The Unlock Mindset

Now that my days aren’t consumed by minute-to-minute activity, I’ll have these moments of “A-HA” and realize many of the confines I’ve been operating in for decades are self-constructed. It’s as if I’m living confined in a narrow hallway and when I finally get the courage to turn one of the creeky knobs …not only does the door open, the entire structure that I thought I existed in fades away—poof. freedom to create, build, work in a way that is freeing.

A few of the big ones recently:

Relearning weekends are just days. My entire concept of balance was based on not working weekends. But Saturday is just a day. Tuesday is just a day. It’s freeing to work when there is energy to work. Rest when I’m tired and not worry if it’s M-F or between the hours of 8-6.

Remembering that I don’t have to be sitting at a computer to be making forward progress. For so long, my entire work life lived in this tiny screen. I recently had this moment of “I don’t have to do that.” I can go have coffees, open the bank account, talk to local clubs...and those days are perhaps the more productive days in the long run

I had a similar A-HA when I realized I didn’t have to check email every 2 minutes & the world wouldn’t stop spinning. I eventually got to checking just once per day.

Structure is useful, essential even. It allows humans to operate at their highest potential because the environment is stable and productive, but it’s also helpful to pressure test that the structure is in place for good reason and not just because we put it there. It’s been a challenge to fully embrace this new style of working & I can’t hang on to that feeling of all freedom for very long—it’s fleeting. But man it feels good when those revelations happen. So good.

My whole concept of work was defined by the idea that you work 8-5 (or you know 8-10 pm in some cases), you carve out small pockets to be w/ your family & you’re doing good if you don’t work the weekend.

When in reality, I can redefine those ideas any time I want.

The beautiful thing about leadership (of yourself, of others, of an organization) is that you get to lead the ship. Create the structures that drive creativity and productivity. Break down the ones that don’t. What pre-conceived notions are you holding on to? Are they holding you and your team back?

 

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