Leaving Things Undone

The art of leaving things undone is not about being flaky or irresponsible. It’s about taking intentional time, to reacquaint ourselves with our being-ness – learning to see the world through fresh eyes again, regaining our sanity, joy and hope. 

Leaving things undone, or unfinished, for an hour, a day, or just turning something in when it’s “good enough” creates cognitive calmness. There is a difference between quitting and learning to rest.

Taking a break

• Boosts your creativity
• Recalibrates your priorities
• Prevents burnout
• Models self-compassion
• Integrates work and rest

Pro Tips & Resources

Consciously unplug for a while. Text messaging creates a sense of urgency, email feels less urgent but how quickly will you respond? Build in a pause for yourself.

• Turn off notifications on your phone for windows of time to reduce mental interruptions. Airplane mode or reduced message notifications from ‘favorites’ only on your cell phone
• Add a line to your email:  To support my well-being and ability to do my best work, I only check email once or twice a day, and only on weekdays. Your messages matter to me and I do my best to respond within 2 business days. For more urgent matters, please text me at…

The Importance of Living by Lin YutangTinker

Dabble Doodle Try: Unlock the Power of the Unfocused Mind by Srini Pillay, M.D.