Do You Need to Take a Break? A Powerful Time Management Lesson for Burnout & Productivity
You can watch my video by clicking on the graphic below or read my thoughts beneath it:
(I encourage you to watch/listen!)
At the beginning of my 20th year in business, I paused to reflect on my business goals, practices and routines. I’ve done this a couple of times each year, but never on this deep of a level.
One of the realizations I came to is that I’d been writing a weekly blog for more than FIFTEEN YEARS. That’s nearly 800 articles! It’s my passion to help people live their best lives. I enjoy writing. And yet I felt like I needed a little break.
So I took one.
For nearly three months.
At first, I felt guilty about stopping. Then I felt slothful. (Is that a real word?) Then I felt like a failure. It took a bit of introspection to realize that I felt all of these negative feelings because I’d given my logical self the instructions to step away, but hadn’t given my emotional self the permission to do so.
It sounds crazy, right? But this is something we all go through when we hit that tough decision we need to make. A blog isn’t that important in the overall scheme of life, so imagine what having to make a real decision does to your mind and emotions?
This break gave me the chance to dive deeper into strategic planning, spend more time in other areas of my business, take more time for myself, and try other outlets.
What I realized from this time off is that even if we love to do something, sometimes we need to take a break from it. This allows us to regroup, reframe and recharge, which allows us to step back in with a new energy and outlook.
The next time you feel yourself dragging when it comes to a task in your life, ask yourself:
*Do I really need to continue doing this?
*What’s the worst thing that could happen if I stop doing this?
*If I must continue, can I take a break and return to it?
*If I must continue without being able to take a break for several days, what shifts can I make to create a more enjoyable experience?
Pause to reflect on your answers. Do you need to take a break today?
For more time management strategies to improve your work day and life in order to deal with burnout, check out The Inefficiency Assassin: Time Management Tactics for Working Smarter, Not Longer.
