These humans enrich our lives and become our inner community. Involve them in areas you spend your most time in ways that make sense so they can feel more connected to you.
Prioritize those you choose to serve
These people you love enough that you have arranged your life around them in many ways. You take care to ensure they are doing well and if there is something you can do to improve their condition; you do. Sometimes they can take energy away from those you love most. Other times they become part of our inner community and we may be invited into theirs.
Life
Principles: your values frame how you see the world, what you focus on, and how you related to others.
Today: We aren’t guaranteed another day or a year. We only take one breath at a time. How will you invest it? I suggest you take the advice of Seth Godin who encourages us to pick ourselves and get started.
Tomorrow: I like the notion that the author Todd Henry unpacks in his book Die Empty. We should look to give our best selves and efforts to each endeavor.
Future: Should a longer future come, each decision we make as time passes will limit our remaining opportunities where we will make a difference. This can be comforting in that we can have more focus. It can also be scary if we have made some poor decisions that have restricted where we can go.
Strategy: I like the advice Annie Duke gave to one of her friends. She tells this story in her book, Quit. Her friend was very unhappy with her current job yet struggled with whether to quit her job and take another opportunity. Annie brought clarity. She asked about the percent chance she would be unhappy 1 year from now if she stayed. Her friend, responded, “100%”. When asked if she might be disappointed with the new opportunity over a year her friend's response was, “sometimes.” This simple logic helped Annie’s friend come to the obvious conclusion; time to quit.
Last Thoughts
In the end, you will own the outcome of where you invest your life. We each get to decide our priorities which require quitting other less-important interests.
Check out these resources on how to improve your ability to prioritize, cut out busyness and create new habits.