The Leadership Balance Blueprint
This newsletter is for professionals who value their time.
Why?
Because I curate all the best Leadership content so you don’t have to.
Today’s newsletter contains:
"If you're a Recruitment Consultant or own an Agency check out this incredible resource".
Here’s a gem shared by Wisdom Made Easy on how to “Energize Your Life”.
This first principle is all about intentionality.
Annie Dillard said “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”
She certainly has a point, and this is a principle Simon? Alexander Ong elaborates on in his book.
If you don’t intentionally schedule your day around your energy levels, your life will be dictated by external factors with no consideration for when your most.
When we understand that to have a meaningful life we need to understand how to have a meaningful days, we can begin approaching our calendar with intentionality.
Here’s a quote that Simon Alexander Ong shared to summarise this principle:
“To increase the odds of your success: Think in decades. Plan in months. Execute daily.”?
??Energy ≠ Time
One of the biggest mistakes that we have all made in our lifetime is treating time and energy as the same thing.
A prime example of how these two are very different is the couple that spends hours on the couch watching TV together every evening.
They may spend lots of time together, but they’re spending minimal energy together.
This example above often happens because we don’t make protecting our energy a priority, so our loved ones are often left with the crumbs
Without boundaries, you will never truly experience the freedom and fulfilment you’re craving because you simply won’t have any energy left to do the things that make you come alive.
Tranquility is Key
Our most profound revelations often arise when the mind is tranquil.
By establishing a consistent routine for rest and rejuvenation, you open the floodgates to your creativity.
For instance, Thomas Edison unearthed fresh perspectives by dedicating nearly an hour each day to sitting at the edge of a dock, engaging in the simple act of fishing.
Interestingly, his aim wasn't to reel in any fish.
Rather, it was the quietude of the experience that allowed his thoughts to flow undisturbed, unencumbered even by the fish themselves, as he refrained from using any bait.
There is value in the stillness.
If you don’t make time to be peaceful, you’re missing out.
Here’s an insightful excerpt shared by Powrsuit on “How To Identify Your Top Priorities”.
"When everything is a priority, nothing is a priority" - Karen Martin
Rocks, Pebbles And Sand: How To Make Space For Your Top Priorities
A philosophy professor walked to the front of his class with a glass jar. He filled it with rocks and asked his students if the jar was full. They said ‘yes’.?
He started scattering some pebbles over the rocks in the jar. The smaller pebbles moved around the rocks until no more would fit. Again, the students agreed that now the jar was full.
He then gathered a handful of sand and poured it over the rocks and pebbles in the jar. Same question, same answer.
Finally, he poured in water. Only then was the jar full.
The moral of the story: make room for what’s important
With that simple demonstration, the professor taught a profound lesson. If you first fill your jar with rocks, the pebbles and sand will fit around them. If you put the sand in first? There will be no room for the rocks. In other words, If you don’t make space for your priorities, the little things will get in the way.
It sounds simple, but there’s one thing you need to know before we continue: Prioritisation is brutal. It’s about challenging the notion that everything is important because the reality is that some things are more important.
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Your job is to distinguish subtle differences in the value of different tasks so you can manage your time accordingly. And no, it’s not enough to say ‘everything is a priority’. You only have so much capacity, so you have to make hard decisions.?
Identify Your Rocks:?
In life, these are your non-negotiables, like your health. At work, these are things that are absolutely required. Realistically, you will only have a few true rocks at any one time, so try to stick to a maximum of 3. Remember, you can still do other things, but prioritisation is discipline, and it's important to distinguish between your must-haves and nice-to-haves. Struggling??
Here are two ways to identify your rocks:
?
1. Break big jobs into smaller tasks:
2. Ruthlessly weigh rocks up against each other:
When you’ve identified your 1-3 rocks, schedule enough deep work time to tick them off.
Pebbles:?
In life, your friends and hobbies are probably your pebbles. Life would be awful without them, but as long as you have your health, you will survive. Pebbles are the same at work: they’re incredibly important tasks - but they aren’t critical.?
All those items that didn’t make it to your list of 1-3 rocks? They belong here. There would be consequences for non-completion, but these consequences would be a little smaller.
When you’ve identified your pebbles, return to your calendar and schedule blocks to tick them off.
Sand:
This is usually all the urgent stuff that isn’t really that important. These tasks often distract you from your rocks: replying to emails, attending meetings, polishing your output, and doing other people’s work!?
Your calendar might be looking a bit full now. But like in the jar, the sand will fit around those higher-level priorities.
Tick off these tasks in your gaps - when you have 15 or 30 minutes to spare or need a break to context switch.?
No room left?
You're looking at your overfull calendar and wondering if this analogy actually works. Here’s the deal: your time won’t magically expand, so your to-do list needs to shrink. Go back through your rocks, pebbles, and sand and be even more ruthless. Don’t be afraid to ask for help either—your manager’s job is to help you perform at your best. Send them this article and your to-do list and ask them to refine it with you.
Here’s another gem shared by Calm, ?“Small Steps, Deep Breaths”.
If all you can do today is take one step, then take one step.
Often, the biggest wins are made up of the smallest steps. The key is consistency and perseverance.
You get on the path. You fall off the path. You get back on the path. Rinse and repeat.
Growth is as simple (and as difficult) as that.
So give yourself permission to go slowly, take backward steps, or not move at all. Progress is still progress. Even if it doesn’t always feel that way.
Keep This In Mind
??Remember: Growth takes time. Be patient with yourself.
??Reflect: Think of something you’ve achieved that felt impossible at the time. See — you can do it!
??Reframe: I can’t do this → It's okay if I don't get it right.
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That’s a wrap on this week.
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