By Mary Lyn Miller
Were you taught that if you really wanted something badly enough, all you had to do was work really hard to get it? (My story entirely.)
Of course, if you don’t achieve that goal, the opposite is that, well, you didn’t work hard enough. This is the American Dream in action.
Unfortunately, the American credo isn’t quite right. The actual result is often not experiencing the pinnacle of your dreams, but rather suffering stress, exhaustion, health issues, and burn out.
Recent studies from Berkeley showed a whopping 72% of entrepreneurs deal with at least one mental health condition caused by stress and burnout. Yikes!
And the cure is simpler than you might think. For me personally and many of my clients, we keep “pushing through” our tasks “until we get it done.” (The American way). This means working when very little energy is left in the tank, putting a strain on well-being and work performance when we need to stop, take a break and come back more refreshed.
How long is the time we can work non-stop? Recent data shows our actual attention/energy span is no more than 2 hours, usually less before our brain needs to take a break.
Meaningful breaks during the day can help you recharge and come back to work with a fresh answer. That break does not have to be long – just doing something different from what you have been doing for 10 -20 minutes.
Our Fired Up for Success System has an actual step in our process called “Rejuvenation,” because most of us have been taught to just keep pushing well past our limits to meet expectations and deadlines. This is like driving a car hard without expecting to put gas in it.
But there’s other habits that contribute to our energy drain as well. So, I created a fast 10 Question Questionnaire so you can how your Personal Energy Management habits stack up.
If it’s time to get energized, just e-mail me questions at mlm@firedupforsuccess.com.
Let’s get fired up!
