We all want to be more successful. At an early age it was drilled into us if you work hard then success will be achieved.
While sitting on the couch 24/7 isn’t going to win you “office worker of the month” award, working 24/7 is moving you closer to burnout. What will make you successful? Something quite simple and actionable: Scheduled downtime. Make time for that in your weekly calendar and you’ll move closer to success.
Can you do that? Do you feel anxious about stepping away from your office and work commitments? Does guilt come into play? This is all completely understandable. Take a risk and try something different. Block time out for your life first.
Having no downtime scheduled can lead to a feeling of overwhelm and lack of fulfillment. Sound harsh? It’s the truth we all need to face. Time out from work makes you more effective in all areas of life.
I challenge you to look at your top 3-5 priorities in your life right now. What are they? And are you spending time with those priorities (for example, your partner, your children, writing a book, learning the guitar).
Take a deep breath and write down the top 3-5 things you would regret not doing if you die tomorrow. Stop reading and do this now. Then come back. Okay. Good, you got them? Now what?
The best thing to do right now is to schedule your life into your calendar. Make that your first scheduling priority. If you aren’t doing it now, then when are you going to do it? I use no more than 20 minutes on a Sunday morning to look at my calendar for the next 6 days and schedule a range of tasks. For example, exercise, relaxation, Zooming with family, seeing friends, working, reading and watching my favorite show. Not every moment of every day is scheduled, just enough of an outline that I know key things to make me feel happier are planned for.
It’s cliché, life does go by so quickly and the world needs a happy and fulfilled you to be a part of it now. What do you have to lose? By doing this one thing you’ll have more energy and focus when you are at work. This will make you more productive which is key to being more successful.
What are you scheduling this week ?
Cheers to your success.