My Plan for Retirement Needed a Secret Elixir
Take Pen to Paper: Edition 27 - Something I had all along, but didn't think to use.
I had a plan for my retirement.
Relax and enjoy the process of whatever I choose to do. Whether it was cleaning out a closet or writing an essay, why be in a hurry? Retirement means I can take my time. Doesn’t it?
Focus makes you feel like you are slowing down. It allows you to enjoy the process. But how can your attention be on one task when there is so much to do?
I wasn’t experiencing relaxation and enjoyment.
I wasn’t focusing. I kept trying to multitask to get things done.
I left a work environment that required a certain amount of multitasking. I was trying to apply those same work habits in retirement. My efforts to enjoy the process weren’t working.
My environment changed. I needed to change my approach. A change in mindset would help me focus on whatever task I chose to work on.
I chose to be present in the moment and stay there until I was finished.
I discovered what felt like slowing down was focus. (Or maybe focus meant slowing down?) It made tasks relaxing and enjoyable. As a bonus, I accomplished more. What’s not to love about that?
I felt like I discovered a secret elixir to life. But this was an elixir I had access to all along. Focus.
Does your environment require multitasking, or are you choosing to multitask?
Try being present. Focus on one thing. Relax and enjoy what you do.
7 Days, 7 Thoughts on Gratitude and Good
Being out in nature is a good place to practice focus. It took focus from me and my phone camera to capture this drop of sap on a cherry tree. 🌸
I’m grateful for the opportunity to work in an environment that helps me focus. You can usually find me at the kitchen table or my desk.
Maybe it’s not your environment affecting your productivity, but when your choose to work. Check out this article on the nonlinear workday.
Joey Hadden’s article about tips for taking better pictures with your phone, includes immersing yourself in the environment where you are taking pictures. 📱
Amanda Geftner’s article, “What Plants Are Saying About Us“ is long, but fascinating read. I recommend you read the entire article. Here’s a taste:
“Cognition is not something that plants—or indeed animals—can possibly have,” Calvo writes in his new book, Planta Sapiens.8 “It is rather something created by the interaction between an organism and its environment. Don’t think of what’s going on inside the organism, but rather how the organism couples to its surroundings, for that is where experience is created.”
Speaking of plants, I have an orchid I’ve been able to keep alive, AND it’s getting ready to bloom. Here’s a story about a new orchid species found in Japan.
My brother introduced me to Merlin, a bird identification app for your phone from The Cornell Lab. While listening to and identifying the birds in your area, you might want to read about how bird longevity might have implications for human health. 🦅
Thank you for reading!
How do you find focus in your life? Leave a comment! I may need to try what you are doing.
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I hope you have a productive week doing whatever you choose to do.
❤
-Susan
Retirement to me meant more time to be involved with Dennis in Kiwanis.
In church work I found that my delighting duties was not the same as all the school years with a wonderful assistant and fellow teachers!!!
As years went by my loss of hearing and ability to walk affected my routine. Sometimes disabilities change what you are able and want to do . One still has to adapt and keep bring positive. Dennis and I are so blessed at 87 and 84!!!!