As we approach the end of Quarter 3 – and the point in 2024 where 75% of the year is DONE! – let’s just take a moment to acknowledge that July, August and September are (almost) completed.
Gone. Finished. 75% of 2024 gone already.
- No more second chances . . . whatever you’ve done is done.
- Whatever you DIDN’T do – it’s probably too late now. For Quarters 1, 2 & 3 at least.
So as you (and we) reflect on this last quarter – here’s your question:
‘How would I score myself on a balance of work, rest and play –
for all of Quarter 3?’
And I want you to really think about your answer.
Make it a number out of 10.
WHY AM I ASKING THIS?
For a very simple reason.
Being a business owner is a busy role and it comes with responsibilities.
A lot of them:
- to yourself
- to your family/nearest and dearest
- to your team (internal or external)
- to your clients
- to the Inland Revenue and your professional advisers/banks etc (see the third bullet above)
and if you don’t look after yourself, you won’t be able to look after anyone else.
Anyone who’s ever felt worn out after a tough day at work (or week/month/etc) will understand how much it can take out of you.
And how much it takes to get yourself back on the right track with the right energy.
Our plans are useless unless they are backed up by the right action . . . consistently.
A great example of consistency can be seen in things like ‘The World’s Strongest Man’ – so much effort goes into ‘The Truck Pull’ but once you’ve started – and things start moving – you daren’t stop as it’s sooooo hard to get going again!
Momentum is what creates the magic. And you need to create a balance too.
DON’T be that person who is constantly looking for that ‘magic pill’, the ‘one thing that will make everything different’.
It doesn’t exist.
What gets success is DOING THE SMALL STEPS, CONSISTENTLY to make PROGRESS.
. . . on what matters to you.
You, like me, might be old enough to remember the Mars bar TV adverts from back in the 70s – ‘A Mars a day helps you work, rest and play’. While that might not be completely accurate in terms of eating the chocolate, the balance of work, rest and play was a good one – and still is.
Check your balance . . . do you have a life outside of work too?