A friend who has never read a business book recommended Rework by the founders of 37signals. It has made my top shelf and there is one message that helped preserve my sanity during the start-up of my business. When you are tired, sleep.
Seems simple, but in our drive to complete everything and show any customer in the world that comes in contact with us what an amazing performer we are, the bar gets raised to a point that most of them cannot even see or appreciate. For me, I was so focused on getting it all done that I forgot I was skilled at my craft and that many of these tasks took a third of the time if I was rested. So since then I have just gone to bed, and here are a few outcomes for those who need data:
- 0 missed deliverables
- 0 feedback from clients indicating I was unprepared
- 0 feedback from anyone that I appear more rested
The benefit was that it also allowed me to hone in on my new rule that when the house shuts down and my spouse goes to bed, I put everything down and go to bed. A simple rule, but it has made all the difference. Nobody else will care that you slept, except the people that have to live with you. Doesn’t that matter? It should . . .
Holidays is about being present and putting things down that can be handled later. It should not take a book or a blog to tell us go to sleep, but sometimes these messages need to be spelled out and we need to be in a place to hear them.
My message for you: Thanks for listening and sharing your stories with me. I will not bother you until Jan 7, so stay present with the people that matter in your life.
Have a great holiday.