Everyday Leader Series: Recharging

The everyday leader is someone who understands the stewardship of time and their own emotional and spiritual tanks.

It is Thursday night. The week has been generally positive, but draining. You come home completely exhausted. You decide to “Veg.” That decision means to relax, yet often times it charts the course for the weekend ahead - a weekend destined for laziness.

While I acknowledge the desperate need for proper rest, I believe there is a better way to rest and recharge - one that comes out of personal experience.

  1. Make the most of your time — don’t waste it.
  2. Downshift your mind in rest moments — don’t turn it off.
  3. Understand your emotional tank — don’t drain it in rest time.

Answering the following questions will help you understand what you truly need to provide rest as an everyday leader:

  1. How much sleep do you really need?
  2. What does sleeping in mean for you?
  3. What drains you in life? List specific details.
  4. What fills you up in life? List these as well.

ACTION PLAN:
Ask yourself: how do I want to feel when I go to bed?

Plan your weekends on Thursday night. Decide what rest looks like and what you need to do to be refreshed. Think about how you don’t want to feel on Sunday night.

I am not asking you to write to do lists. I am asking you to think about what would truly recharge you and what you don’t want to happen — and then to plan accordingly.

The everyday leader doesn’t waste time.

The everyday leader knows his or her recharging needs.

Posted on September 11, 2008 in Personal Growth

1 Comment

Robert Shelby said...

I believe #2 Downshift your mind in rest moments and #3 Understand your emotional tank is the key to being a all-round leader.  Serving 22 years in the military was a true test of balancing time for work, time for play and time for family.  Work was 24/7 including holidays so my time to myself and family was key for me to stay effective as a leader.  Family is so refreshing..!!

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