Not enough hours in the day? 5 tips for a more sustainable you!
Over the last several months I have been working a lot of extra hours, as multiple projects are winding up and the need to generate revenue in my business continues to loom large, as it does with every entrepreneur.
I say this not to complain or whine… I love the life I have chosen!
The irons I have in the fire are all very positive, generative things that feed my heart and soul at a fundamental level. Yet from time to time I must force myself back to the yoga mat when the TO DO list really is in all caps, bold, and threatening to run ME instead of the other way around.
I become a human DOING instead of a human BEING sometimes!
I have to reset myself deliberately. I discussed this situation recently with someone I am close to and he brought some wisdom from the world of search and rescue, his expertise, to my attention. He said, “We all do surge operations when there is something big going on like a hurricane…
But you can’t do that forever!”
That seems pretty obvious, yet even those of us who profess to know better, who teach sustainability and long-term strategic planning to our business students and clients, can fall prey to the old habit of “slaying the dragon that’s in front of me now!”
I must confess to being in that mode today, as I squeeze in an overdue blog post amid book edits while I am slope-side at a ski resort. This was a day I had planned for recharging my batteries with friends. My old and dear friends succeeded in carving out the time to reconnect and take a deep breath, while I continue on with my “surge operations!” It leaves me thinking, “physician‑ heal thyself!” I will most certainly enjoy their company this evening, but the irony of the situation is inescapable.
I chose firefly pose for this blog entry because it is fun. It is challenging for me. It requires a lot of strength, like the many work-related projects I have in progress at any given time... and just like surge operations, you can't do that for too long.
If you try to hold it forever, it is a 100% guaranteed certainty that your arms will eventually demand a break!
Even after a wholesale personal transformation spanning years, old patterns of overextension can creep back in. When that happens, we must balance the responsibilities we have taken on with the need to honor our own wellbeing and, by all means‑ say no to anything new for a while! So as I prepare to take a yoga break before returning to my laptop, I will try to offer a few helpful suggestions for others who might share my plight.
1. Create some space! As I said above, the ability to say no is really important. If we accept every opportunity that appears, then the calendar fills and we are not open to serendipity. Try to leave yourself some excess capacity here and there, saying no to some things so that you can answer the door when opportunity knocks!
2. Plan downtime into your routine and your calendar. Remember that incubation is part of the creative process and give yourself time for a run, meditation, yoga, or simply “vegging out” during each 24-hour period. Book vacations well in advance and TAKE THEM.
3. Hold your me time/family time/friend time as sacred. Don’t skimp on self-care. Make the time to get new glasses, walk the dog, take care of your home and your body, etc. Even though nobody else sees the immediate effects of these little things on a particular day, the cumulative effects of ignoring them become apparent over time. Once a vacation is booked, don’t allow anything else to interfere with taking it, short of a family emergency. This is the mistake I am trying to avoid in the future, as my beloved friends ski and tolerate my resurgent workaholic tendencies. (Ouch- backsliding alert!)
4. When you catch yourself resuming old patterns, examine your priorities and how you do your planning. Are you expecting Herculean efforts of yourself? Would you ask that much of an employee? Are the circles under your eyes adding ten years to your age? Maybe it is time to reassess.
5. When “surge operations” are necessary, do what is needed. After all, reliability is an important part of staying in business and being a responsible human being. But put that label on it. Recognize it as a short-term requirement. If you allow that to go on for too long it can become a way of life. That leads to health problems, strained interpersonal relationships, and hampered creativity.
So how about you? Are you conducting extended periods of surge operations?
Care to join me for a yoga break? Time to unroll my mat!
Copyright Gly Solutions, LLC 2015
