I’ve been working 7 days a week with the occasional night off for a few months now…I hit the wall. Every 4 hours of work went from 3 hours of productivity to 2, and then 1. Eventually I found myself having trouble focusing on anything at all. I was burned out.
I’m told that this is “normal.”
I’m ok with burning out now and again, it’s bound to happen, but I’m not ok with staying that way. So, much like when I quit smoking or when I decided to eat better or any other decision that involves the force of will, I drew a line in the sand for myself.
Some people struggle with making a decision and sticking to it. What I’ve found is that the only way to stick to something is to remove the other options. To paraphrase my good friend and the one who often advises me on matters of health, fitness and nutrition, Q Xavier:
“Do this, don’t do that.”
It sounds simple, almost too simple. But in that simplicity is profundity. People overcomplicate things…simply do the work, no alternatives, no excuses, no exit strategy.
After several days of mediocre output, I simply changed what is acceptable in my mind. I closed my browser tabs for all social media, I stopped reading news stories, I turned off the music (with lyrics), and I sat down with a task list. When it’s time to work, it’s time to work…distractions need not apply.
Now stop reading this and get back to work. 🙂