Personal Bandwidth

Hiatus

Taking a break can nourish an artist and the seasonality of the art they’re creating. A hiatus can refocus teams or provide space for a community to recharge as well, but misplaced interruptions can also become an excuse to stifle progress.

Let’s look at short breaks. For example, a moment to refill your mug, eat lunch, catch the latest episode of YDNTP, or get some sleep. When you’ve achieved flow, time away can feel like a waste of time. If a hiatus is only an excuse to avoid the work, then yes, worthless wandering is a trap and can actually devolve into a dangerous habit. When paralyzing progress is normalized, it will impact other things you actually want to accomplish. This means that even short breaks should be used to recharge your return.

What about a more extended hiatus? This could be time away, setting a project aside, or even taking breaks in a relationship. When things get tough or positive momentum starts to fade, it’s tempting to avoid reality by pushing pause. This may keep things afloat, but it’s often a lackadaisical move to avoid reality, which may include the challenges of calling it quits. If an extended hiatus is truly strategic, the time should feel restful and build confidence as rearranged resources add fresh motivation. If this time away is wasted however, a false restart can be hard to recover from and will further expose what always needed to change. If a hiatus ever feels like an excuse to dodge blame, instead of being fainthearted, perhaps the illusion of an endless break should be replaced by a determined effort to make the bigger decision.

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With limitless ways to spend our time, it’s easy to take on more than we should. Be careful taking breaks when you’ve overextended your own personal bandwidth.

The length of any hiatus is relevant and so are the people who decide to take the break. Lone wolves can make these decisions easier, but they may struggle to understand the whole equation without feedback from customers, mentors, and fellow community members. When more people are involved, deciding what/when/how to take a break becomes more complex. For example, if a few people decide a break is good for a larger group, this decision may come from an individual’s lack of interest or bandwidth instead of what’s best for the group.

When we feel significant, promises are kept and more people are set free to lead together. When we lead together, the limitations of some are less likely to compromise the well-being of many. This agency supports enrollment, trust, creativity, and honesty between more linchpins who collectively decide when the right type of intermissions will be most invigorating.

By Ben McDougal, ago

Uncharted

Building without a map is a bold art form.
It’s challenging, dangerous, and rewarding.

It’s challenging, because these expeditions call for initiative to show up, but also an unknown amount of resources to stay persistent. All seven capitals (intellectual, human, financial, institutional, physical, network, and cultural) can be hard to find. Celebrating what we have with a sense of abundance, attracts more of what we want. As different types of capital connect, staying balanced with your personal bandwidth requires attention, but when we care enough and remain realistic, we give ourselves the permission to keep building.

Uncharted crusades can also be dangerous. This probably won’t go as planned and opportunity cost is high with endless ways to spend our time. Even when the odds are against us, a healthy obsession paired with a willingness to succeed or learn cultivates a potent mix of curiosity, optimism, and righteous recklessness. Those willing to try have a huge advantage over everyone else willing to wait.

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What might you regret not doing?

When exploring the unknown for the first time, be clever, collaborative, and patient. Also, remember that winners quit all the time. They simply quit the right things at the right time, so get passionate without falling in love with impossible. To do so, ask for help. There’s much to learn from heroes, mentors, and those you seek to serve. Success and failure leaves clues, so speed up progress and avoid pitfalls by leaning into the tribes you trust.

When you’ve built without a map for a long time, the highs and lows strengthen decision making, while also making the unknown less intimidating. Experienced way finders gather feedback faster, measure the right metrics, and appreciate the hardships without allowing pride from the past to be misleading.

We know how rewarding it can be to build an event, business, or relationship you’re proud of. To dance toward the unknown, be thoughtful with early moves, but don’t get paralyzed by perfection. Sustain growth with sequenced storytelling. Be urgent, but not frantic by activating trust channels that stimulate accountability. Welcome feedback like a scientist, listen with concentration, and savor metrics beyond the money.

By Ben McDougal, ago

Landing

Arriving at your destination took work, but the task is not complete until you stick the landing.

As I enjoyed the serenity of birding on a morning walk, I noticed how birds are quick to take off and fly around with ease, but there’s definitely a final moment of attention required to land.

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In the midst of a transition? Stay golden!

The excitement of new is easy to like. The forever dance of enjoying a hobby or building a business then takes persistence. As momentum creates ease, it can be easy for attention to slip. Whether it’s a small task or an epic exit, pushing toward a strong finish can actually be more challenging than everything leading up to it.

When it’s time to finish strong, make no assumptions. Stay detail oriented to complete the sequence. With another successful landing under your wings, let the experience inspire fresh vitality as you shift gears and remain open to next.

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Every moment is the end of something.

By Ben McDougal, ago

Recursion

The achievement of writing every week for two years has me considering the future of this ambitious frequency.

For most of us, the recurring year-end audit includes a look back on how we spent our time. I love how writing helps me coordinate, understand, and translate thoughts, but the contemplative time poured into Roasted Reflections has also required intentional, lasting dedication.

As I sip on The Holiday Walk, considering what’s next, I wonder if I should give myself a break? Reducing the frequency would add ease and would subscribers even notice? Increased personal bandwidth and self-doubt aside, I still really enjoy shipping this art and I love considering how my writings will help unfold a life well lived. Along with personal growth, hearing how these weekly jolts help people is deeply rewarding and I believe we collectively have more to share.

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Ready to write more? Let’s collaborate on a Caffeinated Contribution!

Recursion is a computer science term that describes the process of defining a problem in terms of itself. This form of problem solving divides a problem into smaller parts of the same type. I’m quick to encourage others to start/continue writing so I’ve decided, at least for now, to keep building. By writing, I will uncover why and what to keep writing. Expanding this web of thoughts will feed an intrinsic motivation toward perpetual learning and will remained brewed to keep you building as well.

By Ben McDougal, ago

Feng Shui

Welcoming the unpredictable forces of life, provides ease and creates space for energizing adaptation. Peace awaits those who appreciate all that is, without worrying so much about all that is not. That said, we know this doesn’t mean everything just falls into place. It takes initiative, consistency, awareness, and sacrifice to find your own version of equanimity.

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It’s not a rainy day. It’s free water.

As I felt the warm wind of this sunset cruise on a glass lake, Kid Cudi mentioned feng shui and got me thinking about this week’s writing. Similar to how one may setup the space of a home to harmonize with nature, we can connect elements of our own career portfolio to feel the universal benefits of feng shui.

The places you visit, the people you’re with, and the art you generously create all connect through you. Over a lifetime, you become an environment for others, and this becomes your legacy. If there’s passion, diversity, intellectual humility, and overall harmony within your environment, your impact on the universe can be serendipitous and my hope is that the way you spend your time, will add up in the end.

By Ben McDougal, ago