269 – September 26
“Life is a never-ending stream of possible activities.”—Alan Lakein
In this wonderful age of freedom and opportunity, there are so many wonderful career, business, hobby and entertainment choices it is easy to over-commit one’s time, energy, and resources. Everyone wants to have it all—today. How many people do you know who are tired and worn out because of too many “to dos” on their “to do” lists?
When I was president of a business organization, prior to the start of each board or committee meeting, a group of us would talk while we waited. The conversations went like this:
Woman #1: “Oh, I’m so tired! I just finished meeting with three clients back to back and now I’ve got this board meeting.”
Woman #2: “Me, too! And not only that, but I’ve got to do a bid proposal tonight after this meeting.”
Woman #3: “You think that’s bad? I started this morning at 6:30 A.M. with non-stop meetings, I’m event coordinator for the charity auction this Saturday and my five-year-old has the flu!”
It was like a contest—who is the most overworked, is the most exhausted and has the worst martyr story! What does the winner get, I wondered? The most sympathy when they have their nervous breakdown?
I decided this was a contest I didn’t want to win. I was tired of being tired. I took a serious look at my calendar and eliminated activities that did not support my primary goals. I made sure I had some creative down time scheduled. The next time we had a meeting, I spoke up at the end and bragged, “I feel great! I took a nap and watched videos all afternoon!” That shocked them—but they all wanted to know how I managed it.
Breaking up the day with a nap can increase almost anyone’s efficiency. Winston Churchill and President Lyndon Johnson were known for their afternoon naps. President John F. Kennedy often took half-hour naps. Dr. Joyce Walsleben of the New York University Medical Center/Sleep Disorder Center said, “There’s a loss of alertness that accumulates over time. People who take breaks and naps can alleviate it.” Well-spaced rest periods, meditation, walks, and naps are all stress reducers and enable us to do more with more energy afterwards.
Psst. You. Relax. Take a nap.
Today’s Affirmation:
“I take time each day to rest, relax and refresh myself.”
One week I had been working overtime – I gave a free teleclass and the backup and follow-up work involved in making that happen was extensive.
On the face of it, giving a free teleclass looks simple – just pick a date, send out an invitation to your peeps, and give the call. Right?
Nope.
Here’s the list of some of what has to happen:
- I have to write the material I want to deliver in the call.
- Write the email announcing the call.
- Write the auto-responder for the people who register for the call.
- Work with my technical team to create the registration page, the list of registrants on my email service, and the delivery of the auto-responder.
- Announce the event on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn
- Write the 2nd email announcing the call.
- Write the 3rd email announcing the call is today.
- Write the 4th email saying thanks for being on the call.
- Write the 5th email announcing an encore presentation of the call.
- Write the 6th email sending the registrants the recording of the call.
- Contact the people who were interested in signing up for my 8-week Financial Stress Reduction Teleclass because they came to the call.
- Repeat!
So, as you can see, it can be a bit of a marathon undertaking, so make room for the naps!
Have a wonderful week, Dolphins!
