59. The Powerful Pause: Juliet Funt, author of ‘A Minute to Think’ [reads] ‘When Things Fall Apart’

It irks me to confess this, but I am still in thrall to my to-do list. I’ve been writing about how not to be busy for 20 years, and I have thoroughly, completely, and annoyingly failed to take my own advice. The truth is, I get a rush from getting stuff done, and believe me, I’m aware of the irony. The thing people thank me for is not my tasking, but my thinking; figuring stuff out, me trying to make more complicated ideas more useful, more practical, more accessible, and I do that with a pen and paper, and a minute to think. How about you, do you do a good job at thinking, mulling, musing, playing, creating, exploring? If you’ve got that sorted, I salute you. 

I met Juliet Funt when she was speaking at a conference, and being a decent speaker and presenter myself, I’m always delighted when someone puts on a brilliant performance. Juliet put on that performance, and turns out she’s just as fun and smart off the stage, as she is on it. Get‌ ‌book‌ ‌links‌ ‌and‌ ‌resources‌ ‌at‌ https://www.mbs.works/2-pages-podcast/ 

Juliet reads two pages from ‘When Things Fall Apart’ by Pema Chödrön. [reading begins at 13:40]

Hear us discuss: 

Softening and managing busyness: “We have been using busyness to numb and avoid softness.” [16:39] | The anxiety of getting unbusy: “Give yourself a structure, but write it in pencil.” [20:57] | Finding the work that matters: The thief of activity. [24:04]