28 Days to Diva: Day 23 – Do Less and Do it Better (#28daystodiva)

When Scott Thompson took over as CEO of Yahoo in 2012, he suffered under the public’s ire for laying off 2,000 people without a strong explanation. In April, he was quoted as saying that Yahoo’s biggest problem was “strategic sprawl.” We can take our cue for Day 23 from Thompson’s tough decisions. Do you find yourself spread too thin? Competing on so many fronts can be diluting your talent. What a wonderful Saturday to take stock and find out how you can do less and do it better.

I cannot pinpoint what you specifically need to let go from your daily schedule. But, we can come up with some general ideas.

Keep a place to catalog your ideas. If you are overwhelmed by the fever dream of possible recitals, roles to learn, or applications to send, write it down in a journal of some sort. Return to it later when you can think clearly about all of your upcoming projects in the macro sense. Setting up a recurring time to think about new projects so that you can focus on your current priorities without distraction.

Are you a to-do list junkie like I am? I have lists laying all over my home and work spaces, truth be told. Unfortunately, the everyday tasks can override the list and leave me feeling less accomplished and downtrodden. But, if I focus on those everyday opportunities to be better at smaller, familiar tasks, I find that I feel renewed and more able to break down some big ideas during the weekly brainstorming session.

The “jack of all trades; master of none” complex is rampant in our day. There is an non-stop newsfeed that convinces us that we should be doing more at all times. Comparison-fueled activities full our planners. We rarely do our best work in this capacity. If we actively do less we give ourselves the chance to do them better without having to go back and fix the details.

How do we start? Let’s begin with this one statement: I am enough. You are enough. You will continue to be enough. If you follow all the steps of 28 Days to Diva or only a couple, you are a valuable artist with a unique gift. It’s a beautiful day today – do less and give yourself unto the calm.

Until tomorrow.