Take time to "sharpen the saw"

In The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, author Steven Covey tells a story that reflects the need for rest, refreshment, renewal, and re-awakening in our lives.

Suppose you come upon a man in the woods feverishly sawing down a tree.
"You look exhausted!" you exclaim. "How long have you been at it?"
"Over five hours," he replies, "and I'm beat. This is hard."
"Maybe you could take a break for a few minutes and sharpen that saw. Then the work would go faster."
"No time," the man says emphatically. "I'm too busy sawing."

Can you identify with the man in the woods? This story serves as a good reminder that it's often hard to stop sawing even though we know that taking a break will help us come back to our tasks stronger and more focused. To take breaks from the busyness of our lives we must be proactive. No one can do it for us, or force us to make it a priority. We must put down the saw ourselves.

Some general suggestions for sharpening the saw on a day-to-day basis include:

• Build some slack into your schedule: Having to hurry all the time can be a serious stressor. Try scheduling 75% of your time instead of 110%. Build in some time for the unexpected.

• Learn to pause and reflect on what you're doing and why: It will help you put your life in perspective and make sure the activity is worthwhile.

• Spend ten minutes outside: Exposure to natural light plays a role in regulating your moods. If you don't get enough natural light your body tends to slip into "sleep mode."

• Make sure you do something enjoyable every day, and pay attention to the fact that you're enjoying it! It doesn't have to be complicated or time consuming. Have lunch with a friend, go for a walk, read a chapter of your book, just do something for you.

We should be keeping a regular eye on how sharp our saw is by checking in with different areas of our lives and making sure we regularly refresh all the interconnected aspects of our nature. Are we nurturing our physical bodies by paying attention to exercise, nutrition and drinking enough water, getting enough sleep, and relaxing? Are we counteracting mental stress through awareness, effective goal-setting, practicing gratitude and learning to control unproductive worry? Are our social and emotional needs to communicate with others being met? Do we pay attention to our spirituality and nourish our souls?

Today, why not ... Take a risk. Stop sawing for a while and check to make sure your life is in balance. Do you need to pay particular attention to our physical, mental, social or spiritual needs at the moment? Identify a strategy, set some goals and write down how you're going to meet those needs.

This month, why not ... Experiment with different ways of sharpening your saw. Deliberately do something you enjoy every day.

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