You must slow down to speed up!
How do you Refocus and Recharge?
Our projects and passionate business pursuits can leave us drained and “tightly-wound.”
All of us have hit a breaking point at some juncture in our life. The point in which we feel like one more thing will either make us explode or collapse from being utterly overwhelmed. That is a dangerous extreme, an unhealthy position at which none of us want to find ourselves. So how can we be pro-active? How can we “take a step back”, “catch our breath”, refocus?
These questions can seem almost comical to a focus, driven business owner. What do you mean “take a step back?” Common responses include: “I don’t have time!” or “If I slow down everything will come to a screeching halt.” or “I will take a break after I wrap up this project/initiative.”
At Weisbeck Consulting, each of those responses would warrant a dedicated conversation to dig deeper into operational sustainability and overall growth strategy. But for the sake of this quick blog post, your precious attention span, and my writing shortcomings (haha), I will keep the discussion brief.
The crux of this discussion: how can an owner or key team member of a growing company afford to take a break?
This is what we at Weisbeck Consulting appreciate about our clients, their deep passion and love for their companies. Their desire to do whatever it takes to grow, scale, and improve.
However, if you as the owner or key team member is overwhelmed, your own progress and that of your company will be stunted. If not now…at some point in the near future. You cannot effectively lead if you are at or near your breaking point. You must slow down and figure out how to refocus and recharge.
This is not simply a weekend. This is not “not answering” your emails for a day. This is not being out of the office on client calls. Oftentimes…this is not even being on a vacation.
An issue with our brains is that a physical location or internal command to do something, does not result in our brains obeying. We cannot “simply disconnect” from work by going home or out to a restaurant. We cannot stop thinking about a client proposal or a staffing challenge by commanding our brain to “turn it off.” For many, a vacation isn’t even enough.
So HOW do we disconnect from work and recharge?
· The short answer: it varies for each person.
· The great part: there is a relatively short list of types of items/activities that work for most people (i.e. exercise, prayer/meditation, quality time with others, enjoyable activities, nap, deep breathing, etc.)
· The key: it must mentally unplug you from thinking about work. It also must “recharge” you – giving you renewed energy, patience, and passion for your work (and most importantly life in general).
· The trick: Taking an opportunity to refocus and recharge will provide much greater overall benefit to both you and your business. You will make more progress (and in a much more enjoyable fashion) than if you tried to push through.
You must slow down to speed up!
