Although the San Francisco team lost last Sunday, something extraordinary happened to the team. Just a few minutes into the third quarter, right after their opponent returned an off-target kick to score the longest return for a touchdown in the history of football and the impossible occurred. Lights went off, and the game was stopped in a whirlwind.
At this moment, the Ravens were playing with an opponent in the form of 49ers on their backs and could have been the 49ers at bay throughout the game. This would result in blows to the head. But it was not the case. In fact, because the game was suspended for about 30 minutes and the game was delayed for a half-hour, it allowed the 49ers the chance to examine what was going wrong and then come up with a plan of how to gain an advantage whenever the game resumed. When the lights were in, it felt as if they were an entirely different team in their climb through the play, one score after the other.
Although the project was ultimately a loss by a couple of points, I believe it demonstrated just how beneficial getting the clock off (or, in our case, as entrepreneurs who run businesses on video, simply stepping back and taking a step back to silence the chatter of our partners, clients employees, clients, etc.) can be when it comes to putting together an effective strategy.
In the workplaces that we work in, we’re often overwhelmed and confused with all the happenings all around us on a daily every day that it is difficult to be able to take a moment to consider the precise actions that must be taken to take the business in the right direction. This is a risky location to be in, and here’s how.
If you are feeling like the pace of events is so rapid that you are in automatic mode, that is a state of auto reaction versus strategic response. Situations that aren’t normally considered to be a big deal turn into massive issues. Clients who are slightly unhappy can cause you to say or do things you’d never do, and they’re now very unhappy or “past” customers because they’ll never deal with you ever again.
The state of the “getting your computer cleaned” mindset can cause you to spend money more quickly and in higher quantities than usual because you believe you’ll just be able to purchase the way out of discomfort! It is imperative to have an assistant to deal with a situation that has popped up in the last few minutes, and you’re willing to pay the price above market value because you’re scared they’ll say no even if you do not. You’re also a victim of the salesperson’s excessive pitch because they’ve figured out what your biggest pain points are in your industry and decided to go for the basics.
When I reach the point where I am at in my career, I take whatever steps I can to slow down the clock so that I can take just a few minutes (or weeks) for reflection.
Here’s how to stop the clock.
1. I’ll contact the clients I work with and inquire if they would like to have a few more days to complete an assignment. If they’re faced with an unachievable deadline due to a meeting, conference, or something else, it won’t be a good idea, but the majority time, deadlines are simply ideas that were set at the beginning of the course of the work. The further from the date you can reach them to discuss changing the deadline, the more effective.
2. I’ll schedule meetings after the work week or even the following week to allow me time for “me,” the time I need to think issues out of my mind. Like the way that the 49ers could not think clearly due to they were distracted by the Ravens were constantly pounding their heads in, if meetings with clients consume a significant amount in your day, you’ll not be able to concentrate and without distraction to deal with the issues which are affecting your business the most.
3. Most of the time, I’m not able to solve problems even if I’m actively trying to figure them out. I need to let my subconscious work on it for a few minutes. Like the episodes on “House,” the doctor will often solve a medical problem by doing something totally not related to it. If I’m stuck, I’ll usually opt to work from home, doing laundry, straightening up, and so on. It’s incredible how a simple task can provide your brain with enough space to think of a great solution to the most difficult issues.
