Over the last four weeks I’ve logged trips to South America, Asia and a host of cities throughout the United States.  We like to think we can handle it all. I say “we,” because I suspect you’re just like me.

Problem is we can’t handle it all. Our mind can only deal with so much before the brain begins to twitch, the scalp begins to itch and the burning sensation in the left leg returns.  Ok, so I embellish a little. Work with me… remember my mind is limiting my thinking!

When we get to overload, our mind out of self-protection begins to limit itself.  Ask me what medical research I base this on, and my response is my own personal medical experience.  Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve found myself misreading emails, missing a family member’s birthday (not the first time) and ignoring Kramer.  Let’s just say Kramer is a resident of our home who believes it’s our job to feed him,  keep his bed made, keep his water dish full and let him go outside every three hours.

Sure, I remembered the big stuff, but it frustrated me how I couldn’t handle everything.  Worst part of all of this is how quickly I rushed to conclusions on things when the best approach would have been to be more open minded and think through a better solution.

Reflecting on my last few weeks, I can’t help but connect what I’ve experienced to a typical sales call.   Remember the last time you were rushing to a sales call?  Don’t lie. You’re just as guilty as me.  Remember the last stress-filled quarter-end?   Don’t lie again. I know you’ve had more than a few. We all have. Challenge is during these crunch periods, it’s amazing what our mind does — or I should say, does not do.

Last week I wrote about the need to do deep thinking, and I shared my experience about being on several 14-hour flights.    The post generated a tremendous amount of feedback.  All of the feedback was around the value we gain when we do deep thinking.  Let’s just say that today’s post is the counter balance to last week’s post.

When we fail to create space in what we do, we are setting ourselves up for sub-optimal results.  Space is not the size of your office or the lack of space you’ve squeezed your car into.  Space is the amount of time we allow each day to keep our mind from shutting down. Doing so is not a sign of weakness. I’ll contend it’s a sign of strength.  Results are not measured in our activity, but rather are measured in the outcomes we create.

Starting tomorrow and everyday going forward, let’s both create a 15-minute window of time to merely think through the day and most of all provide our brain with a chance to breathe.

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Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results