Quiet time can do and be many things, but the goal is to allow the
mind to relax from the stresses of the day, even for a short period.
Leaving the office, going outside, or just closing the door may accomplish
this goal. In a fast- paced, high- octane organization, a quiet time
period also provides an opportunity to think, brainstorm, pull
back, or regroup. It offers time to plan as well as revisit various decisions,
judgments, approaches, or resource allocations. We can also
use quiet time as a value- added occasion to look at the “big picture”
and head off any budding problems.
Give yourself a break:
Block off a period each day for some quiet time, preferably the same time each day.
Turn off the phone, put a “not now” sign on the door, find a comfortable chair,
put your feet up, and just relax. Let your mind and body refocus
on things that are important without the bunk. Some individuals
may prefer to leave the office, take a walk, and breathe in fresh
air. Quiet- time breaks are more critical when things are chaotic,
the stress level is overflowing, and deadlines are in a mach mode.
Allow your brain to back off a little and look at the big picture.
Quiet time is extremely beneficial:
Sit back, relax, and if desired, mentally go through the day’s
planned and unplanned activities for various decisions to ensure
that tasks, resources, and priorities are in order and need no
readjustment or intervention. Consider the following:
• Is it time to reprioritize tasks and tweak resources?
• Are there any indications of personnel burnout?
• Are there resources that can be applied or reassigned?
• Are minor issues getting too much attention while bigger,
more critical, more costly issues are not receiving the attention
or resources they require?
• Is it time to pull in resources from another organization?
• Are the right people with the right skill sets working the
problem?
• Is there a leadership or management problem?
• Are there any assumptions that could be in error or may
need validation?
• Are there any self- imposed due dates that need modification?
• Is there a chance that customer instructions or a senior management
tasking may have been misinterpreted?
• Is it time to stop an operation and have everyone back off,
take a breath, and reengage?
Revisit Events of Day:
We can revisit the following events of the day for positive or negative
fallout, caution lights, lessons learned, a new approach, or the need
for follow- up discussions or clarification:
• meetings with the boss or direct reports
• meetings with other organizational heads
• talks with customers
• attending program reviews
• taking walkabouts
• hosting an all- hands meeting
• things that the mind will not let go
Checklist:
Has a quiet time period been established?
Have you discussed quiet time and your ground rules with your
administrative assistant or support staff?
What changes should you make?
Scheduling Quiet Time:
Scheduling a quiet period is one of the smartest things we can
do for ourselves. It allows us to do more, and all the things stated
above. The dividends for the organization and us are unparalleled.
It provides us an opportunity to de- stress and look at
activities and events in a more positive frame of mind. The need
for such quiet time is more critical when the organization is in
a high- pitch mode for accomplishing contractual requirements
on time, on budget, and as required. Putting a sign on
the door that simply reads “not now,” works miracles in
reducing personal stress.