recharge

He does not seem to me to be a free man who does not sometimes do nothing.
~ Marcus T. Cicero

My friend Terry Monaghan just posted this quote on Facebook.

She’s in the habit of posting brilliant quotes about the judicious use of time since she’s pretty much the best time management expert ever.

Anyway, this quote gave me an idea about recharging.

Are you spent?

If you’re the kind of person who gives and gives until there’s nothing left, then you know what I’m talking about.

The crazy thing about being out of gas is that usually you can keep going, but your results are nowhere near what they could be.

“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six hours sharpening my ax.”
~Abraham Lincoln

I’m pretty sure Terry posted that one too.  I came across it somewhere.

The truth is, you have a choice.  You can tough it out or you can work lightly and swiftly.

  • The first way serves your ego, which thinks working harder and longer makes you more important.
  • The second way will give you a better result, and you’ll have more fun.

I’m leaning toward the second way.

Some things to remember

Here are some things to remember as you think about how to recharge:

  1. One kind of giving is not the same as another. Sometimes all you need is to change gears.  If you spent all day giving to your clients, maybe it’s enough to play with your kids for a couple of hours. If that feels different for you.
  2. It’s okay to do nothing. See above.  You’re not a drone. The trick to doing nothing successfully is the “being okay with it” part.  There are no bonus points for spending your free time fretting about what you think you should be doing.
  3. What recharges me might drain you. Everybody’s different.  If you’re not sure what will work for you, think about what gives your life meaning. I’d start there.
  4. Pay attention to where you are. If your mind is one place and your body is another, you are creating an attention gap that will cause both your thoughts and your actions to be unfulfilling.
  5. Consume to create. Filmmakers watch movies. Artists visit galleries. Writers read. Fill your head with work you admire. It will inspire and sustain you.

That’s all I’ve got.  What do you think?