Archive for August, 2009

Taking A Break

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

One of the hardest things to do, when you are working on something that is either going to make you money, or parenting or another task that you just want to get finished is knowing when to take a break. You will keep in the back of your mind I will take a break when it is done, then once you are finished something else comes up and you continue the cycle. Its a cycle that eventually wears you down until you are sick or that stressed that you no longer function at your best and end up having to take a week or 2 off anyway.

So the options you have are this

  1. Keep going until you are no longer productive anyway and then take a few weeks off feeling horrible
  2. Feel great and relaxed on a vacation for 1 week and come back refreshed and very productive, always working at your best.

So there are 2 options and its clear to see at the end of the day (or month) which one will produce more results and leave you feeling great.

So why would you take option number 1? I have only started taking option number 2 but still not as early as I would have liked. The key is to find out the early warning signs that you need a break and should take one.

  • You start feeling a bit anxious and stressed at tasks throughout the day
  • You work 12-16 hours in a day (this one is quite obvious)
  • You are not as enthusiastic at your tasks as you once were
  • You don’t take at least a few hours out of the day/night to sit down and relax
  • Your patience starts diminishing
  • You are restless in your sleep
  • You don’t look forward to tomorrow
  • You get sick (obvious one again). You only get sick when you are stressed. Your body is saying slow down.

While there are plenty more its worth to have a read of this list and keep them in the back of your mind so you can notice them when they start to happen. I always find it difficult to notice my own habits, especially when you are deeply involved in work.

Just remember, very productive and 1 week off feeling great, or slow and unproductive and 2 weeks off feeling bad. Its clear which one everyone should take.

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