A SURPRISING WAY TO BE PRODUCTIVE
It is Monday after the conference. I got back two days ago. One would think that it’s enough time to recuperate. I was 100% confident, I would be back into the groove of things by Friday afternoon.
Ha! Not so fast. I am not totally sure what’s contributing to such a lethargic state of mind. Is it because:
- I had to fly for 6 hours there and back within three days?
- Of the time zone change?
- There was so much great information, that brain went into overload?
- Adrenaline rush?
- Red-eye flights are never fun
- Lack of sleep?
- The body is exhausted, while the mind is racing
- The new possibilities
- New connections
- Overwhelm with what the next steps are?
- Overwhelm with what was left undone while I was away?
- The realization that I have to overcome certain fears and uncertainties in order to move forward?
Interestingly, making this list was quite therapeutic. I believe it’s because it’s part of the diagnostic process that we must go through, in order to figure out what’s happening. Before we move forward, we first have to identify where we are, what brought us here, what’s holding us back. (it’s just another good reason it’s step #1 in my productivity system).
What this weekend also taught me is that it’s important to build-in some recuperating time after a conference (or a meeting, or an appointment – anything where you’ve expanded a lot of your energy and yourself). In order to get my energy back, I learned that I have to just take it easy and not do anything.
This sounds like such a simple concept, but anyone who knows me, also knows that it’s the hardest thing for me. As a productivity expert, I always encourage my clients (and push myself) to act, act, act. Interestingly, in this case, the most productive thing is to do nothing. Let myself absorb what I’ve experienced. Stay in the conscious place, but active place. Just be.
