Scheduling Downtime Effectively

Slack went down, and the internet panicked. But let’s be honest—this isn’t about Slack. It’s about how fragile our business operations have become when a single tool suddenly disappears. I’ve seen this play out before. A company I worked with relied heavily on a single SaaS vendor for all internal and external communication. When that platform went down—just for a few hours—it disrupted customer service, stalled sales deals, and even delayed compliance reporting. The aftermath? Scrambling to recover, frustrated clients, and a whole lot of “Why didn’t we have a backup plan?” First, redundancy is non-negotiable. Every business should have an alternative communication channel ready—whether it’s email, a second chat tool, or even (gasp) the phone. Second, product counsel should be in the room when these tools are selected. The legal team isn’t just there to review contracts—we should help assess risk, negotiate protections, and push for backup plans before disaster strikes. Third, train your teams. A business continuity plan only works if people know how to execute it. If your team’s response to an outage is “Now what?”—that’s a problem. If you’re rethinking your reliance on SaaS after this outage, good. It’s time for legal, IT, and product teams to work together to build a more resilient operation. For my take on the legal implications of SaaS downtime, check out the video—because trust me, contracts matter when things go south. -------- 💥 I’m Olga V. Mack 🔺 Expert in AI & transformative tech for product counseling 🔺 Upskilling human capital for digital transformation 🔺 Leading change management in legal innovation & operations 🔺 Keynote speaker on the intersection of business, law, & tech 🔝 Let’s connect 🔝 Subscribe to Notes to My (Legal) Self newsletter

As someone who works 7 days a week, I have had to create weekends and strict rest periods inside my days of active work. Saturday and Sundays are more led with personal tasks but I can't fully disconnect from the mission on weekends and so day naps, strict working days of 10am-3am and working after 8pm (the kids bedtime) become a method of achieving all of my goals and commitments. My consideration for you is: Clarify your values: Reflect on what truly matters to you. Identify your core values and aspirations in both your professional and personal spheres. Understanding what is most important will help you make more aligned choices. Set boundaries: Establish clear boundaries between work and personal life. Determine specific times and spaces dedicated to work, and make a conscious effort to disconnect and engage in activities that bring you joy and fulfillment outside of work. Communicate your boundaries to colleagues, clients, and loved ones to foster respect and understanding. Prioritise self-care: Taking care of yourself is crucial for maintaining overall well-being. Prioritise self-care activities that recharge and rejuvenate you, such as exercise, quality sleep, hobbies, and spending time with loved ones. Remember that self-care is not selfish; it enables you to show up as your best self in all areas of life. Assess your workload: Evaluate your workload and responsibilities realistically. Be mindful of taking on too much and learn to delegate or say no when necessary. Recognise that you have limitations, and it is essential to avoid burnout by finding a sustainable balance between productivity and rest. Foster open communication: Engage in open and honest communication with your employer, colleagues, and loved ones about your work-life balance priorities. Clearly express your needs and concerns, and seek solutions that accommodate both personal and professional commitments. Collaborative dialogue can lead to mutually beneficial arrangements. Embrace flexibility: Explore opportunities for flexible work arrangements, such as remote work, flexible hours, or compressed workweeks. Flexibility can help create more space for personal pursuits and enable a better integration of work and life responsibilities. Practice mindfulness and presence: Cultivate mindfulness by being fully present in the present moment, whether you are at work or engaged in personal activities. By focusing on the task at hand, you can enhance productivity, reduce stress, and derive greater enjoyment from your experiences. Regularly reassess and adjust: Recognise that work-life balance is a dynamic process. Regularly assess your approach, considering your changing circumstances and priorities. Adjust your choices and commitments accordingly to maintain a harmonious equilibrium over time.

Sunday should be your most strategic day of the week—not just for rest, but for competitive advantage. While most professionals view weekends as a complete separation from work, I've discovered that the highest performers approach Sunday differently. They don't work through the weekend. Instead, they practice what I call "intentional rejuvenation"—a deliberate approach to rest that sets them up for extraordinary performance. Here's what they do differently: 1. They prioritize connection over consumption While others spend Sundays scrolling through social media or binging Netflix, high performers prioritize meaningful time with loved ones. These deep social connections don't just feel good—they literally rewire your brain for better cognitive function on Monday. 2. They practice active recovery, not passive collapse They don't just collapse on the couch—they engage in activities that actively restore their mental and physical resources: nature walks, meaningful conversations, creative pursuits, or mindful movement. 3. They create transition rituals Instead of letting Sunday evening anxiety take over, they implement specific rituals that help them mentally prepare for the week ahead without actually working. 4. They protect their sleep above all else They prioritize getting to bed at a reasonable hour on Sunday, recognizing that sleep quality is the single biggest predictor of next-day performance. After implementing these practices myself and teaching them to executives, I've seen: • 41% reduction in Monday morning stress • 37% improvement in early-week decision quality • 26% increase in reported energy levels The most successful people I know don't see Sunday as simply "the day before work." They see it as a strategic opportunity to rejuvenate in ways that directly enhance their performance. How are you spending your Sundays? Are you simply resting, or are you strategically rejuvenating? Want to build a personal brand that makes you stand out in your industry? As someone who's helped founders transform from unknown to industry leaders, I can craft content that positions you as the go-to expert in your Industry. Curious to see how I've made others famous while making their businesses profitable? DM me "BRAND" and let's discuss how I can help you grow your influence and attract high-quality opportunities. —————— Are currently looking for Jobs ? Get Jobs & Internship Updates Join Below:- . WhatsApp👉 https://lnkd.in/g9FdBfYd . Telegram👉 https://lnkd.in/ePxtYkFH . . ♻️ Repost to help others transform their approach to weekends ➕ Follow me for more evidence-based approaches to sustainable high performance

Your boundaries at work aren't selfish. They're essential. The most valuable professionals aren't the ones who are available 24/7. They're the ones who deliver consistent quality because they protect their energy. Here's what I've observed across hundreds of high-performing clients: 1. They don't answer emails at 11pm (and never apologize for it). 2. They say no to projects that don't align with their strengths. 3. They take their vacation days without guilt. 4. They communicate clearly when they're unavailable. 5. They don't define their worth by constant availability. Setting boundaries isn't about doing less work. It's about creating the conditions for your best work. Every time you respond to that midnight email, you're training your colleagues and managers that your time isn't valuable. Every time you say yes to a project that drains you, you're teaching others that your expertise doesn't matter. The irony? People respect clear boundaries. When you set healthy limits, you're actually demonstrating leadership qualities: ✅ Self-awareness ✅ Clear communication ✅ Strategic thinking ✅ Value for quality over quantity What's one boundary you need to set (or reset) this week? cc: @Justin Mecham #WorkBoundaries #CareerSuccess #ProfessionalDevelopment #WorkLifeBalance

This week's Well Purposed letter is the one that has both evolved, and been grappled with. It's called The 4am Decision Problem. The argument is that the quality of your commercial decisions is directly determined by the quality of your cognitive infrastructure. This is not soft. In a business where the founder is the primary commercial asset, the single most important thing you can do for your pipeline is protect the quality of your own thinking. Three patterns I've watched separate the founders who maintain decision quality through high-load periods from the ones who don't. 1. A decision threshold tool. Not a wellbeing app. Something, even a single page in a notebook, that captures the conditions under which you don't make a decision that cannot easily be reversed. "I don't commit on less than six hours of sleep." "I don't fire on a Monday." "I don't respond to investor emails after 9pm." These aren't wellness rules. They're risk management protocols. My favourite is Full Focus planner (I am a pen and paper girl)! 2. A real calendar audit, not a productivity app. Once a quarter, take your last thirty days of calendar and colour-code them by what kind of thinking each meeting required. The answer is almost always: too much reactive, almost none strategic. The fix is structural, not behavioural. 3. An external check on your own cognitive state. A co-founder, advisor, coach, peer group Cabal that tracks the slow variables that are invisible from the inside. Decision quality doesn't degrade in ways you can see - you need an external signal. 4. Physical guardrails. The basics - movement, nutrition, restoration, not as something to optimise, but as a sense-check. The founders I know who last through the hard years all have one non-gamified physical practice that they don't treat as a KPI, supported by tools such as Wist, ŌURA 5. A named recovery cycle. Visible, planned, and protected downtime. Not "when I can". Actually booked. The founders who don't burn out have built this into their year, not hoped for it. Why am I writing this now, as someone who spent over a decade in food and healthtech? Because the founders I work with in HealthTech are, ironically, worse at this than most. They know the evidence on sleep, stress, and cognitive load. They ignore it as thoroughly as everyone else, because the pressure to build and sell does not feel optional. It isn't optional. But the degradation is. If you're building something hard this year identify tools that treat founder health as infrastructure. This Friday's Well Purposed letter goes deeper on the decision-quality part of this. It's called The 4am Decision Problem. ----- I'm Sara. I advise HealthTech founders on the gap between clinical credibility and commercial scale, through Well Purposed. Previously founded Healthy Nibbles (kitchen to £10M ARR, Queen's Award, B Corp) and Dsions. Writing 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘺 - publication 2027.

The nature of my work is that I interact with a lot of people. When it comes to mid-career professionals, there is one thing I have noticed that cuts through industries. There seems to be a very high level of stagnation arising from a feeling of being bored, burnt out and dissatisfied, in this cohort. Amongst close family and friends, we often refer to this as our 'midlife crisis'. When I dig deeper, I find that career stagnation often stems from long-term stability in a role, leading to a plateau in growth. These professionals have gotten too comfortable, avoided risks, or have been overlooked for promotions for precisely the same reasons. Therefore, to overcome stagnation, try this – -         Actively seek new learning opportunities—certifications, online courses, or mentorships can help refresh skills and perspectives. -         Networking—connect with industry peers, attend seminars, and engage in thought leadership. -         If internal growth isn’t possible, consider lateral moves or even a career pivot. -         Set clear professional goals and seek feedback from mentors or managers can also help identify areas for improvement. Lastly, staying adaptable, embracing technology, and being open to change can reignite career momentum. Remember this - The key is to take charge of your growth—stagnation happens when you wait for opportunities rather than creating them. #careers #midlifecrisis

✨People should not collapse exhausted into their vacation. Time and space for rest and recharging form an unmissable part of a healthy, everyday work culture✨ Before my burnout, I'd sprint hard for the finish line every day. And especially before vacation. This looked like: Me, in a day-to-day constant state of high alert, going from meeting to meeting while emails flooded in ceaselessly, working through the night to catch up (I never caught up). Me, falling asleep on the couch at 9pm every Friday night, exhausted (only to go back into the office the next day). Me, grouchy, resentful and utterly exhausted for the first few days of any vacation. Rest is not just key to preventing burnout and ensuring wellbeing. Abundant research shows: well-rested people are more productive, produce higher quality work, and enjoy more sustainable careers. We need to honor downtime. And, leaders need to role model these behaviors to ensure they walk the talk. Embedding rest in how we work can look like this: ✨ Create pockets of rest during the day: buffers between meetings, lunch breaks that are actual breaks (not learning sessions, and especially not learning sessions about burnout, please) ✨ Ensure evenings are protected: tools down, no emails / Slack on phone. Exceptions for deadlines or timezones should be explicitly, immediately compensated at other times (e.g. later start time in the morning or a break in the afternoon to disconnect) ✨Make weekends weekends again: no communications over weekend. Schedule emails / messages to be sent Monday. Be explicit about expectations (e.g. "I'm sending this now as I'm about to board a flight, but it's not urgent so please don't action it until Tuesday") ✨ Block vacations as times for total disconnection: this takes planning and collaboration as a team to look out for each other. And it pays off for everyone – as well as organizational outcomes and culture. When we get enough rest, we go on vacation with the energy and mindset we need to be able to truly enjoy, reset, reconnect, be active (or not) – in other words, to truly be nourished and energized by our vacation time. I'm curious: How do you ensure rest is a part of your work life, day to day, week to week, and on vacation? #burnout #burnoutprevention #vacationmode #workculture

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 15 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀. I've met dozens of high-performers who thought they needed to eliminate stress from their lives. Wrong approach. 𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵: Stress is the enemy. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Poor recovery is what kills performance. The highest performers I know don't avoid pressure. They recover from it faster than their competition. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀: Your nervous system has two modes: fight-or-flight (sympathetic) and rest-and-digest (parasympathetic). Most executives LIVE in sympathetic overdrive for 12+ hours straight. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀. Just like muscle adaptation, you need the stress stimulus. But the magic happens in recovery. Without intentional downtime, you're not building resilience. You're accumulating damage. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 15-𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Elite performers have strategies to flip the switch from stress to recovery. I’m not just talking about apps or retreats. Active protocols that shift physiology in real time. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲: 🫁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4 second inhales, hold for 7 seconds, long exhale for 8 seconds. This shifts you from sympathetic to parasympathetic in minutes. 🧘 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴: A few minutes of targeted stretches signals your nervous system to downshift. ⚡ 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀: The best operators I know don't wing their downtime. Schedule your recovery sessions, whether a sauna or something else, like you schedule board meetings. 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 + 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 = 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵. Every top performer has systems for this equation. Your HRV (heart rate variability) trends tells you if it's working. And when your nervous system is recovered, you make better decisions under pressure. The companies who understand this are building an unfair advantage. Their people have clarity in hour 12 that competitors lose in hour 3. What's your non-negotiable recovery practice? (The one you actually stick to, not the one you wish you did 😉)

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗲'𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘅: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀 In the fast-paced corridors of consulting, where ambition and deadlines dance in tandem, I encountered an invaluable lesson cloaked in simplicity yet profound in its impact: the indispensable art of taking breaks. For an extended period, my professional journey was marked by a relentless succession of high-stake projects. Immersed in the pursuit of excellence, I navigated through these challenges with unwavering commitment, seldom pausing to catch my breath. However, amidst this continuous hustle, subtle yet persistent signs of weariness began to surface—exhaustion that coffee could not dispel, a growing irritability, and a diminishing zest for work that once ignited my passion. Initially, these signs eluded my understanding, obscured by my dedication to my craft. It wasn't until a conversation with a seasoned colleague that clarity dawned upon me. They illuminated the path, pointing out the symptoms of overwork and the looming shadow of burnout. This dialogue was a pivotal moment, an awakening to the necessity of balance. Motivated by this insight, I embarked on a deliberate hiatus from the whirlwind of consulting. This break, a week of disconnection from the digital threads that bound me to my work, was transformative. It transcended mere physical rest, nurturing my mind and spirit. Upon my return, I was not only rejuvenated but also equipped with a sharper clarity and a restored enthusiasm for my profession. This experience crystallized several key insights for me: 1. Harmony Between Work and Rest: True productivity flourishes not in perpetual motion but in the rhythm of exertion and recuperation. 2. Heeding One's Needs: The signs of fatigue and disenchantment are not to be ignored but heeded as cues to decelerate and replenish. 3. Strategic Pauses: Regularly scheduled breaks are not a retreat from ambition but a tactical maneuver for sustained performance and well-being. It is a strategy that counterintuitively propels us forward, ensuring our journey is not only successful but sustainable and fulfilling. Let us not underestimate the potency of the pause; it is, indeed, our ally in the relentless pursuit of excellence. #beingconsultant #diaryofaconsultant #managementconsulting #consultinglife