How often at the end of a busy day do you find yourself exhausted? Exhaustion, itself, isn’t a bad thing. Think of the time when you participated in a rigorous sport or danced the night away with someone dear to you or went all-in orchestrating a surprise party for a friend. You may have brought yourself near collapse from physical exertion, but you had fun in the process. The next day, you probably awakened feeling refreshed and energized, sore muscles notwithstanding.
Now think of a workday when you felt exhausted, for example, from the sheer effort it took getting through the stack of unfinished paperwork on your desk. That kind of exhaustion isn’t good. The thought of returning to it the next day would have been nearly unbearable. Although the physical exertion was far less than what you expended on the playing field with your teammates, the resistance you felt while doing paperwork took a greater toll on your body and mind. You may have been performing the actions the work required, but your focus was not on the work at hand. In fact, you found that you were forcing yourself to stay on task.
A major difference between these two activities and the type of energy required is clarity. In the case where exhaustion was the result of a fun and vigorous activity, more than likely you were fully clear and focused on the activity you were performing. In the case where exhaustion came from performing an undesirable task, your energy was likely split between where you were and where you preferred being (perhaps back on the sports field), thus it took a significant amount of energy just to work through the task.
Clarity isn’t all that is required to perform optimally, but It’s a significant part. Of course, you must have the knowledge, skill, time and materials to perform at your best. Yet with clarity, action is inspired; without it, a good percentage of the action is wasted. In fact, when you are genuinely clear, it is nearly impossible not to act accordingly. Clarity moves you toward whatever your mind is focusing on. It is the driver, not the destination — clarity is often what determines whether you enjoy the ride and arrive satisfied with the results.
The next time you are facing an unfinished task or challenging project, consider whether you are clear on the subject and the activities associated with it. If you feel unwilling or unprepared to dive into the project, then pausing to think again and achieve more clarity may be the best next step. If taking a clarity break doesn’t work for you, consider forming a partnership with others who merge their collective energies around the subject and desired outcome. There are times when a project turns out to be more complex than it did on first impression. On such occasions, you may be wrestling with not one but multiple challenges. When working as a team, instead of alone, you can evaluate the situation more clearly.
Success Authorities helps leaders break the cycle of decision fatigue and burnout with the Questions-to-Momentum™ Flywheel – a structured path that enhances creativity through clarifying questions, inspired action, and accelerated momentum.
