- Floating Thoughts
- Posts
- Endless to-do lists
Hey 510+ friends, it’s Hannah here from Quoted Visually!
Welcome to another issue of Floating Thoughts where I share an insight, image and personal update.
Do you feel like your to-do list is never-ending?
Like there are an infinite number of things you could be doing right now?
Well, no sh*t, there are!
Our attention is hot property and prioritisation has never been more important.
We can’t do it all
Ironically, the more efficient we become = the more work we generate.
As Oliver Burkeman writes in his book, ‘Four Thousand Weeks’, clearing the decks or ‘getting on top of things’ becomes an impossible task.
For example, the process of getting through our emails and messages generates more responses.
☑ So whilst we tick one task off
☐ we add another one to the list!
We can spend our days ticking off empty, non-essential tasks, whilst simultaneously ignoring our priorities.
Burkeman urges us to let go of this notion that we can do it all, and instead focus on the select things that matter. But first, let’s stop admiring busyness!
Savouring what we have
To experience a fulfilled life, we don’t have to ‘fill it’ to the top with experiences.
We can take the time to savour the few experiences we do have and enjoy them in their depth. Quality of experiences can beat quantity.
I would also add that the fullness of our life is not determined by its length, but more by its depth.
Put beautifully:
“Once you truly understand that you're guaranteed to miss out on almost every experience the world has to offer, the fact that there are so many you still haven't experienced stops feeling like a problem.
Instead, you get to focus on fully enjoying the tiny slice of experiences you actually have do you have time for – and the freer you are to choose, in each moment, what counts the most”
💡 Inspiration
If you haven’t yet read Oliver Burkeman’s book, Four Thousand Weeks, you can get a little sample of the ideas in his TEDx talk.
When we are at our busiest, it is tempting to push learning and self-care to one side, but often that is when we need it most.
In these periods, taking a short 20-minute pause will reap the greatest rewards!
🗞️ Update
How is it July?! This month is going to be a busy one for me.
Aside from all the business bits, I have a couple of events lined up and a friend’s wedding in France! 🇫🇷👰♀️
*A peak behind the scenes*
In preparation to start posting again on social media, I’ve just created a whole Content Library in Google Sheets to keep track of all the captions.
My approach is to systemise everything so that I can allocate my resources more effectively.
I have also given each illustration a number to identify them:
🔔 I would love to hear about how you tackle/ would tackle the tedious but important file management of visual and written assets!
One thing is for sure, a system is only useful if we use it.
I didn’t want to be locked into a media library within a scheduling platform. I’ve tried to create a setup here that feels effortless but also gives the control and flexibility needed.
That’s a wrap. Thanks for being here!
Let me know if you enjoyed hearing exclusive insights about my processes.
Feel free to reply to this email if you have any questions, requests or feedback. I will respond at my earliest opportunity.
Big love,
Hannah aka Quoted Visually x
Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | My website
Reply