How to Embrace the Doldrums
Here we are - mid-summer - and whilst many are getting all excited about holidays and time away, I’m noticing many people are feeling like they are ‘in the doldrums’.
It’s that bit of the year that because lots of people are away, not much seems to happen, meetings are postponed, things seem slow, the days are long and, for some, that leaves them feeling a bit flat.
Big sigh.
If that’s you, this is for you.
So the actual physical doldrums are near the Equator where there is very little wind, hot and humid conditions and very calm seas. Sounds great, maybe, if you are in a bikini and wanting to relax but if you are trying to sail through, you can get stuck there for weeks, just not moving at all.
No momentum, no moving, nothing happening, resources running out.
If this is you literally, then what?
I offer a few ideas:
1) Arnold Schwarzenegger (super achiever and busy man, in my opinion - film, body building, politics) in his book detailing his Seven Tools for Life, says ‘Stay Busy. Be Useful’. Those always work for me. Naturally I like to do things but the satisfying thing I find is being useful. Helpful, doing something valuable for someone else.
2) Future of Work Fit. Take a look at the World Economic Forum Skills of 2030 list and see which ones you are missing? Probably Tech Literacy, Cybersecurity and AI and big data? Get busy skilling up!
3) Future of Work Part 2. It’s not all about tech skills. There are lots of skills that would traditionally be called ‘Soft Skills’ like curiosity, influence, creative thinking, talent management’. We will need these and evidence of these. So if you’ve taken these for granted, then think about them, document them and get to work polishing them up.
4) Movement. I think feeing in the doldrums comes with a feeling of inertia, feeling flat, sluggish. My best way to get out of that is to try a class or a sport I’ve never done. I keep hearing about padel and pickleball - so one of those. And I asked for a rounders set for my birthday because I remember how much I love rounders. Also because the days are so long, my daughter and I have taken do doing long walks after supper - 1-2 hours so far!
5) Finally, I want to remind you that being in the doldrums, feeling there is nothing moving, often gives you space for other stuff to come in. Steve Jobs said, ‘Boredom allows one to indulge in curiosity and out of curiosity comes everything.’
So re-frame that doldrums feeling as giving your mind enough space to wander, notice, connect ideas and imagine something new.
Spend time ‘thinking thoughts’ as I heard a university professor say recently.
Take Care
Tracy
