What, So What and Now What?

Back in July, the Juniper team regrouped to consider how we could make the most of some down-time over the summer to relax, reflect, and refocus both professionally and personally.

A couple of weeks later during our team day out, we found ourselves discussing Covid and its impact on our lives. We called this the “What” (the issue) and the “So what?” (its impact). We decided the next logical question was “Now what?”, because only by allowing this discussion to bear fruit was it going to be useful. What were we going to do to overcome the challenges that we had identified?

What would be my “Now what?”

Amidst the “Back to School” feeling that September brings, we came together again to share some of our summer experiences. Personally, I was able to pursue my love of water-based activities on holiday, such as kayaking, paddle-boarding and bodyboarding in the sea. During this opportunity to eliminate some of life’s “noise”, what did I reflect upon? As my energy returned, I started to investigate where it comes from by answering these questions:

• “When did I feel the happiest or most fulfilled in the last 6-12 months?”
• “What exactly was I doing?” (Work? What type of work? Collaborating? Planning workshops? Facilitating workshops? Coaching? Trying out new techniques? Was I taking time to pause in my garden? Reading fiction? Reading articles?)
• “Who was I with?” (Clients? Which clients? Friends? Which friends? Family?)
• “Where was I?” (Indoors? Outdoors? At home? At the office? Online? Off-line?)

After reflecting on the above, I answered the questions to reach my “Now what?”:

• “How can I use this knowledge to get more energy, enabling me to be ready for the ‘refocus’ phase of the year?”
• “How will I choose to spend this energy?”
• “Which one or two areas can I focus on that will make the most difference?”

If you are struggling to establish your “Now What?”, Tony Robbins, American motivational speaker, shares 5 keys to living your best post-pandemic life :

1. Look after your mind: be purposeful in choosing which books to read or which podcasts to listen to – stop being guided by your social media feeds!
2. Train your body: invest in yourself physically at least 5 days a week (even if this is a short walk around the block) to build physical strength, because courage requires physical strength
3. Get a role model: approach someone you trust who could act as a mentor – they can give an outside-in perspective that will help you to grow
4. Create a plan and take massive action: stop thinking and talking – try it out! – if it doesn’t work, change it
5. Give more than you expect to receive: it feels good and you’ll feel fulfilled!

Additional tips, which support some of the above points, such as setting boundaries, blocking time for “deep work” and “microbreaks” can be found in this McKinsey article.

We would love to hear about your summer break, and any changes (big or small!) you have committed to making as a result of taking time to relax, reflect and to refocus on the “Now What?”