07/12/2025
Earlier this year, I was burning out without realising it.
Then my supervisor said something I didnât expect:
First, what you need to understand is that I was stuck in a cycle.
⢠Rushing towards the next milestone.
⢠Not giving myself space to think.
⢠Always feeling like I was behind.
My supervisor noticed.
And instead of telling me to work harder or focus more,
she said something completely different:
âIf you slowed down,â she asked,
âwhat would that bring you?â
I questioned what she meant at first.
But then I thought about it:
"So much less stress. No sense of urgency. Time to reflect.Probably more insights."
She smiled
Then suggested a brilliant solution:
"Put post-it notes everywhere that say 'slow down.'"
It felt too simple at first.
But when I started doing it,
I noticed something fascinating:
The more I slowed down,
the clearer things became.
Recently, I watched this play out with one of my clients.
He wrestled with a problem,
trying to think his way through it.
Nothing worked.
So, he stopped and did the opposite.
He went for a walk.
No agenda.
No pressure.
As simple as that.
Then when he came back, he had the answer.
"The idea just came to me," he said.
More often than not thatâs how breakthroughs happen.
When you let them arrive rather than applying brute force.
But how many of us are actually patient enough to let insights emerge like this?
I say this because so often we all live in search mode:
⢠Looking for answers.
⢠Hunting for solutions.
⢠Demanding immediate clarity.
Yet, sometimes the most productive thing you can do is stop searching.
Trust that when you create space, clarity will fill it.
I'm still working on this.
But awareness is the first step to change.
P.S. If you had a âslow downâ post-it note on your desk, where would you stick it?
