Theory vs. Practical
“Is my time up? I’m sure my time’s up…
It’s SO cramped in here
Did I properly close the door? Imagine if someone walks in.
I bet my boss is back from lunch now. What’s she going to think about me being in here...again?”…
These and many more are the thoughts which came to my mind when Amazon blessed our feeds with news that they’d introduced these ‘Amazen’ mindful practice coffins… I mean rooms a few months back.
These are the thoughts I imagined that the employees who embarked on using these tiny booths must have had running through their minds as they attempted to make use of this new way that wellbeing had been introduced to them at work.
The thing is, I get the sentiment, truly I do. When bosses and business owners hear stats like the one Indeed released recently, indicating that over 50% of the US workforce have experienced burnout at work in the past year, then no wonder they scrabble together to fling a couple of ‘wellbeing’ booths onto their factory floors (or the equivalent.)
I hate to break it to Bezos like this, but a booth isn’t gonna cut it.
Of course, we all know that in theory. We know a lot about wellbeing… in theory. But when are we going to choose to graduate from theory to practical and actually implement some of what we know?
Don’t get me wrong, I 100% appreciate that the way capitalism and society at large is set up means that it’s painfully difficult to find more autonomy and freedom alongside productivity and profit, but it’s not impossible.
The more we perpetuate the whole “I would (ask for a day a week off/negotiate my salary so I’m not struggling at the end of every month/shut my laptop at 6pm/ask for a meeting to discuss working from home sometimes/take my business emails off my phone) but the way society’s set up means it won’t let me be great” story, the more we’ll believe it.
Before you scroll on & shake your head at me heading into ‘cuckoo land’, why don’t you join me here for a sec instead?
Your mind (conscious and subconscious) is MUCH more powerful than we give it credit for. But it also doesn’t know the difference between our responses to perceived or imagined circumstances (fear, doubt, uncertainty etc) and the actual reality. To break this down even further, essentially what I mean here is that if what we’re continually feeding our minds is that the things we hope to happen won’t actually ever will, they probably won’t.
You can have a desire to implement work-life wellbeing in our minds as we scroll socials and see someone taking a walk in the park at 2pm for an afternoon reset whilst you’re still chained to your desk. But if you’re also side-eyeing her and subconsciously thinking ‘What’s she doing? There’s no way that’s sustainable whilst there’s still so much to be done.’ then no matter how many motivational memes you put up about being the change you want to see or something like that, nothing about your circumstances will actually change.
In fact, your meme is the equivalent of these Amazen booths, really. It’s like you kind of get that working 24/7 and being continually switched on and therefore burned out, overwhelmed, frustrated and stressed isn’t a way you want to live, but you’re also not carving out enough time or space to be able to recognise a different reality.
If the idea of ‘a different reality’ sounds overwhelming in and of itself, try not to see it like that in the first instance. A different reality could be as simple as making a decision that you’re not going to have any calls within your business on Wednesdays and Fridays because those days are going to be specifically reserved for you doing your admin/content creation as well as that ever-important internal nourishing work such as self-care practice, journaling and rest. If you’re working a 9-5, ‘a different reality’ could look like you negotiating one work from home day a week (or every two weeks!) with your boss. Whether options like these buy you back minutes, hours or days isn’t as relevant as the fact that you’ll begin to see what’s possible. This is just step one.
There is so much I could say about how wellbeing has got to start in the mind before you try to slap an action onto some blue sky thinking without behaviour change, and I will - so keep your eyes out for these longer messages, which I share every Monday, as well as socials, where I share more regularly. But until then, here are some journal prompts/guided action you might like to consider:
1. Do I feel that the amount of time I have to reflect, reconnect and pause within my work day is adequate for me?
2. If it’s not, am I willing to change anything about the way my life looks in order to facilitate the path of my future?
3. If so, what is one small action I can take today, which commits myself to what I want my future to look like?
Notice with these prompts that this starts with dissatisfaction, which leads to desire, which leads to decision.
If you make a decision first without knowing what it is that is actually bothering you, or understanding what you truly desire, you might find that you’ve done things in the wrong order and be back where you started or worse…
If reading this has jolted you into the reality that you’re ready for some shifts now, why not check out The Time Journal? With undated daily pages, support for you getting clear on your goals before you begin using it, designated spaces for ‘me moments’, plus a supporting mini-course which you get instant access to as soon as you purchase, The Time Journal will be an incredible companion to you going and growing towards your goals in a way which makes success sustainable whilst making it make sense. Learn more about The Time Journal HERE.
Keep going. Keep growing. 💜
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