Elevating our game for the rush only works because there is also down time. That part of our day or our calendar where there is no rush.

My morning coffee shop was bustling when I arrived and has grown busier since I sat down. The baristas hurry. They move in a fluid way around one another and make a lot happen behind the counter. Grinding beans, steaming, pouring, pumping. One of them darts out to replace trashcan liners. The line persists and finally dwindles. The volume slows down. Less coffee grinding, fewer people. The baristas speak to one another in sentences rather than drink orders. A woman in an apron dances behind the register in between customers.

Calm settles.

If we press forward in perpetual rush forever one of two things will happen–and more often both of them. First, quality plummets. Many can sustain that sub-par quality so long it feels and becomes normal.

Then we crash.

Burnout, dropout, disenfranchisement.

That is why the lull is important. To recharge, to unfocus, to grow by learning from the last rush or the last sprint.

Part of weathering or even thriving during the rush hinges on appreciating lulls when they happen and knowing another one will return.

We can be grateful for the lull and the rejuvenation it provides just as we can welcome the rush for its opportunities. Protect the lull so you can dominate the rush.