“I’m too busy,” says Damien, “I always wanted to travel the world, but I just don’t have that kind of time.”
Damien is a workaholic because he is the most hardworking person that I know. Apart from a full-time job, he also runs his own business which is very successful. If you are extremely busy as well, this blog article will probably give you some refreshing ideas.
- The art of lowering your standards:
Don’t be a perfectionist. Sometimes you must have high standards, but for certain things, you’d better lower your standards because your time and energy investment may not be worthwhile. For example, at times Damien would spend 30 minutes editing an email for his team, but in fact, an email like that should probably take 10 minutes maximum – it really doesn’t need to be the best email in the world.
In other words, different tasks require different standards. If Damien can implement this kind of flexibility in his work, he will surely save a lot of time, so he will be able to schedule a vacation or travel the world.
Sometimes, your work only needs to be good enough; it doesn’t need to be the best or perfect. Best-selling author and creative entrepreneur Kate Northrup famously said,“Successful entrepreneurs understand the art of half-assing some tasks because not every task is very important. We have to know what’s important and what’s not so that we can save time and energy for what truly matters.”
- The most potent time: living alone and traveling alone
I lived alone from 2016 to 2023. I still remember those 7 years were probably the most potent time for personal development in my life because I was able to focus on improving myself during my free time at home. Also, I could decorate my home according to my personal preferences and enjoy life thoroughly.
What’s more, I love traveling alone. Indeed, traveling alone gives me space and time to observe this world carefully and explore my inner world mindfully.
I’ve encouraged Damien to travel alone if he is able to find the work/life balance that he deserves. Right now, Damien is working on the way he approaches work and life so he can have more spare time for a more enjoyable lifestyle.
In her book The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, Australian author Bronnie Ware writes, “The second regret of the dying is I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.”
Let’s rethink whether we should work so hard every single day and design a healthy way of life.: “Are you ready to travel the world? Be sure to have a mindful, relaxing and meaningful trip without worrying about work!”
“Are you ready to travel the world? Be sure to have a mindful, relaxing and meaningful trip without worrying about work!”
