As the father of two teen-agers, there’s one question I find myself asking above all others during their infrequent trips out during the pandemic: “Is your phone charged?”
“Yes, Dad,” they’ll reply without even needing to look. “It’s at 23 percent. That’ll last the rest of the day.”
As leaders during highly turbulent times, we’d do well to check our own inner charge levels even more frequently than kids monitoring their iPhones. Because if we’re only at 23 percent, we’re not even making it to lunchtime without a meltdown.
As you consider your resolutions for 2021, taking steps to bolster your personal resilience should be very high on the list. “Dealing with whatever life throws at you” is one popular way of defining resilience. But my Center for Creative Leadership (CCL®) colleagues Pete Ronayne and Andi Williams recommend regarding resilience as more than a mere survival skill. They describe it instead as “consistent, intentional practices that create a virtuous cycle that recharges your energy and then positions you to bring your best self to every endeavor at work and at home.”
They call this Burning Bright instead of Burning Out. It’s a concept with the power to refresh our focus and jump-start our well-being as we transition from an extraordinarily challenging 2020 into another year where uncertainty will remain king.
You might be thinking, “Who doesn’t want to Burn Bright after a year like that? But I’ll never find enough time to practice any of this.”
And you would be right, if you’re hoping for big blocks of uninterrupted time.
But what if all you really need is some scraps of time, the loose change of daily life?
At CCL, we call this “time confetti”. We all have it – 3 minutes here or 7 minutes there in the lulls between meetings or the moments spent standing in a checkout line or waiting for the water to boil. We usually waste those moments on our phones by scanning social media, scrolling the news headlines, or taking yet another peek at our inboxes.
Yet we do have the option of using those moments more intentionally – and building our resilience slowly but surely. If you can put together 20 or 25 intentional minutes throughout the day – not consecutive ones, just that total amount of time – you’ll be well on the way to Burning Bright in 2021. Here are some proven options for filling that time productively:
Move:
British researchers have found that just 5 minutes of modest exercise in nature can do wonders for your mood. This can be as simple as walking the dog, strolling through a park, or going to the end of the driveway to get the mail. On one winter’s day, simply opening the windows of my home office and listening to the rain, wind, and bird calls for a few minutes helped clear my head.
Breathe:
Since attending a seminar a year or two ago by meditation expert Martin Boroson, I’ve tried to start each day with 60 seconds of mindful breathing. There’s really nothing better you can do to lower your stress levels than take a deep breath. And yet, in the midst of hectic days and nights, that’s usually the last thing we remember to do. Meditation doesn’t have to be a huge commitment, and everybody has 60 spare seconds a day. For inspiration, take a look at Boroson’s book One-Moment Meditation: Stillness for People on the Go.
At CCL, we call this “time confetti”. We all have it – 3 minutes here or 7 minutes there in the lulls between meetings or the moments spent standing in a checkout line or waiting for the water to boil. We usually waste those moments on our phones by scanning social media, scrolling the news headlines, or taking yet another peek at our inboxes.
Write:
You know what’s a great way to take your mind off yourself? Think about somebody else – and then let them know you’re thinking about them. Writing gratitude notes to family, friends, co-workers, teachers, coaches, or anyone else who has helped us has a double benefit: it makes the recipient feel good, of course, and it also elevates our own mental health. Notes like this don’t take long to do. Try writing 1 or 2 a week.
Sleep:
Research shows that more than 1 in 3 adults in the United States do not sleep at least 7 hours a night – the minimum amount recommended by doctors. The medical risks of chronic sleep deficits are well-documented and not pretty: heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes, and mental health problems. Turning this problem around doesn’t require heroic efforts. If you fall asleep 12 minute earlier and wake up 12 minutes later – just three days a week – you’ll accrue more than 60 hours of additional sleep each year.
If you use your time confetti wisely, it’s quite possible to practice all four of these recommendations in one day. But change is never easy, so it’s usually smarter to start slow. Pick one of these options and try it for a while. When it starts to become a habit, add another. This is how change happens, one step at a time. And it’s also how our resilience builds – one minute at a time.
Stephen Martin is chief of staff at the global nonprofit Center for Creative Leadership.
