Slow Down, Take Care of Yourself
One of my work mantras is: If there is no you, then your work cannot be done. For some, this is common sense. But for many of us, me included… it’s hard to remember that you are the best asset you can give a company. Sometimes, especially these days, we forget this idea and work longer hours and harder to get what we need to get done.
Companies hire us to do the best job we can. They give us shiny computers, small domiciles (cubes) to adorn with Corporate Zombies and rubber ducks, and a whole host of fun and exciting challenges. We set about working on these tasks. And sometimes we get lost in our work and loose track of time. However, working hard is much different than making overtime a standard.
Overworking makes you sick. It reduces your ability to think, brainstorm and perform at that best you can be. So what does this have to do with paper, productivity and passion? They’re three aspects to taking better care of yourself so that you don’t get trapped at work.
Use your downtime to write out journal entries. Get what’s bugging you out of your head and down on the page where it belongs. Writing helps you forgive and forget, it makes room in your head for new ideas and connections. And at work, these ideas may lead you to some good project time. Just make sure that your company doesn’t get ahold of the things you write about them, if you do decide to write about your work related issues. Playing with paper and journalling or doodling also gives you play time and helps you to de-stress and focus more time on what you want out of your life.
Think of productivity as your internal barometer. The more work you do in a day, without breaks, the less you want to keep pushing at that pace. I know that the longer I spend at work, churning out page after page of documentation, the longer my mind wants to stare outside the window to look at the trees. Your productivity gains a major boost when you switch tasks. When you find your mind wandering or you feel like you’re burning out, then it’s time to give your mind a break. Sleep, power-naps or even daydreaming while walking outside help to boost your productivity.
Passion is loosely defined as an emotion you have for something you love. Sometimes when we work too long or focus solely on the working aspect of our lives, we forget the things we’re passionate about. You are not the lump sum of your job. Take some time to reconnect to yourself and your hobbies. Write more, journal, play games, talk to your family and friends (or do whatever else makes you passionate and loving life). Learn what makes you passionate again with life. duties. Of course, sometimes we let the work carry us away and put more time into it than we think. Which is fine, until we find ourselves only thinking and doing activities that support the work goals even when we’re supposed to be focused on other things. When you find yourself doing this, it might mean calling it an early day.
And of course, you combine all three when you plan a vacation. Keep a list of exciting places you want to visit. Write down all those great vacation ideas you come up with “for the next time you have a day off”. And then plan to actually make time to visit or do those ideas. Get away from your house and go somewhere fun and exciting that gets you away from the computer and noise. Even if it’s just a single day, spent at home pretending you’re at hawaii by drinking something fruity and reading a good book.
Don’t let your job control your life. Remember to take some time off and reconnect to what’s important to you and your values. This goes for you manager types who put in long hours too. You need time off as much as the coworkers. This has been a friendly PSA from your friends at D*I*Y Planner. So what do you to to recharge your life? Feel free to leave comments on what you do to recharge your batteries.
