Find Your Linchpin Phrase
Sometimes you can find a phrase that becomes a linchpin: a key practice that tells you how to prioritize. Linchpins are locking pins, used at the end of axles, which literally keep the wheels from falling off a cart.
Image of linchpin on a cart by Thamizhpparithi Maari - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia commons
A linchpin phrase can keep our metaphorical wheels from falling off, too — helping us to stay on track. Often key practices we turn to, to keep focused, can be summed up in short phrases.
Thomas Keller, the famous chef, was asked for advice about what he did that had made him great. He said, "Keep your station clean." The interviewer prompted him to say more. Keller said that everything followed from that (Charnas 2016, p 37).
Another example is from a story a pastor told of consulting his spiritual advisor. He described his hectic work and family schedule, and after a long pause, the advisor said, "You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life." He wrote that down, and said, what else? And the spiritual advisor said, "There is nothing else." (Ortberg 2002)
For several years, the phrase I kept in mind was "manage your energy, not your time." (Schwartz and McCarthy 2007)
Based on what I learned about managing my energy, I used that principle to make new decisions about my schedule and time commitments. I now reserve time early in the morning for writing, because writing is easier for me at the beginning of the day.
Recently the phrase above, about "ruthlessly eliminating hurry from your life," has become my linchpin. When I plan my week, I look at what's coming up over the next few weeks, and at the top of my weekly plan template*, I wrote this question: Given this week's plan, what can I do to be unhurried?
As I look ahead at my week, I see where one day may have a lot of meetings, but another day is good for deep work.
Learning to be unhurried means I can be more present.
And everything flows from that.
References
Charnas, Dan. Work Clean: The Life-Changing Power of Mise-En-Place to Organize Your Life, Work, and Mind. New York, NY: Rodale Books, 2016.
Ortberg, John. “Ruthlessly Eliminate Hurry.” CT Pastors, 2002. https://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2002/july-online-only/cln20704.html. Accessed 14 June 2021.
Schwartz, Tony, and Catherine McCarthy. “Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time.” Harvard Business Review, Oct. 2007. hbr.org, https://hbr.org/2007/10/manage-your-energy-not-your-time. Accessed 14 June 2021.
Notes
*Currently I use a template I made in Dynalist. I write in all my appointments and hard deadlines for the week, and then I have some questions at the top to help me think out the best way to go about my week in an unhurried way. Carl Jung said that hurry was not of the devil, it was the devil; and I agree.