A few weeks ago, my friend and fellow blogger Jeff Urban wrote a great piece here, the Little Known Secret to Increasing Productivity. He was inspired by some relevant work by Tony Schwartz. Jeff boiled it down for us: sleep enough, eat healthy food, and exercise. I was moved by the clarity and simplicity of this message, and I value productivity. I took it to heart.
Or did I? I write this bleary-eyed from lack of sleep, wiping doughnut crumbs from my beard, having just canceled my next training appointment to attend a client meeting. I work with ethical leaders for a living, and one of the lessons we learn together is that we must care for ourselves in order to be of service to others. Apparently I need a refresher today.
Not all days are like this. Indeed, I do have a relationship with a trainer, a physical education genius (and a truly inspiring guy) named Michael Gayle, and indeed that work is transformative. I exercise several times a week, fewer this week. I eat far fewer donuts, and much more yogurt and fruit, than I have at any time in my life. I run. I can touch my toes, for the first time in years. I am learning to be an athlete. These practices boost my productivity to the extent that I commit to them. Just not today.
I learn two things from this. First, two out of three might not be enough (sorry, Meatloaf). Maybe I do need to get more sleep, even if I don’t want to. There’s plenty of research demonstrating that truth, and if I were better rested I could find those articles and read them.
Second, real personal change takes time, patience, and persistence. As I have been told, “Never, never, never give up.” I can go for a walk this afternoon, and I can make better choices for lunch and dinner than I did for breakfast. Changing our lives is not like carrying a crystal vase through the world, but rather like carrying a red rubber ball. We know we will drop it, but we also know it will bounce and that we can pick it up from there.
Early to bed tonight. Tomorrow is another day of carrying that ball.
