The Dwarf Hamster’s Guide to Productivity

The Desert of Arizona
Calling For Rain 39 Degrees

So here’s the newest addition to the family. A set of three dwarf hamsters.





If I had to sum up their approach to living a productive life, I could do it in two words:

DO LESS

This is a shot of them “in action,” doing less. They’re so good at doing “less,” it might look like they’re bordering on doing nothing. But boy are they focused!

It’s a pretty good lesson really. Who wants to be busy?

According to sociologist Christine Carter, Ph.D. from a recent article in the Harvard Business Review:

“Busyness is not a marker of intelligence, importance, or success. Taken to an extreme, it is much more likely a marker of conformity or powerlessness or fear.”

Kind of makes you think twice about your “busy day” today, doesn’t it?

Apparently, these hamsters read the article. Because if that picture right there isn’t the antithesis of “busy,” I don’t know what is.

What happens if you give up busy and trade it in for… nothing? The first thing you’ll have to get used to is a LACK of something to fill every conscious moment of your day. Most people suck at this and go back to “busy” before their mind goes crazy.

Don’t do that to yourself. When you lose the busy and replace it with nothing, what’s left is an opportunity for PRESENCE.

And that’s the path to real power.