I was on a bike ride last weekend that was slightly longer than usual. Foremost in my mind was pacing myself so I could finish, while also trying to stay with the rest of the group. As I was climbing what seemed to be a never ending hill, I thought about the importance of pacing not only for physical exercise, but also many other things in life.
In our drive to be efficient, do our best and challenge ourselves, we can forget that action needs to be balanced with strategy. Too much thought can lead to inaction, while too much action and not enough thought can result in wasted effort. Too much of either can quickly drain our energy. Sounds pretty obvious, but getting the right balance and pace requires attention. The amount and type of energy we spend needs to be appropriately paced for our goals.
Next time you find yourself ready to react by shooting off emails, getting worked up and feeling a lot of anxiety, stop and think what is the best use of your energy for the issue at hand. Pacing and smart action helps our own productivity and also enhances the effectiveness of our interactions with others.
I often remind myself, as I did last weekend, to leave something in the tank so I can finish feeling good, have energy left over and not leave everything on the road.
