The key to performing at our best? Take breaks.

By Antoine Laganiere

I’ve written before about navigating the sweet spot between performance and recovery and how it’s helpful to oscillate between these two efficient and pleasant states, so we can stay out of the inefficient and unpleasant states – survival and burnout.

Leaders often blur the line between performance and survival because survival mode is so adaptive. We’re not in our peak performance state, but we still get work done and produce results.

If we’re used to working like this, we feel we can keep going and maybe get to the recovery stage at the next long weekend. Or our summer vacation several months down the road. We put off our recovery because we feel that any time spent unproductively can’t possibly be as valuable as creating output.

But, just as athletes need to dedicate time to rest and recuperation between periods of high performance, so do leaders. We can’t stay in the performance state indefinitely, and switching regularly between performance and recovery helps us stay in the performance zone longer.

Taking time throughout the day to replenish our energy makes our time in the performance state more effective, too. We enhance the quality of our focus and creativity, and our capacity to lead and mentor others.

How do we tell the difference between survival and performance?

Determining whether we’re in the ineffective survival state or the positive performance state can be tricky. One of the best ways to find out is to examine how we’re feeling – emotionally and physically.

Signs you’re in survival mode		Signs you’re in performance mode
Emotional	Physical	Emotional	Physical
Stressed	Tense	Challenged	Relaxed muscles/body awareness
Anxious	Unaware of our breathing	Passionate	Relaxed, rhythmic and deeper breathing
Resentful	Pacing	Happy	Open chest, head held up
Frustrated	Fidgeting	Grateful	Wider and relaxed gaze
Uncertain	Nail biting	Patient	Relaxed face and mouth
Procrastinating	Looking for distractions	Eager and excited to work	Grounded feet/connection to the ground

Survival mode also tends to impact our behaviour with others. We may direct our negative emotions to the people around us or even withdraw from social situations. In performance mode, we tend to feel more comfortable around others and we can connect with them more easily.

What do we do when we recognize we’re in survival mode?

If we’re feeling any of the negative emotions or physical symptoms of the survival state, the first thing we need to do is look at our four energies framework.

Physical

Are we eating and hydrating properly? If not, prioritize healthy meals and water consumption. Are we sleeping well? If not, ensure we come back to a more predictable sleep schedule and prioritize getting enough hours. Are we engaging in daily exercise or movement? If not, go for a walk or do a short workout. Are we relaxing and pausing throughout the day? If not, try to take some time to mimic some of the performance mode physical states for a few minutes (see the chart above).

Emotional

Are our emotions in the unpleasant realm? If so, recognize and celebrate our work and that of others. Establish a deliberate gratitude practice and acknowledge everything that’s going well. Consider adding a few minutes a day for mindfulness or meditation practice.

Are we making time to be present with the people around us and give them our full attention? If not, spend a meal each day with our family, uninterrupted by our phones or devices. And focus on genuine social connections with our colleagues and team members.

Mental

Are we organizing our day for effective workflow? If not, deliberately ensure our calendar blocks reflect what we need to be doing and allow for a certain period of focused work. Are we taking breaks throughout the day? If not, deliberately schedule a few minutes between certain meetings. Lunch away from the desk is a great option. Are we clear on what we want to accomplish and how we’re going to do it each day? If not, take a few minutes to make plans for the day and the week, and check back in on how well we do (this is important, otherwise it will feel as if there’s always more to do). Are we managing distractions? If not, batch tasks by answering emails or interacting on social media in short blocks of time – and only those times.

Directional

Are we regularly aligning our actions to the most important priorities and goals of our lives? If not, remind ourselves regularly about these priorities and goals, and find ways to honour them in our work, home and social lives. Reconnecting to why we’re striving each day is a key element to keeping our energy up.

We need to look inward to understand what our “best” really is

We all want to be at our best – and self-awareness helps us understand what our best really is. Looking inward allows us to witness and label our emotions and physical sensations in this moment. And use this information to determine if we’re operating in peak performance or survival mode.

If the former, we can keep going, while remembering to be deliberate about recovery, so we keep our four energy sources nourished and thriving.

If the latter, we can modify our days so we prioritize taking care of our energy sources. And get ourselves back into performance mode faster – and for longer.

Whether in the sports arena or the corporate office, we’re all performing at high levels – and we should think of ourselves as doing so, while remembering that high performance looks different for humans compared to machines. We need to remind ourselves and trust that recovery habits are necessary for high performance and quality work, and not mere feel good, self-care trivialities. At the same time, we need to remember that recovery habits aren’t ends in and of themselves. They’re ways for us to perform more consistently, offer more, and feel better.  

These simple habits may be small and only take a few seconds or minutes, but done with presence, they are the difference between consistent, productive, and fulfilling performance vs. performance that’s up and down or feels forced.

IMPACT can help

If you’d like to learn more about how you and your team can enhance your peak performance, contact us.