Take A Break
I know, I know this is an awful idea. None of us want to hear “Take A Break.” We love our jobs and love our teams and want to keep doing it. We’re fine!
But it’s important to discipline ourselves as business owners, professionals, artists, craftspeople. It’s important to Take A Break.
It may feel strange sitting around twiddling our thumbs or walking away from an important project. It’s really crazy to walk away from a crisis, right? Nope.
Our minds, our bodies, our creativity all is fed by moments of relaxation or a change of pace. And no – working around the clock 24/7 to take a vacation week won’t cut it. I’m talking about a few minutes every hour. Take a walk around the block, look out a window, stretch our focal point to the treetops, read a few pages of a good book, or listen to a favorite song. Anything that comes to mind is physically and mentally different from what you have been doing is a good choice.
If you can’t leave your office, at least look out your window. Too much negative feedback has been given about “daydreaming”. I’ve come up with some of my best ideas when I’ve looked off in the distance and just let my mind wander. It’s a great way to do away with mental gridlock.
Whatever you choose, it is important that you switch it up and do it regularly. If you find you are skipping your lunch break (again) and haven’t stopped since you got up this morning – stop. If you realize that you are on your way home from work after a long day and haven’t taken a break, pause at a garden or park and just breathe. Over time you will train yourself to stop more often and you may be surprised by the results.
A couple of important tips:
Don’t set a timer for your break. Don’t clock watch. If you are doing these things then you haven’t really left work. Take as much time as you need to fully come away from what you are doing.
Don’t talk to other people about anything you are working on together. In fact, if you can help it, don’t talk to other people. This is your time to relax and walk away, not take on more or just continue to work in a different way.
I know it seems impossible. Believe me when I say it took me months to get the hang of it and even know I realize at least once a week that I am falling back into bad habits or self-critical thinking about walking away.
But, I’ve come to realize the more I take this time – the more productive the rest of my time has become. So walk away. Take a break so you can create your own time with No Worries.
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