We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden. – Van Goethe
Schools in our area went back yesterday, and the answer that dominated the question of “how were the holidays?” was busy. Without a doubt, we are in a ‘busy’ epidemic. There is never going to be a time, however, when we’re not busy.
Changing our answer will help refocus our thoughts back to what we did or are doing that we want to. Busy can imply we’re unwillingly doing stuff for others, be it our organisation or our kids.
How to break the busy cycle
- Go surfing – if that’s your thing. Otherwise, do something you love to do within your day.
- Avoid using the word ‘busy’ when people ask you ‘how are things?’ Focus on specific things as opposed to the all consuming concept of busy.
- Stop and breathe at critical moments in the day. As you switch from meeting to meeting, pause in between to review, reflect, recalibrate and refocus.
- Go for a mindful walk. You can’t feel busy when you’re being mindful.
- Have clarity at the start of the day about your goals so that it doesn’t pass in a blur, and so that you can maximise each pivotal moment.
It’s not about work life balance anymore, which has long been agreed that that doesn’t exist, even though it’s often still talked about to great lengths. Susan Wojcicki, the CEO of YouTube, answers the predictable question of “how do you balance your work life and your home life” with the response; “I guess I like to create things.”
It’s more about balancing your day, not your life, and consciously including those moments where you can create, shift, relax, pause, sip, savour and enjoy.
What can you do to make sure you have more balance and less juggle in your day, and how can you ensure your team does too?