How To Know It’s Time For A Pause (And What To Do About It)
When stay-at-home life began, I recognized the immediate need--within a whole new segment of the population--for productivity coaching. Millions of people are working from home when they’ve only worked in an office before. These new work-from-homers are now looking for direction on how to stay focused and productive in their new work environment--whether that’s surrounded by a house full of people or by themselves.
My first response was to get out there and share all I could, up my content output, and offer my coaching services. After that first post with an offer I realized something: I can’t handle more right now. My work situation has changed, too. I’m now homeschooling my son for half the day, keeping him entertained for the rest, and balancing my workload with my husband’s workload.
Nope. More right now is not good. The tightness in my chest was returning. Shortness of breath; pain in my back and shoulders. All my tell-tale signs of stress.
Now I was facing the guilt of not being available for those that need it. The guilt of not growing my business when I knew I could. I’ve always been a hard worker, and the thought of not doing absolutely everything frustrated me. But, I knew that balancing my home life was better for me and my family overall. So, instead, I chose to enter maintenance mode. I’d continue with what I was already doing in my business, but I wasn’t going to try to build, expand, or create anything extra.
In my blog post, Holiday Aftershock & Productivity, I talked about steps to take when you’re feeling unmotivated or unfocused in your work--the first step being PAUSE. Now, I want to dive a bit deeper into situations WHEN you need to pause and HOW to pause so that it can be helpful, ultimately, for your productivity.
WHEN: GUILT/FEAR VS. BURNOUT
Have you ever run yourself into full-blown burnout? I have. You go and go and go until you either end up sick or completely unmotivated.
You had decided that stopping or slowing down isn’t an option for you. Maybe you felt that the harder you work, the more success you’d see...and you’re so close to your next big step forward. You kept pushing and pushing, but it’s like a carrot on a string that keeps staying just out of reach. You fought the exhaustion and ignored the warnings.
So why do we do this to ourselves? I’ve found that it comes from one or both of these feelings: guilt and fear. Guilt because we should always do our best. If there’s something we CAN do, we SHOULD do it regardless of the toll it takes. Put others first. Martyr yourself for the cause, the greater good. Fear because slowing down means failure. Fear because slowing down may make you face problems or emotions that you don’t want to deal with. Not having the time is the perfect excuse. Society says to push through the pain. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?
But when pushing through means breakdown and collapse, the smart thing to do is allow yourself to pause.
HOW TO PAUSE:
Start by thinking of this “stepping away” period as truly hitting the pause button. Nothing is going anywhere. There’s no missing out. Everything will be just as you left it. That way, you can let that guilt or fear know that you haven’t dropped the ball. You’ll be right back to it as soon as you’re ready. You are simply preparing yourself for greater action and success.
When you’re facing mental and/or physical burnout, pausing means taking some restorative time. Get some sleep. Clear your calendar as much as possible. Allow your pace to be slower.
Check out the Your To-Do List: Using the 4 Ds for tips on cutting down on your task list.
Depending on your current level of burnout/exhaustion, you may need to pause for just a few hours or pause for a few days. Keep a close eye on how you feel physically, emotionally, and mentally. Notice what things help the most in restoring you to the way you want to be.
If you--like me--find yourself in a bit of a pause for the duration of our shelter-in orders, your return to action may be a little less defined. Continuing to assess what your limits are and how you feel is important in maintaining your pause boundaries. If it helps, you can make a list of things you want to do in your business once you’re fully back up and running. This will eliminate some of that “should” pressure and allow you to take some control on where you business is going.
Check out Ask the Expert: Trello with Chrystal Lofton for how to use Trello, a great, free list-organizing platform.
WHEN: FOR SOMEONE ELSE VS. YOURSELF
When you hit that “I don’t wanna” wall, ask yourself who you’re doing it for. Chances are that you’re putting your time and effort into something that doesn’t mean a whole lot to you. Maybe the experts told you that you needed to offer this or promote using that...and that may be super amazing for them, but it may feel more like a chore for you. When you feel yourself covered in “have tos” or “needs”, it’s time for a pause.
Yes, I fully realize that in business and life there are unavoidable things that aren’t your favorite, but the difference between needing to pause and continuing ahead is when you find yourself shifting from your path to someone else’s. For all of my entrepreneurial friends out there, THIS is the reason we dumped the corporate 9-5. We wanted to follow the path we felt we were meant to follow. So, why aren’t you listening to yourself?
HOW TO PAUSE:
Start by stepping back and asking yourself what it is you want. If you’ve defined for yourself your personal values and business mission statement (which I hope you have...let’s talk if not!), take an objective look at what you’re doing in your business vs. what you want to do and represent. This pause is about alignment.
We all go off the tracks from time to time. It’s only natural. Can we say shiny-object syndrome? But, it’s time to pause, reassess, and get yourself back on the path YOU chose for yourself.
Your realignment pause shouldn’t take you long. Grab your journal, notebook, voice recorder, goal planner etc, and get clear on the difference between what you’re currently doing and what you want to do. Once you dive in, you’ll start to feel that motivation and excitement for your work return. That’s when you know you’re back on the right track. Not only will you return quickly from your pause, but you’re more than likely to make a giant leap forward in your progress.
I recommend making alignment evaluations a regular part of your schedule. Do a weekly recap of your progress noting your challenges, what got in the way, and why. Monthly and quarterly, check in with your progress toward your goals to make sure they still align with where you want to go.
I offer a Productivity Planner Template and a 2020 Digital Planner that both have scheduled reflection questions to help keep you on the right path toward your goals. Check them out here on Etsy.
WHEN: FORCE VS. FLOW
Creativity is a tricky thing. I’ve definitely wasted away some content creation days with absolutely nothing to show for it. Even if I were able to squeeze out a thought or two, I’d eventually trash it as unusable. So frustrating.
As I’ve heard many professional writers say, just starting and writing SOMETHING can help get you into the creative flow when you’re feeling bone dry. Just as a runner struggles through the first few minutes of a run only to hit their stride and reach that runner’s high, getting started can be all it takes to get you over the hump.
But, if you’re in that space where you are seriously considering banging your head on the wall, it’s time to pause. You’re not doing yourself any good in this state.
HOW TO PAUSE:
When it comes to creativity-drought pauses, it’s all about reigniting the inspiration. Try tapping back into things that excite and inspire you. Listen to some podcasts, read a book or some articles, sit outside or go for a walk.
When you stop focusing on your work and start doing other things that quiet your mind and bring you joy, the ideas tend to return. As you approach your other things, go into it ready to receive inspiration. Keep something to take notes close by so you can start capturing ideas as they come. Don’t expect to immediately be flooded with creativity; it may take a little time to find your groove again. But, you can trust that it will come. Giving yourself a break will allow that creative productivity--that flow--to return much sooner than just trying to force it.
If you feel like the only time you can have real creative inspiration and flow is when you have an imminent deadline (I know this well!), experiment with using the Pomodoro Technique. It creates that sense of urgency for you so you don’t have to wait until the last minute to start your project, paper, blog, program, etc. Check out The Pomodoro Technique: What It Is and How To Use It.