The Inspiration
I didn’t post last week. I don’t know if you noticed.
But I noticed. I even felt guilty about it.
Why?
It was never a goal to post weekly. It’s an achievement for me to simply post.
Enter the internal conflict known as “FOMO.”
The Innovation
For those unfamiliar, us millennials coined the term “FOMO” (the “fear of missing out”) in response to effects of social media.
Traditionally associated with external pressure, my conflict last week was an internal one.
I was run down and needed a break, but rest meant I had to ‘miss out’ on something I wanted to do or achieve.
FOMO kept me stuck at a decision crossroad, neither resting nor writing my blog.
Lose-lose.
Upon reflection, I needed the break from my extracurriculars to recharge.
The longevity of this blog and my ability to support it is the priority, not an artificial deadline.
So, to combat FOMO, I have adopted a new strategy (and terrible acronym) – “COBO” or “conscious of burnout.”
The Action
In “Do more with less… than 100%”, the focus was on sustained progress.
However, I also noted the ‘blue pill’ approach (AKA ‘the pause button’), while not an ideal default, is essential when we do need to recover.
COBO is our ‘blue pill’ check.
If you find yourself at the FOMO crossroad, ask yourself;
- How am I? Physically? Mentally? Emotionally?
- Are there any other reasons why I would be avoiding doing this?
- Or do I simply need to listen to my body and rest?
Reflect on your personal data, make a decision, and internalize the fact that you made the right choice for you in that moment.
The Debrief
There are people who never stop but also don’t have to.
The reality is most of us are not that, and comparing ourselves to them achieves nothing.
You are uniquely you.
Your superpower is learning about what works best for you and optimizing for it.
COBO can help uncover a piece of that personal puzzle.
Just continue to check-in and recover when you need to, knowing that it is part of your long-game.
You are awesome. Keep doing you.
Chris (and Sprout!)
