The CAMROSE BOOSTER, May 3, 2022 – Page 4
Band Celebration Day at school Less could be more The title attracted my attention: Critical Things Ridiculously Successful People Do Every Day by Dr. Travis Bradberry. I appreciated the opening quote: “Whenever you see a successful person, you only see the public glories, never the private sacrifices to reach them.” (Vaibhav Shah. Right. The article was based on a project by Kevin Kruse, who interviewed over 200 supersuccessful people including billionaires, Olympians and accomplished entrepreneurs. He asked them, “What is your number one secret to productivity?” The title and the question triggered my deep and abiding ambivalence about two words: “success” and “productivity”. ***
Success. In earlier years, it seemed to me that “success” was usually defined by money. I didn’t consider myself successful that area. Over a few decades, I refined my personal definition of “success” to include happy connections with people I treasure, freedom for new experiences, opportunities to learn and contribute, and inner peace. I began to think of money, not as an end in itself, but as one of several vehicles for rewarding experiences. I began to feel more successful. ***
Productivity. My ambivalent relationship with “productivity” is closely related to the idea of “time management”. On one hand, especially in the busy years of raising children while having demanding jobs and going back to school, my definition of “productivity” was about slogging through overlong “to do” lists while looking after important people in my life. Since I never ever got to the end of the “to do” list and often felt much less present than I wanted to be for important people, I never felt “productive”. Even while I felt compelled to make every minute count to get things done, I pined for time off with no responsibilities. I’d go flat-out for days or weeks, and then rebel by fullstop ignoring the “to do” list. I didn’t really enjoy time off, though, because I felt guilty about what I was not doing. In more recent years, I’m playing with a different concept of “productivity” to mean “a state of well-being”. That includes a sense of contentment, a sense of meaningful contribution, and a sense of freedom. “Freedom” doesn’t mean no limits; it means I’m able to do and be and have whatever matters to me in a particular moment. What I’ve noticed is easier and more fun turns out to be more effective than harder and more stressful. This is gratifying. Less is more! ***
Back to the article. Despite my ambivalence about “success” and “productivity”, I kept reading about how highly successful people are so productive. Three things stood out for me. They focus on minutes, not hours. They know that every day has 1,440 minutes and that nothing is more valuable than time. Money can be lost and made again, but time can never be reclaimed. A quote: “Master the minutes to master your life.” They don’t use “to do” lists. Undone items on a “to do” list lead to stress because the undone tasks stay on your mind until you finish them (exactly my experience!). Instead, highly productive people schedule everything on their calendar and then live by their calendar. They make it home for dinner. Highly successful people know what they value in life and consciously allocate their 1,440 minutes a day to each area they value. Yes, work, but also what else they value – family time, exercise, giving back. They schedule time for each important area of their life. ***
Less is more. I’m percolating how to be fully present in each minute. Instead of a “to do” list, I identify what needs to be done by when and make sure my schedule includes time to “do nothing” and “have fun”, as well as time for “get it done” actions. And I’m really enjoying the concept that “easier” and “more fun” is actually more effective. ***
I’d love to hear from you. If you have comments about this column or suggestions for future topics, send an email to Bonnie@BonnieHutchinson.com. I’ll happily reply within one business day.
Photos by Lori Larsen By Lori Larsen
The east gym and surrounding halls of École Camrose Composite High School (ÉCCHS) were filled with the sound of music, as several school bands from around Battle River School Division gathered for a live Band Celebration Day on April 26. Seated in a circle around the gym were: ÉCCHS (Junior Grade 9 Band, and Senior Band), École Charlie Killam School (ÉCKS) (Grade 7 Band), Forestburg Grade 8/9 Band and For-
estburg High School Band, Hay Lakes School Band, Bawlf Junior Band, New Norway Beginner Band and Bawlf Grade 5 and Grade 6 Bands. Each band played pieces for adjudicators, after which they would retreat to the band room to hear remarks. With the entire gym full of band members, music teachers, adjudicators and other school officials (over 200) there was little room left for in-person spectators, so the entire festival/
concert was live-streamed so parents and others could enjoy the fruits of the students’ labour. The festival was, by all accounts, quite a success. Students were able to once again gather in-person and listen and learn from each other. In a room filled with close to 200 students and a variety of instruments, all one could hear was the music of the performing band. Impressive.
ÉCKS Grade 7 Band
ÉCCHS Junior Grade 9 Band
ÉCCHS Senior Band
