Annual vacations, sick days, and even weekends are not enough of a respite from the busy world. While reducing busyness may be the long-term goal, immediately you need to call a timeout every day to focus on things that …
- make you smile
- give you space to breathe
- create mindfulness
- encourage gratitude
- help you cultivate joy
I used to feel guilty for taking this kind of time when I had a regular day job, and even since I started working for myself. I always want to do my best, but used to think giving my all meant giving all my time and energy. What I forgot to consider is that in giving all my time and energy, I couldn’t give my best. I was usually bouncing back and forth between burn outs, sick days, and sick of work days.
Time outs prevent burn outs.
When I call daily timeouts to go for a walk, make a special lunch, or engage in a creative non-work activity, I produce better work, feel healthier and more energized.
I love my work (really, really love it), but still need daily timeouts. Timeouts can be more challenging when you have a boss who believes that longer hours and more time invested equal more and better work produced, but find a way to make the time, and perhaps during those timeouts you can search for a boss who wants your best, not your busiest.
As much as we’d like to compartmentalize life and work, they are usually deeply intertwined. They either support each other or they don’t. When you feel well inside and out, you can fuel both a good life and good work.
How do you get over the guilt?
If you struggle taking time off or doing things that help you recharge, and feel well on a daily basis, start small by scheduling a 15-20 minute break. Read a book, take a walk, or do anything that encourages joy and is non-work related. If you are used to checking email on your lunch hour, or don’t remember what a lunch hour is, remind yourself that not only do you deserve this break, but you need it to do your best work.
If you really don’t believe that you can do better work by taking more time for yourself, experiment and prove yourself right (or wrong). After 21 – 30 days of taking an extra 15 – 30 minutes a day (or more), if your work suffers and you feel crappy, go back to business as usual. If you feel a little lighter, and happier, and notice you are doing better work, keep up with the timeouts.
Nathan Atkinson says
August 18, 2015 at 8:33 amThis is great Courtney! My wife and I have been sick off and on this past week and I finally took a sick day to rest and get over it. It was a much needed time out after a non-stop week at work and the end of my summer school semester. Thanks for the reminder to take a time out. I’ve been working on taking short walks at lunch or during my 15 minute breaks at work. I highly recommend a 10 minute walk once or twice a day. It does wonders for the brain, the back, and your whole body.
Daisy @ Simplicity Relished says
August 18, 2015 at 8:55 amI couldn’t agree more with this practice! We like to keep our Sundays free of obligations for this very reason– it’s so liberating to have a whole day with nothing to do but exactly what our souls need.
raz says
August 18, 2015 at 9:18 amgood move. i run (if you want to call it that, i’m 70) every morning, 365. about 21 minutes. there is really no mental exertion required. none. i meditate when i run. i saw a great blue heron today. i wasn’t looking but the movement caught my eye. i start out refreshed, with a clear mind.
sherbet. raz
Lane | Modern Granola says
August 18, 2015 at 11:11 amSuch a perfect post! I totally agree about the necessity of taking breaks. It can be tough to deal with the guilt, though, especially when there’s a lot of work to do. I used to always feel guilty about taking time for myself, but I’ve since learned that taking care of my soul is just as important (if not more important) than getting stuff done/being busy. Great reminder 🙂
xx Lane
Samantha says
August 18, 2015 at 11:51 pmI do plenty of these things every day, but hadn’t really seen it as a Time-Out. Its great to have the reminded though. Thank you
Erin says
August 19, 2015 at 11:02 amCourtney, I love your point about how much we compartmentalize. I know I struggle to do things that feel “lazy” (listening to music, taking a walk without multi-tasking) because I’m so afraid of missing out on creative opportunities or time to get more work done. I’m recently learning, with your help, that these are exactly the moments where creative thought thrives. When we take timeouts, we make the space for problem solving and new ideas. Thanks for the reminder!