Slowing down is vital for business success, and the good news is that people can actually achieve more through doing less.
If you ever feel like life is moving too fast, and you wish you had more time to work on (rather than in) your business, the great news is that it is possible … you just need to slow down.
There is always a lot to do in business. There is always an endless list, people expecting a lot of you, and a mountain of tasks. The situation is not going away.
Unfortunately, if we are finding it hard to keep up there is no big red button to press when overwhelmed. Instead, we persist with working late, taking work home and catching up with work on weekends, just in an effort to cope with the basics.
Five years into running my first business I can remember the moment I realised that life’s speed was winning and I wasn’t keeping up. After my second baby, I continued to run a specialist health clinic for children, not taking maternity leave, still seeing my clients, juggling mum life, work life and everyone else’s life. I had everything under control. Or so I thought.
My moment of realisation came when I was standing in reception in my new business premises. I was on the phone, and a line of staff members and clients was waiting for my attention. My baby was perched on my hip following a sleep in her portable cot. I was wearing a neck brace while going through tests to see why I kept falling over.
Then I realised the picture I was seeing was not what I had envisaged for me or my business. Life was going too fast, too many people wanted my attention and I was completely overstimulated. Something had to stop. I knew I had to slow down or something, most likely me, was going to break.
Overwhelming
Constant connectivity to people, technology and our workloads is resulting in our work and life becoming overwhelming, making it hard to ever switch off from work. Our frenetic pace is affecting our ability to take time out, slow down, switch off and refuel.
“Our frenetic pace is affecting our ability to take time out, slow down, switch off and refuel.”
With our bodies and minds constantly “switched on”, our health and wellbeing are increasingly paying the price. We are being chronically overconnected, overwhelmed and overstimulated. It is a growing global problem that needs to be addressed before it becomes out of hand.
In fact, we are capable of achieving more through doing less. How? By slowing down. By taking our foot off the pedal we allow ourselves three important gains that will improve our motivation for work while improving our productivity and creativity…
1. Perspective. When we slow down we can take a big metaphorical step back from our lives and see what is happening to our health, our relationships and our goals. When we are too bogged down in our to-do list, or are looking down constantly at our devices, we can miss opportunities right in front of us.
2. Energy. Our bodies are not designed to go full throttle for long periods. When we slow down we give our body the time and attention it needs to boost its resistance to illness and increase its energy renewal. Slowing down is necessary if we want to keep moving forward with energy and stamina.
3. Focus. Early morning is the peak time in for attention and energy flow, allowing us to focus on our priorities. Rising early also means a quiet house, so you are starting your day slowly, meaning better creativity. productivity and results.
The great news is that switching off actually means doing less. Slowing down can feel like an impossible scenario, but focusing on the payoff of taking the time to stop and disconnect will lead to better health, more energy, clearer thinking and a renewed perspective on our work.
Angela Lockwood, Occupational therapist/author of “Switch Off” and “The Power of Conscious Choice”
