Less Fluff and Stuff | Ease | Essentialism
Hello there! Welcome to my weekly LEAPS.
You’re receiving this email because you subscribed to my weekly Wednesday feature or our mailing list. Every Wednesday, I share 5 things using our LEAPS approach:
Learn: something new or an idea
Energy: an energy (good or bad) word and it’s meaning
Action: something to do
Processing: a question to consider
Shout out: something or someone that I want to celebrate or acknowledge
LEARN
Something Worth Sharing
Less Fluff and Stuff
I’m busy. You’re busy. Life is busy - and getting busier. Perhaps this is just how things are, but we can help ourselves a little by reducing the ‘fluff and stuff’. Have you ever been unnecessarily cc’d into emails? Have you attended a meeting (real or virtual) and wondered why you bothered? Have you ever tried to log onto Wifi in a public venue only to be asked to fill in a ridiculous amount of unhelpful fields?
Fluff and stuff doesn’t just happen to you, we can also be the cause. We have a habit of adding unnecessary things to emails, conversations, our day and in fact, our lives in general. I’m describing the frills, faff, nonsense, extras, barriers, frustraters and time-wasting rubbish that serves no benefit.
I have an increasing list of annoying fluff and stuff including: tiresome adverts and sponsors on podcasts, many a sales pitch, packaging you can’t get into without a Swiss Army Knife, lengthy emails that require you to scroll, customer services that make you dance through hoops especially when the issue wasn’t of your making, I could go on!
To reduce fluff and stuff, be concise. Say what you mean. If you need action, say what and how - and make it simple. Fluff and stuff is suspicious, often a cover up for hidden agendas, politicking, or lack of any real substance.
ENERGY
An emotion or energy; a stand-out word / s
Ease
When I hear the word EASE, my shoulders drop a little and I take a slower breath. Some words have an amazing affect - just the thought of them can induce a feeling; my other ‘go to’ word that does this is ‘calm’.
The etymology of ‘ease’ is ultimately from Latin adiacere meaning "lie at, border upon, lie near" and is formed from AD "to" + IACERE "to lie, rest". To be at ease, therefore, means to simply to be at rest with something or someone - not forced.
ACTION
Something small that you can do that might make a big difference
Close Something
This could be anything! Close your eyes, your laptop, a situation, a chapter, a door, a social media platform… just close something.
PROCESSING
A question to think about and consider (you can discuss this with someone or write your thoughts down)
“What could I simplify?”
One of my favourite questions: how can we simplify something? In a world of complexity and ‘stuff’, it’s important to be able to simplify as much as possible. Think about what you could simplify in your life, relationships or work that would help you.
I’d love for you to send me your own stories / thoughts about this. Drop me a line with your answer / thoughts on this question
SHOUT OUT
Who / what I think deserves recognition - my gratitude or to be celebrated.
Learning
Thanks to one of my team members - Simon - I learned a new word this week and it reminded me of how we can always be learning more (the word was liminal - meaning the transitional point of something). My family and I use the LEAPS framework to have a conversation at dinner - each person firstly shares their LEARN of the day followed my ENERGY, ACTION, PROCESSING and SHOUT OUT. The ‘learn’ that each person shares is always fascinating. Shout out to our ability, openness and courage to learn each day.
BONUS GIFT FOR YOU
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LEAPS is a process used by our team and clients all the time - and even my own family on a daily basis.
I’ll be sharing a set of LEAPS each week with you and encourage you to do your own version:
L: what have you learned?
E: what’s your energy / feeling word
A: what’s one thing you need to do?
P: what are you thinking / processing?
S: who or what can you shout out?
