I’m trying, I’m trying. I’m even trying not to try… because that is probably the real secret to achieving this elusive balance thing. Or perhaps it starts with the thought that perfection is an illusion and anything you ‘strive’ for will always be at arm’s length. Yes, it must be about expectations – those you have of yourself and of others, and those others have of you. Lower them and clarify them and you’re at the starting blocks.
Or, as my good mate Kieran Ots once told me:
a traffic controller can only land one plane at a time.
So here’s what I’m doing (or not doing as the case may be) about getting more balance in my life. I’ve failed at seeing my family much the past 2 weeks but that will change. Surely.
1. Make a plan, tell people and encourage them to do the same
This is part value-sharing and part simple good communication.
2. Then commit and stick. Others will work around you
We live in a world where so many of our conventions are conventions because… well, they’re our conventions. Break them because you think the world will be a better place and people will understand and possibly join you for the ride. Don’t be too inflexible… but clear boundaries are good.
3. Don’t over-think
Clarity is often really obvious if you turn off the noise, get out of the office, get out of the institution and believe that clarity is simple. And know when a deep-dive is truly necessary. So often, near enough is actually good enough. I’m not telling you to be lazy or slack but don’t confuse quantity of thinking for quality of thinking. From memory, this was Hamlet’s problem.
4. Don’t over-prepare
Life a little unprepared is fun. Leave some room for the raw-ness of the experience in your personal and professional realms. It rocks.
5. Don’t over-present
Since the start of the year, I’ve really been focusing on ‘show, don’t tell’ as a mantra. I’ve done a lot of ‘presentations’ without a presentation. I simply get online in front of a room and show people stuff. This works because it’s not didactic, it leaves room for the people you’re talking with to observe and internalise. It’s also really fun to do and different for everyone.
6. Me time must have
I have 2 bits of me-time. I walk to work for 35 minutes each way and try to go to the gym 4-5 times per week for 45 minutes. Without exception, my best, favourite thinking happens in these timeslots. I look forward to them because I feel energised and excited physically and mentally.
7. Stay paper- and file-thin
Perhaps my role makes this one a luxury but I don’t have any folders or file holder things in my office. I don’t want them. I don’t want paper for the sake of it. There’s usually only a handful of ideas in every presentation. That’s all I need. Also, thanks to Ots and watching my old boss Scott Davis, my working space is recycled A3 paper bulldog-clipped to a bit of cardboard. That’s all I need and all I want now.
8. Divide and conquer
The world can go on without you and sometimes it’s best if it did. So let it happen and see what happens. The team will be stronger for it and you’ll get more done. If you’re worried, simply explain how you think and create the odd one-page template that people can use to emulate it… and stand back.
9. Communicate less but better
Reply only if you need to. If someone emails me with a statement, I’ll likely delete rather than reply for the sake of it. I also delete persistent sales people who put me in a weekly follow-up checklist. And, yes, I do communicate a lot via social media but that’s not work for me. That’s a hobby. It’s like tuning in to a TV show… but it’s other people.
10. Delete more than file
OK so this may also be a luxury of my role, but I don’t care about a paper trail. I start with the idea that I’ll delete emails and files, not keep them. They have to fight for that right.
What do you do?
Balance is so imperfect. Share your ideas.
Photo courtesy Piero Sierra.
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