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How to Foster Sustainability: The Overflow Principle

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The pursuit of something sustainable is a worthy one. It is also a wise one. There is so much wisdom in pacing ourselves, maintaining healthy rhythms, and recognizing that if we really want to create something sustainable, we are going to have to reframe how we think about rest and work.


It is very easy to think that rest is laziness, and that if we work all the time we will succeed. If we hustle enough and never quit, we will come out on top. And while a good work ethic is integral to success, the truth of the matter is when we hustle all the time, we are not operating at our best and the work we produce isn’t our best either. Our best work comes from a place of overflow, not draught. 


The Exponential Principle tells us that we have to create space for rest so we can leverage smaller amounts of time for better work. Our second principle, The Overflow Principle, is about taking that space you’ve created and capitalizing on it to fill your tank. When you leverage time for exponential effectiveness, it is important to make sure that the time you’ve freed up is actually being spent on things that fill you up and recharge you creatively, personally, relationally, emotionally...burnout isn’t avoided by streaming binges or expensive vacations. It’s avoided by doing things that we love and being with the people we love as part of our normal rhythm. 


The Overflow principle: 


Burnout doesn’t happen when we are operating in a place of overflow. Put each thing in its rightful place and there will always be enough…and some!


We explored burnout and how to avoid it in the first blog of this series. We learned that burnout happens when we miss-prioritize. When we are in a place of burnout, we are operating from a place of depletion. The overflow principle tells us that the best decisions and the best ideas always come out of a place of overflow. 


If you think about the mechanics of a fountain, it’s always running and never running out. That happens because the fountain is built to recycle water and remain full. There is a reservoir of water that houses a water pump. The pump is what cycles the water up and out of the fountain and then back to the reservoir to be used over again. When the reservoir is filled, and the pump is working correctly, the fountain will never dry out. This is what it looks like to operate in overflow.With your priorities in order, your work does not have to overtake your life. It becomes a natural part of your thriving rhythm. 


Here are a few practical ways to capitalize on The Overflow principle. 

  1. Schedule your breaks and vacations. 

    When you are proactive instead of reactive, you can avoid emptying the tank. And remember, a vacation doesn’t have to be something elaborate or far away. Get creative! 

  2. Find a way to decompress after your work day is done. 

    Sometimes the simple ritual of putting your shoes away in the same place when you get home can be a trigger to remind you that your work day is done. Maybe after your work day is when you need to put on your tennis shoes and go for a walk. Take the time to think of the right way for you and make it a part of your daily or weekly routine.

  3. Find and prioritize a creative outlet.

    Take some time to do what you do just for you. Sometimes we feel drained because we have been stuck doing the same thing over and over, and we get in a rut. “Creative blocks sometimes happen because we're forced to do the same kind of job over and over again. After a while, we start to feel like we've already tried all the alternatives we can, so we hesitate. Do something that's not related to your usual responsibilities to give yourself a break, discover new skills and see things from a new perspective.”


We’d love to help you operate from overflow, and be the coach in your corner! To speak to someone at The Whiteboard Room, click here

Kim ButlerComment