It's Amazing What a Difference a Day Makes

Our lives ebb and flow. There are the flow times when we feel that everything is moving along well and we are making great progress in our life. Then there are the ebb times when things seem to stall despite our desire for the continuation of the smoothly flowing progression. Recently I have been experiencing an ebb in the smooth flow of progress toward my professional and personal goals. Life situations change and things pop up that require immediate attention and supercede and postpone the goals that we desire to accomplish. This can of course be frustrating as it seems to push that goal further down the time-line. My advice here would be to clear your schedule and your mind to find a way to return to your task without judging yourself for the lack of progress.

There is another reason that progress can be stalled as well. This is focusing for too long in one or multiple sittings on your goal to the point that you become tired and burnt-out to an output of low efficiency. I am definitely guilty of this as I am many times what I like to call a "bulk" learner and doer. This is really just another way to say that I am guilty of being a crammer. This was the method I used over and over again to get through school, as often I would stay up all night long to study and take the test the next day. I would also employ this "bulk development" strategy when working out by going to the gym virtually every day for 3 months straight to the point where I would burn myself out and finally just stop. I then had to watch all of my gains slowly fade away. These, of course, are not the best strategies for retention and consistent and long-term success!

Regardless of the area of life, we can benefit from a break from time to time. During those periods of low productivity and/or low inspiration it is best to step away for a moment (maybe even a day or longer) to recharge to return and start again renewed and full of energy, ideas, and productivity. This will also provide an opportunity to address the other parts of your life that you have developed goals for as well. Besides, without the right balance, life just isn't as enjoyable! Breaking away for a bit can also help us to generate ideas that will ultimately help us with the task we are trying to accomplish!

Wishing you a BALANCED 2017!