It’s Time to HALT

Work is, well… work. Some days it can feel easy and fluid, and other days it can feel harder and more challenging. We can move from being in flow to out of flow pretty quickly, and there are days when it feels like we’re not in control of which state we’re in. Performance, however we define it, can either feel natural or elusive.

On a recent episode of the Ed Mylett podcast, Amberly Lago was being interviewed. Her story of resilience is amazing, with lessons learned while overcoming massive adversity in her life. At one point in the interview, Amberly introduces the concept of H.A.L.T. Simplified for all of us here: never let yourself get too Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired.

Think about that for a moment. Of all the ways you can maintain your ability to perform at work, whatever tasks are in your job description, it begins with protecting yourself from becoming overly hungry, angry, lonely, or tired.

The concept is so simple it sounds wrong. Is it that easy?

Check yourself with these four questions:

1. How do I perform when I am hungry?
2. How do I show up when I am angry?
3. How do I feel when I am lonely?
4. How do I bring my best self when I am tired?

The reality is this. It’s hard to bring our best selves when we’re hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. We show up at a lower level, feel like we can’t, and under-perform in almost everything we attempt.

What’s the solution? Here are some simple ideas…

1. Fuel your body with good food, drink water, and don’t skip meals.
2. Replace anger with kindness, doing something for someone else.
3. Create time and space for being with friends and family.
4. Make good sleep a priority.

The list goes on and on, and you likely have your own ideas for addressing H.A.L.T. in your life. What all of this really comes down to is self-care, and performing at your peak by taking care of you.

Call-to-Action

Choose one of those areas in the H.A.L.T. acronym and work on it this week. Rather than trying to tackle all four at once, pick a path to focus on and make taking care of yourself in that area your goal for the week.