Written by Matthew Chapman, Co-creator of Thrive HR Exchange
Also published on ChapmanCG

The idea of a “reset” is often associated with a long-awaited holiday, when we can switch off our devices (if we’re disciplined) and exist in the bliss of being “present” in our magical destination.

We often forget, though, that we can reset every day. The trick is we need to take ourselves away from our reality? Or is it that we need to step into our reality more?

How often have you been lost deep in your work or more often than not these days, virtual communications, only to realise that you hold the power to “escape” and have a reset.

We know when a reset has happened because we feel fresh and re-energised. We have a new perspective. Our resilience to keep focused on our tasks and to remain optimistic, is re-vitalised.

The strategy I now use on resets is to incorporate moments of regular bliss in my day. It could be catching the sun in the morning, briefly, or enjoying a favourite piece of fruit at a certain time of the day. Sometimes these are spontaneous actions and other times they are rituals that are repeated daily.

The outcome of these moments of bliss is the feeling of reset. If we don’t feel this, we need to be more creative and practice. I often marry my resets with the ability to later perform tasks that require energy. These could be:

1. complete a complex task efficiently

2. tackle a problem and keep my mood stable

3. perform a strength exercise with power

4. feeling like my task management is flowing

5. moving on from a past distraction easily.

The more we can practice resets in our daily life, the less we feel ourselves powering down, and the reverse starts to happen. We get more done, we feel optimistic, our bodies behave better and ultimately the list of possibilities is endless.

I encourage HR leaders to consider how they might think about a reset discipline in the workplace – whether that be in or around a physical office, or in a virtual environment. The nature of a reset is highly personalized, so the ‘knack’ with this is enabling employees to do whatever works for them – and then encouraging them to draw a link between their reset moments and the desired outcome – namely, more energy and better performance.