Part 1: Making Our Daily “Business Chores” Less Chore-ish

Daily chores should be called something else. I mean, “chores” implies work, drudgery, and “can I just get this over with so I can do something else I’d like a lot more…like having a beer, a glass of wine, watching a movie, hanging out with friends.. or anything but this?” I’m guessing some of your least favorite household chores have already popped into your mind but, truth be told… there are plenty of business chores that we could probably live without. (I’m sorry, what? Did someone just yell out “mandatory weekly meetings”?)

And because of this mentality that most of us have grown to associate with daily chores, they tend to be throwaways. “Let me just get this over with—wash these dishes, get through this meeting, pick up those kids…as fast as I can.” And it’s too bad because chores can be a great way to really revel in the present moment without adding an extra minute to our already jam-packed day.

To revel in that precious present moment, all we have to do is engage 1 of our 5 senses. That’s it. “What do I see? What do I hear? What do I smell? What do I taste? What do I feel?”

So here you are at that Tuesday morning meeting. Again. And there everyone is. In their same seats or on the laptop screen… again. Same person drinking coffee and never looking at the screen. Same person with their video off and doing who knows what? Same person sitting across from you unsuccessfully trying to squelch a yawn every 8 seconds. So you’re half listening and half thinking: “I have so much work to do, can we just get this over with already? Or, “Maybe I’ll have Taco Bell for lunch.”

What if, for 30 seconds, you gently shifted your focus from your cluttered, frustrated, distracted thoughts to what’s in front of you right here, right now? No comments or critiques… just noticing… just one of your senses. The smell of the coffee. The feel of your feet on the floor. Your back against the chair. The sun coming through the window. Watch how this annoying room with these sometimes trying people can suddenly become a little oasis of inner peace. How many little oases of peace can we create for ourselves within one hectic workday? Plenty. (Sorry. I’m told l always have to have the last word.)