This morning I was running late, it was raining and was racing to chair a Leadership Summit. My brain was overwhelmed, distracted and I was doing 3 things at once. And you guessed it, I lost focus and drove into the curb and massive FLAT TYRE!
UGH!
Slow down you move too fast, got to make the morning last.
More than just a lyric from the folk music duo Simon and Garfunkel written in the 1960’s, it is also sage advice for professionals, way ahead of its time.
It can be tempting to fall into the trap that busier is better, but we have all, at one time, experienced peak periods where your time and energy is in high demand, you are juggling a whole range of responsibilities and are ‘busy’ yet feel like you are not just lacking productivity but in fact going backwards. There can also be an unhealthy competition in some industries or companies around who has the least life outside of work and who leaves latest and works the longest hours.
When you are overwhelmed with busyness and there seems to be insufficient hours in the day or week to get everything done, last thing you feel like doing is taking a day or even an hour off, to walk or meditate or even sleep, but it is probably the best thing you can do to move forward and get on with it.
Half an hour’s meditation each day is essential, except when you are busy. Then a full hour is needed. – Saint Francis de Sales
Busyness also stifles creativity and therefore innovation and problem solving. Dopamine levels in the brain directly impact how creative a person is. Three simple ways to increase dopamine are to exercise, get some sleep or do something that brings you pleasure. If you are working too hard to find balance in your activity and rest times, it naturally follows that your creativity, and as a result your effectiveness and focus, will also suffer.
No matter how busy I am, I find time to read, day and night. – Lucio Tan
Distraction can also play a part in problem solving and productive thought. Ever wonder why you have some of your best ideas in the shower, on the drive home from work or as you drop off the sleep or on first waking? Harvard researcher and psychologist Shelley. H. Carson, author of Your creative brain states “In other words, a distraction may provide the break you need to disengage from a fixation on the ineffective solution.’’
When busy is the default pace, and there don’t seem to be enough hours, what you can affect and will improve your outcomes in all areas is energy, and taking a break is the ideal quick fix. Work too much and the law of diminishing returns will see you suffer in terms of output, and your health and emotional state will suffer also, creating a downward spiral.
A 10-minute power nap, a walk around the block, a stretching or meditation session, coffee with a friend, play time with your child or lunch with your partner, these simple yet pleasurable tasks will increase your dopamine, sharpen your concentration and lead to improved performance.
Taking a break might be just what the doctor, or in fact the manager, ordered.
I think I might take some time off on Friday to refocus my mind, have a brain break and get a new tire!
Your calm mind is the ultimate weapon against your challenges. So relax. – Bryant McGill
Want to find out more how the awesome team at Sonia Mcdonald can help YOU be the BEST leader you can be – and train your amazing brain, contact us at info@leadershiphq.com.au or 1300 719 665
Remember #yourock
leadership course
leadership course free trial online
leadership course harvard business school
leadership courses for managers
basic leadership course
leadership crash course
online leadership course
leadership courses melbourne
leadership courses sydney
management and leadership course online free trial
leadership skills online course free trial
strategic leadership free online course trial
leadership development programs harvard business school
organizational leadership course
strategic leadership course
leadership training courses for managers
leadership courses for new managers
leadership courses for project managers
leadership courses for middle managers
leadership courses for senior managers
best leadership courses for managers
leadership development program for managers
leadership training program for managers
leadership program for new managers
leadership reaction course events
leadership reaction course manual
leadership reaction course army
leadership reaction course ideas
leadership reaction course answers
leadership reaction course solutions
leadership reaction course ocs
leadership reaction course usmc
basic leadership course requirements
basic leadership course reflective essay
online leadership courses
online leadership courses queensland
online leadership courses free trial
online leadership courses with certificate
online leadership courses for high school students
online leadership courses australia
leadership and management courses online free
leadership training videos online free
free leadership courses online australia
harvard online leadership courses free
free nursing leadership courses online
free online leadership courses for high school students
leadership courses melbourne online
leadership courses melbourne
leadership training melbourne
leadership programs melbourne
womens leadership courses melbourne
womens leadership courses sydney
womens leadership courses brisbane
womens leadership courses adelaide
executive leadership courses melbourne
executive leadership courses sydney
executive leadership courses brisbane
executive leadership courses adelaide
leadership development courses sydney
leadership courses workshops sydney
leadership course sydney
leadership coaching course sydney
leadership course north sydney
leadership and management courses sydney
leadership and management short courses
women in leadership
programs for women
keynote speaker
motivational speaker
emerging leaders
courageous leadership
sonia mcdonald
courses for women
executive coach
leadership coach
advisor
