3 daily bursts you don't want to misfire

Apparently, this is someone's job. 



Someone gets to make gourmet pancakes for a living.

Wow! It's totally impressive and compelling. I'd be happy to taste test any of them. And if I really thought about it, I'm sure I could attempt to do one of these... with minimal success.

But for someone else? They're really good at this. Wild!

Occupational wellness is typically thought of as leveraging your unique skills and talents in order for good compensation. Not everyone does this for dollars and cents, though. Some of you reading this take amazing care of a home/family, or volunteer all kinds of time for an organization. The payment for your mighty masterpiece is in how it impacts others.

But whatever job you do, you can only do so much of it in one day.

I've learned over time that a healthy job isn't just about leveraging your abilities, but also your limited "best bursts" of energy. We each only have so many of these in any given 24 hour period. Sure, you can give some mechanical thought to a lot of things, hour after hour... but you're really only fresh and sharp 3 to 5 times per day.

It's why studies say you want to schedule your court date in the early afternoon, because judges are more lenient after a lunch break. Or why there are "best" time to make a sales call.

On that note, there are 3 daily bursts you don't want to misfire:
  • A burst given to investing into your loved ones: Give your family what's right, not what's left. A survey calculated that Americans spend just 37 minutes of “quality time” as a family on weekdays. Yikes! Some days may be busier than others, but please do whatever you can every day to have a meal with your family - even if you have to pull strings and insist upon it to do it. You won't be as integrated investing in anyone outside of your home without knowing you've invested into those inside of it first.
  • A burst given to growing yourself: One thing you bring into every part of your job is you. So if you want to be amazing at worth, do amazing things that help you to grow. It may mean a good burst of exercise or treating yourself to a healthy breakfast; or it may mean reading a book or listening to a podcast to coach how you live/work.
  • A burst given to making your job fruitful: Figure out when your best burst of work energy comes - when you can do it well and not get distracted by little things. And then regularly guard that time. For me, I have great get-it-done momentum in the early afternoon, but get fresh ideas in the late evening. I write things down to do later so that I can knock stuff out when I'm at my best, Make sure your work gets a great big solid burst like this every day.
Sometimes to identify this you need to ask tough questions, like "What am I doing that I shouldn't be wasting time on?" or "What didn't I do that I should have done?"  You can also ask, "What are the most important tasks I do according to others?" or "Where do I need to be more intentional with my time?"

Or simply imagine that you were only able to physically give three of your best bursts of time each day in any particular direction or toward any particular people. How would you spend those bursts over the next three days? Identify this, then do that.

"The one who works his field will have plenty of food, but whoever chases daydreams lacks wisdom." (Proverbs 12:11)

Whether you create art out of breakfast food, slap cement down to create new places, or fold laundry like nobody else can, know that your work life reflects more than your sweat. It symbolizes your deepest values - so serve those "bests" with your best.

Oh, and if you can make gourmet pancakes... let's have breakfast soon. :)

Together,

Tony Myles
from at
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