The idea of ‘romanticising’ your life took off during Covid, when we were all trying to find small positives in our everyday lives to gain some control over what was happening in the chaotic world around us. It meant doing little things that made our lives just a tiny bit better. Slowing down to appreciate a sunny day, or getting into nature for a walk, or celebrating a small win where we could.
I love the idea of romanticising my work, and I think it’s really important for leaders to try to do more of it. Too often our days are shaped by back-to-back online meetings, without proper breaks or time to reflect.
If you slow down a bit, and build in time to stop and think, you find you’re mentally much better prepared for the next thing that comes at you.
For example, I was in Helsinki recently to deliver a Polpeo crisis workshop. I’d never been there before, so I added a couple of days onto the trip to explore the city. I came home much more refreshed and ready for the next challenge than if I’d done the usual flight-hotel-meeting-hotel-flight sequence that so many business leaders will know all too well.
I try and apply the principle to everyday tasks. If I’m heading to a networking lunch, I’ll try to walk part of the way there so I turn up better prepared, energised and can be really present at the event. Or I’ll factor in time between meetings to sit and have a coffee which gives my brain time to process the results of the meeting.
Where it’s helped me the most is when I’m speaking at an event or on a panel. If I’m not rushing there from another event, I can properly show up for the session and enjoy it, which means everyone (including me) gets much more out of it.
Slowing everything down like this means we have to do fewer things overall, which can be a really good thing. As leaders we need to focus on what matters, rather than getting sidetracked by endless meetings or tasks that we may not need to be involved in. Everything else we can delegate (or drop altogether).
I find a few things useful to be able to do this:
- I add in extra time to my calendar to incorporate travel to and from meetings, and recovery time from online meetings so I’m not jumping from event to event. People around me know not to book things in back-to-back where possible, to give me time to download and process information
- If I’m travelling for work, I’ll always add a day or two each side of the trip for leisure time. If I can’t stay on to explore a new area, I still have a couple of meeting-free days to plan, think creatively and boost my energy
- Being online all the time for work can mean we feel guilty if we’re not constantly available. I try hard not to fall victim to that and remember that time spent away from my desk is always when I have my best ideas and make my best decisions
- I encourage everyone to celebrate wins, even if they’re small. Give yourself the space to enjoy it when you’ve done something really well and remind yourself how the win contributes to your overall goal. It really helps to remember how what you do every day is part of a bigger picture
- Delegate as much as you can. That means trusting people around you to do their jobs well. It’s amazing how much time you can free up when you delegate effectively
- Prioritise time for yourself, even if it’s small bits of time. I’m trying not to automatically pick up my phone when I have a spare five minutes, but I know how hard that is. I’m definitely not there yet but I’d love to get to a point where I read a book on a train, or look out of the window and let my mind wander, rather than defaulting to checking emails
- Book out creative time. It’s important to remember that slowing down helps your brain work more productively and creatively. Taking time away from your screen and spending time doing non-work things is actually doing the business good, as well as helping you. I sing in a choir, and I do everything I can to protect the times when we’re performing or rehearsing, and this is now just part of my weekly schedule
- Recognise when you need a proper break and book time off in advance. I’ve come close to burn-out in the past and as a result I’m much better at looking after myself than I used to be, and spotting the signs that I need to slow down.
Doing these small things can really reframe work and help you find the joy in it. It stops you rushing through life bouncing from meeting to meeting and feeling exhausted as a result. It can protect you against burn-out and focuses your time on what matters. And it means you stay in control of your daily working life.
