In our previous blog post, we explored the concept of Should you power through your work? Now, there’s another layer to this: the difference between powering through work vs powering down. This is about understanding what to do when you can’t power through work (especially when you have a lot of work to do but you’re tired). So let’s talk about this concept of powering through work vs powering down in today’s article…
A condensed version of this article originally appeared as the March 30, 2024 edition of the Solopreneur Diary Entries newsletter.
What to do when you can’t power through work: powering through work vs powering down
Powering through work is the concept of pushing yourself a little harder to keep going and complete tasks.
Powering down is the concept of taking a break and letting yourself rest — for the purpose of recharging and replenishing your energy levels (which will contribute to higher productivity later on).
Knowing when to power through work vs power down is essential to SUSTAINABLE productivity… but it’s easier said than done.
Here's the thing: It’s one thing to set tasks aside because you’re tired, but it’s a WHOLE OTHER THING to be *okay* with setting those tasks aside. To not *beat yourself up* or feel ashamed or guilty about it.
...And it’s frustrating to not do what you WANT to be doing! It’s frustrating to not have the bandwidth or energy to act upon what you want to be working on.
I get that: I have chronic insomnia and nightmare disorder alongside chronic anxiety (and I’m a Mental Projector in Human Design)... so I need a lot of rest.
I’ve certainly had moments when the frustration really gets to me — when I wish I could *power through work* the way that I see other people doing. When I wish that I didn’t need to go with my energy so much. When I wish that I was the kind of person who doesn’t require lots of rest.
Because when I rest, YES, my business keeps running, and YES, I’m focusing on the things that matter most — but there are so many other things I ALSO want to be doing, and my bandwidth and capacity sometimes simply aren’t quite bringing me to the place I WANT to be.
Maybe you can relate to this, too?
The only thing you can do, in these moments, is to give yourself grace.
To know that this, too, shall pass.
To accept that when you’re struggling, what’s really happening is that your body and brain are likely telling you that you need to a) slow down a whole lot, and/or b) facilitate a major shift in perspective.
This is why I spend so much time doing mindset work with my clients and helping them to improve their self compassion. Because honestly? That’s REALLY hard.
You can’t exactly “discipline” your way to self compassion and a strong, healthy mindset. You can’t really “push through” it. It is a SKILL, an ongoing practice; it is a way of being that sets the stage for the act of doing.
Get 12+ transformative thought exercises to shift your mindset — and take your personal development journey to a WHOLE other level — in the Intuition Activated masterclass:
When you get right down to it, at the end of the day, you take YOU with you everywhere you go…
…And when — not if! — your capacity isn’t what you *want* it to be, you need to be okay with that.
If you are NOT okay with that, you’re going to beat yourself up and be so hard on yourself that you won’t be able to rebuild your capacity, anyway! Self compassion is invaluable to recharging and refuelling.
“I have a lot of work to do but I’m tired”
“But Sagan,” you protest, “I have a lot of work to do but I’m tired… What am I supposed to do when I NEED to work? I NEED to power through work!”
I hear you!
If the quality of your work is suffering because you’re tired — and then you’ll realistically need to redo that low-quality work later on to improve it (and waste time in doing so, because now you’re doing the work twice) — then tell me this: Is it a better use of your time to conserve and replenish your energy now, so you only need to do the work once (when you’re better rested and can produce higher-quality work more quickly)?
Read that again.
Here’s another question for you: When was the last time you streamlined and simplified your workload? This is something that I do on a regular basis, and even as someone who specializes in anti-hustle methods, there is ALWAYS room for improvement with streamlining and simplifying! I can pretty much guarantee that there are things on your task list that can be simplified, streamlined, done better, or even removed altogether.
This also brings it back to your business model. If the struggle of powering through tasks is a recurring issue for you, that indicates there are deeper problems at play. It’s not that you have a lot of tasks on your plate — it’s that you aren’t currently equipped to handle your workload. When you redesign your entire APPROACH to your business, that’s when you’ll experience a change in your ability to do work.
Reworking your business model might seem scary and like a huge amount of work, but it doesn’t need to be overwhelming! I walk you through the step by step process to improve your business model by leaps and bounds in the Productivity Powerhouse e-course.
This is ESSENTIAL if this issue of “I have a lot of work to do but I’m tired” comes up fairly frequently for you. Band-aid solutions aren’t going to cut it — you need to upgrade your foundations so this STOPS being a recurring issue for you.
Get started today with Productivity Powerhouse:
Questions to consider if you have a lot of work to do but you’re tired — and you’re trying to decide whether *powering through work vs powering down* is the best plan for you at this moment…
- Theoretically, what would happen if I took a break and powered down for the next couple hours? (Your business should not break if YOU take a break! And realistically… will your business really break if you rest for a little while?)
- Theoretically, what would happen if I did NOT do this task/project? (Maybe it’ll be detrimental — but maybe it won’t. Explore this!)
- Does this task/project actually need to happen? (AKA how does it connect back to your bigger goals or other aspects of your business? Spoiler alert: Most tasks aren't *necessary*)
- What tasks/projects (really) matter most for making progress on my longer-term goals and for meeting my current obligations? (That's where you'll want to redirect your limited energy toward!)
- By taking a break now, will it increase my energy so I’ll be able to make faster progress and produce higher-quality work later on? (Is it really the end of the world if you take a break? Resting IS productive)
- Can my business keep running, even when I’m not actively involved in every aspect? (That's the sign of a TRUE lifestyle business — more on that in Productivity Powerhouse)
There you have it! Now you know what to do when you can’t power through work, the difference between powering through work vs powering down, and how to navigate things when you have a lot of work to do but you’re tired.
Ask yourself the above questions, give yourself grace, and allow yourself the time and space to recharge — you’ve got this!
By the way — If you're feeling overwhelmed in your business, especially with a reduced capacity to work (which tends to happen a lot when you’re tired), then guess what?
I have a whole series about Small Business Overwhelm on the YouTube channel 🙂
>>> Check it out HERE.
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A condensed version of it originally appeared as the March 30, 2024 edition of the Solopreneur Diary Entries weekly newsletter.
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