I’ve come to crave the siren song of the deadline. My adrenaline starts pumping, my thoughts race, I feel like a machine that is focused, churning, and fully alive. When the work gets done and I’ve checked it, I’ll step back. Sometimes I’ll finish a day ahead of a deadline so that I can wake up with a fresh perspective. A hot cup of black tea in hand, the door shut to the world, I put on my editor’s cap and take another look.
When the process is all over and the deadline has been met, I’ll re-visit what’s gone out over time, but I think it’s important not to obsess. In fact, I think it’s important to step back completely from a project and look at something else. Or look at nothing at all.
I like to purposely refresh my creative mind. Whether I take a walk and really look at the trees, hear the crickets and birds, or take a weekend road trip where I can listen to someone else’s story, try new foods, and watch the skies change throughout the day, the reset is crucial to preventing burnout in my work and personal life.
Are you taking time to refresh and reset? Is it something that comes naturally to you? Or do you need to schedule it? Get to know your patterns of productivity– are you a streak shooter, or a steady cruncher? By learning to respect your personal work cycle, you may find yourself becoming happier and healthier in your business life.
You now officially have permission take a breather, put the work aside, and trust that you will be just as good– if not better– when you come back. Drop me a line if you want to look at how your productivity cycles are working for you– because small business owners need to avoid burnout, no matter how driven we are.