Welcome the Well-worn Ways
By Tana M. Mann Easton, Lead Efficiency Engineer
Have you ever walked through a park or college campus and noticed the paths of dirt through the grass that aren’t paved? These unpaved paths are sometimes called desire paths. They’re the worn spots that people regularly take because they’re the easiest way for them to travel. Landscapers sometimes wait for these paths to be formed organically by people’s movements before placing pavement since it represents how people actually want to move around the space.
I leverage this concept of the well-worn, easiest paths in my life and time management techniques as well. There are many activities that I need to regularly perform in my life. And if an activity is strenuous at any point, I’ll start experimenting with it to find the easiest path through. For example, mowing the lawn. We moved to a new house a couple of years ago, and the home has a few hills that need to be navigated when mowing. I use a push mower for the front yard and around the house because there are a lot of plants to maneuver around, and my husband uses a riding mower on the big back hill where there are fewer plants to manage. There are still hills that I need to navigate with the push mower though, and those hills can be a beast. Each time I mowed when we first moved in, I noticed the things that made mowing easier and replicated those actions for the next time. Music helps, so I make sure I have my old iPod each time. Mowing earlier in the day before the summer heat sets in helps. Taking certain routes that alternate a trip up and down a hill with a flat surface for rest then back to the hill keeps me moving but not huffing and puffing as much. Each time I mow the lawn, I view the physically challenging task with curiosity and find new ways to make my path smoother the next time.
With parenting, I noticed my son and I seem to both feel better when we play outside, so I also notice the ways that make that path smooth in our lives. Again, we usually do better in the morning before it’s too hot and before my afternoon energy dip. I noticed that if I wait until the afternoon, it’s much less likely that we get outside, so I steer us toward the well-worn morning path that most consistently works best for us.
Cleaning my house is another weekly task that I experiment with. I’ve tried every day of the week and every time of day, and I found that Sunday mornings meet the least resistance at this stage in my life, so that’s when my weekly cleaning tends to get done.
Some of my other well-worn paths: I prefer to write blog posts on Sunday evenings. I do my best professional work from 5-11am. Exercise first thing after waking up is my sweet spot for that activity. I prefer to wear comfortable clothing rather than really fashionable clothing no matter what society expects of me. I’m an easy make-up and hair routine person each morning. There are times when I think I should try and put more effort into my appearance, but I don’t end up actually setting time aside to make the effort. So I’m embracing my easy morning routines rather than fighting them. I might change my mind at some point in my life and experiment more with my make-up or hair, but I’m embracing my well-worn, low maintenance way right now.
What are your well-worn ways that you could explore or embrace? Are there regular, challenging projects in your life that you could experiment with to find an easier way? Are there activities or characteristics that you think you should do or be but you never seem to get around to them? For example, are you a night owl who thinks you need to be a morning person because that’s what productivity experts say you should do? There are times to challenge ourselves to do new things, and there are times when we can stop shoulding all over ourselves and accept what is. It’s possible to be the night owl you are, and still be productive. Meeting activities with curiosity and experimenting, noticing, and replicating the well-worn paths in your life are ways to make your life more effortless and fulfilling at the same time.
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Authentically Yours,
Focus to Evolve Team