Do It Logically, But Don’t Forget to Feel It Psychologically

We had been grinding away on work, checking the boxes, crossing the t’s, and trying not to burn out. One of my partners asked me, “How are you feeling? Not about the work, about how this is going? Zoom out with me for a second.”

It’s a simple question and it can change an approach. 

It’s as important to check in with the emotional aspects of what we are noticing and why as it is to check on the logical aspects of what we’re doing. 

Think of it as adding a gut check to every process. It’s “an intuition listen,” a “disturbance in the force” check, a “spidey-sense,” a call to Ms. Cleo, a “psychological seance,” or however you want to serve it up. 

We have to regularly step back and make sure we’re not burning the oil to burn ourselves out. Only our emotions will tell us that. 

Just like my partner needed to ask me the question, we can get more done – more effectively, with our teams when we pause to ask these questions and make them part of our processes. 

Ps. I love this quote from Doug E. Fresh on listening for what the situation is telling you. He says, “Don’t get caught up in the messenger, just hear the message. It could be from a baby, your mother, or an enemy. Hear that message.”