Tag: workaholics

Heads Down And Working

When the world
becomes too much
of a tire fire
and I reach a point
where, emotionally,
I can’t handle
hearing about it,
I put my head down
and I work.

I throw myself
into business building.

I get sh*t done.

I work with focus.

I tune out the world
and I live the business.

That calms me.
It builds my confidence.
It makes me happy.

When I feel ready again,
I resurface
and I catch up.

Doers do.

When the world gets
too much for you
to take,
tune as much of it out
as possible
and do.

Get sh*t done.

Stay Healthy – Emotionally And Physically

Yesterday,
I advised all of us
to take a one minute break
and enjoy the world around us.

I didn’t say this
merely to increase
our happiness levels.

Though that WAS
my main reason
for giving
that advice.

I advised to take a break
because that will help
to keep us healthy
– emotionally and physically.

And very few of us
have the excess time
to be sick right now.

Being sick
is sh*t for business building.

Take a f*cking break.

Look At The Lights

The holiday season
is a busy time
for almost all business builders.

This might be
our best time for sales.

Partners might be taking
time off
over the holidays.

WE might be taking
some time off.

We have a lot of sh*t to do.

But take a minute.
That’s all that’s needed
– one minute.

And admire a display of holiday lights.
Or savor a bite of holiday baking.
Or watch someone open a gift.
Or hug someone you love.

Give that minute of happiness
to yourself.

And THEN you can
get back to work.

Have An End Date To Working Hard

When I graduated,
I warned my Mom and siblings
and friends
I planned to work
REALLY hard for about 20 years.

Then I planned
to semi-retire
(i.e. for business builders,
this usually means
building businesses
that might not pay back…ever).

Whenever they worried
I was burning myself out
(I did burn out…a bit),
I would remind them,
“I have X years left.”
And they would relax,
satisfied,
knowing I had an end date.

When I hit 20 years of working,
I had also hit my financial goals
and I stopped working
(that hard)
for a bit.

Right now, during the holiday rush,
you’re likely working
REALLY hard.
Your loved ones might be worried
about you.
They are likely missing your company.

Give them an end date.
Tell them on January 5th,
for example,
your work schedule will slow down.
Do that countdown with them.

Then SLOW DOWN on that date.
Deliver on your promise.

We can tolerate many challenges
in the short run.

Give your loved ones a date
when they can expect to spend time
with you again.

Take A Break

I am on a VERY tight deadline
and have been working
VERY long hours.

But every couple of hours,
I’ll take 5 or 10 minutes
and I’ll walk around the backyard
or I’ll watch a short video
or I’ll close my eyes for a bit
and dream
or do something fun
just for me.

Because we can’t work
full out
for long periods
of time.

We’ll burn out
and then we won’t be completing
ANY projects.

We NEED breaks.
We NEED fun.
We NEED a reminder
of why we’re working so hard.

Take a break.
You’ll work better
for it.

Share Your Schedule With Business Partners

I’ve told my editor
when I will be sending her
my next story
to edit.

She can now more successfully
plan
her workload,
ensuring she finishes projects
while also enjoying
some time
with loved ones.

We are heading into
the busy holiday season.

It is a busy time
for EVERYONE,
including our business partners.

Tell them
if and/or when
you plan to send work
their way
during the holiday season.

They AND their loved ones
will appreciate
the notice.

A Time To Rest

It would be very easy
for me
to work hard
seven days a week.

There are unlimited stories
I could write
(products I could manufacture),
endless promotion
I could do.

But working hard seven days a week
would make me ill.
I would burn out physically
and mentally.
And then I wouldn’t be writing
ANY stories.

I try my best
to take it easy
on Sundays.
That’s my day of rest.

Jean Brownhill,
Founder of Sweeten,
shares

“On a deeper note,
there’s a framework
that athletes use
that has been really helpful.
There’s time to play,
time to practice,
and
there’s time to rest
—you need to do all
of those things.

There’s no athlete
in the world
who hasn’t built in recovery
into their overall strategy
for living.”

Rest is important.
Schedule for it.