Stop the Busy-ness! Redefine Success on Your Terms
We all love to talk about how busy we are. It means we’re needed. It means we have places to go and people to see, and it also means we may well be running ourselves into the ground.
Blogger Guy Kawasaki went so far as to implore readers to ‘stop the glorification of busy’, and he’s so right. We wear our busy-ness like a badge of honor, and yet where does busy get us? Overscheduled, anxiety-ridden, tired and even sick.
Huffington Post founder, Arianna Huffington, took busy to a new level when she became so overworked that she collapsed from exhaustion late one night – fracturing her cheekbone on the side of her desk as she fell to the floor. It took waking up in a pool of her own blood before she finally saw the light.
The experience prompted Huffington to re-evaluate the role work played in her life, and, as a result, she wrote the book Thrive: The Third Metric To Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-being, Wisdom and Wonder.
Huffington says that the first two metrics by which we define success are money and power. She says introducing the third metric – thriving – is all about bringing health and well being into the equation – especially sleep. It’s about finding the right balance.
Do you feel like you’re on the path to thriving or headed to the land of burnout? If you’re tending toward the latter, try these five tips, culled from Huffington’s book, to help you find more balance in your life.
1. Make getting a good night’s sleep a priority – Studies have found that seven-and-a-half to eight hours of sleep a night is ideal. Give yourself time to wind down before bed – sans electronics if possible. Opt for a book instead of television. Leave your phone out of reach to cut down on habitual checking. The more you can make your bedtime ritual digital-free, the better. A good night’s sleep is one of the best things you can do to take care of yourself and thrive.
2. Schedule alone time – Let’s face it, if you don’t make a point to schedule time for re-charging and reflection, it probably isn’t going to happen. Create a time to meditate each day – even if it’s only for five minutes. Unplug from social media whenever possible.
3. Get moving – Find a way to exercise before work, during lunch, after work – whenever you can. Remember to get up and stretch your body intermittently while you’re working as well.
4. Keep learning – Suspend judgment and stay open to learning new things. Approaching life through the eyes of a child can keep you engaged, energized and thriving.
5. Give back to your community – Find a person or organization in need and share your time. It’s in giving that we receive so much.
Success is so often measured by hours worked and money made. Is it time to reassess what success means to you? I encourage you to contemplate your priorities, and set your sails for a life where you can truly thrive.
