On a recent camper adventure, Nicole and I were talking about what we enjoyed most about camping.

My answer: having the explicit license to not be productive.

I am often so compelled to be working on something that spending AN ENTIRE WEEKEND without a project is a rarity.

It’s not that I can’t find a way to kill a rainy afternoon on the couch watching movies, but that in the back of my mind I usually have a nagging sense that I should be working on something.

Camping is a good reminder to me that an essential part of growth is rest.

Unfortunately, we often think of growth as being synonymous with MORE.

We presume the point of growth to be about doing more, making more, accomplishing more, being more… But some of the most profound growth is about letting go.

We grow when we realize we don’t have to be perfect. We grow when we adopt boundaries that insulate us from experiences that are harmful to us. We grow when we see that being productive isn’t the highest goal and there is a time and place to prioritize renewal. 

Being productive in your work matters, but so does pausing to reflect on whether your effectiveness is being hindered by a project, habit, or mindset that you need to let go of.

OPPORTUNITY FOR ACTION: Check in with your team…and yourself…by asking, “are there things we need to let go of?”

---

My free PDF, “100 Questions for Better 1-1 Meetings,” will help you upgrade the 1-1 conversations with your people so you can easily unearth their hidden potential and uncover valuable insights about your organization. Grab it today!