Heart racing, head pounding, you can feel the perspiration breaking out on your neck and trickling slowly down your back, right up to the dull ache at the bottom of your spine. But all you can think about is catching up, so you continue to push yourself that little bit harder.
An important race? A strenuous workout at the Gym?… No, just a typical day at the office for a busy professional like yourself.
I’m guessing that mastering work-life balance under these circumstances must appear painstakingly difficult, a bit like a Sudoku puzzle for experts.
I understand. You rarely have a minute for yourself, so how can you be expected to find time for the really important stuff, like your own life priorities, when the ones that are most forefront in your mind are those of your company.
“I’ve learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life.” – Maya Angelou
As a Coach who helps busy professionals like you improve their English, I’ve seen too many clients so overwhelmed with work that their language progress has become just another chore on their “to-do” list, rescheduled to some other day.
I’ve realized that, if I really want to help you improve, then the first step is not to give you more. But to help you get to less. You need to be able to declutter and set up a new routine that leaves you space to breathe, space for the things you care about.
But, before being able to do that, there’s that ONE thing you need to do first.
What is the “one thing”?
You may have heard of a bestselling book last year called “The One Thing” by Gary Keller. In a nutshell, the book explains how you can be more successful by just focusing on one thing because (I’m summarising here):
- Multi-tasking doesn’t work (so why are our workdays full of it?)
- Willpower only goes so far (you need to have energy to maintain motivation and busy professionals are often exhausted!)
- Not everything matters equally (how often do we actually spend time on what counts the most?)
There’s a great summary here if you’re interested in reading more: https://www.samuelthomasdavies.com/book-summaries/business/the-one-thing/
So, what ONE thing do you need when you are frequently lost in busyness?
You don’t need the ONE thing you think you need
You tell yourself you need more time. Maybe you’re even telling yourself that you’ll slow down soon. Perhaps even tomorrow. Right after you’ve finished that big X or Y project.
But if we keep putting our lives off until tomorrow, we get a whole lot of meaningless todays.
Be honest. If it was suddenly announced that there would now be 26 hours in our day instead of 24, you’d probably still spend those extra 2 hours at work. Trying to get “on top of it all”. Feel in control again.
I know. I used to tell myself the same thing. Until the moment I realized that my workpile would never change.
The only thing I could change were my choices.
In short, more time isn’t what you need.
So, what do you need?
Picture this. We’ve probably all, at least once in our lives, had to reset our phone or another appliance because it wasn’t working properly. This process wipes out data to improve performance. It’s like going back to square one and starting again with a fresh outlook.
This is what you need.
To RESET. Your life priorities, your routine. Restore balance, energy, motivation.
Make time for what really matters. Write a new chapter.
But how can you reset if you don’t have any time?
If we can find the time to read another email or make another call, we can find the time to reset by asking ourselves the right questions.
When we do that, our path becomes clearer. We can say yes to the things that help us stay on the path and no to the things that pull us away from it.
It’s possible. Try it now. The world won’t come to an end.
If you prefer, see it as an investment. In yourself. There’s no better investment to make.
If you’re still undecided about the need to step back and reset, try this test:
The business billionnaire Warren Buffett uses a method known as the 10/10/10 Rule to help him make decisions. It works for him so how about trying it to get the ball rolling? It’s based on three questions:
- How will I feel about my decision in 10 minutes?
- How will I feel about my decision in 10 months?
- How will I feel about my decision in 10 years?
Let’s see this in action using the scenario of staying stuck in our crazy, busy life and not making any change.
- How will I feel about my decision in 10 minutes?
I won’t feel much. I’m so busy anyway, I don’t have time to stop and think about finding a solution.
- How will I feel about my decision in 10 months?
I’ll probably start having some regrets about how I’m in the same situation, working as hard as ever, feeling guilty about neglecting the important things in my life and still in stress mode.
- How will I feel about my decision in 10 years?
I’ll regret the fact that I didn’t take the time to reset and review. It could have changed everything. Better relationships. More fulfilment, freedom, meaning in my life.
As you can see, this method helps you step out of the overwhelming NOW and look at the long term. The big picture.
Don’t forget:
Busyness is a choice. I made this choice for a long time. And then I made a different one. Because I could see my life stretched out in front of me and the final destination wasn’t where I wanted to go.
Why not make the choice to put yourself (and what really matters) at the front of your line. Not at the back, after all your to-do lists and commitments. And the good news is I can help you do this.
Believe me, resetting is a win-win situation for you and the company you work for. Who wouldn’t want someone working for them who is fulfilled, energetic, effective? It’s definitely the preferred route compared with the ever-increasing absenteeism and turnover rates we’re seeing in the world of work today.
Resetting is the smart choice. It’s a choice that has led many away from burnout, bitterness and regret. This is my mission. To take you by the hand and show you the other route.
So, what do you need to do now:
- Realize that you’re running on empty.
- Choose to put yourself at the front of your own line. Take a breather and step out of the race.
- Redefine your true priorities.
- Reset your routine/environment to support them.
- Focus on your ONE thing: making time for what matters.
It’s the ONLY solution. Because you can’t get there (where you want to be) from here (where you are today) without it.
So, what really matters to you?
Photos courtesy of Unsplash: Samuel Zeller, Sonja Langford, Jon Tyson, Austin Ban, Jacek Dylag