All Work and No Play...
One of the biggest struggles I come face to face with is when to call it quits. Admittedly I only think I’m a machine… and therein lies the problem.
I imagine a machine would have no issue smashing through a 17 hour work day, take a few hours to lubricate its many intricate parts, recharge its battery and hop right back into the thick of things. I am not a machine, however… I checked.
I push myself, as we all do, to get that one last project off my desk; to wrap up my last chart note, file away the last bits of paperwork strewn across my desk, or clean up the treatment rooms for tomorrow’s chaos of medical business life. The problem comes when I am done. Not done in the sense of actual work, that is, but physically, mentally and emotionally in the bag… nothing left to give.
If you’re like me then you have a tendency to press on. I repeat to myself, “hey… just thirty more minutes Doc. You don’t want to have to do this tomorrow,” and I push through. Sure I get my to-do list done, but at what cost?
Half the time when I’m in this mood the work that I produce is sub-par at best, and total shit at worst. I end up going through my clinic the next morning anyway to fix the things I hurriedly finished, find sloppy mistakes or just plain lose things that I supposedly filed.
Why? I certainly don’t relish doing things twice, trust me. In point of fact I find that downright irritating.
The lesson of the day: Half-assed is always worse than No-Assed!
Don’t push yourself to finish when it’s not crucial to your business to do so. If you have a project that you are doing merely to fill the time and find yourself unmotivated, uninspired, or worse uninterested then stop- close the books, get up from your desk and walk away.
Sometimes we forget just how important it is to listen to those little signals we send ourselves. When you aren’t there anymore, or when that little voice in your head is whispering to you how very much fun you could have outside on the first sunny day of the year… do it. Many times you’ll just end up having to do it all over again anyway… and nothing sucks more in business than doing things twice.
Photo courtesy of Artistic Impressions by Tera.
This is a really important post. In our culture we really value “doing”, getting it done, or in Chinese parlance, the yang. I have made the mistake in my life of worshipping at the altar of doing more and more, only to have it eventually bite me on the ass – HARD. Figuring out how to strike a balance between the yang and yin of our lives is challenging. Learning to value rest, repose, and easy fun is so important. Learning how to “listen to those little signals” is one of the best things we can do for ourselves, and by example. for our patients and loved ones.
To true, Eric. The worst part here is that many times we are doing it to ourselves! As a business owner we tend to be our own worst enemy, setting the bar much higher than it needs to be on a daily basis.
Taking a small step back and to the side, and enjoying a nice deep breath goes a long way to ensuring both the continued success of your business and benefit to your health!