004: Deadline strikes? Here's quick charge up you need.
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Manage episode 174366460 series 1401726
Drained from deadline over your shoulder? Motivation’s gone? Take this quick charge in your pocket
Deadline. It’s like a curse word in our design community isn’t it? What is the deadline? Got to go, deadline’s coming! Man, nobody has slept in weeks, we’re doing the great job, but I just can’t wait for this to be finished. Sometimes this can be avoided by setting up the smart time scales and the ground for great relationship with the client. You know, being very transparent about the roles you and the client play by, goals, responsibilities, required feedback and timing for it, protecting project from possible barriers and being very clear with each other about the possible change requests from the client (which ideally should be none) and how long it would take to implement those. But most of the time, that stress comes not from the dedline itself, but from the HOW we’re taking the steps towards it. And this goes to working in teams, especially if you’re about to lead one, or runing your own brand and your own projects.
Plan always needs a deadine. And it should be freeing rather than a heavy burnen.
Sometimes youdo all the rigt steps, work is going pretty great, team’s hustling, or you're hustling by your own. But with all the best intentions, motivation is slipping away and you can’t help it, but stop. Why is that?
It’s a basic human nature that’s saying you: dude, have some change! do something else.
Too much focus on one task can make you brittle.
Doesn’t matter if you’re roto-scoping something or making the storyboards, the task itself can at it’s best give you just more motivation depending on the passion you’re having in your work. But
prolonged focus on the same task will hold you back from creative solutions to step in or speed it up.
Brain simply gets numb after too much of the same going on and on in it. What’s the first solution pops in your head? Sleep? Boost energy with sweets or coffee? What do usually do? how does that serve you in a long run?
Well, sleeping stands at the top. But what if you literally can’t do it during this team work a lot? Coffee and sweets will give you a quick rush moment but double drained energy afterwars, so this is not the best solution. Remembering what white sugar does to you in a long run, that’s even less tempting. However, there are very quick charge up tools you can use.
Most importantly, breath and breaks. Every 50 minutes do a short 10-15 or even at least 5minutes break. It doesn’t mean you check facebook or do anything like that, it does not serve you as a break. Purely go outside if you can, or step out of you computer or simply close your eyes and breathe more deeply. You can use 5rule - breth in , out and hold you brearth, each one for 5s. Or simply breathe deeply. Do at least one longer break during the day, ideally 50minute break where you stretch out, or walk outside or play ping-pong with your collegues and have a mindful lunch forgetting about the project. Screenless time, that’s the key. Do not underestimate the power of water and high-vibration food, such as greens or fruits. If you didn’t get enough sleep your body needs more support. Simple as that. Give it.
But let’s say this day is unique, and even though you sleep quite normal, today was one of those few days when you just need to hustle more and have not so much time for sleep. Quick charge in addtion to breath would be 15minute shoulder stand. Or any type of inversion. Simply your blood will feel some change and carry oxygen activating your body. It is said, and from my experience proved, 15minute of shoulder stand or inversion equals almost two hours of sleep energy. It does NOT replace your sleep, you need to catch up wtih it as soon as you can, but to finish the deadline, this might be the case for you.
If the stress is too high, dirnk water, take breaks, breathe and here’s the very quick tip to come back to your peaceful state: take your four fingers and press it on your wrist until you feel your pulse. And at least for one minute, breathe with feeling you pulse. Peace relies there. You can repeat in your head these words: let go. Over and over again until you feel your eyes brightened and shoulders loosened a bit.
Lastly be very clear about your tasks and switch in between them. Make a transition betwen your tasks. That is why at least very short break works so well. I’m sure you need do not only one thing and you can fill in all the gaps with additional ones, we all are very skilled to do that. But rather, let’s make space and so some physical move, stretch and big AHA moment when you give yourself some credit and gratitude for finishing up one task before you get to the new one. And if you’re working with team, be sure to cheer each other out loud and celebrate not only when the project is done, but when the steps are taken successfuly. There’s something in those words: 'you did great job’, which makes us recognise that and move forward. So if you have your own team, or you’re working in one, be sure to be that cheer leader and recognise success of others too. Same applies to your own journey. I know it can get really hard when you are the one holding yourself accountable for, so make a gratitude list, joural it or at least use a alarm clock to remind yourself with positive words that you are doing your best.
I love how great leader Brendon Burchard says: common sense is not always common practice. That is why we all need to remind ourselfs and each other to actually take those quick charge tools and use it. Breath, breaks, inversions, water, mindful huslte and swithich between the tasks.
Make yourself a treat, and allow your body and brain to catch up with you vision and help you move forward rather than take you back. And the deadlline becomes a celebration point you’re more willing to look up for in a positive way.
18 episodes