Take your foot off the gas and you’ll be surprised by the results
Don’t let back to school, back to work, back to reality fool you.
Ramping up and accelerating the pace could have the opposite impact you intended. Embracing the slowness of summer and incorporating it into your routine and rituals regularly, could be the key to drive progress towards your goals, productivity in your work, and happiness in your life.
It’s true that we need action, contribution, and production to move ourselves, our businesses, and our organizations forward. The fire that is lit inside of you to get the work done, to show up and serve, to demonstrate value to your clients - it gets us into the doing. And the burn is good. The burn gets us in motion; it creates momentum that leads to progress.
The problem is when the burn consumes us and leads to burnout.
Too much burn leads to pressure, stress, and anxiety that stifles productivity. It inhibits our ability to make decisions that are efficient and in alignment with our personal and professional goals. It crunches our time rather than expanding it. It leaves us drained and depleted. Our creativity is blocked. Our imagination is in the dark. The doors to ideation and innovation have been slammed shut.
The antidote to burning out?
Creating space.
Space is what allows us to reset, to restore, to rejuvenate ourselves and our souls. Sometimes we are thinking, sometimes we are doing, sometimes we are burning doing both, and sometimes we need space.
“Happy people alternate between boxes. They flip-flop. They swirl. They jump. They know where they are, and they know how to create space.” - Neil Pasricha
Transitioning between seasons naturally creates space and an opportunity for reflection.
To bring awareness to what is working and what we don’t want finding its way back into our routines, our calendars, and our lifestyle. Instead of adding more this season, what could you keep off your plate? What could you keep from growing back into your life or your work that no longer serves a purpose?
Letting go of time consuming activities, perceived priorities, and work for work’s sake, can create more space, and more time for the areas of focus that will move the needle. Get clear on meeting agendas and objectives and keep speakers accountable to a time limit. Schedule email and social for certain time blocks in your calendar and don’t be tempted to check them outside of it. Meditate and move your body: create space in your mind and body leads to experiencing expansion in your work and life.
Slow down. Sit in the park a little longer.
Slowing down allows us not only to quiet our minds and heal our bodies, it also creates space for us to expand our thinking. It leads us to act from a place of ease and integration, not frustration and reaction.
“Take some time back… It is a core trait of the most successful people to rise above being overbusy. If there are any secrets to what really successful people do, this is one of them.” - Patty Azzarello
We’ve all had a moment where an idea, a solution to a problem, or a new way of doing something popped into our minds unexpectedly. For me, it’s always when I’m out for a run. For others it might be while on vacation, in meditation, on our way to bed, or in the shower.
“When we take time off from working on a problem, we change what we’re doing and our context, and that activates different areas of our brain… If we’re lucky, in the next context we may hear or see something that relates - distantly - to the problem we have temporarily put aside.” - Keith Sawyer
Needless to say, there’s a case to be made that slowing down is the key to speeding up. That creating space unlocks answers to our biggest problems. And that taking time to think, is the most productive thing you can do.
Kirsten Schmidtke is a professional coach, speaker, and lover of lake life. She works with leaders, creators, and entrepreneurs to help them up-level their careers, businesses, and lives. Are you ready to explore what’s possible for you? Contact Kirsten to start the conversation!
