The Value of Rest

I write a blog every fortnight and I missed the last one because I was on the road, ill and having a stressful week; this got me thinking about how much pressure we put on ourselves. I felt guilty about not being consistent and annoyed with myself for not getting it done. I write this blog because it lets me talk about the issues that matter to me and keeps me accountable for keeping in touch with all of you who read it. I enjoy putting my thoughts down and it isn’t a task, but an amazing means of communication for me.

I had wanted to talk to everyone about the importance of putting in an effective and skilled management team and how important board structure and governance is. That has been deferred to two weeks’ time because I started thinking about all the business owners who beat themselves up for not getting things done. In an age where we are starting to realise just how important our mental health is, and self-care is becoming a priority, we are still seeing articles, books, webinars and courses on how to be more productive and do more in the least possible time.

When you have been through a year like no other, it is hard to stay motivated, let alone move on with business growth. Should we be pushing ourselves to be even more productive? Should we be suggesting that only hard work will give us results and every minute that we are not working is unproductive and unsuccessful?

Over the years, I have worked some crazy hours trying to build my business. I have neglected myself and neglected my family in the process to make my business successful. It took the sale of the business for me to stop and think about what I really wanted to do. While I was rushing around just doing everyday tasks and working in the business, I wasn’t giving myself time and space to think about the business and working on it. It was a hamster wheel that neither myself nor my children enjoyed.

I have been working with quite a few business owners over the last few months. They have all worked harder than they thought possible and adapted to the new conditions. Most of them have had to think of new ways of reaching their customers and then implement changes without many resources. However, they all seem to think that they could have done more, they could have done better, and they could have done it more quickly.  When I talk to them though, they have been working in the business and not on the business; they have been working hard but not necessarily smarter; they have not had had the time to look at ways they could improve their sales or reduce costs because they have been in survival mode.

These amazing entrepreneurs have not given up hope but I have sat with them and with an impartial eye and mind, walked through their businesses with them. We have looked at new growth strategies and ways to improve their cash flow. We have talked through their strengths and challenges post COVID, and bounced ideas around about how to deal with their present situation in a positive way, concentrating on the most profitable areas of their business first. Most importantly, I have asked them to take time out and reflect. Some of our best ideas come when we have space to breathe and not when we are running ourselves ragged. 

Productivity is the combination of a clear mind with clear purpose. 

You cannot be productive or effective if you are mentally and physically exhausted. Sometimes it requires other impartial people to ask the right questions for you to find the right answers. This is not being incompetent or inept. This is using all the tools and resources that you have available to help you make measured and considered decisions regarding yourself and your business.

So to all of you out there pushing yourself to do better, quicker and even more brilliantly– sit down, breathe and ask for help if you need it. 

If you want someone to have a conversation with, to look through your business to provide some clarity, or if you want to know how to move forward, even if it is exit, then please contact me. You can direct message me, leave a comment, or email me from the bio. It would be a privilege to talk to you and if I can help you see the sunshine again, we will both be successful.