This Week’s Challenge: Blow off work
If you’re feeling blocked or stressed, you may need to…stop working. That’s right: stop marketing, stop writing, stop updating your files and chasing after late payments. True, you don’t make any money while you’re goofing off, but by recharging your batteries you’ll find that your mind gets sharper, your concentration improves, and you can create even more fabulous article ideas and get even more work done. I often wait until I’m at the point of crying from stress before I take a break, but I’m trying to get better about it.
Your challenge: Schedule some time in the next week to take a break: An hour to lie on the couch reading a novel, three hours to go on a hike, or a whole day to take a road trip to a nearby attraction.
How do you refresh yourself when work becomes just too much to handle? [lf]
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Nov 14, 2006 Advice
I go fly fishing. And then write about it on my Trout Underground fly fishing blog, which leads me to wonder how much of a break I’m actually getting..
I did this a couple weeks ago after three 15-hour workdays in a row, each of which started at 4 a.m. UGH. So I forced my workaholic self to take a four-day weekend — that’s right, Thursday AND Friday off! It was glorious. I napped a lot, shopped at my fave thrift stores, played with the dog, read, watched GENERAL HOSPITAL (really), and napped some more. I wish I was back there now. Sigh.
It was a ridiculous 85 degrees here (New Jersey) one day back in October, so I took the day off and went to the beach. I felt a lot better once I got home.
Other than that, I sometimes go to the movies in the afternoon if I need a break. Nothing like a dark room and a story to make me relax (though I should note that I really only seem comedies…)
Taking time to decompress and rejuvenate oneself is a wonderful thing. I’m partial to a hammock, a beach, a good book, and a thermos mug full of Chai tea or hot chocolate, myself. But — and this is a big but — taking time to decompress only works when you won’t be spending that time worrying about all the things you’re not doing because you’re taking time decompressing.
In that vein, I highly recommend the book “Getting Things Done”, by David Allen, as required reading for anyone who’s in business. The book provides a method of dealing with the “open loops” in your life so that they’re captured, acted on and off your mind. David’s method helps especially with taking time to decompress because, as David wrote, “You can only be comfortable with what you’re not doing if you know what you’re not doing.”
And no, I have no relationship with David Allen other than having read his book several years ago and having been able to make significant changes in my life — including becoming a freelance writer — because of it. Oh, I’m also interviewing David next month and writing a profile for a publication I regularly contribute to.
– Tammy
These are great ideas! And Tammy, I love Getting Things Done and am jealous that you’re interviewing David Allen. I’m sitting here with a folder of all my context action lists and an in-box filled with little index cards. Good luck with the interview!