Start your week right. Jump in the boat with the right mindset to overcome challenges you might meet. Ready to fill your tacklebox?
4 Day Work Week Following Memorial Day! Yay?
I trust you had a wonderful long weekend. I had the chance to relax at the neighborhood pool with the family and do some grilling. Memorial weekend is a perfect time to be grateful for that rest provided by the many brave soldiers who died for me to have a more free life. I believe remembering and then living life to the fullest is a great tribute to their lives and what they fought for.
How many of you are now stressed because everything is shoved into a 4 day work week? You appreciate the time off, but now have to work double speed which you will then need another 3 day weekend to recover! Maybe you have been under durress for some time and your work life balance is crashing.
It is best to work on identifying the constraint in your life and then break it. When you break the right constraint it often takes care of a host of symptoms. However, it is often difficult to find the main constraint in your life when you are taxed of energy and resources. A good coach can help you through this process, but sometimes you just need some momentary relief so you can reflect and do the work needed to attain your goals.
A good tool to help you gain some balance in your life is to document everything you do each day; and do that for up to two weeks. Log everything you do on a calendar; personal and business. I mean everything, from quick conversations with someone at the grocery store to dance class with your daughter. Once you complete that task then mark each event with either a “tank filler” color marker or a “tank emptier” color marker. You will start to see the patterns in your life.
Definitions:
Tank-Filler - an event or person that gives you energy. You leave more filled then when you started.
Tank-Emptier - an event that drains you of energy and you feel emptied after.
Hints:
Commit to marking each event as a tank emptier or tank filler and leave nothing as neutral.
A person can be a tank emptier or filler depending on the event.
Example - Hanging out with Mrs. Coach H fills up my tank. Talking about the budget with Mrs. Coach H empties my tank.
Tank emptiers are not bad things necessarily. Doing my taxes drains me, but I need to complete that task. I love writing; it still empties my tank.
Are there any tank emptiers that are not needed? Can you simply not do them anymore? Could you delegate?
You get balance by re-arranging your schedule or by removing or reducing the time for tank emptiers. You can also extend some tank fillers. For years I had this sinking feeling every Friday night that I did not accomplish enough during the week. These thoughts were while I was “resting”. I decided to schedule something fun and active every Friday night to break that thought habit.
Some events you need to break down even further. I had a client that got energy from exercising and yet the task of going to the gym zapped him completely. So we put those as two different events. We made sure he had a tank filler (in his case he had a cup of afternoon coffee and permission to zone out on his phone for 20 minutes before he hit the gym) that gave him enough energy to drown out those negative thoughts about getting to the gym.
Take the time to do this tool every 6 months or so and I think you will also see that it is a great way to identify some constraints in your life. And if you can identify the constraint you can break it!
Calendar Hack!
Have you seen all these life hacks that litter the internet? These hacks supposedly make life simpler. You know like store your spaghetti in a Pringles can for easy storage or almost double the speed of your car by changing MPH to KPH! ;)
In these turbulent times, I have found that there are many life hacks right in the Bible that are way more valuable. One that comes to mind as you plan your calendar, is there enough time spent with God? I highly recommend for believers to make this a priority and watch how much more simple life gets.
Find time to call on Him.
Psalm 145:18 NIV
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
Make God a prioirty
Matthew 6:33 NIV
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Guys, you can fit Him into your schedule anytime, any place, anywhere! No commute!
1 Chronicles 16:11 NIV
11 Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.
And you can go to Him on any topic! The ultimate advisor!
Psalm 62:8 NIV
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
Be a blessing this week,
Coach H