Reflections from the recent week long vacation:
I was extremely busy traveling back and forth and doing specifically nothing but adding on to my spiritual quotient.I liked the time I got to spend with my family - I cannot think of the last scene when the whole family sat down together for such a long time in the last 4 years.Thanks to the road trip - all of us were boxed together for almost 16 hours and that gave a good platform to talk/discuss/brainstorm.I keenly heard my dad talk and derived some parallels that are very well applicable to us ( at least to me). Read on:
Being Busy
I don't believe any of us can afford to be less busy than we are today, most of us are trying to get 30 hours worth out of the 24 hours a day.I am not a proponent of doing less - I believe it no more. I do support slowing down once a while but what if the nature of job,routine is so hectic that you will be busy most of the day and not very relaxed- then slowing down needs to happen atleast once a day :), the nature of work,job I am in is so extremely taxing and very stressful. The more you bite, the more +1 you have to chew and it is a vicious cycle. I have made some rules that I follow 99 % of the times. I define a slowing down time every day where I work on reducing the stress and recharging the body and mind- I call it the "The burn out zone" -I hit the floor- not the dance but the gym. Next 70 minutes I sweat crazy and it is such a feel good factor- you have to experience it. I have just finished 39 months of gym regime( nope I don't work on building muscles- not yet :) ). This phase truly burns my stress and probably some fat and helps me bounce back recharged. I observed the freshness and increased alertness of the brain and spike in "being in the moment", it helps me stay focused. Now once a while the world goes crazy and it has no dependency on my burn out zone, if required I just head back to my office in a war footing mode. If folks need me they know how to reach me- similarly if someone needs you badly they will reach out- just make sure you set the expectation right and let the concerned folks know your whereabouts. It helps.
I realized (may be you subconsciously did too, just did not acknowledge explicitly ) that you have be ready to handle any thing that comes your way - our mantra in transformations,client engagement and operations. It has a universal appeal just because you don't have a choice. When situation throws an unfolding scene at you either you have dealt with it or a similar one in the past if not this would the first one, as long as you are breathing (actively!) you will have so many firsts- I can guarantee you that. Just make sure you are following your lessons from the last first if applicable or make a note of the learning and pass them on. Doing a part of this will achieve an equilibrium of "Busy-Yet-Relaxed" so your brain can really think rather than just act. Strategy has a way of winning over tact !
I was extremely busy traveling back and forth and doing specifically nothing but adding on to my spiritual quotient.I liked the time I got to spend with my family - I cannot think of the last scene when the whole family sat down together for such a long time in the last 4 years.Thanks to the road trip - all of us were boxed together for almost 16 hours and that gave a good platform to talk/discuss/brainstorm.I keenly heard my dad talk and derived some parallels that are very well applicable to us ( at least to me). Read on:
Being Busy
I don't believe any of us can afford to be less busy than we are today, most of us are trying to get 30 hours worth out of the 24 hours a day.I am not a proponent of doing less - I believe it no more. I do support slowing down once a while but what if the nature of job,routine is so hectic that you will be busy most of the day and not very relaxed- then slowing down needs to happen atleast once a day :), the nature of work,job I am in is so extremely taxing and very stressful. The more you bite, the more +1 you have to chew and it is a vicious cycle. I have made some rules that I follow 99 % of the times. I define a slowing down time every day where I work on reducing the stress and recharging the body and mind- I call it the "The burn out zone" -I hit the floor- not the dance but the gym. Next 70 minutes I sweat crazy and it is such a feel good factor- you have to experience it. I have just finished 39 months of gym regime( nope I don't work on building muscles- not yet :) ). This phase truly burns my stress and probably some fat and helps me bounce back recharged. I observed the freshness and increased alertness of the brain and spike in "being in the moment", it helps me stay focused. Now once a while the world goes crazy and it has no dependency on my burn out zone, if required I just head back to my office in a war footing mode. If folks need me they know how to reach me- similarly if someone needs you badly they will reach out- just make sure you set the expectation right and let the concerned folks know your whereabouts. It helps.
I realized (may be you subconsciously did too, just did not acknowledge explicitly ) that you have be ready to handle any thing that comes your way - our mantra in transformations,client engagement and operations. It has a universal appeal just because you don't have a choice. When situation throws an unfolding scene at you either you have dealt with it or a similar one in the past if not this would the first one, as long as you are breathing (actively!) you will have so many firsts- I can guarantee you that. Just make sure you are following your lessons from the last first if applicable or make a note of the learning and pass them on. Doing a part of this will achieve an equilibrium of "Busy-Yet-Relaxed" so your brain can really think rather than just act. Strategy has a way of winning over tact !