As someone who has struggled to quieten a busy mind and endured years of lack of sleep, I have recently mastered some key habits that helped me to write and publish a book in 8 months, develop new entrepreneurial skills, and more consistently sleep through the night. I have to say, quality sleep played a major role and was completely foreign to me for more than 7 years.

I’m no expert at switching off for the holidays but I can share some of the lessons I’ve learned from the last 8 months - a period of intensive writing and research where I needed to maintain high energy levels and focus as well as incorporate downtime. 

It’s so important that leaders especially, find a way to switch off and then back on again when required. 

Tuning in so that you can tune out

I personally can’t tune out unless I know with confidence that I can tune back in with full energy and purpose when required. This might be true for you too. In which case it’s worth figuring out some routines and habits that can get you quickly in your zone of flow or productivity. Mine relates to my work environment and clarity of intentions. An uncluttered and inspirational work setting (clearing away unhelpful cues and distractions), playing focus music, tweaking the lighting, managing expectations on interruptions, and being clear on what and why I’m doing something from the outset.

It might sound counterintuitive, but when you gain clarity on how you work best, you can start to play around with the opportunities for downtime that appear in your schedule owing to your increased productivity and intentionality.

Balancing physical and mental activities

Like many leaders, you probably don’t suffer from a lack of motivation. I know this often gets me into trouble because my ambitions can quickly drive me into the ground. If you’re similar, you may also find that seeking a balance of mental and physical exhaustion at the end of the day is key. I completely understand that taking time out during the day to exercise is a challenge when a to-do-list is calling, but curiously I find, if you book it in as thinking or creative time and link it to errands or other essential tasks - you might be amazed how much you manage to squeeze in. I typically forgo grocery deliveries in order to get a walk and heavy lifting into my routine, and I’ve rediscovered the beauty of swimming. 

Scheduling time for priorities - work and play

Setting 3 priorities each day is highly effective and rewarding. When I started this habit I was surprised about how clear I was for what I wanted to achieve each day. I would diligently note down my top priorities and briefly think about what was required to achieve them. After a few weeks of hit and miss, I realised that whilst I had clarity on what was the most effective things that should be done for the day - I wasn’t allocating time in my diary to action them. It’s an easy trap to fall into. But it led to disillusion that I was moving in the right direction or that I had any clarity at all.

Absolute nonsense.

As soon as I identified what was missing, my ability to get things done, find time for downtime, and feel satisfied at the end of each day improved significantly. So did my sleep.

Being open to inspiration from the most unlikely of sources

I’ve often thought of switching off as the ability to quieten a busy mind. But increasingly I’m warming to the concept that it can also be allowing time for fresh thoughts to be entertained. Being inspired by the views of others that resonate can re-energise you by bringing a new perspective. I’ve personally read and researched the views of many interesting experts both within and outside of the built environment industry during the past 8 months. More than I’ve ever done throughout my entire career. I now see the immense value in absorbing the views of others to either reinforce your own perspective or to learn something new. Bringing a beginner’s mind. Being curious and open to new ideas from wherever they may come from. Your kids, the local shopkeeper, a book or podcast, a magazine article, observing animals playing or watching characters in a film enduring and conquering. . . .

My new book BUILD SUCCESS is out now. It’s designed as a pragmatic blueprint for courageous leaders to lead projects with greater confidence, clarity and ease.

You can check it out here: https://www.edeenablers.com/resources

This article is written by Tania Ihlenfeld, CEO, and founder of Ede Enablers - your built environment leadership partner.

Photo by Tara Winstead from Pexels