Tuesday at 2:00pm with Russ

It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)

Greetings to you!

Each week I send out a short leadership blog that's called "Tuesday at 2:00pm". The purpose of this is simply to provide a brief thought on leadership that you can read and think about in just a few minutes. I send it out every week at 2:00pm (PST) and encourage you to make an appointment with yourself to pause and think about the thing I'm writing about.

Russ...

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Rest isn't a reward for work; it's part of the work." Leesa Renee Hall

What does this stir up? Either write me HERE or comment at the end of the blog post HERE.

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

I want to continue this theme one last week. REST.

I appreciate Leesa Renee Halls quote above in that she's reminding us that rest and work must co-exist. They are essential to each other. There's another quote that says this:

"Rest is not a reward for great work, it's a requirement for great work to happen." (accredited to a number of different people).

REST and WORK go hand in hand and there's no perfect balance to it, there's just a desire to see them both co-exist because we need both.

This past weekend, Gina and I worked in our yard. We tackled some huge projects, and were able to get a lot done. Long days, one project leading to another, but great satisfaction with how everything came together.

At the end of day one, we both collapsed when it got dark outside, watched a show, laid on the couch, then went to bed. We needed REST after a long day of WORK.

The next day, Gina was up really early going after the next projects. I eventually joined her and we did another full day, just getting stuff done. Stuff that we wanted to do for a long time, but were now able to go after it.

Again, at the end of the day "we rested". Sore bodies, tired from the lifting, pulling and hauling, but satisfied with what was accomplished.

I wrote to you about my "sabbath experience" last week, when I was able to take a day and just rest, walk, listen, nap, enjoy space. That was pure joy.

This weekend was pure joy as well. There's a great sense of accomplishment that comes over you when you finish some projects. We're happy with the work that was done and we're now ready to start the week.

I wish I could say that we got everything done because we didn't, but we have a plan and a pathway forward to finish some things we started.

See the rhythm? It's some work, some rest, even some sabbath and when they are all working together I feel like I'm in a good place.

I think it's when we solely focus one one or the other that we get in trouble. The complete absence of REST isn't sustainable. The lack of purposeful WORK leaves us wondering what we're here for, and the opportunity to find and practice SABBATH on an ongoing basis keeps us connected to our Father and to ourselves.

What are you missing? Which one of these three is the most elusive to you? What are you doing to address that?

DEEPER STILL:

Want to impact both your REST and your WORK?

Try these three things:

First, PROTECT YOUR SLEEP. It's the foundation of everything you do and there is no short-cut around this. Sleep affects everything! Aim for a consistent bedtime and wake time, even on the weekends.

Second, BUILD BREAKS INTO YOUR DAY rather than saving rest for the end of the day. Short pauses every 60 - 90 minutes - a walk, stepping away from screens, a few minutes of doing nothing - sustain focus and prevent the slow drain that leads to burnout. Working in focused bursts with real recovery between them outperforms long, unbroken stretches.

Third, SET A FIRM TIME TO STOP and actually disengage. Without a clear end to the workday, work quietly expands to fill all available hours. A simple shutdown ritual - jotting down tomorrow's priorities, closing your laptop, changing environments - signals to your brain that you're off the clock and frees your evening for genuine recovery.

Which one of these three is the most difficult for you? What can you do TODAY to make some changes in that area?

 

Things I'm Reading, Listening To and Watching This Week:

Source: www.leadermundial.org