Last week, as I was getting organized for my fall work and trying to shake off a new wave of pandemic worry and malaise, I took a new step that made a huge difference.

I started with the usual way I get organized. I shuffled and sorted my piles and piles of work documents, my leadership training materials, personal creative projects, and all the “what about” and “maybe if” type notes for specific projects.

Most of it went into the recycle bin. Which was hard for a nostalgic packrat like me. 

Then I went one step further. I took another, more strategic look at what to carry forward and what to leave behind. 

I took about 30 minutes to decide to leave behind certain ideas if I wasn’t going to pursue them now, maybe never read that article that is tangentially related to something I’m doing. 

From the stuff that made the first cut, I got rid of half of these reference materials, research articles, work leads, and notes to myself.

In the end, only what I really actually need to move forward stayed. Only what I need for my current projects, and my most intriguing scribbles for my future work, stayed on my now pristine (and so much larger) desk. 

It was like a mini strategy session, with a focus on letting go as well as what’s coming up.

I immediately felt lighter and more confident in my endeavors. Spiffy even.

Nina Simone describes this feeling best. It’s so expansive that she sings across the sky to the birds above, the passing breeze, and the sun far beyond:

Birds flying high, you know how I feel

Sun in the sky, you know how I feel

Breeze driftin’ on by, you know how I feel

It’s a new dawn

It’s a new day

It’s a new life for me, yeah

And I’m feeling good…

When you and your team are feeling this good, you’re able to focus on your mission with renewed vigor. Maybe this kind of future refocus is exactly what you and your team need to turn the page and simplify your next phase.

This process is about decision and recognition. It’s a moment to reflect as a group…and move on. We’re together in this. We know what we’re about, and where we’re going. We’re not taking baggage and confusion with us. 

You align yourself and those you lead towards the future.

Here are some moments when a reset would be especially helpful:

• Team turnover

• Team growth

• Team exhaustion and burnout

• Moving past a rough patch, either in team dynamics or external challenges (like a pandemic)

• A shift in team responsibilities, a whole new team, or a new organization-wide strategy

If you want to try this with your team (or for yourself), consider these discussion questions:

• What is our mission going forward? Has it changed at all in respect to what we want to do for our customers/clients/patients?

• What achievements and struggles do we want to acknowledge within our work so we feel satisfied and unburdened?

• What ideas, team dynamics, assumptions, and habits won’t serve us where we’re going? What can we leave behind to move forward with a clear mission and well-defined priorities?

• What will new team members need to know that’s specific to this shift in direction (as opposed to regular stuff like how to login)?

• What do we want to do to mark this moment of turning of the page? Some ideas to consider: A team toast with work-appropriate beverages; a blog post to announce it to the world; a fun catch-phrase or customized video conference background image. Use your imagination!

A pause to reflect and turn the page can help your team feel appreciated, equipped and focused. The difference between trudging through the mud to flying high. What could you be getting done…if you were feeling good?