How To Slow Down And Boost Your Mental Fortitude

I’m pleased to be sharing an article contributed by Wendy Dessler of Clockspot on How To Slow Down And Boost Your Mental Fortitude.  I’m a big believer in working practices that ensure you don’t get stressed and burned out and Wendy has some great ideas for doing exactly that.

An all-too-common trend among entrepreneurs of all stripes is to burn the candle at both ends until there’s nothing left. Productivity is a good thing, but it has to be tempered and controlled for you to wield it the right way. At the same time, though, you’ll not want to cripple your momentum by taking a full-on break from work. What to do? The answer, it turns out, lies in shifting your mentality to handle the strain of staying “switched on” for long stretches of time. Here’s how you can apply this concept in your work.

Boost Your Confidence

You can do this by letting go of insecurities that lead you into thinking that you aren’t capable enough to succeed. Those niggling doubts will eat away at your ability to create and drain on your fortitude. Inoculating yourself by trusting in your prowess will sustain your ability to keep your pace.

Welcome The Failures

If you’re stressing out about everything that could go wrong and how failure will break you as a person or a professional, just stop. The bold know that failure breeds success, as what doesn’t kill them makes them stronger. You might slip up a hundred times, but you’ll welcome each setback because it puts you closer to success.

Allow For Small Distractions

Even those with seemingly inexhaustible stores of focus will eventually be worn down by the temptation to goof off.

If you try to fight it for too long, you might end up goofing off longer than you should, though, so periodically, give yourself time to (briefly) do something non-current-work related.

Work on your website, check your Plumfund.com page, play your favorite adventure game for a few minutes, and then jump back in the fray.

Monitor Your Caffeine Consumption

Sure, caffeine is great for giving you an extra boost when you’re getting tired, but too much of it will put your adrenaline levels in a state of flux and keep you from maintaining an even pace.

You’ll be up one minute, down the next if you’re downing pot after pot (or can after can if you prefer energy drinks), so limit your intake and enjoy a more level rate of productivity (as opposed to short, unsustainable bursts).

Squash The Beef

Both with yourself and others. You probably already know how negative self-talk can keep you from achieving your potential.

Negative talk about others can do just as much harm, and distract you in much the same way. Don’t spend time comparing yourself to others or tearing others down, as this is completely antithetical to the winner’s mindset.

Take Time To Analyze

You’ve got deadlines, commitments, and a long list of people trying to pull you in different directions.

Do you break down, and stress about how you’re going to get it all done?

Or do you step back, analyze your situation, and formulate a plan by prioritizing smaller goals? A time tracking tool like Clockspot can be of great help here to give you a green light to gain perspective on what you’re trying to achieve and set clear goals.

Know That Change Will Come

Nothing stays the same forever. Do not fear the unknown and don’t become paralyzed by the prospect of things not working out on the first go.

Instead, stay flexible, accept that changes (sometimes outside of your control) are inevitable. When you go with the flow, you will better prepare yourself to recognise the opportunities that manifest during periods of flux.

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