Urgency, Productivity & Creativity

You may not have noticed, in fact, I would bet that you definitely haven't noticed.

It has taken me 3 weeks to publish my 2 weekly blog.

As Jocelyn K Glei says in her podcast: 'None of my readers are looking at their watch, saying 'Now, why haven't I had Jocelyn's newsletter come into my inbox this morning??!'

(Now....if you are the amazing exception to the rule, and you WERE wondering about my extra week gap....I would LOVE to hear from you! I will celebrate you!)

So....what happened?

Ironically, I had had really good news about my blog a few days before I was due to publish the last one. The Academy where I studied and trained as a Coaching Supervisor (CSA) had gotten in touch to say they wanted to host my blog on their website, how much they enjoyed my writing, and resonated with the content of what I was expressing in my writing.

https://www.coachingsupervisionacademy.com/csa-members-blogs

How lovely!

I was delighted.

And then in the run up to writing the next blog, something quiet, yet strange, started to happen. I couldn't focus on an idea for the blog. Somehow, the time set aside for thinking and writing got eaten into. My mind was presenting me with blanks; no ideas were landing or starting to germinate - as usually happens.

Then I was up against the deadline, and scanning the diary for when I would have time to write it. (Still having no idea what to write about.)

And all I could see was the fast approaching weekend, and then 3 days of a mini break/trip away. So potentially not even time to write the blog the following week!

Aghhhh!

And of course, I wasn't unaware of the subtle influences; like - 'Is this writer's block, because a new audience out there could be reading what I write?' 'Am I suddenly stymied and overly self-conscious about what to write, who will read it, how they will judge it??'

I ended up reminding myself that I was probably the only person in the world who was aware that the blog was not going out 'on time'.

I reminded myself that it was ok to have a break. To trust whatever came next - whether that was a larger gap in the blog production, or a blog the following week, or something else......

Maybe heading off on my mini-break, the change of scenery, a different energy, a rest, was what was most needed.

And to let go of my drive for consistency, efficiency, productivity, 'smooth sailing' - the reassurance that comes from having boxes ticked before we head off on holiday. Old habits die hard!

So what changed - such that you are reading the blog, two days after I'm back from the break?

So yes, absolutely, the change of scene, the different routine, the different energy, was just the tonic I needed.

But what also helped, was listening to some wonderful podcasts, during the long drive there and back, when my mind could wander around different subjects, float off to new perspectives, make links, be stimulated consciously and unconsciously....

And one podcast episode in particular really inspired me. From Jocelyn K Glei's 'Hurry Slowly' podcast. Entitled: 'The Tyranny of Urgency'.

Let me introduce Jocelyn first off: this taken from her website https://jkg.co/about :

"My podcast Hurry Slowly, which shares provocative ideas about technology, creativity, and consciousness, has been downloaded over 2.9 million times.

All of my current work is informed by my previous incarnation as a "productivity expert." From 2009-2015, I was the head of 99U, a Webby Award-winning website about productivity and creativity, as well as the executive producer of the 99U Conference, an annual gathering at Lincoln Center attended by thousands of creatives from all over the world. I also wrote a wonderful little book about email called Unsubscribe and created the bestselling 99U book series, including Manage Your Day-to-Day , Maximize Your Potential , and Make Your Mark .

What I learned during my time working at a startup, becoming an accidental productivity expert, and then burning out from my own overachieving tendencies is that what we truly need as a society is to be healed from our addiction to productivity. My work has since become about undoing our obsession with doing and advocating for new, heart-centered ways of living, working, and being."

In the podcast she says: 'Our society, culture, way of thinking is entirely predicated on urgency'.

For example - the Notifications on Apps. The Notifications give us the message, in no uncertain terms: 'This is your priority!', 'Pull your attention away from whatever else you were doing and look at this, respond to this, think about this NOW'.

https://hurryslowly.co/

https://hurryslowly.co/607-the-tyranny-of-urgency/

We are propelled along by Values we may not even agree with, when we stop to consider them. Technology in particular is wonderful at presenting us with these Values:

• Speed
• Progress
• Efficiency
• Convenience, and
• Instant Gratification.

Think of - Uber, Netflix, WhatsApp, Facetime, Instagram.

And, Klei says, these values are deeply at odds with the natural rhythms of life and the creative process.

The natural rhythms of life take their own time, have an inherent flow, cycle, have an inner wisdom.

The creative cycle likewise.

Creativity cannot be forced.

For me: To write a heartfelt blog, for example, is not like producing widgets on a production line.

Klei describes the rhythm of our creativity:

• there are periods of conception and gestation (an idea is coming in but you don't quite understand what it is yet)
• there are periods of concerted effort and cultivation (where this idea starts to reveal itself some more)
• then maturation and reflection (the new creation is becoming refined and polished)
• dissemination and sharing (you send your creation out into the world), and also -
• there will be periods of rest and silence (fields need to lie fallow to regenerate)

We are fed many messages about urgency, immediacy, productivity and efficiency.

I actually have a 'Strength' (aka Realise2 Strengths Questionnaire) of Efficiency! So I'm a fan of efficiency. I love to be efficient, to work out the best way of doing something quickly and well. Box ticked. Move on to the next big thing requiring my attention.

So it was very hard for me to not write the Blog last week. It went against the grain. But I'm glad I did.

Klei quotes a previous guest on her podcast, a Somatic Practitioner, Prentice Hemphill. Hemphill refers to the 'upwards line graph' - that straight upwards line from left to right on the bottom axis. (We see it when Economics Correspondents on the TV News talk about the need for Growth. And this Growth being 'the' measure of success and progress. The 'ideal'. What we should all be hoping for. What should reassure us, give us confidence.)

Our dominant culture, our workplaces, put these pressures on us. 'To be productive', 'To be driving for deadlines', 'To be doing more with less'.

No mention made of fallow periods. Periods to let something start to grow in the dark depths of the soil, where nothing can be seen, where it appears like absolutely nothing is happening or progressing.

So our outer world requires productivity, urgency, progress, speed, immediacy.

Where does that leave our 'inner world'?

For me, and for so many clients I work with, we are on a journey to develop our intuition, our own inner knowing. We've lost that art. We actually don't know what our inner knowing is.

But we need it. To guide us. To help us know where we're heading. To help us know how to make important decisions. Particularly, I believe, in this VUCA world of ours.

Klei uses the analogy of powerful waves on the beach:

'The riptide of Urgency (the dominant culture) pulling me out to sea.'

Versus -

'My own knowing'.

And

'Attunement with the mystery of creativity, the mystery of life.'

She says (paraphrased):

'We need to constantly shore up our consciousness around the Values that matter to us. For example - being a creative person; being a conscious person; being present to our heart space, to our bodies, to Life.'

Here's to Klei's 'new, heart-centered ways of living, working, and being"!

An ongoing journey for me for sure.

A basis for 'Practice' - around what is important for me, how I continue to access my inner knowing/my inner wisdom, how I balance the 'outer pulls and demands of our society and the workplace' with the 'inner rhythms of creativity, my wisdom and knowing'.

Before you go….

?If you enjoy my Blog, if you’re stimulated by what I write about, if you resonate with some of my themes, if you’re curious to explore more (E.g. your tussle with what you believe privately but is increasingly at odds with how you need to show up in the workplace….) you might be interested in this offer….

I’m setting up a new group, to bring professionals together, to enable exploration of these themes – these challenges of our time.? This will be a Professional Practice Group, facilitated by myself.

It may mostly consist of Executive Coaches, Coaching Supervisors, and those in related fields such as HR, OD, Talent; but I also really welcome in professionals in other Executive roles, Operations, scientists, strategists, policy developers etc.

Do get in touch if you’d like to join.? The Professional Practice Group will commence in September, sessions will be held online, probably monthly.? The fee will be commensurate with ability to pay.

?Contact me: [email protected]

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?Alongside this offer, I have spaces for 1-1 Coaching Supervision, and am in the process of setting up a new Supervision Group (4 Executive Coaches, for bimonthly 90 minute online sessions).? Do reach out if you’d like an informal conversation about these offerings!

?[email protected]

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?'Til Next Time, Go Well.....