Hajra Naz
If you’re somebody who likes to accomplish a lot, you could view that as your plan for the day continues to get increasingly long. You would rather not pass up any opportunities, and that feeling of missing out can be a serious area of strength for really.
As a leader who’s continuously reaching high, I’m continuously thinking about how to make the most of my time. You’re probably doing the same. But are you forgetting to enjoy the quiet moments in life? Those times when you can relax and let your mind wander, which can help you be more creative and strong?
For professional development, I suggest trying something a little out of the ordinary: embracing the joy of missing out (JOMO). Rather than continually stressing over the thing you may be missing, centre around what makes you cheerful and satisfied. This approach gives me the space to trust my group more and an opportunity to zero in on what makes a difference to me.
I learned about JOMO from one of the leaders on my team. He’s good at turning his fear of missing out into joy. It helps him balance his work and personal life and feel more free in her choices. Inspired by him, I decided to disconnect during a recent vacation. For eight workdays, I didn’t check my email and even deleted the email app from my phone. I fully enjoyed my trip and spending time with my loved ones. When I got back to work, I felt like a JOMO champion.
In the end, realizing that having less to do can make you more successful is an important lesson for leaders. Here’s why it’s true.
1. Resting boosts focus and creativity.
When we take breaks and give our brains a chance to rest, our ability to focus and be creative gets better. Our ability to focus is decreasing daily. People switch their focus on a screen about every 47 seconds. Every time we switch, our brains have to start over with the new task, leading to more mistakes and longer times to finish things.
Also, always working hard without a break can stop us from being creative and coming up with new ideas. This worries 60% of leaders. The constant distractions around us harm how productive we are. Dealing with this takes effort, and that’s where JOMO comes in.
The usual idea of “making the most of time” might be making us less productive instead of helping. While working together with others can be great for coming up with new ideas at work, solving tougher problems needs more time for our brains to connect the dots and come up with big new thoughts.
Research shows that taking intentional breaks, even short ones, helps our brains process all the information we’re dealing with at once. When our minds get the chance to wander purposefully, they’re free to figure out complex problems.
2. Taking a break from a busy life helps you connect better with yourself and others.
The idea of always being available can drown out what truly matters in our work. If we’re too focused on our daily tasks and stresses, we might lose touch with ourselves. But deliberately taking a step back and embracing JOMO (the joy of missing out) gives us room to think about ourselves and what drives us.
Success comes down to trust and being genuine. To be your actual self, you want to know what your identity is and what you esteem. However, you don’t get a lot of opportunities for this sort of appearance in an ordinary working day. You have to choose to pause and think. You have to decide to skip something on your to-do list.
Realizing that it’s fine not to attend every meeting is about trusting others. When you have strong relationships with your team and other departments, you can trust their judgment to involve you when needed.
3. Showing resilience-boosting habits rubs off on teams.
For leaders who want a team that works well together, it’s important to embrace the idea of doing less. While chasing success can feel exciting, always working non-stop can wear you out in the long run. As indicated by research from Gallup, individuals are bound to stop their positions due to issues with the working environment culture or balance between fun and serious activities rather than due to all the more likely compensation.
One out of every four employees is exhibiting signs of burnout, and overall, employees are feeling less engaged than they used to. Good leadership can help prevent burnout (and all the problems that come with it) by leading by example with their work habits. When leaders show that it’s okay to set boundaries, it encourages their team to do the same.
Choose fulfilment over FOMO and enjoy the benefits.
For high achievers and leaders, work often means more: more emails, more meetings, more decisions to make, more connections, and more chances to make an impact. I thrive in this environment of “more.” That’s why I have to be deliberate about saying “no” to some of the pressure.
When we intentionally decide to skip out on some things, we make room to remember who we are and what truly counts. There’s a lot of contentment to be found in focusing on what matters most and making choices with purpose. Work isn’t the most important thing in our lives. The time we spend with the people who care about us is what truly counts.
