In the first of our two-part series from leadership workshop facilitator and coach Danielle Colley, she talks work, rest and play and suggests how EAs can revolutionise their relationship with busyness.
“A recent podcast discussed how many of us are trapped in the ‘cult’ of busyness; zealots to our to do lists and ‘worshiping at the altar’ of productivity. This use of language struck me because it illuminates how often we equate busyness as a path to worthiness, which can be a treacherous cross to bear.
At a particularly busy and stressful time of my life, a chance conversation made me reassess how I approached my own relentless busyness – and the competing priorities which pull us asunder.
Referencing the chocolate bar jingle from my youth, a wise person said to me: ‘You need your life to be more like a Mars Bar. You need to find the balance of work, rest and play’.
This inspired a philosophy for living a more holistic and balanced life. And it is relevant for anyone who wants to take control of their time, reduce stress levels and stop feeding the beast of burnout.
Balance is made from the ingredients in your life
I realised the three ingredients of this famous chocolate bar are the necessary elements for a contented life. The nougat represents work, caramel became rest and chocolate is play.
But are the nougat, caramel and chocolate delivered in equal measures in the chocolate bar? Nope – but when you take a bite all elements are discernible. And the flavour is a harmonious symphony in your mouth. Similarly, when you have work, rest and play present in any ratio, your life can feel more delicious.
Let me tell you about Ursula Phillips. She was biting off enormous mouthfuls of life. Sitting in the executive team in a large company, a busy mum and wife, her life was full. It consisted mainly of two things – work and home.
She said: ‘I had a global role with lots of travel. I had two settings (work and home) but was always “on”. The busyness didn’t bother me but I realised the lack of time spent on rest and play meant that I was tired and probably quite cranky.”
Ursula sought coaching support when she was succeeding career wise. But for many reasons it didn’t feel how she imagined it would. Then she discovered this tasty new way of thinking about her schedule – and it allowed something to shift.
“I loved the chocolate bar life idea instantly and still do. It really resonated with me. The magic for me was that it made me think about how I spent my time.
Rest was almost non-existent and that the things I was classing as play weren’t play at all. As mums (and women) we tend to class any alone time as both rest and play. But often it’s neither,” Ursula added.
Check in next week for part two…
