Coaching Tip—How You Start Your Day, Determines Your Day
July 28th, 2011 by Andrea Moore in Talent Management
I am often asked for guidance from clients, friends, and colleagues about how best to manage their increasingly heavy workloads. While I certainly don’t have “the answer” to this ongoing challenge, I do have one simple strategy and a mindset that has served me well over the last couple of years in managing all of the activities of my life.
First of all, my philosophy around time management is at the heart of this strategy; my belief is that it’s not the “stuff” of life that creates stress and frustration. It’s how you approach it that creates the feeling of challenge. The “stuff” of life is always neutral; it’s your attitude about it that makes it what it is.
This mindset is incredibly empowering, as it gives you a feeling of control over your life experiences. The reverse is that you allow your calendar and activities to have control which causes a feeling of perpetual frustration and spinning your wheels.
So, what can you do to create a feeling of control? Begin your day in a way that sets a positive tone. By starting the day in a rushed, hurried manner, focused on activities (the news, emails, packing lunches, etc.), you perpetuate the challenge of feeling out of control.
Consider this . . . upon waking, you make your way to a comfortable place in your home. In this comfortable place, you give yourself the gift of silence—allowing thoughts to rise and fall without judgment, paying attention to your breathing, basking in the quiet presence of the morning. In these few minutes (yes, just a few minutes) of quiet reflection, you are renewed and much more prepared to react to the events of your day in a positive way.
What if you did this for just a few minutes each morning before you jumped into the activities? I suspect your results would be similar to mine. By consciously starting my day in a reflective way, I have experienced the following results:
- I have little to no stress in my life and much less worry
- I feel prepared to handle whatever life has to offer
- I am confident about my ability to act in a way that represents my values
- I am less reactive and much more thoughtful about the choices I make
- I step into the day with a clear mind and an open heart
- I carry a relaxed, peaceful feeling with me
You are in the driver’s seat. Between sleep and action, give yourself time to transition and leverage the quiet of the morning as a time for renewal. You and those you influence throughout the day deserve it.
Andrea Moore is a Senior Consulting Manager at FlashPoint; Andrea focuses on leadership development, training and performance improvement solutions, and one-on-one coaching.
Image: Paul
Have you applied the same concept before you go to bed or in the middle of your workday (lunch)? If, so have you recognized benefits? Do you think there could be drawbacks in encouraging employees to take a time of relaxation/ reflection mid-day?
Thank you for your thoughtful questions, Megan, as I appreciate the opportunity to expand on this idea. I approach the day (and my life, for that matter), in a very intentional way. I strive to consciously make choices that align with my values, so, yes, I leverage opportunities throughout the day to reflect (driving time, walking to a meeting, watching my daughter read a magazine, etc). For me, reflection and a focus on being present have a similar effect, being much more aware of my thoughts, choices, etc. I have a plaque in my kitchen that reads, “Live with Purpose.” It serves as a great reminder to be mindful about my choices and actions to ensure they flow from a place that represents who I am.
In regards to your question about drawbacks in encouraging employees to take a time of relaxation/reflection mid-day, I have multiple thoughts. At the forefront on my mind is a recent presentation by Arianna Huffington at SHRM’s National Conference in Las Vegas. In her keynote address, she called herself a “sleep crusader” and encouraged the audience (14,000 HR professionals) to put “nap rooms” in each of their facilities. The practical HR professional in me has a lot of questions about the management of that idea. While I certainly think that it would need to be structured, supportive of the organization’s culture, goals and vision, etc., I agree that the concept of allowing space for renewal is a very important one (not so sure about the “nap rooms” just yet). And of course, there are drawbacks to anything we would encourage all employees to do, as individuals relate to activities in different ways. There may be employees who are not engaged or productive who would take advantage of a structured relaxation opportunity. The most impactful relaxation opportunity in an organization would be for highly engaged employees who put a lot of energy into their work and the organization’s success; renewal opportunities are critical to sustain this high level of performance.