How do you stay grounded with two feet on the ground when the world feels like it’s spinning?
There’s so much going on for everyone personally and professionally – and it’s not slowing down. If anything, there’s even more pressure to go, go, go faster than ever before.
You know the type of speed that will make your head spin and leaves you feeling a little behind and a lot fatigued.
We want to infuse some hope and inspiration that will potentially soothe the stress that you might be feeling.
💥 Don't do it all. Do what matters.
“When it comes to corporate life, busyness is not a virtue, and it is long past time that organizations stopped lionizing it.”
This HBR article is a cautionary tale for those who believe busyness equals success.
It’s easy to let “busyness” steamroll your workweek without even realizing it’s happening. Too often people look up and realize it’s 5 PM… and they haven’t accomplished the things that actually matter.
It’s hard to get off the hamster wheel so you can dedicate real focus to what will create true value.
We’ve talked about “right to left” thinking before and it’s what will help you break the busyness cycle.
- If you’re a leader, you need to start by defining success for your team.
- If you’re not a “leader,” have this conversation with your manager. Ask what excellence looks like in terms of outcomes, not only activities.
Only then will the critical elements of performance (tasks, activities, behaviors, and the influences that support people in their ability to be and do their best every day) unfold.
🚢 Lag Times Drag You and Your Team Down
When people are stuck in the “busyness” vortex, important things fall are miscommunicated, done poorly, or fall by the wayside entirely.
This is when lag times increase and performance plummets.
Can you think of an instance when a teammate didn’t deliver the necessary information in time because they prioritized other things or were sidetracked by something that wasn’t mission-critical?
Unfortunately, we’ve all been there… when non-urgent priorities delayed or derailed something truly important. Maybe those non-urgent priorities seemed critical in the moment but really weren’t.
Like your internet browser, if you have too many “mental tabs” open, it eventually will crash.
Share this article across your organization because you all benefit when everyone sees the value in reducing busyness and lag times.
🔓 Unlock better ways of communicating at work
More meetings and more emails won’t solve the misalignment challenges facing your organization.
Through working with clients, we’re seeing first-hand how trying a unique approach to internal communication can bring teams together and lead to major wins.
This blog breaks down real-life examples that will undoubtedly resonate with you in one way or another. These stories might even give you inspiration for how to effectively address an opportunity or problem.
💡 Explore new ideas to refresh and reset
Some of these ideas may be familiar to you while others may seem like they’re coming out of left field.
When you open your mind to healing and rejuvenating practices that help others, it can be a welcomed surprise how they can help you.
- Floatation Therapy – Sensory deprivation tanks allow you to enter a calming meditative state by effortlessly floating without any outside distractions. The anti-gravity nature of float tank therapy takes all the weight and pressure off of your hardworking body.
- Acupressure Mats – While it's not for everyone, many people have been excited by how these mats can help alleviate back pain and reduce stress/anxiety. Or skip the mat and go straight to acupuncture – you'll never look back!
- Cold Water Plunge – Cold water immersion has the potential to improve mood and well-being. It's not easy to take the literal plunge but there's a whole movement of people that swear by it.
- Psychedelic Therapy – Have you heard of Mindbloom? Their at-home ketamine therapy program is gaining traction because of how it's helping treat anxiety and depression.
- Sound Therapy – While this has been used by various cultural groups for centuries, this healing practice is becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. due to how it calms the nervous system.
- Quality Sleep – This one can't be emphasized enough. Getting your sleep routine right will change your life in unimaginable ways.
- Gravity Blanket – There's something truly magical about how a weighted blanket can put your mind and body at ease... as long as you're not claustrophobic!
- Goat Yoga – This one is for all our fellow animal lovers. Let's be real... Who wouldn't get a dopamine and serotonin boost after nonstop laughing during a goat yoga session?
We want to hear what you'd add to this list!
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Shoutout to our teammates Julie Gelb and Misti Aaronson who helped shape this week's edition of Stories that SHIFT.
