Today would be my dad’s 80th birthday.
I have been thinking about him recently, not so much because of his birthday, rather because he was a man of habits, rituals and routines.
For the past few weeks I have been researching material for a new training program that I am designing with a section/ segment that is completely focussed on time, how we use it and ways to create more of it.
Of course we cannot actually create more time; we can however, learn to use the time we have more effectively.
What I’ve discovered is that my dad had a lot in common with Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Barack Obama and Baz Luhrmann to name just a few.
About a year ago I read an article about Barack Obama. He has eliminated all the small decisions in his life so that his mind is free to focus on the big decisions. I thought this sounded like a great idea and have been thinking about how this could help many of my clients gain extra time every day.
Then I heard about Steve Jobs who only wore the same clothes, eliminating all the energy that goes into buying and choosing what to wear. This was just one of his many simplifications. He was very strict about filtering out what he thought of as distractions; he had laser focus.
Apparently Baz Luhrmann is similar regarding his clothing & has identical wardrobes in all his houses.
Eliminate as many of the small routine decisions & the mind has more capacity for creativity & big thinking. Being habitual and having daily rituals and routines means that attention can be channelled to much more important tasks and thoughts.
I grew up with a man who had many very simple routines and habits and rituals. Did he become President? Or CEO of a huge multi national? Or a start up?
No, he didn’t. He did however have plenty of time for creating beauty. We had a beautiful garden, lovingly tended. Dad took care of a local property of 50 acres with cattle and horses. He was experimenting with hydroponics long before anyone knew what that was. He also was extremely patient and tolerant.
I truly believe that part of his secret to being able to be so patient and tolerant and to be able to create beauty in nature was the freedom gained from eliminating all the small decisions.
This is a topic I’m going to spend more time exploring. I’ll keep you posted
And of course, Happy 80th Birthday Dad!
