So many of my posts are about work and productivity that today I wanted to switch gears a little bit and talk about the importance of taking time off. Here’s the thing, I’ve learned through experience that taking time off is, in fact, a productivity hack.
If you’re self-employed, the compulsive need to work may be a concept you’re quite familiar with. It’s something I struggle with so much. I mean it’s a double-edged sword, right? When you love your work so much, it’s hard to take a step away from it.
That quote, “do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life” is 100% true, but that doesn’t mean you’re not actually working. No matter how much you love your job, you’re still working to meet deadlines, thinking creatively, solving problems, and wearing the many hats that a business owner wears.
I’ve spoken quite openly about severe burnout due to working for weeks at a stretch with no break. I hit my breaking point last November when I was too exhausted to do anything but couldn’t sleep due to insomnia (something I’d never experienced until that point, btw). I thought something was wrong with me, until I realized it was because I’d overworked myself. And recovering from burnout is weird, because it’s not like a physical illness. You don’t really know how long it’ll take you to bounce back. For me, that time period was 2 weeks. 2 weeks of doing nothing.
This experience taught me a very valuable lesson: that it’s necessary to take breaks. Why is it that we can get on board with the concept of giving our bodies a day or two to rest between workouts and yet we can’t do the same with our minds? Fact of the matter is that just like our muscles get stronger when they get recovery time between workouts, our mind is the same. Our minds can only be productive for so long without any breaks to recuperate.
So now, my rule of thumb is to take at least one day off a week to do nothing. There are weekends where I feel super inspired to work, but I still force myself to take a day off because otherwise, that inspiration streak comes to a crashing halt within a few weeks. Instead of working on those days, I jot down ideas I have so I can execute during the week. And after a day or two off, I come back to work feeling energized, inspired, and ready to take on the week ahead.
Taking days off also gives me time to focus on nurturing the relationships in my life. Whether that means coffee with a friend or date night, spending time with people is what helps me generate new ideas. I think our generation needs to stop glorifying the idea of being busy. We all need to work smarter, not harder, and taking time off is directly co-related to that.
I’m off to plan my weekend in Prince Edward County, which will most definitely consist of a whole lot of doing nothing.
PS – don’t forget to check out why I always add cinnamon to my coffee and why I say positive affirmations every morning.