Disciplined Rhythms
I’ve never really believed in work-life balance.
At least not if balance means every important area of life gets equal time and attention every day.
Leadership simply doesn’t work that way.
There are seasons when the demands of leadership are intense. There are days when you have to work longer than you planned. Problems don’t always arrive conveniently inside office hours.
That’s life, but that’s even more so in leadership. And my family has had to learn this as much as I have.
You may never achieve perfect balance. But you can discipline the rhythms of your life.
That means when there is margin – take it.
- When you have a chance to decompress – decompress.
- When you can rest – rest.
And sometimes, when you’ve stared at the same project for two hours and nothing productive is happening, give yourself permission to shut it down.
Go for a walk. Exercise. Spend time with people you love. Do something completely unrelated to work.
I’ve learned that forcing productivity rarely produces my best work.
Sometimes the most productive thing I can do is stop.
Of course, disciplined rhythms require discipline. If you never stop, eventually your body or your mind will stop for you. If you constantly fill every open space on the calendar, you shouldn’t be surprised when you have nothing left to give.
Leadership is a marathon, not a sprint.
There will be seasons when you run hard. There should also be seasons — and moments within those seasons – when you recover.
You may never perfectly balance everything in your life.
But you can develop rhythms that allow you to keep leading well for the long haul.
