Flourishing under pressure at work and at home
July has been a month of excessive work hours as several (plus one) projects and deadlines peaked and came (almost) to their completions. It has been a time where I feel my capacities and limitations have been tested. As we traverse into the entirely different world of summer holidays, with its own rules and energies, expectations and ‘ways of being’ I have to admit I feel slightly battered.
I anticipated this testing time - `I have been here before’, and I am still sane (he boundaries of sanity were tested however). But I am shattered and I question whether that’s a good place to be entering summer, even though I will now allow for some recovery time and use my recovery ‘RESET pack’*.
How do we manage the considerable pressures of work at times like these, while still managing ‘life’ alongside it? How do we remain sane? How do we prioritise work demands? And how do we flourish?
Here are my learnings and tips:
Earlier in the year, as I set out to plan for Q2/3 I spent considerably more time and thought on these months. Planning for the extras is crucial - the work itself is a process with hurdles and milestones but the extra life events (largely end of summer term) create huge demands on emotional and energetic capacity, so I consider my levels of availability for projects and how those additional demands would impact my work. This is a new way for me to look at my own leadership - I am used to thinking ‘how will my work impact family’ but looking at ‘how will family life impact my work’ puts a more realistic spin on what I can actually achieve professionally.
So:
What are the demands on your capacity outside of your professional role?
How does this impact how you show up?
What can you do differently to make this smoother?
End of term is a frenetic mixture of school events, emotions, tiredness and unexpected ‘things to deal with’. It will always stretch your capacity and crucially, it will demand more of you as a parent in terms of emotional capacity, kindness and understanding. You will need to ensure that your own wellbeing and mental-wellness are topped up in order to deal with this, and for that to happen you will need to know, plan for and implement that wellbeing plan.
So:
> What are the things that fill you up, give you vitality, top up your energy and give you a boost?
> What are the things that drain you?
> What are the non-negotiable that will keep you sane in a challenging time?
When you in the midst of work output, pressure of deadlines and in a cyclone of emotional drama of Small People your patience and capacity will be tested. This moment soon shall pass. And then what?! Being able to take a much larger step back from the minutiae of life is a vital practice to gain a wider perspective on why you are doing all this in the first place. By knowing your direction, knowing your why, having awareness of your values and what drives you in the wider picture will help frame the snippets of stressful moments and give you a better perspective to handle the situation, whether work or home.
So:
> What’s important?
> What’s really important?
> What is important about that?
> What is your Why?
These are by no means the summary of learnings for this time of year. Managing professional and home life provides a fresh course of ongoing challenges on a daily bases! But navigating the pressures of work and home can be made easier with tools and methods of bringing awareness to self leadership needs, internal and external impacts of time and capacity, and what is needed in order to retain some levels of sanity - and even flourish.
For many more ideas and conversations on balancing life and work, and discovering your ‘zone of brilliance’ come and have a chat. I offer a no obligation half our call which you can make use of anytime, just check the appointments page on my website.
#flourish
#sanity
#personalleadership
#personalbrilliance
My ‘RESET pack’ is a kit bag of recovery techniques that I use with clients in times of pressure and volatility, when capacities are think and energies are tested. Often used in cases of burnout the kit bag helps to bring order back where it feels sanity has been pushed too far. Clients can feel a sense of tension easing as the tools are used, and move towards regaining levels of control and energy.
