It's Okay To Rest, Too.
Even as I’ve sent out a checklist to help you make the most of this time for your small business (and have gotten feedback on how it’s inspired clients/readers to bring resourcefulness and creativity to their work!), I’m aware that many of you are… tired.
As a recent New Yorker cartoon said about quarantine, “We’re in the part of a movie that’s usually a montage.”
Adjusting to a new reality is hard. We may not realize how much energy it’s taking for our brains to process that we’re not in our usual routines, seeing the people we want to see, doing the things we want to do (or not doing certain things—like homeschooling kids). Sitting with the unknown is hard. This adjustment takes physical energy.
I got this email from a client in my online-Mastermind, who I hadn’t heard from since the crisis started:
“Honestly, I've felt more like a Mushmind rather than Mastermind. There are so many great opportunities right now; I made an amazing Pandemic To-Do list and haven't really done any of it… The reality is this screen time is draining me hard core. My tanks are empty. I have no nitrous boosters to throw at any of my business projects and plans. I've been all over the map in how I feel about that: guilty, sad, acceptance. Sigh. It's hard for me to accept that I am surviving instead of thriving right now.”
Can you relate?
On a recent podcast interview, I talked about the importance of “Being Intentional” about how to use this quarantine-time. I wanted to make clear, though, intentionality doesn’t always mean productivity for work. Sometimes it means being intentional about slowing down. Being intentional about catching up on your reading and movie-watching. Being intentional about knowing that you were just kind to yourself and others.
In short? The checklist did not come with “shoulds”. If you even took one mindset-tweak or small shift you’ll make in your business, great. If you look at it and say, “I’m tired. I need to rest before I do this,” great.
It’s okay to slow down. It’s okay to pick only one thing to do. It’s okay to embrace imperfect action. It’s okay to eat chocolate chips from the bag while staring out the window, then go take a nap.
