“It is a very good plan every now and then to go away and have a little relaxation. . . . When you come back to the work your judgment will be surer since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose the power of judgment.” — Leonardo Da Vinci
Do you ever feel like you are rushing from one situation to the next?
You know that feeling when your mind keeps wandering from distraction to distraction, making it almost impossible to fully focus on doing one thing at a time?
And when you do have a moment, do you ever rush to check out your phone and see if anyone has emailed you, written you a text message or at the very least posted exciting celebrity pictures for you to look at?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are probably feeling restless, anxious and irritated.
And you are not able to show up performing your best in those life-changing moments that would mean so much to you.
For top performers like Olympians, this could mean working extremely hard for 4 years and then choking during the money time of their grand performance.
Can you imagine how disappointing that must be?
But I bet even for you, it can be heartbreaking when you don’t show your best self in a big job interview, business negotiation or even while sitting with a hot date for a sip of coffee.
To prevent such disappointments, world-class athletes have pre-competition rituals that help them become fully focused and concentrated.
But they are not the only ones:
Many top businessmen and entertainers have rituals that help them escape their rushed and chaotic world so that they can slow down their mind and show up focused and sharp at business meetings or gigs.
And so should you.
This is because slowing down from time to time allows us to experience many benefits.
For example:
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We start feeling more energized.
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We think more creatively.
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We connect stronger with the people around us.
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We also become aware of our own thoughts and feelings so that we are able to make conscious decisions.
And the best part:
In just 60 seconds we can get ourselves into a much better state to handle high-pressure situations, thanks to what I call the “Mini Time Out Routine”.
The Mini Time Out Routine allows us to transition from one moment to the next with a clearer mind.
Here is what you do before entering an important situation:
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Find a quiet spot and close your eyes for 30 seconds.
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Slow down your breathing, and when you feel ready, count 10 long breaths.
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Then set an intention for your upcoming situation, and visualize yourself overcoming any obstacles so that you eventually achieve the result you desire.
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Spend a few seconds experiencing the positive emotions that you would enjoy following a successful outcome.
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Finally, open your eyes and make your final preparations for the upcoming situation.
That’s it- 60 seconds, and you will feel so much sharper in your head, and fresher in your body.
Of course, you can make some adjustments so that this routine suits your specific needs.
The key is to enjoy regular moments in which you take a break from your daily hassles, and set an intention for your upcoming activity.
But let me warn you:
The big challenge for most people is that they rarely remember to do a routine before important occasions if they didn’t practice it in advance. This is why you want to use the Mini Time Out Routine several times a day and gradually rewire yourself to automatically slow down on a regular basis. Once you do that, you will then consciously use this routine before high-pressure situations and perform better than ever!
To help you follow through with this routine, I suggest you introduce mental triggers.
Let me share some examples:
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An athlete might use entering an arena as his mental trigger before competition or practice sessions.
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An author could train to get himself into the right state every time he sits down at his desk.
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A businessman could use opening a door before entering his office as his mental triggers.
So think about when you want to slow down daily, and what you could use as a mental trigger. To help you get started, I also recommend you set yourself reminders on your phone to slow down several times a day. Every time the alarm goes off, just take 60 seconds to follow through with your Mini Time Out Routine.
To sum up, all you need to do is this:
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Get into the habit of slowing down at least twice a day, by using the Mini Time Out Routine.
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Use this routine before important high-performance situations.
Now you know how to relax yourself in just 60 seconds even when things become a little bit overwhelming.
However, if you want to learn how to feel energized and pumped up throughout your working day, download your free 26,000 word Ultimate Guide On High Performance by clicking here.