Lessons from the Tour: Set Your Pace – June 2008

This is going to be one of those weeks that everything hits at once.  It’s exciting because it’s everything that I love to do.  AND it’s overwhelming:  client meetings, presentations, and even discussions about the potential for a new radio show.  All of that happens in 4 days and across 3 states (thankfully it’s only 2 time zones).  I can feel my adrenaline pumping just thinking about it: what if the plane is late or cancelled?  Will I have time to get to the airport after my last meeting?  Will my energy last through the entire week?

You know exactly what I’m talking about, don’t you?  I love it but I have to ask myself:  what was I thinking when I booked it all into 4 days?

On Sunday I decided to take a break and watch the Tour de France:  Stage 9.  There was something so satisfying about watching someone else pedal like crazy while I comfortably sat in my favorite chair.  If you are not familiar with the Tour, this year it runs from July 5 through July 27 and consists of 21 stages.  Sunday’s stage was a high mountain stage through the Pyrenees-definitely a challenge!  It consisted of several flat sections with some medium peaks and two high climbs for a total of 225 kilometers.    One of the riders was interviewed prior to the ride and asked what he thought his chances for success were.  He responded that he ‘certainly wasn’t going to tell himself anything negative’ and went on to say that he was sure he was prepared for the upcoming stage and would do very well.  The interviewer then asked what his strategy was for the day.  He said that during the flat sections he would keep a good pace but not expend all of his energy there since he would need it for the two mountain climbs.  He went on to say that he needed to stay focused on the path in front of him, put previous stages out of his mind, and not think too far ahead.

Later in the day the parallel between how he was handling the stage and how I could be handling my “peak week” hit me.  How about you?  Do you have a strategy to ensure peak performance during your peak activity?

Putting It in Action:

When you know that you have a challenging Peak coming up:

• Pay attention to how you talk and think about the challenge.  Do you focus on how difficult and crazy it will be, how exhausted you will get, and all the things that could wrong?  The next time you face a challenging ’stage’ think about how well prepared you are and that you have every chance to succeed.

• Usually before an extraordinarily busy time, there is a slightly calmer time.   Knowing that you are going to be very tied up during the busy time, you may be tempted to squeeze as much as possible in before the “crunch”.  However, that just ensures that you are already tired and frazzled before your challenge even begins.  Instead, pace yourself.  Get the most important things accomplished and conserve enough energy during the ‘flat stage’ for the challenging climb ahead.

• Stay focused on the task at hand without letting previous attempts or future challenges sap your energy or divert your attention.

(By the way, the rider’s strategy worked great for him. He moved up a place in the overall standings that day.  I’ll let you know how it works for me!)

Announcements:

One of the most frequent challenges I hear from my clients is “I need to manage my time better”.  Since I hear the same things from friends and family, I think it is safe to say that time management is on everyone’s development plan.  Since most people that know me put me on the top of their “most-organized-people” list, I decided to share some of my strategies with everyone in an e-course It’s About Time.  In this course, I will go beyond the lessons that you get with your favorite day timer and share tips about how to plan your time, how to live with time, and how to create more time.  The course will have tips to read and tools to use.  It will be available in the fall-so stay tuned.