How often are you engaged in a task while focusing on another activity that needs to get done at the very same time?  Folding laundry or emptying the dishwasher, for instance, while at the same time ruminating about the number of emails that still need a reply, or answering emails, while feeling distracted by a work deadline. The tension of doing one thing while focused on the need to do another creates exhaustion and irritability. Self-esteem coach Laure Redmond, author of Feel Good Naked, tells how to accomplish more by doing less so as not to miss out on life:

1. Simply notice where your mind is while engaged in an activity.  Are you fully present for the task at hand?  Or are you thinking about something else that needs to get done?  Bring awareness to your behavior without judging it.
2. Practice slowing down, relaxing, and breathing more deeply and fully.  The simple experience of realizing that this very moment is actually the best time of your life, regardless of what you're doing is the secret to living a joyful life.
3. Repeat often: “No more body in one place, mind in another." If you have a dog, practice complete awareness when feeding him/her. Listen to the tenderness of their excited sounds, feel the food as you put it from hand into bowl … hear the sounds of mouths happily eating.
4. Troubleshoot your own stress. Taking a time out, whether it's a walk or a long hot bath, will calm you down and offer an example of a healthy reaction to stress.
5. Bump your bedtime up by a half hour and wake up a half hour earlier.
6. Add more beauty to your environment: have you cleaned your office or home lately and do you continuously throw out what isn’t needed?
7. Constantly raise your level of consciousness. Each week, take one simple step to live a healthier, more creative life.
8. Treat everything as important and take pleasure in it.

For more information on Laure, visit her website.