Don’t Cut Out the Good Stuff
This week I have been working some extra-long hours. Our team has a deadline and I want us to reach it. Fortunately, for myself, I am not being told I have to do this. There are no expectations and my manager has even checked in on me several times to make sure I'm not getting burnt out. When I work at a place like that, it's easy to push myself for the team, because I know that it's my choice. On weeks like this though, when there is so much to be done for one thing, it's all too tempting to want to cut out everything else. But that's a mistake.
When your schedule is jam-packed with must-dos the first thing we usually cut are the want-to-dos. They aren't needed. They aren't essential. They are just on there because we enjoy them. We think that if we clear our schedule then we'll be able to get more of the must-dos done. Unfortunately, it's those want-to-dos that make us who we are. They are the things that bring us joy, make us laugh, and fill us up. It is what we call extra that allows us to bring our full selves to everything else.
Many companies will include some of this extra. They know they need a good culture and professional development to help their employees succeed. And yet, when the deadline comes, it's the busy employees that stop showing up to these things or taking time for them. I have even seen people be prideful of their busyness, assuming that those that have time for such things must not have as much work as them. Maybe that's true. Or maybe they just know that you can't cut out the culture and expect the real work to be just as good. That's the type of thing that leads to burn out.
The next time you get busy and you are tempted to skip your workout, cut out your me-time, or just jump to the next thing on the must-do list, try to remember how important all that other stuff is. And if you just laughed when you read me-time then maybe it's time you found some. Go for that walk you know you want. Take that three day weekend. Go on that trip. All that stuff isn't extra. It's what makes you, you, and you need to prioritize it.
