Building resilience through routines

This blog posted is lifted from/inspired by a presentation I provide called Reset, Reboot and Renew: Your New Year Ahead as a Local Government Leader. (I provided this via Zoom on 01/16). Leaders thrive when their routines support their ambitions. The second step in the 3 Rs framework is Reboot, which focuses on revisiting habits and practices that drive performance gains. Consider adopting the 50/30/20 approach: balancing professional responsibilities, personal time, and essential recovery. Whether it's setting aside time for mindfulness or taking mini-breaks, integrating deliberate pauses into your schedule can fuel sustained energy. If you are going to go on vacation or take time off - be intentional about your activities in those breaks and maximize the time away from work.

Recovery also extends to professional strategies. Rebooting might involve gratitude practices, engaging in challenging professional development experiences, or shadowing a department or work division to rediscover forgotten techniques. The key is to prioritize activities that strengthen resilience and recharge your mental focus. A well-executed reboot isn’t about drastic change, it’s about consistency and growth through intentional steps. When a computer reboots, it powers down to power up. It gains updates, patches, fixes and starts afresh with a renewed system, per se. Do the same thing.