I’m writing this blog post on Christmas morning, reflecting on the larger holiday season and the overall gratitude it gives me. Because of how the school break period has worked out this year, I was in the office for a few days early this week and then will be in for a few days next week. This break in time has provided me with ample time to slow work down and complete a number of items that have been pushed to the side because, while they were important, they were not immediately urgent. That got me thinking about the need to welcome slow-down periods and make the most of them when they arise. Here are three steps I’m taking over these next few weeks to stay true to the spirit of slowing down.
See good work for its great components
Too often, in our fast-paced profession, we are forced to see elements of our roles as being singular in process. In many cases, seeing work holistically is important. We must see the big picture to understand the implications of any work on who we are and what we do.
That said, to deeply comprehend the work itself, we must be aware of the importance of every component of our work. And that simply isn’t possible during our normal days of often having too much to accomplish and rarely enough time to do it (that’s a whole other blog post in its entirety).
When we have the time to break tasks down, we also benefit from the opportunity to enter a state of flow more easily. Some of the components of a given body of work can be addressed through internalized practice, and there is value in truly losing ourselves in it, something that we can rarely do when considering a project through a “big picture” lens.
Earlier this week, I coordinated a number of professional learning opportunities. Since my calendar was a little organized, I could study each component that had to be structured and really think of the implications for the mode of learning, design, etc. I was also able to spend more time communicating about these opportunities, which allowed me to be clearer and more concise than I would have been otherwise. There is significant value in that.
Put people in time pockets
When we lead, one of the worst things that can happen is we get caught solely in the product/process continuum; we are so driven by the items on our plate that we lose sight of the other people around us, only being able to focus on the “how” and the “what.” And as we know, when we are at our best, the “why,” which is almost always about people, is needed if we are to be able to truly do what we are intended to do.
Another way to use a slower pace to our advantage is to fill those pockets of time with people. Those gifts in our schedule that open up blocks of time we usually don’t have (again, there is a bigger solution needed to avoid us finding ourselves in these positions, to begin with, but I digress) can be filled with time that we give to our teams, our partners and those around us. Over these last few days, I have made an effort to connect more with members of our collective team and beyond, including everything from additional phone calls to face-to-face conversations, etc. In some cases, this was work-related, in other cases, these were simply opportunities to check in. We will never have all the time we need to do everything that we want to do. However, when we are gifted excess time, giving it back as relational credit is one of the best ways to spend that resource.
Validate a commitment to oneself
I’ve never met anyone who has said that leadership is easy. I have met many people who have shared that the best way to make leadership easier is to value time for oneself. At some points in the year, this feels impossible. And while it is no less important, finding the steps to get there becomes extremely difficult. At other times, it is much easier but can still be ignored. We have to take those opportunities as they arise and give ourselves a little bit of the prize that a slower pace can provide.
Making wellness deposits for ourselves allows us to do the same later for others. If we don’t feel capable and cared for, we will unlikely be able to extend those necessary components of care to others. Before sitting down to write this blog post, I spent an hour reading. No phone, no technology, no talking. Just getting lost in a book that I haven’t had the time to pick up previously. As I sit here writing, I now feel recharged and rested; imagine how much more capable I will feel with more time set aside for this over the next few days.
Writing this blog is a bit of therapy for me. It allows me a short bit of time monthly to process and, importantly, forces me to slow down and consider my thoughts rather than simply layering them on top of each other, never to be seen again. During slower periods, the work becomes even more impactful as I can fully concentrate on the writing and, like I shared above, get lost in the flow of thinking, sending signals to my fingers and typing away.
We all need these periods of a slower pace for our roles, people, and ourselves. My hope for all of us is that we become ever stronger at embedding these blocks of time into our lives regularly rather than waiting for forced periods of reduced activity. As we start 2025, I would love to hear how you keep in the spirit of slowing down.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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