Writing - for busy people

(Or how can writing enhance your business activity) 

I recently took part in an interview and I was asked my opinion about how can busy people enhance their activity by writing.

That very question gave birth to this article.

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Over the last 12 months I have closely worked with several coaches. Not just for personal well-being (which is mandatory for everyone!) but for learning how things work, on different levels. And I am tremendously happy for having started my podcast in January 2019, as that gave me an even faster venue to absorb information. All these coaches have offered me a greater picture on life. And, by connecting the dots, this is what I can bring to you today: insights from business coaches, personality coaches, Journey practitioners, wellness coaches and many more.

Nonetheless, the insights I'm enlisting below are not just from what I learned from them, but also from having walked the path of writing almost everyday myself. Even in the busiest of times. I wrote a book in the subway. :))

"Let me say that again: writing IS for everyone!"

In a nutshell, it all boils down to self-awareness. And I will explain why.

By interacting closely and by actively listening to these #beautifulpeople I realized that being busy is just an excuse. Because we all need a time to breathe. But, more importantly, we need to admit that we need it. Yes, life kicks in every single day, yet we need to take that time for ourselves. And this is the topic of this article, actually (combined with writing, of course).

What does being busy mean?

Some people may doubt my “authority” in writing this article. Well, let's clear up some skies here: I'm no authority. I'm just a person who deliberately speaks her mind, in hopes a bit of information you find here might be of use.

In last week's interview, I spoke about busy executives as humans first. Seriously, let's face it - we're all humans and breathe the same air, before anything else. Whether I am a janitor or a beggar and you are the CEO of a multi-million dollars company, we both open our eyes in the morning and close our eyes when we need to rest. (Can you see how similar we are, despite all of our social differences?) Not to mention that we are all made of flash and bones and we have a heart pumping in our chests.

So, what does being busy mean, after all?

As a single mom of 2, who also has a career (yes, I get it, I'm not alone in this situation) I should know what busy means. I have no clue what being an executive actually looks like (never been in that position, but I will learn one day), but I've interacted with tons of CEOs in my life and with people from other positions as well. Nonetheless, I can tell you what writing can do for you. Again, based on my personal experience and intense collaborations with the aforementioned coaches.

So, busy is that state of mind where we know (or not) how to prioritize our daily tasks. Busy is that time when we run around for meetings, trying hard to combine our working day with family stuff, while striving for a dime. Because, as my mentor says, “in a material world, money is needed, whether we like it or not”. And busy is that time when we lose ourselves completely in existing.

How can we turn existing into living?

The first step is acknowledging what we really want. And this is where the craft of writing comes into play. It doesn't have to be artistic. It just needs to be. The only thing you need to do is to start letting your thoughts flow, while putting them on paper (or your phone - Google docs are a big deal here, as you can write literally everywhere, without losing track of your thoughts).

So here are a few benefits of writing - for you, as a busy business person:

#1 Clearing the clutter in your mind

Writing IS for everyone. Because we all have zillions of thoughts running freely and chaotically into our minds.

We try countless techniques to silence the mind and some of them work (but let's face it, not always). However, one of the greatest technique I have been testing and witnessing the huge impact of is writing. As I said in the beginning, it doesn't have to be artistic. If it can, kudos to you. But if it can't, just try this: write down thoughts you would never share with anyone. We all have this sort of thoughts. And we can all help our own selves with a “spring clean-up” in the space we live in the most - our mind.

"Write down thoughts you would never share with anyone"

Writing down your thoughts anchors you in the now and clears up the clutter in your mind. As a consequence, you will be able to focus on more important tasks. Like running a company, for instance, or increasing your sales charts.

Let me say that again: writing IS for everyone! For everyone who would like to get to that state of freedom (that you will learn more about by the end of this write-up), in the sense of speaking their minds. Even to a piece of paper, with a huge padlock on it. I'm sure that, if you try it for a month, you won't be able to go back to the chaos in your mind again. You'll get more clarity on what you really want and on who you are.

Which brings me to the next valuable point.

#2 Knowing your own self

More often than not, people believe that they know their own selves, by observing their behavioral patterns. It may be true, but only partially.

If we acknowledge these patterns, but let them be without control (by saying “This is me and I can't change a freaking bit”) then evolution is just a beautiful dream. We envision ourselves as being someone else, but that someone else can only come to life with a bit of an effort. Or without considering it to be an effort - it depends on how you feel about self-development.

Writing helps you in this regard. Besides clearing that useless clutter in your mind (oh, well, syntax used on purpose) in time you get to dive into deeper layers of yourself. And you will notice how you get completely immersed into the moment while writing. Nothing else matters when you put all your energy into writing. Time will fly by like nothing else and once you put the pen down you will feel more centered. And with every single time you write, you will unlock new chambers of your being.

 "But what about what we don't see? That's the chamber we need to dive into the most"

I have a very good friend from Canada, who has a podcast. In the first episode, he addresses a very powerful question: “Who am I?” And, as he answers, I noted one phrase in particular: “Just like yourself, I am an onion. I have layers and layers I discover every single day.”

After hearing his answer, even I started observing myself even better. And I'm saying “even I” because I always thought I had nothing to hide - what you see is what you get. But what about what we don't see? That's the chamber we need to dive into the most. The part we never show - that dark and thoroughly locked room. Most times, we don't open it even for ourselves. And that is, as my mentor calls it, our blind spot.

 #3 Understanding the world from different angles

The more we get to know ourselves and shed some light on our blind spots, the better we understand the others, as dark rooms start unlocking one by one. If you are open to observing human behavior, you will realize that writing does exactly this. It takes you from a place of complete confusion to a space of understanding. And from that understanding comes compassion, unconditional love and self-love. Which is not selfish, it's called self-care. ??

"With influence comes responsibility"

So, if you paid attention to these 3 first points, you will understand why people say that change starts with one. The more you change yourself, the greater the chances to impact others for the better. And a highly-positioned person often times wants to be able to influence the others, right? But with influence comes responsibility. And that responsibility will quit being a burden once your mind is clear and focused on the important aspects of life and business.

Why is it important for a busy person to understand the world from different angles?

Because, at some point in their lives, they will understand which are the really important aspects. Say, they work 12 hours a day and disregard their families completely. That will work for a few years in a row, until they realize how much of an impact this approach has on life, as a whole.

#4 Seeing the greater picture of life

Once #3 happens, priorities will change. You will realize that being busy is just an excuse. You will stop looking at money as a goal, rather shift your thinking to money as being a means to living, only. This, in time, will translate into a decrease in destructive competition and an increase in collaboration opportunities.

As in personal life, what can be more beautiful than a heartfelt, constructive collaboration between two or more businesses?

#5 A better merge between personal and professional

Based on old beliefs systems, they say business life and personal life need to be two separate things. However, due to being humans first, segregating the two is - in reality - only a dream. Life is interconnected on all levels. The earlier we understand that issues in personal life actually do impact our business lives, the more time we have to straighten things up.

What's the link to business?

Do you think that coming to this understanding can improve your business relationships (with your employees, partners, clients)?

Of course it will. Just consider the following: 

Employees who face understanding will yield better results than the ones who are always chased for numbers. Yes, numbers matter in business, however you will never be able to stand in the way of the human factor. Not even by implementing AI into your business. AI is created by humans and maintained by humans. (So, is there any impact?)

"Call me a dreamer, but I believe in a smooth process of the business ventures, where people genuinely care for each other"

Clients will notice the change, as your employees will be more energized, motivated and more determined to increase their performance for a boss who cares. As a consequence, my suggestion would be to have a look at the company's growth charts.

Add the inter-company collaboration factor and all this will skyrocket your business.

#6 Be free

The moment your business evolves and stabilizes, based on the mentioned tactics, you will come to that freedom you've always dreamed of. No-one says you don't have to work any longer - that would be a lie. What I'm saying is that first off you're giving yourself permission to be yourself and you do the same for the others. Once everyone has permission to be open, vulnerable and heard, work won't feel like work any more.

That sorrow of opening our eyes every day, getting out of bed and staying in traffic to get to the office will turn into excitement of meeting those people you feel so good being around of, all day long.

Call me a dreamer, but I believe in a smooth process of the business ventures, where people genuinely care for each other and everybody wins.

#7 Live life on your own terms

The aforementioned freedom reflects in everything you do, not just in business. Yes, you need rules, but consider making those rules by involving your teams or family. That will allow you and everyone else to feel like living their lives to the fullest. You all become accountable for not crossing those lines and you, as a business owner or family member, will no longer be looked at with increased heartbeat and shaking hands. Your employees will know that they can speak their minds without being cut off from bonuses for unrealistic reasons. OK, let's use the word “bias”. And your family will know that their feelings matter and that the time you offer to them is one of high quality.

 "First off you're giving yourself permission to be yourself and you do the same for the others"

To conclude with this article, here comes the moment when you need to ask yourself: quality or quantity? Mask or realness? Start writing down these answers.

Then read this article again. And scribble a few ideas for yourself, in honestly answering this last question:

Is writing worth your time? 

??? ??

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?? in this article are property of the author

#FlavoredWriting

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About the author:

Andrada Anitei is a passionate writer & editor, using self-development as cornerstone for everything she does. She started her writing adventure as a manner of coping with life and healing older wounds and she fell in love with this craft.

She has been blessed with an extraordinary passion, curiosity, eagerness to understand, fast learning abilities and interest in various areas, active listening skills and lots of love for people. She believes in the beauty of souls, despite nowadays trends. In fact, she embraces the "weirdo" within, while giving her inner child full permission to play.

Being a stubborn believer in beauty and magic, she has looked for and learned plenty of life stories in 2018, as she interviewed over 50 people in 6 months (you can find all the interviews by browsing through articles here on Linkedin) and she is carrying on this adventure via her podcast show called Impact By Choice, which can be listened to here.

For collaborations, book a free 30 mins call here.