Insight Leadership

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Time for a tune up

Michael Brown

Four New Rhythms to Help You Love Life @ Work and Love Life @ Home

Do you remember the old school cantilever brakes on bikes? I’m talking about the big brake pads that require absolute alignment for an efficient and enjoyable ride. If the wheel is off in the slightest, or if the wire is loose, or if the brake pad is slightly turned, then every peddle rotation encounters resistance.

The natural response when peddling with resistance is to stop and figure out how to repair it. Why ride with friction when you can make a tweak and enjoy the day outside? (Btw, let’s just take a moment to say, “thank you”, to the engineers who brought disc brakes to bikes!)

For some reason, when our bikes are out of tune, we’ll tend to tune them up … but when it’s our lives that are “out of tune”, we tend to think that if we work harder, stay up later, wake up earlier, be smarter, or grind it out … then, all will work out … until it doesn’t!

No number of vacations or closed deals can keep us from burnout. An instrument is out of tune until it’s tuned up. So, how do we get in tune and stay in tune?

At Insight, we wholeheartedly believe in 8 key rhythms (4 @ Home and 4 @ Work) to help leaders love life @ work and love @ home. We encourage you to start all 8 or just pick a couple of them to sample and see if it’s a rhythm you can commit to.

4 Key Rhythms For Life @ Home

1 | Bed Time Routine | Trade Digital for Paper

Here’s the deal. Candy Crush and TikTok will be there tomorrow. Turn off the digital life at least 30 minutes before you go to bed. Don’t look at your phone while in bed! Even the Cleveland Clinic Agrees. Allow your brain to slow down. Take control of your mind and lose the temptation to keep checking email and messages before bed. Life will go on and it will go on better if you are rested! To help drown out noise at home and the hotel, I play “brown noise”. It’s our patented family noise for sleeping. That’s a joke, but it’s a softer white noise sound that’s more pleasant for sleeping. Pro tip: I also play this noise on early morning flights to get a few more z’s.

Read a book, a devotion or take a moment to journal, but turn off the digital!

2 | Wake Up Routine | Don’t Look!

Wake up and don’t look at your phone. We switched to these alarm clocks to make an easier transition. When we take a moment to wake up without turning on for work, we have a more energetic morning. Read more of the science behind why here. Set your morning routine and stick to it. My best mornings are when I don’t look at my phone until after a few minutes of stretching and reading.

3 | Weekly Game Plan | Align and Communicate

A few years ago, we were going a million miles an hour and not aligned. Meg would call me to ask if I could pick up groceries on my way home and I’d be at a conference in Tampa. I’m happy to pick them up, but it’ll be a couple of days! I had told her about the conference, but it didn’t resonate because of all things she had to manage in her schedule in addition to mine. I’m just thankful we were able to laugh about it later.

Four kids, two college students, four athletes, two small business owners, volunteer work, family, friends and never-ending house projects … our family schedule adapts every week, so we must constantly align to manage. Meg and I have arguments when we are navigating surprises that could have been mitigated with better communication. To avoid those surprises, we sit down on Sunday and game plan the week. Who’s going where when and how are the kids getting to where they need to be … and what are we going to eat! What do we prep, plan to cook, and who’s cooking. Then, we call in reinforcements, shift meetings and make the world work.

The weekly game plan is crucial to supporting one another and finding moments in the week for mini coffee dates or an evening with friends. Work to communicate, help, and honor one another.

4 | Fitness and Food | Prioritize Wellness

Here’s the deal. What we eat and what we do has a tremendous impact on our mental and emotional outlook. There’s a tremendous upside to some level of exercise for 30 minutes a day. Personally, when I walk, ride or lift for 30 minutes a day, my mind is sharper, my attitude is better and my mindset is healthier. Also – my clothes keep fitting. I dream about a season where I commit to a trainer and get ripped again, but, for now, consistency is key to health. I’m a fan of enjoying good food and regular exercise is vital to appreciate the way amazing ingredients can come together to make life changing meals.

4 Key Rhythms For Life @ Work

1 | Prioritize and Plan

Every Friday, review and plan the next week as best as you can. Know what is coming on Monday so you don’t start working and reviewing Sunday. (This is a helpful tip for avoiding burnout.) Make sure your calendar reflects what your top priorities are and rearrange as necessary. I color coordinate my calendar so at a quick glance I can see what priorities my time reflects and if I’m on track and in alignment. If you are working on something that is keeping you from what is most important, then it’s time to stop (let the ball drop) or delegate. Don’t keep riding an out of tune bike or you won’t make it, and your business will suffer.

2 | Manage Time and Tasks

Many productivity gurus encourage us to knock out our top tasks first. Let’s do what is most difficult first thing. I’m a fan of this tip, because the work that requires our deepest thinking tends to get pushed back when all the little tasks and responses fill the day. All are important, so make sure you prioritize when you do what’s most difficult.

3 | Email Management

24/7 email can ruin the ability for us to work. Don’t be afraid to turn off Outlook while writing, planning, or thinking. Fully focus on your work and not your inbox while you work.

Provide Admin access to your email and leverage an EA to help keep your inbox and calendar clean. This is a game changer for enjoying vacation as well! Communicate, align and re-calibrate, but let go of some control and enjoy the extra freedom.

Set key times in the day to work on email (i.e. startup workday ritual or end of day workday ritual that includes clearing your inbox) and overcome the heart palpitations that creep in when you aren’t scanning the inbox all day. As Bobby Boucher learned, “You can do it!”

4 | Intentional Reflection

Take the time to remember why you do what you do. Root your work with your purpose, know what drives you and keep going forward. Reflecting on where we’ve been and where we are going can help us avoid feeling like we are reliving the same year over again. Pay attention to the progress and if you don’t feel like you are making progress – prioritize time to stop and tune up.

How to Tune Up

Every once in a while, I can tune up my bike on my own or invite a friend to help. But most of the time, I need to take it to the shop for 1 of 2 reasons: 1) The bike sat too long without being maintained; or 2) I rode it too far without taking care of it. Either way, I have to take it in and make an investment.

How are you going to tune up for 2025?

Here are 3 proven routes we encourage you to consider for 2025. Review which option is best for you and which option is best for your leadership. Then make the choice.