Down Time is Good Time

Summer Vacations

Ahhh... Summertime. Time to spend with family and friends. The kids are out of school. The long days. Sticky nights. Trips to faraway and not-so-faraway places for those soon-to-be cherished memories and a chance to relive some of our childhood ones, too.

The year was 1989. It was mid-summer, and my family and I were on an extended two-week vacation in the Green Mountains of Vermont. We were in a remote cabin with no phone or TV service. There was, however, a TV connected to a VHS player, which my daughter wore out watching "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" as her main form of entertainment. It's where I discovered Orvis and fly fishing.

Taking two weeks off was unusual for me then, and it was for much of my career as a partner in an international accounting and consulting firm.

Before we left for our adventure, my boss requested that I call the office to check in while we were away. Looking back, I don't know what I could have done since there was no internet, no cell phones, and no way for me to conduct work of any kind from our location. I remember standing at a payphone outside the Orvis store, calling into the office. The only question I got was, "When will you return?"

Does any of this sound familiar?

The Best CEOs

"The best CEOs also proactively protect vacation time." (CEO Excellence, Dewar, Keller, Malhotra).

With today's rampant proliferation of technology and devices, it's easy to check in daily. And I admit—I'm guilty. I remember reviewing a filing in the car as my wife drove us home from another vacation (many years after 1989).

Whether you are a CEO or not, you need downtime. Downtime is good time.

Let me repeat: Downtime is good time.

I know that this may seem anathema to many of you, but consider this. Your brain cannot function at 100% capacity all the time. You need to manage your energy.

Why?

Athletes know this to be true. You cannot give it all, all the time. It's not healthy physically, mentally, or emotionally.

Your first job as a leader is to take care of yourself. Your colleagues, friends, and family cannot function well if you can't. They depend on you. So don't delude yourself into thinking you must sacrifice yourself or your health for the benefit of others.

Taking care of yourself first is not selfish behavior. It enables you to lead others effectively and to be fully present for your family and friends.

Steve Tappin, author of The Secrets of CEOs, found that CEOs experience emotions such as frustration, disappointment, irritation, and overwhelm, which can lead to burnout over time. The same can be said of any of us.

As one client once told me, she was tired of "spinning the plates" to keep the company moving forward and on the right track. She was overwhelmed.

Tom Peters wrote, "Time Management Must #1: Slow down. All great things-relationships, excellence, world-altering design, quality-take time, and lots of it."

Daily Self-Renewal

I was on the phone the other day with a client. He was feeling stressed because he wasn't making any headway on his to-do list.

He was anxious and felt like he was letting his clients and his team down because of it. This made him feel like he wasn't up to the task as the leader.

Have you ever felt this way?

My advice is simple.

Recently, on the Accounting Influencers Podcast, I shared some tips on how to be a better leader. One of the most important ways to be at your best is to slow things down and center yourself. Here are a few snippets from the interview:

10:25 - Breath control can make you a better leader!

16:30 - Recharge your Leadership battery.

19:05 - Tips for mental wellness.

Focusing on self-renewal, what Covey called in his 7th Habit, "Sharpen the Saw" is the glue that holds it all together. It's the one habit that makes the others possible.

I see this time and time again. Busy leaders find it hard to make time for themselves.

Here's the thing: Your to-do list will never go away. There will always be some urgent matter that requires your attention.

The Next 5 Minutes

Excellence is the next five minutes. - Tom Peters

Start with the most pressing and urgent matter that impacts you and your company. You'll want to rank your items based on impact and urgency.

Then, look at the top three items on your list.

Map out or list the steps you need to take to solve your #1 issue. Determine whether you need to delegate all or part of it.

Take action in the next five minutes. What is the next best action step to progress it forward?

As you begin to take action, you will gain momentum, and you may find that resolving the issue and clearing it off your list actually took less time than you feared.

Some Final Thoughts

Like the top CEOs of major companies, give yourself some grace to find time on your calendar to recharge your battery daily.

Sharpen your saw and embrace a habit of regular renewal. Doing so enables you to bring fresh ideas and solutions to every problem you face.

Be intentional about vacation time. Work with your colleagues to develop contingency plans should a crisis emerge. Typically, though, there seldom is a crisis. And communicate openly with your customers and clients so they know you will be away for a short while. Most will appreciate that you did and respect your family time.

When on vacation, be on vacation. Be present for your family. Those are moments you will never get back.