I've been thinking a lot about pacing lately, i.e., the speed at which we run the day-to-day operations of our business.
This includes the pace that we:
- Publish
- Respond to inbound messages
- Commit to speaking opportunities
- Take on new partners
- Finish internal projects
Everything is done at some pace, but how do you know the right pace?
In high school track, I was the pace guy for our sprint team. The coach set the pace, gave me a stopwatch, and had me lead the pack to ensure we ran at that pace.
Sometimes, that pace was faster than felt comfortable. He was pushing us to improve our baseline speed for longer distances. Other times, he set the pace intentionally slow so we could recover.
Our work has pacing, too, but we don't have a third-party pacesetter. As a result, I default to a slower pace. It feels comfortable.
Safe.
But I know I can push that pace further because I've had former bosses push me.
Deadlines that felt impossible.
Achievements that felt out of reach.
I always hated it. It made me feel out of control – and losing control makes me uncomfy.
But when your pace is pushed, and you deliver...you realize you're capable of a lot more than you thought. And in hindsight, we may look at that boss as less of a jerk and more of a pacesetter.
When you're a creator, YOU are the boss. YOU are the pacesetter. And if you don't push your own pace, you'll play smaller and slower than you're capable of.
I know that, for better or for worse, I'm a deadline machine. If I set a deadline, I do everything in my power to hit that deadline. So, if I want to push the pace, I only have to set a more aggressive deadline.
Same thing with promises – if I make a promise to someone, I will follow through on it. So, if I want to push the pace, I make more promises on tighter timelines. As a result, I accomplish more in a shorter amount of time than most.
But the knife cuts both ways. Push the pace too hard for too long, and you don't allow yourself to recover. This can create burnout, and injuries can slow you down so much that your previous gains are totally erased.
I think about this podcast interview with Boyd Varty a lot. He grew up tracking animals in the wilderness and talks about the two speeds at which lions operate: full speed and full rest. They're going full out during a hunt or resting for the next.
Humans don't operate that way. Instead of shifting between 0 and 100, I operate at a constant 60 or 70. Never quite reaching my potential, never quite resting fully.
The worst of both worlds.
That may be hyperbole – there's also a case to be made for running at a consistent, sustainable pace for longer periods of time. But if you never go all out or never fully rest...that comes at a cost.
As we approach the end of the year, I'm feeling tired. Over this last quarter, I pushed the pace too far for too long. It raised my baseline, but if I don't downshift into something more sustainable, I risk "injury."
Pacing exists in teams, too. If you have a team, YOU are the one who sets the team's pace. You can maintain output by increasing your team's pace while giving yourself time to recover. But you need to monitor your team's needs for rest and recovery, too – so use this power wisely.
I don't know where you currently fall on the pacing spectrum, but it's a good time of year to assess your needs and adjust as needed.
