Do me a favor, raise your hand if you’re busy? I ask this question from stages worldwide and when conducting Leadership Trainings and inevitably every hand goes up! Of course you’re BUSY, everyone’s busy, who’s not busy? Whether you’re the CEO of a company, a Supervisor leading a team, a Front-Line Employee showing up day in and day out, or unemployed sitting on the couch elbow-deep in a bag of chips… we’re all our definition of busy and our busy doesn’t plan on stopping! Now throw in your kids’ sports, travel, cooking dinner, cleaning up, your night-time routine… and the BIGGEST DISTRACTION of our “Busy” that adds constant entertainment, checking, scrolling, and the biggest new addiction… OUR PHONES!!! So, as a Leader, what can we realistically do to create a slight pause that allows us a professional and personal evolution?
I’m sure you’ve seen your kids on their phones all day long from the time they wake up, get in the car, at the table, after practice… they are always consuming. I’m also sure you’ve told them the dangers of it… I always share our phones know us better than anyone else in the world and it will give you want you like, share, and save on a loop! This constant loop and scrolling leaves no time for us to digest what we’re consuming or learning, little time to ever apply it, and depletes our involvement in our relationships with loved ones!
The simplest, yet most powerful suggestion I can share to alleviate this issue is you stealing 10 minutes out of your day to sit in silence! YES, silence… it’s more than simply sitting in silence and NO, it’s not exactly meditation. Let me preface this by saying, this doesn’t have to be daily; although it wouldn’t hurt, I take the weekends off!
Select a Time!
We can enhance our Leadership & Work/Life Harmony by first selecting a time to steal 10 mins, to STOP, and turn off. You can do this formally but picking a set time every day… or… informally, by taking 10 mins some time throughout your day… at work, in the car, while waiting at your kid’s sporting event in the car etc. Both formally and informally have their Pros and Concerns. The Pro is the 10mins will be taken, you’ll benefit from it, and the ideas that come to mind… along with you applying them will compound over time leading to your professional and personal evolution. The concern is having a set time may not be for everyone, may feel to rigid, and lead to you not being consistent. For me, taking the time when it feels right and I’m alone has worked best!
There are also benefits to switching the times of day. I’ve done my 10 mins in the evening while my wife is putting our daughter down the night. I’ve also done it midday in my office. I’ve done it in the car; choosing to listen to no music. Each way is valuable and yield different thoughts based on the flow of the day and has produced thoughts and ideas that have impacted my Business, my Team, my Family, Myself, and my Future!
Pick a Spot!
Where’s a great spot for you to take your “10 mins”! Some people may have their favorite chair… I know I have mine! Some may prefer an outside view, in their office, etc. Again, we can pick our designated spot more formally and not deviate, or you can informally float, enjoy, and evolve in various “spots”.
I love sitting in my favorite chair in my living room… not because it’s the most comfortable chair in the house (it is, but that’s not the point), rather because of its placement. From my chair I can see all parts of our first floor… the living room, our kitchen, the eating area, windows everywhere, and way over to the front door where my office is located. Our front door is mostly glass; I remember saying to my wife, “We can build our home here if we can get hardwood floors, a cigar room, and that specific front door”. She’s a heck of a woman… we got the door and she custom-built my cigar room. The point is, my chair is in the perfect SPOT… and when the house is quiet, I take my 10 mins. During that time, I get to look around and be humbled by what we’ve been able to create! What spot stands out for you and brings you the most peace? Why?
Disconnect!
As much as you’d like to see your kids put down their phones… and they prove they are actually human beings without that thing in their hands’ always ringing, dinging, and chiming… I’m telling you to do the same! When you Select Your Time and Pick Your Spot, be sure your phone is away from you. We’re all more addicted to our phones than we think and you’ll inevitably reach for your phone multiple times in 10 minutes when it’s in arm’s distance! Also, be sure to turn off the TV off and remove any other distractions.
Remember, this is new to you and your brain isn’t used to this type of quiet. You may find it difficult to deal with quiet and may feel boredom or a tornado of thoughts, ideas, to-do lists, and everything that WILL pop into your head. Simply take a few deep breaths, acknowledge them all, let them swirl, pick one at a time, let your mind think about the topic, why it’s an issue , what outcome you’d prefer, why, and what you’re willing to do about it, how to marry what you want to do with what’s needed, and finish your 10 mins!
Note: Your eyes don’t have to be closed. I do my 10 mins mixed between eyes closed , open, looking around, and as I mentioned… while driving with no music, no podcasts, audiobooks, or motivational videos. All of these things are great and I certainly recommend them; however, leaders also understand many (not all) of the answers we seek are usually buried deep within us, and the noise of our lives can make It hard for us to hear ourselves… Be Mindful!
Listen!
This Key is all about listening to your thoughts and ideas. Depending on when you’re reading this, just last night I was doing my “10 Mins” and in the midst of it I had an idea for my Evolve & Lead Training Program; a better way to do all of the Sessions in a Live format for companies and how to integrate it with my Online Program. As soon as I had the idea, I had a mixture of emotions… happy I had the idea and mad at myself because it was so simple… but hidden due to my “Busy” of travel, performing, and family life.
Document It!
Do you know how many amazing, life-changing, world-impacting ideas have simply fluttered away because someone failed to write the idea down or document it? People tend to think because they had a great idea they’ll remember it for later… that’s not how it works! As an author, I learned this lesson years ago… I would have a great idea, something I’m going to write about and later record, failed to write it down, and POOF… it’s gone forever! To this day, I tell people, if you ever see my car pulled over on the side of a road… most likely, I’m OK. I had an idea and I’m putting it in the note section of my phone. I even sleep with my phone next to my bed in order to write down ideas I have in the middle of the night; as I can’t go back to sleep when I’m trying to remember the idea until morning
The point is, while you’re doing your “10 Mins” and you have a thought, insight, and idea about your work, your business, your team, your husband, wife, or kids… WRITE IT DOWN somewhere. Preferably in the same place that can house all of your new ideas… perhaps your phone, a journal, something! If you’re not into writing or journaling… record your idea on your phone. The format I use which helps it to make sense to me once I return to my note or recordings is:
- Title/Issue/Concept!
- Why am I talking about it and why is it an issue?
- Bullet Points of what to do about the issue!
There are few things worse than going back to your notes or documents and having no idea what the heck you meant or were talking about, Lol… Be Mindful!
Follow-Through!
A Leader’s 10 Mins is more than setting aside time for momentary relaxation or relief; it’s about purposeful Evolution! Selecting a Time, Picking a Spot, Disconnecting, Listening, and Documenting Your Ideas Down are tremendous but will mean nothing without us being willing to follow-through on them. How can your life, professionally and personally, be worse as you continuously follow-through on great ideas?
Enjoy your Evolution and your Leader’s 10 Mins. Perhaps it’s a concept you’d like to impart in your household and for your kids… when was the last time they sat and thought for 10 mins? Enjoy your Evolution and your future self will thank you for it!
“Leaders understand many the answers we seek are usually buried deep within us and the noise of our lives can make It hard for us to hear ourselves… Be Mindful!” – Andre Young
Written by: Andre Young
Ready to enhance Leadership & Work/Life Harmony for your people and organization? Click www.youevolvingnow.com to connect, chat, and customize with Andre Young!!!
