Common belief is that in order to be more productive, we have to find ways to squeeze more things into the time we have. And with productivity I mean not only our work life, but our personal lives…our productivity in focusing on ourselves.

But there is another way to look at productivity; that it is less about trying to fit more into an already crowded space, but rather about letting go, about making space.

Steven Pressfield , in his book The War of Art, talks about understanding the resistance in our lives and realizing that this resistance prevents us from achieving. He talks about the fact that no matter what it is that we want to achieve, that talent alone is not enough to achieve great things; that we need to make space and have a structured discipline to our craft.

I just finished a book called Daily Rituals, How Artists Work. It is a study of how artists, painters, writers worked to create  – from Kafka to Simone de Beauvoir to Gustav Mahler to George Orwell.  A common theme for all these best of the best, the very talented, is the discipline they had in their work routines. Oeuvres don’t just happen, be it on canvas or in our work and personal lives. They require discipline.

In other words, having a goal is not enough. Having incredible talent is not enough. In a world where we are running at 120%, we need to make space and commit to a structured discipline.

We say we don’t have time. We can’t afford not to have time for the important things. I have a routine; I get up early, meditate, write my journal, write my blogs, focus on the day – It centers me for the rest of the day. Focuses me.

More often than we care to believe, opportunity is not created; rather it is grasped when we create the space and discipline to see it.

Make space
Commit to a discipline, a process
Apply your talent

Achieve!