Out of Gas? The new OOG Reboot.

It was 10 a.m. yesterday when I felt "done" with my day. Out. Of. Gas. The previous week had been physically, mentally, and emotionally intense with special attention being needed in the land of "being a mom," "leading a team," "completing" a vendor relationship early, working with clients, and finishing the book! (Which is the picture on this post today. I've named it "Organized Meaningful Chaos." That is the book, and its many stages, cut chapters/sections, timelines, etc. ALL in one place on my table before going into "the book box.")

I'd been doing my IEP practices, taking care of myself, nourishing my mindset. I'd even just come off a weekend, and yet -- I was done. Ready for a beach.

This is all great except that I also had a team meeting (that was important for me to attend) in just an hour and a list of things that needed to be done (in order to not be a bottleneck in projects). There would be no beach today.

So what did I do? I did what any normal person would do when they're out of gas.

I laid on my floor and rebooted. For 5 minutes.

And voila, a new reboot I thought you might like...

This is the new OOG Reboot (quite effective to get you through OOG moments):

• lay on floor, relax body, breathe
• let it all go, get out of your head, no thinking, just be here NOW with your body
• just BE, if you catch yourself going to your head -- get out of there, get back into body and breath
• stand up, shake it off, put on music
• dance it out and get back in there

I'm holding this one as a "triage reboot" -- triage meaning you're exhausted and you still need to keep going in service of whatever you're leading. (This will get you through temporarily, however, if exhaustion is a chronic thing for you or OOG is how you feel everyday at work, bigger measures need to be explored and taken. Pay attention to Chronic OOG.)

Now I was up, body breathed and refreshed, brain mini-rested, ready to shift (though still quiet and not ready to lead).

If I show up tired, not well, or fully present for my team, they'll catch it -- remember, I'm contagious (as we all are). So this is where the IEP Reboot (one of the core components of the IEP Method) comes in handy.

Before my call, I did the IEP Reboot (so that I could reboot authentically and show up REAL, while still bringing in a helpful vibe):

1. Notice my energy and presence. (What would I be bringing into the Zoom Room?)
2. Envision and intend. (Envision how I'd LIKE to show up, and set an intention for it.)
3. Take care and breathe. (Whatever I need to show up this way, do it. It's usually breathe, posture, get into body and out of head again, shift mindset; get curious, connect with service, connect with my intention for this meeting/these people.)
4. Step in and become it. (Simply step into this new level of presence and state which is about being present with the now and the who and contributing.)
5. Rinse and repeat. (For the rest of the meeting, anytime I catch myself losing presence, or I catch my energy shifting to a not helpful vibe, reboot again.)

This is not about being fake and overriding the truth of what's just happened (when we really are feeling tired or low or whatever), this is about being present in the present moment, seeing what's here now (not stuck in the old story), and getting command of our state so we can show up as best possible for those we lead.

Our meeting went well. I finished the absolute essentials for the day. And then I took a nap. After my 20-minute nap, I responded to email, did a few more things, and then "closed out the office" so I could turn off my brain. How do I "close out the office?"

I...

• clean off my desk,
• make a list of the most important things to do tomorrow when fresh (so they don't linger, taking up precious mental energy),
• thank the physical office and the business for supporting me and allowing me to do work I love,
• appreciate myself for caring and showing up,
• and then, shut the door.

Brain off.

Bedtime last night was 9pm. No TV. (Bath with epsom salt instead.) I closed the day out by completing the last part of the IEP Sheet about impact and capturing learnings.

And today is a new day.

Leadership is wonderful and it's also hard. It's work. It requires stamina and self-care and that we show up sometimes when we don't want to. I've had days where no nap or "close out office early" option was available. A level of stamina and "staying with it" no matter what being required. Those days can be challenging, AND they're where the reboots I'm offering you here ("OOG" and "IEP") and our self-care are most important. What I've found is the more we practice these and tend to our IEP proactively, the easier the reboots become and the greater the stamina when these harder days show up.

May this post support you in your reboots whether they are of the "OOG" nature, the "show up for your team" nature, or the just "take care of yourself" nature.

To your new day, your new moment, your new...

Get it.

X/Anese

Want to learn how to do all of this in real life, real time, and in an experiential manner? I'm leading a special IEP Live! Leadership & Influence Intensive in October (23-24) in Sacramento, CA with a special CONTAGIOUS YOU component to celebrate the new book (out November 15, 2019). Learn more and register here. Space is precious, grab your spot. I promise (in you lean in with me and show up) this will be a unique, powerful, and life-changing event.