Thoughts on Work and Sustaining the Long Haul
I worked way too much this summer and didn’t take the time to play enough. There are reasons for that and I’ll own it, but here we are in September and I’m feeling Maine’s summer dissipate into Fall. How do we work on making sure we sustaining our momentum and drive for the things that are important to us? Here’s a summary of What Works for Me: Five Lessons I’ve Learned about Sustainability by Monique Ayotte-Hoeltzel, of The Management Center.
It’s a process, not an end game. You have to work toward an alignment of personal and professional goals all the time.
Adjust your fit. When you are feeling “out of whack” or not in the right place, do the assessment and talk to your manager. My personal addition to this is that your spirit and body know when it’s not a fit, and there may be intentional or unintentional repercussions that come from staying in a place that is not a fit.
Sustainability is not balance. There are times when it makes sense to readjust based on what’s happening personally and professionally. Don’t neglect the time to recalibrate.
We’re not going to change the world during bath time. Those rests between repetitions, like when you are lifting weights, are the key to building muscle. Ask yourself questions about urgency, and negotiate to get the perspective needed to solve the problem.
Get it on the calendar. Use the schedule to make your time more efficient and well-used,and make sure that time focuses on quality, not quantity.