My NUI trick - creating time for the important things

Do you always feel like you are running from one thing to another with barely enough time to catch your breath? Are you spending the most time on things you feel like you have to do and have no time left for the things you want to do? You need NUI!

What’s NUI? Well working in the corporate world you get exposed to lots of “tools” to use to increase productivity and profits. One of these tools, the Eisenhower Matrix, has been one of the main ways I have created more space for joy. It was developed by a Dwight David Eishenhower who was a General in the US army - read more here if you're curious.

One of the four sectors relates to things that are Not Urgent but Important - and from this my NUI developed. Naming things is a great way for the brain to understand the space you are in just from a single word. Not urgent but important didn’t really spark excitement for me but when I looked into the acronym my inner geek did a little dance of delight as I knew I had nailed it.

In Te Reo Maori (the "a" should have a macron over it - I can't work out how to do :-( ) nui means to be large, big, many, plentiful, abundant, ample, superior, important.

In Latin - Yes that is right

Sardinian - Cloud

Sicilian - We

All the above for me, tied into joy very nicely - definitely aiming for large abundant amounts of it. The feeling it gives you is like being in the clouds and “we” reflects how things are always better together and that we are all connected. So that’s my NUI, but how do I do it?

NUI is something that needs to be scheduled. Yup all of you spur of the moment, spontaneous peeps may roll your eyes but it’s super important.

We need to schedule NUI to ensure we are spending our time on the things that matter.

What things matter? Well that’s up to you to decide. Have you ever heard people talking about others saying “oh she wastes so much time running around after her kids” - I wonder if they have even considered for a second that the person they are talking about values family above everything else. For them perhaps a happy and fulfilled family is what is most important to them. We are all different so avoid that nasty called comparison!

If you don’t know what’s important to you, you’ll need to put some time into finding out. You’ll know when you get it as you get an amazing sense of calm and energy all at once. I know that sounds like two opposing feelings but it’s what you feel. Until you can define what matters to you, NUI will be hit and miss.

Ironically when I speak and coach people through their definition of success and what’s important, I've yet to come across someone whose priorities align with what social media, advertising and society tells us. I’m also yet to have people who have exactly the same priorities and definitions of success. #youdoyou.

And what is society telling us? Some people think that there is pressure to earn more, have more. For me I felt the pressure to “live your true life”, get the next promotion, create a hobby business, be fit, be the greatest mother, be the greatest wife (hmmm just because I felt I should doesn’t mean i nailed it!!) Each of us will be taking in the numerous messages we are bombarded with and putting our own perspective on this. We should also get more curious about what our mind is telling us and learn to tune in our inner being, not our mind talk.

But back to the how of NUI. You’ve scheduled the time, which can be an hour to a day to a weekend - you choose as well as the frequency of it, weekly, monthly quarterly. I’m smiling as this will be great for some of you but for others you’ll want the step by step instructions.

Sorry peeps there ain’t no rule book and schedule to follow. Find what works for you.

During this time you focus on your important stuff - whatever that may be. Your focus may be planning the steps, setting the goals, doing the doing. The key is making sure its focused on your important stuff.

At work I set myself a day aside to do this once a quarter. It enables me to look at the bigger picture, ensures I’m focusing on where I can really make a difference and that I’m adding value, minimising admin and making the most of digital technology where possible. In my personal life my NUI session occurs on a Sunday, reflecting, resetting and making plans for the coming week. There are three things I set myself - something to do today, which creates immediate action. Something that I will do everyday, which helps support me create good habits and finally something I will do that week. This one aligns to longer term goals and is generally something my future self will thank me for.

If you think that NUI is something that could support you to create more space for the moments that spark joy give it a go, experiment with what works or doesn’t work for you and most of all, stay out of your head and just have fun!

How to NUI recap

• Get clear on what matters to you - not what you think should matter but what actually matters to you.

• Schedule a regular NUI session - consistency builds great habits, NUI is the same

• Experiment with the format - find what works for you

• Get a friend involved - friends can be great at holding us accountable, just make sure you don’t get swayed by what’s important to them.

• Give yourself a break - it takes work like everything else that makes life fun. I’ve been doing this since 2017. The more you do the more the momentum builds.

I’d love to hear how you create space for joy so leave a comment or get in touch. Here's to us all living a life of joy, where we will all create space for everyone to have the freedom, knowledge and opportunity to create a life we actively participate and thrive in.

Nadine xx