Shawshank

The Shawshank Redemption is one of my favorite movies of all time. The story and the actors draw me in. It’s a complicated story about complicated characters. Every time I watch it, I walk away with a different perspective and insight than I had before.

Several years ago, my life coach introduced me to the idea of shawshank as a verb. Break things up into little pieces and tackle them one at a time until the larger project is complete, just as Andy dug his tunnel one pocket of rock at a time. That seems like a simple idea, but it wasn’t for me. I was accustomed to tackling big projects without issue. But I had hit a wall. I became overwhelmed by those bigger projects. It caused me to freeze because I couldn’t to see where to begin.

So I began to shawshank – especially when I am working on something I don’t want to do (i.e., eating a frog). I would start by completing just one piece of a project, then another. Other times, I set an amount of time I committed to working. Sometimes I set my timer for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour. At the end of that time or the couple of tasks I committed to doing, I could choose to stop or keep going. Sometimes I stopped and took a break. Other times, just getting started was enough of a catalyst to keep me going, and I could complete much more work than I initially intended to do.

Many of the blogs I posted here were penned by shawshanking. Ideas that have many layers and require research often take more time to shape the words into what I envision. Shawshanking allows me to get the depth I want without making me anxious or discouraged. I know little by little I will get there.

We rise to great heights by a winding staircase of small steps. – Francis Bacon

I am not alone in the struggle to complete larger projects or eat my frog. I have many students who don’t know how to approach large projects in a more manageable way. I frequently meet adults who flounder in the face of big projects. One of the most well-known forms of shawshanking is Couch to 5-K. This program provides a way for couch potatoes to train to complete a 5-K in approximately 9 weeks.

My issue was my old way of diving in and powering through was no longer working for me. I had to find a new way, and that was shawshanking. I use this tactic to complete housework, weed flower beds, fill out financial paperwork at my job (I hate filling out those forms), and do scores of other tasks. It is incredible how much can be accomplished a little at a time. I am continually amazed at how much shawshanking fights off the overwhelm and calms my anxiety when a project looms.

Earlier this summer, I wrote about how I was soul tired. I was burnt out from 2.5 very full and challenging years and needed time to rest. I made it a priority to get plenty of sleep, I did things that fed my soul, I spent time with my cats, I napped when I needed to (sometimes with and at the insistence of Goldie), I traveled a bit, and generally focused on taking care of me. Little by little, one pocket full of dirt and rock at a time, I started to feel like my old self again…even a little better than my old self. THAT is the power of shawshanking.

Shawshanking is a life process. It can be applied to completing everyday tasks or to reaching bigger life goals. Everything we do in life is accomplished by shawshanking, whether we approach it intentionally or not. One handful of rock at a time, we can build the life we want by shawshanking our way there.

I hope thinking of shawshank as a verb helps you. If nothing else, watch The Shawshank Redemption.

It is a fantastic movie.