5 Ways to Get Your Mojo Back

A woman in charge of an international non-profit recently reached out to me for help.  “I’ve lost my edge,” she complained.  “I am going around in a fog and I’m fatigued all the time.”

Her decision-making was beginning to suffer, and motivating her team and volunteers was not even on her radar screen.  The non-profit was on the brink of disaster from a disengaged leader headed for burnout.

As we worked together, I discovered that she had long left behind the vision for the movement’s work.  Further, she had neglected to guard boundaries and balance around personal time.

“When was the last time you gave yourself permission to stop and do something for yourself?” I asked.

“Oh, that’s a frightening thought,” she answered.  “I feel that if I stop, everything will stop.  And I know this is unhealthy.  What do I do?”

Have you ever felt like that?

If you’re in charge of great responsibility, you no doubt have great passion for a mission or a cause. You’re experienced, you’re good at what you do, and you have ideas and beliefs about making a larger impact that keep you going each day.

Let’s face it, though—no matter how much passion you started with, being in charge can drain your energy. Leadership is demanding. You have extra responsibilities, weighty decisions to make, and people who depend on you, and, just like everyone else, you get tired.

If you find yourself losing your energy and verve, it may be time to make some intentional shifts – to take steps to regain your passion and your energy.

Here are 5 places to start:  

1.  Get back in touch with your “why”

Remind yourself why you’re there in the first place.

What’s your purpose?

What would the world be missing if you were not able to do what you do?

How do you make a difference where you are?

Answering these questions can help you re-engage your original excitement.

2.  Start the morning with a success routine 

Bring focus and clarity to your day by starting each morning with an intentional ritual. Don’t reach for technology as soon as you get out of bed. Try to completely unplug. Have a quiet place where, upon rising, you can go to meditate, journal, or whatever helps bring quiet focus. This time is meant to clear your mind, bring clarity to your day, energize you and stave off tyranny of the urgent. Try this for ten minutes every morning.

For the Morning Success Routine similar to that of Margaret Thatcher, Steve Jobs, and other leaders, click here.

3.  Practice prioritized uni-tasking

This helps you avoid becoming a slave to distractors. Here are some simple steps:

• Review your projects and rate them by importance and urgency

• Now, order the projects and tasks by how much effort each one will take. Begin with the task that takes the most effort.

• Practice uni-tasking with each project on your prioritized list, giving yourself permission to complete only that which is most important and urgent.

• Save the rest for the next day.

4.  Take breaks and move around

Recent studies have shown that taking frequent breaks is good for your productivity, focus, and creativity.  The best ratio is 52 minutes of work followed by a 17-minute break—completely away from your computer screen. Get up, walk around, do a quick exercise routine, anything that helps you reboot.

5.  Define your own success

Are you allowing others’ definition of success to cloud your judgment? Give yourself permission to define success in your own terms. Don’t let the opinions of other people get in the way of your vision.  Check in with yourself every once in a while to make sure you’re drawing your own map.