Strategic Laziness
The Key to Your Sanity & Your success
As I wind down this Friday – I’ve caught myself getting overwhelmed with all the things that need to get done over the weekend before I can relax. The tension steadily rose in my shoulders as I leaned closer and closer into my computer screen, and I stressed more and more about all of the things to be done before Thanksgiving. I was physically tensing up and began to spiral just thinking about how much I needed to do….AHHH!
So what did I do as the life coach I am, you ask?
I got up, moved my body, and got a cup of water. By changing my physical state, I could shift my mental perspective into a problem solving mode (more on the science behind that later…for now, you’ll just have to trust me 😉 )
So often when we are in the world of coaching and personal development we focus on what we have to get done or move toward as part of reaching those incredible goals we have set for ourselves. Every day my clients and I discuss these questions:
“What’s the 80/20 here?”
“What do we have to get done, and how are we going to do it as efficiently as possible?”
What’s your outcome?”
“What’s next?”
These are all important questions, but it’s equally if not more important to know when you need to re-calibrate and take a few minutes or a few hours for yourself to recharge. I’m not kidding you when I tell you one of my life’s mantras is “Get Shit Done” and yes, it is very important that we get the things done (and yes, I’m aware my last post was all about tracking progress!!) we also NEED balance in our lives so that we can get everything done!
You cannot serve yourself, your goals, or other if you are not taking time to fuel yourself up – to fill your cup. Often, when clients are new to coaching, those who feel the most lost (myself included!) have stopped making themselves and their recharge time a priority. This was something that I really struggles with because I felt like I had so much to do that I didn’t deserve time to rest, or to take time to care for myself.
When I began to set up daily self-care rituals to support my wellbeing, a morning meditation, a night time wind down, etc. and set aside about two hours a weekend for myself to simply relax, it was astounding how much more balanced and in control of the chaos I felt.
So – my advice to you this weekend is to schedule yourself some down time. In the world of coaching we call this Strategic Laziness, which I happen to love!! This is time for you to be strategic in giving yourself time to relax and truly unwind. Select an hour or two when the cleaning, laundry, to do lists, shopping, phone calls, kids, significant others, job searching, resume writing, doing of everything else can take a back seat to you. Allow yourself to go for a walk, take a long shower or luxurious bath, read, take a yoga class, deep condition your hair, stretch, do something that feels good for YOU!
Make this a weekly routine and you will start to see results taking shape in the form of more happiness and less stress.
This weekend I’ll be getting a pedicure bright and early Saturday morning, because it’s the time I know I’ll have to myself, so I am making it a priority! What will your strategic laziness look like this weekend?