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Looking at my diary, this week looks fantastic. Meetings with potential new clients, some 1-1 coaching and a couple of social events. 

It couldn’t be more pleasant.

I do like it when I look forward to the week ahead, although this is not always the case. 

There are times when I know it’s going to be a tough week ahead and I have to get ready for it and get on with it.

It could involve learning new material, travelling, time away from the family and, possibly, tough people to deal with, and I know it will take effort and hard work to get through it all.

Do you ever have weeks like that?

The interesting bit about those tough weeks, when I look back on them, they are so satisfying, especially when things get done, completed and accomplished. The fun / relaxed weeks don’t always give me the same feeling but I realise that I need them as well. I need to recover, calm down and breathe a bit, but too much of this can also be bad. Too much time at home can be just as bad as not enough time at home. 

The ying and yang of life requires balance but sometimes, in fact, mostly, life is not like that! There are times to knuckle down and get jobs done, work long hours and sleep less, drop the exercise regime and unbalance things, for a short time. We have the ability to deal with a certain amount of pressure but we are all different and pressure comes in different forms for us all. I don’t like driving much so that’s a pressure for me, for others, it’s a way of escaping and enjoying the experience.

The key is to recognise what builds pressure for you, and if you work with others or manage others, what builds pressure for them. Getting the right amount of pressure can increase performance and productivity but get it wrong and you can lose good people or even increase sickness and absenteeism. 

Chronic overload is not sustainable and where there is high challenge there needs to be high support followed by respite and recovery. My February was ‘full on’ with 14 days of delivery away from home, travel abroad and challenging groups. Throughout the whole time I needed to give 100% effort to the delegates, as if it was my first day, every day.

Fortunately for me, I control my diary and work, and I factored in some space to recover and re-energise with no delivery for a week. My days were filled with admin and other work related stuff, family stuff and gym sessions!

I can’t imagine keeping up my February levels for too long and I am sure I would have started to dislike my job which would have resulted in a poorer performance and, possibly, bad results.

How are things for you? What things do you or can you plan in to recover and re-energise? Here are 5 simple tips that may help:

  • Drink more water
  • Do 30 minutes a day of exercise – minimum (Watch this video – it’s great!)
  • Plan your food so you don’t get caught out eating rubbish
  • Take 5 minutes, every 90-120 minutes, to disengage from work
  • Recognise where your pressure comes from and what level you are at (1-10) then plan your time and actions to recover

Have a brilliant week, I’m planning to.

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