One very predictable part of cybersecurity is that the work is unpredictable.  here are routines that help to create a predictable rhythm, but you don’t necessarily know when the next attack will come, how intense it will be when it does, or when you will get to go back to a predictable and hopefully manageable rhythm again. 

When responding to a crisis, many people drop the very habits that help them to be at their best, such as sleep, exercise, healthy eating, and cultivating quiet and stillness. During an emergent event, there is a lot of pressure to get on top of the situation quickly, it’s definitely a time to rally and push through. The routine habits that help you perform at your best are what you should maintain, yet those are what suffer most during an extended “fight” response.

So what should you do? Take a break and recharge, potentially allowing more chaos to rise around you, or keep going at a rapid pace towards potential burnout? I’d like to create space for a third option. There are great strategies and tools out there that can help you recharge quickly and effectively. 

In economics, the law of diminishing returns states that there is a point where additional effort will not yield proportional benefits; you get to a point where the juice isn’t worth the squeeze. It’s important for you to recognize indicators that you may be experiencing diminishing returns. If you feel stuck, if you are making simple mistakes, if your irritability is clouding your judgement, if you feel like you’re going in circles, if you catch yourself saying, “I’ll take a break when…” then not getting there or not taking a break when you get there, you are experiencing diminishing returns and would benefit from (Read more...)