You are paid to think, not to be busy – So shorten your meetings to make sufficient space to think.
In this manic world in which we work, too many people approach it as if it is a dash to the line before they skid to a halt and finally die.
We know from the latest neuroscience studies that people do their finest thinking in an environment of calm, with appreciation from their boss and colleagues, plus space, time, sufficient stimulation and challenge – without it becoming unbearable pressure.
For far too many people their work environment is exactly the opposite.
As a consequence they become both stupid (their brain patterns are incoherent) and also get ill – through their body responding to intolerable an unrelenting pressure and generating far too much of the stress hormone cortisol.
I have first-hand experience of people who have developed cancer, have had heart attacks, brain tumours and debilitating illnesses which can be directly attributed to the unforgiving pressure of work. Two people that I knew recently died in such circumstances.
There are early warning signs.
You know there is an impending problem when people use language such as, “this work is killing me”, or “it’s toxic here”, “this work is unrelenting”, ” I can’t stomach it”, and “it is grinding me down!”
Consequently it is not surprising that if they don’t get the message to change their ways and the crazy pace that they are living their life than their bodies will stop them either temporarily, or permanently.
So please revisit your diary, question the purpose of meetings you go to, ask whether you need to attend at all and shorten the length of them. Generate the vitality hormone DHEA instead of the stress hormone cortisol.
Boldly grab back some time in your calendar, so you have time to think and make the 3 big decisions.
More of that in my next blog.
Good luck making more time to think.
I recommend you read Nancy Kline’s book “Time to think”
Warmest regards Jonathan
