Have you ever noticed that some days seem busier than others?
I know…duh.
No, really. Some days, I get hardly any emails, phone calls, or even people talking to me, while other days seem to just explode with activity.
In fact, sometimes it seems there are several days or weeks on end where this happens, perhaps in different areas of my life – family, business, income, whatever.
I think it’s important to embrace these times, regroup a little, rest just a bit, and get ready for the next push. Many times, I find that these periods of intense activity are the result of things I did days or weeks prior.
Right now, I feel like I’m in one of those “rest” periods – not terribly busy, but planning my next project(s) or actions on existing projects.
It’s kind of a nice place to be, because I can spend time with my family and relax a little, but I also realize that it’s times like these when I could easily start sliding down the slippery slope of procrastination and lose any momentum I’ve gained, and perhaps even lose ground on some major projects.
The cure?
Action.
My problem sometimes is that I confuse planning with action. While planning is important, it is NOT action.
Planning does not produce results – action does.
Planning does not create outcomes – my actions do.
I guess I’m writing this post more for myself than for anyone, but I hope it helps you, too.
Press ahead, then take a quick rest.
Expand your business, your life, your education, your relationships, then ease off a little and start where you left off.
Life is filled with cycles – wake/sleep, day/night, exercise/rest, etc.
Embrace the natural rhythm of things, but don’t let that rhythm slow down so much that you’re not even making music anymore!
Do you struggle with periods like this? How do you handle them? Any comments, thoughts?
PLEASE share your comments below, and if you like this post, please ReTweet through your own Twitter account using the RT button at the top of the post.
Hey you're kinda new here aren't you... You should subscribe to our RSS feed, so you never miss a post. It's also my mission to get to know all my new readers. Follow me on Twitter so we can chat. Thanks for visiting!
elie | Make Money...
Waqas
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Bill,
I definitely have those ups and downs. It’s like one day I’ve got a billion things going all at once, my inbox is packed, people are calling me, and things are hectic. But then there are just days were things are calm. I typically use those times plan my next project or do research for a new campaign.
I know the feeling. Sometimes you just don’t know what to do with yourself.
Matt Wolfe´s last blog ..How to Hide Affiliate Links
Hey Bill Great Post! Just another way that shows all things are connected. I still get stuck in the planning too much and not enough action stage. I’m a lot better than I was and getting better everyday. Keep the awesome posts coming.
LeslieZ´s last blog ..Make Money Online… Selling What?
The best thing I did was to give my email accouts to a VA, so much more productive now when I dont have to skip over 100s of useless emails. Also highly recommend reading Stop That Frog. Turned everything around for me.
Some days I also fell overwhelmed with work, then others I feel free as a bird. I think the key is scheduling properly to spread the work out.
The way I deal with slow days is by tackling a project that has been on the backburner for a long time or take some time off to learn or test something new.
You are right that planning doesn’t equal action. It’s easy to think you are working when you are just planning. The less you think, the more you get done. Getting things done is key.
I have regular “rest days” and that is during weekends when everyone in the family is around. I don’t even try to open the computer (or if I do only for a few minutes). I have the rest of the week to plan or take action so I don’t stress about not doing as much. We all need slow days to re-energize and refocus. It makes us clearheaded when we get back into the grind of things.
Best Spinner´s last blog ..Hello world!
Hi Bill! This a great post and you are absolutely right. For me planning is the best solution in handling situation when you are in a busy days or in slow days. And planning is making you not in getting bored when you are in slow days.
I agree completely with your post. without ACTION we cannot be successfull specially on the internet but it’s not all about action… it’s taking THE RIGHT form of action.
elie | Make Money Online´s last blog ..How to Get ebay Feedback FAST (the evil way to do it)