If you’re interested in the polymath lifestyle, there’s a good chance you’re trying to pivot from your current way of doing things. Luckily, you’re already partly there! Success doesn’t have to look a certain way — once you understand this, you can work on making the world your oyster 😊. It’s about finding the balance between work and play. Fulfillment is a feeling you deserve to have in both of these areas!
If you’re ready to shut the door on work burnout and turn around your life, start by leaning on these helpful tools.
Step 1: Ground Yourself
Step number one — get grounded. The way you show up to your tasks of the day truly makes all the difference.
To do so, start each day with a similar task to center your mind. This will help you to begin with a fresh outlook, instead of bringing in whatever you’re still hanging onto from the day before. By bringing awareness to your outlook and attitude, you’ll call in the best version of yourself as a result.
It doesn’t take a ton of effort to start your day off right! Here are some ideas to inspire you — you get to choose how much time to invest.
- Meditation
- Journaling
- Morning walks
- Breakfast/Mindful eating
- Exercise
- Reading
Side note: Although this may be an unpopular opinion, try to say no to screens for the first half hour that you’re up. Instead, get connected to nature, your thoughts, or your loved ones. It’s important to be especially conscious of your mental intake in the morning.
Step 2: Review and Recover
Albeit a constant battle, always remember to not be so hard on yourself. Are you expecting yourself to show up with the same level of motivation and energy every day? If so, your goal isn’t necessarily admirable — it’s unrealistic. Things happen! Sometimes we fall off our game, or an unexpected plan forces us to make changes.
Account for shortfalls of the previous day and work them into your schedule to recover. If these tasks are time-sensitive or a top priority, get them done first if you can. Your ability to tackle tough challenges is stronger when you’re feeling fresh!
Also, approach these shortfalls with loving kindness and as little judgment as possible. After all, your self-criticism isn’t what gets the job done at the end of the day. Choose to roll with the punches instead of fighting the reality of the situation; that perspective alone will make you more productive.
Step 3: Stay Flexible
Now for the next helpful hint — set up defined moments to play and rest throughout the day to ensure optimal output during work hours.
If you deny yourself rest, relaxation, or just good feels in general, you’ll ultimately turn into a ball of stress, and—likely—at theleastconvenient time. We all need a little R & R — if you don’t allow yourself to stop, one of two things will happen; (1) your body will eventually make you slow down or (2) you’ll end up wasting time trying to operate on a low or nonexistent battery charge.
Once you give yourself the permission to lean into peace throughout your day, you’ll find that you’ll be more efficient when it’s time to get to work. Why spin your wheels when you could just take a quick nap? The latter is more beneficial to you in the grand scheme of things.
Step 4: Check in With Your Goals
To gain clarity on your personal and professional paths, review monthly and weekly goals once a day to ensure they’re being reached.
With the Polymath Planner, you can get this one down pat! The planner allocates plenty of space to reflect upon weekly and monthly goals in a systematic fashion. What’s more, by keeping a physical log of this progress, you’ll gain a clearer understanding of what you’re after and how you’re getting there. Iterative development is the answer, polymaths!
Step 5: Finish Strong but Light
Last, but not least — review tasks and evaluate outcomes with positively worded notes to ensure tomorrow will be even better.
This tip is a summation of our favorite pieces of advice. By reviewing tasks and outcomes with the intention of optimism and development, you’ll create a strong and supportive foundation for the following day, week, month, and years ahead.
As previously mentioned, it’s important to get curious about your growth instead of getting critical. By giving yourself more pep talks, you’re preparing yourself for success in a pretty solid way. In addition, taking the time to analyze your efforts and outcomes will take any confusion out of the equation. Confusion gets in the way of clarity; self-education instills confidence.
It’s All About the Balance
Enjoyment and fulfillment are absolutely essential.If you don’t find the time to rest, relax, and reward yourself, you’ll feel unbalanced, unmotivated, and on edge. You don’t have to earn these so-called luxuries; rest is your right. Indulge in your own happiness.
Who says you can’t have it all? Figure out a game plan that brings about balance, and you can absolutely have your cake and eat it too. 😎
