Building a Well-Balanced Construction Company
When chasing after uncommon goals—like running a department, building a book of business, or earning a financial stake in your company—you must have an uncommon ability to put in work even when you don’t feel like it. You have to push past moments of burnout, doubt, and fear and find the energy inside of you to get the job done.
Some energy is negative and draining, like the self-limiting thoughts we have about ourselves and our abilities, or our fears of failure. Other energy is positive and provides strength—and brief moments of strength can be the difference between giving up and getting to your goals. It is crucial in a field like construction that we learn how to tap into our positive energy source and use it to help achieve our goals.
So, if you’ve ever struggled with burnout or finding the energy to keep going, then luckily there are some ideas that may help you tap into your positive energy source and reach the uncommon goals reserved for those uncommon people who find the strength to keep going, no matter what.
Burnout and Giving Up
First, there are two primary types of burnouts that you should be aware of:
Overwork: Simply working so many hours that it is impossible to keep up with. You can only work yourself past your limit for so long. Energy is depleted because of too much work.
Stress: For some, working long hours doesn’t deplete energy, but being overwhelmed by too many responsibilities and action items sets them in a negative spin of stress that eventually leads to a deep burnout. Even the hardest workers can burn out when they constantly have way too much on their plate because their energy is wasted on negative thoughts.
Therefore, it’s important to understand burnout doesn’t necessarily come down to “working too many hours”. Instead, it often comes down to your ability to manage your energy. The first step to avoiding burnout is you must pay attention to what gives and takes away your energy.
Energy Positive Activities
There are some activities that overwhelmingly continue to provide me with positive energy in moments of doubt. Although everyone is different, I feel confident that many of these activities are universally positive energy sources, and will be a good place for you to start:
Saying no. The old saying goes, “You can do anything you want, but you can’t do everything you want.” Many of us, especially high-performers, want to do everything—take on that next project, bid another job, squeeze in that extra meeting. But saying “no” is one of the most important things you can do to protect your positive energy source. Do the stuff that fits your role, your goals, and mission. Say no to the other stuff. It will give you energy left and right.
Networking with like-minded people. As busy as we get, it can be hard to justify spending time with people for the sole reason of getting to know them. We feel like we need to be running more work or selling another project. But at the end of the day, zooming out from your day to day and networking with like-minded people is almost always a good idea. Being around people with similar belief systems gives strengths and fills our cup, giving us the ability to execute at an even higher level when we get back to work.
Guilt-free rest. This works really well for me: every week, I make sure to take 24 hours of guilt-free rest. I still mow the lawn, or do chores, or spend time with family, but I don’t do anything related to work, and I make sure not to feel guilty about it. If you’re anything like me, it can be hard to put down work and not feel like you should find some way to be productive every day. But what I’ve realized is that getting rest, and replenishing my energy reserves, is one of the most productive things I can do.
Journaling. Equally important to building positive energy is releasing negative energy, because negative energy is draining and saps from your positive energy sources. And I’ve yet to find a better way to release negative energy than journaling. I recommend stream of consciousness journaling, where you simply write down what’s going through your mind, focusing on getting any negative thoughts out of your head and onto paper. Something about writing them out takes away their power, and releases the negative baggage associated with them.
Planning work based on energy level. It can help to recognize that certain tasks take certain energy levels to perform. For example, you may not want to review a contract at the end of the day because your brain is fried, and your energy is already sapped! So, make sure you plan your work based on your energy levels. When you do, you start to use your energy more efficiently.
Do Your Best
My parting advice for optimizing your energy and reaching uncommon goals is simply to do your best. If you can walk away from every situation knowing you did your best, then you will be much happier, have higher levels of energy, and push through the moments of doubt much more frequently.
We all fail but do your best!
Spark Notes:
Achieving uncommon goals requires an exceptional ability to push through burnout and doubt, tapping into your inner strength even when you feel drained.
Negative energy, such as self-doubt and fear, can deplete your strength, whereas positive energy sources like networking and guilt-free rest can significantly boost your motivation and resilience.
Understanding that burnout often stems from mismanaged energy rather than just overwork is crucial, so focus on activities that replenish your energy and align with your goals.
To reach your goals, embrace practices like journaling to release negativity, planning tasks according to your energy levels, and doing your best in every situation to maintain high energy and overcome challenges.
