Here’s three things you can control
Unitive’s Change Chef asks what we really have control over in the age of Covid-19 – and the answers may surprise you.
Covid-19 has left many business owners bewildered.
Plans for growth coming out of 2021 have been shelved and it feels like there is little end in sight to the variants that seem to keep emerging and have left many businesses reliant on financial support from the Government or worse. Some businesses will become a casualty of Covid and not survive.
There is also a fair argument that small business is taking the biggest financial hit for Covid in reduced business and falling profits. Owners are doing their best to weather the storm with smart marketing, ‘going lean’, slashed budgets and reduced services. Many have had to accelerate their online journey.
While have little control over the economic storm – but there are some things the business owner does have control over. And what that is may surprise you.
Breath, time and energy
Thank God that most of the stuff that sustains life runs on auto-pilot. Our lungs unconsciously breathe for us, time ticks by and eating and sleeping gives us the energy we need to function each day.
So why are we talking about breath, time and energy in business? Shouldn’t I be using this time to ring the bank to extend my line of credit!? Take 3 minutes and think about these three power packs of productivity and how you can hack them to gain greater control.
Let’s start with breathing. How we breathe matters. At least to the tiny cells in the base of our lungs that rarely get the benefit of a full breath of oxygen. Most of us are shallow breathers – and with increased anxiety levels, that breathing seems to be getting shallower.
But slowing down to breathe gives immediate – yes, an immediate – relief from worries. Simply taking a deep breath all the way into the belly triggers an autonomic response that lowers the heart rate, slows the brains down and reduces worries. Yes, oxygen is natures perfect blend for stress relief.
Time? Well, it seems we all have more of it. But what we are doing with it can make all the difference to our Covid-19 response. The four score and 10 years most of us will inherit go by so fast – and how we spend that time matters. Perhaps Covid-19 is an opportunity to work on your business and devoting time to planning ahead rather than plugging holes can give you the boost to take control over the future of your business.
Despite the abundance of time, the headlines on the mental health fallout of Covid-19 are not painting a pretty picture about rest. It seems our energy is being sapped by worries, the consumption of alcohol – and there is even a new term floating around for what we put in our mouths; Covid calories.
Your energy is not about resting and time. It’s about how you are moving, what you put in your mouth and the quality of sleep.
Taking control over your business and thinking will be much more profitable if you master the top three – breath, time and energy.
To learn more about gaining more control during the Covid-19, sign up to the Foundations of Change course.
