Time for Doing Nothing. Emotional Intelligence and Why It Matters.

Pandemic fatigue is real for many people and many companies. Thankfully, with the prospect of successful vaccines for COVID-19, there’s hope that the pandemic may finally be winding down. With all the organizational energy that was expended to combat the consequences of the pandemic, many are now finding an element of fatigue entering into their work lives and home lives.

We came across an interesting Inc.com article, Jeff Bezos Says He Makes Time in His Schedule to Do Nothing. It’s a Brilliant Example of Emotional Intelligence, that provides helpful insight into overcoming current and/or potential fatigue.
The article pulls from a new book from Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos. In his book, Bezos talks about his morning routine and the value he places on scheduling time to have nothing scheduled. He places a high level of value on having unstructured time in his life. And, as the world’s richest person, you can imagine Bezos’s schedule could quickly get out of control.

I like to putter in the morning. I get up early. I go to bed early. I like to read the newspaper. I like to have coffee. I like to have breakfast with my kids before they go to school. So my puttering time is very important to me. That’s why I set my first meeting for ten o’clock.

Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder

The emotional intelligence on display is important. By carving out time to mentally and socially energize, we can give better attention and energy to all parts of our lives — work, family, friends, etc. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and bogged down in the “squeaky wheel syndrome” of everyday life. And, with so many working from home, the boundaries between work life and personal life are more blurry than ever. Oftentimes, our families and friends may suffer, which can ricochet back to us, causing feelings of stress and fatigue.

Instead, if we’re able to carve out time to refresh and foster relationships that matter the most, we’ll be better decision makers in all areas of our lives. Your approach may look different than Bezos’s approach, but your results will hopefully be the same – better boundaries, better balance, and better decisions.

We invite you to take a look at the article (it’s a short and easy read) and find ways you can improve your emotional intelligence to alleviate stress and fatigue!

Cover Image Credit: Michael Prince of Forbes