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INTERVIEW ON THE PRICE OF BUSINESS SHOW, MEDIA PARTNER OF THIS SITE.

Recently Kevin Price, Host of the nationally syndicated Price of Business Show, welcomed Anne Lyons to provide another commentary in a series.

The Anne Lyons Commentaries

Doing nothing to solve a problem seems counter-intuitive, particularly in a world that values productivity, success and relentless work.

Equating being productive with being busy, doing something every minute of the day – couldn’t be further than the truth.

Today’s Challenging Your Thinking with mindset mentor and executive performance coach Anne Lyons, introduces us to one of Lyons’ secret productivity weapons – the “do nothing” strategy.

“I was introduced to the “do nothing” strategy by a coach I had several years ago, as part of a leadership team building exercise,” Lyons said.

“Doing nothing is not just about taking a break – although that is part of it, and very beneficial as well.”

“It’s about decision making, allowing others to step up, solve the problem or issue themselves, and breaking unproductive “busyness” patterns we have created over time to get things done, but in the long term cause more problems than they are worth.”

Suffering overload, and being an action-oriented problem solver, Lyons’ working day was jam-packed with emails and people wanting her attention, decisions, guidance and responses – it was non-stop.

Her coach asked her a question – “what if you did nothing? Did not respond or take action – what would happen?”

“That just did not compute. My brain had a bit of a fizzle, it was just out of my realm of understanding,” Lyons said.

“I didn’t get to where I was in my career as a senior executive in the Australian Government by doing nothing.”

It was way outside Lyons’ comfort zone, but she gave it a go – “Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” she said.

Emails and calls that came through, unless they were obviously important and had to be answered, Lyons read and listened, but did not respond.

“I was going to leave them for 24 hours, which was a big deal for me – and lo and behold, before that time was up, 50% of those issues or questions were resolved – without my involvement. Unbelievable.”

“Doing nothing benefited me – my time, my thinking space, my leadership – and my staff – who were empowered and solved the problems and issues themselves.”

So if you are suffering from email overwhelm, or your staff and peers are constantly seeking your attention, decision, guidance or problem solving – why don’t you give the “do nothing” strategy a go.

You can even try it at home – if you are always at the beck and call of others – which is not their fault by the way – it’s yours – you can try the “do nothing” strategy.

On top of that, taking a break – a more traditional “do nothing” strategy – is also super beneficial.

Research shows that it can improve focus, creativity and productivity. A study published in the journal Cognition, found that participants given breaks to engage in “mind wandering” had better performance on tasks than those who didn’t take a break.

So here’s how to take a break and benefit from doing nothing:

Don’t respond to problems and questions straight away – if it’s not urgent, leave it 24 hours
Schedule breaks in your day – just like other things – it could be just a 5 minute meditation or walk around the building or yard
Set boundaries – sometimes it’s the hardest part for example – not answering emails during your break, switch your phone off.
Make it a habit – the more you do it, the easier it becomes

So doing nothing may seem counter-intuitive, especially in a world that values productivity and accomplishment. However, delaying your response and taking breaks and engaging in activities that help us relax, can actually lead to greater success.

Doing nothing is just one of the strategies and tools Lyons’ uses in her leadership program Courage to Lead and Live. If you want to learn more hop on her free weekly masterclass on how to de-stress and work less or email her at anne@challengeyourthinking.com. You can also connect and check out her socials on Linkedin, Facebook, and Instagram.

Anne Lyons is an internationally known thought leader, an executive and high performance coach, and a leadership consultant

She mentors individuals in developing a mindset for success. She is a strategist for corporations and individuals. She is a facilitator and speaker as well.

Lyons is also well known in geopolitical policy circles having served as a visiting fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) in the International Cyber Policy Centre.

Her education experiences include a BA in communications and indigenous studies from the University of New England, Master Practitioner training in NLP from QC Seminars, and she is a graduate from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

At her website, ChallengeYourThinking.com, she uses several novel approaches to help clients achieve success. This includes developing leaders at all levels, a “Goal Getters Club” that helps stressed out executives reach major breakthroughs in every aspect of their lives, and executive coaching.

She was sought out by the nationally syndicated Price of Business show as a commentator because of her contributions as a thought leader in industry.

Connect with her through social media:

Twitter/X: @AussieArchivist