As we have hit summer holiday season in Ireland, this month’s theme is about slowing down and questioning our need to be always productive.
Given the current heatwave in Europe, being very active is not advised anyway, so please enjoy this 5 minutes of gentle reading!
Ice cream is optional 🍦
Sinead
I was hoping to find an example of an inspirational person who might be known for doing less rather than more but I found that challenging.
I did discover that the basketball player LeBron James is an advocate for meditation. As I was mulling over if he would be the person to focus on this month, I was standing in a queue and noticed the girl in front of me was wearing a LA Lakers jacket so I took that as a sign!
LeBron James was born on 30th Dec 1984. He’s a professional basketball player who plays in the NBA for the Los Angeles Lakers. He is 6ft 8inches tall. He is left handed but often takes his shot on basket with his right hand.
He had a challenging upbringing. His mother was just 16 when she had LeBron and his father who had a criminal record was not in his life. At the age of 9, LeBron went to live with a local football coach as his mother thought he would have a more stable upbringing living with a family. The coach was the first to notice LeBron’s sporting talent. In addition to his athleticism, it is reported that LeBron had an ability to cope with pressure from a young age and seemed to have a natural calmness.
The LA Lakers have been using meditation as part of their training and development for about 20 years and LeBron is a convert. In 2019, he partnered with the Calm App to promote meditation. He is known to work on his mental fitness as well as his physical fitness. Earlier this year, he was recorded on camera with his eyes shut whilst on the bench during the closing minutes of a game.
LeBron is heading into his 5th season at the LA Lakers and his 20th season in the NBA and despite previous injuries, he was quoted recently as saying he feels “100% healthy”.
Off the basketball court, LeBron gives his time and resources to help others. The LeBron James Family Foundation was set up in 2004 to help disadvantaged children in LeBron’s home town of Akron, Ohio. It has since expanded its reach, connecting with others who are working to revitalise neglected communities throughout America.
Oliver Burkeman is the author of “Four thousand weeks: Time Management for Mortals”. The four thousand weeks referred to in the title relate to the average life-span we might have if we live to our late 70s.
Oliver’s main point is about the preciousness of our time on this planet. He draws attention to the futility of constantly chasing productivity. Having tried many productivity hacks, he has reached the conclusion that a state of perfect productiveness is a myth.
I didn’t read this book but instead listened as Oliver was interviewed by Dan Harris on the Ten Percent Happier podcast (published 1 June 2022), whilst I was multi-tasking (trying to be productive) doing housework!
This is ironic because the theme of the book is about letting go of trying to be ultra-productive. Oliver advises that the constant pursuit of getting everything and more done does not lead to happiness. He argues that we might feel more peaceful if we just accept we are not going to do everything and it’s ok to let some things go.
There’s lots of useful advice in the podcast which I am sure is also present in the book. I think I would enjoy reading it, however based on Oliver’s advice maybe that is one book I might let go given that I got a great insight by listening to the podcast.
As we are in the month of July, the part that struck me the most was Oliver’s comments on rest and having down-time. He highlighted how regularly we measure everything.
Even our hobbies have targets, self-improvement goals or side-hustle aspirations. The message I took away was it is ok to have a break and do something frivolous. Maybe a good time to do that is now, when most of the world is in holiday mode.
So this month’s motivation section is about letting go of constant doing and instead enjoying some just being!
“There is a lot of pressure put on me, but I don’t put a lot of pressure on myself. I feel if I play my game, it will take care of itself.” LeBron James
“Without noticing we’re doing it, we treat the future as intrinsically more valuable than the present. And yet the future never seems to arrive.” Oliver Burkeman
“Don’t underestimate the value of doing nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.” Winnie the Pooh
Sinead Huskisson 