Back in the Saddle
Just returned from a truly lovely 2-week honeymoon in Wales. I thought very little about anything work-related the whole time I was gone.
As a result, this week I've really been able to hit the ground running; once again I'm reminded how important it is to periodically rest one's brain and body. It's true even if you really love your work, as I do.
Maybe it's the same principal as when you're picking out perfume (this may be new information for some of you <g>): you can only smell a certain number of fragrances before your nose begins to lose its ability to distinguish separate scents. I certainly feel a renewed sharpness and clarity in my perceptions, coming back.
I also notice that I'm much more willing to confront situations directly that I might have avoided or felt overwhelmed by, three weeks ago. I have more mental and emotional energy: I don't feel as though I have to allocate it so carefully.
Is this just me, or does taking a real vacation have the same impact on everybody?
Congratulations and welcome back Erika. So glad you recognized the effects of a “real vacation” – small business owners often have difficulty getting away.
I have two vacations scheduled this year. One is a few days of reflection at a retreat, with a friend staying next door. Another is a week at the shore with my hubby and our best friends. Can’t wait to feel refreshed and renewed, as you do now.
Re: [The Simplest Thing That Works] Mary Jo Asmus submitted a comment to Back in the Saddle
Yes its all too easy, as a business owner, to find reasons not to take time away. My new husband is a great antidote to that, though hes such a wonderful travel partner that vacationing is much more attractive than ever before.
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Have a great rest of the holiday weekend and marvelous vacations!
E
Your articles are for when it asoblutely, positively, needs to be understood overnight.
Kaley -
I love it!
E
Congratulations, Erika! I’m so happy for you.
I think your “before and after” description is accurate. When we’re tired and drained it’s harder to do good work and we’re more likely to take a hit from situations we can deal with easily in other times. Vince Lombardi had this one right: “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” He didn’t mention that it also makes idiots of us – when we’re drained we don’t make good decisions.
Re: [The Simplest Thing That Works] Wally Bock submitted a comment to Back in the Saddle
Thanks, Wally!
I love the Vince Lombardi quote…and its true. Someone to whom Ive very close is chronically under-rested, and I can really see how it shows up.
And, as I get older, it seems to be more and more important to get both enough physical rest and enough mental down-time in order to operate at my peak…
Erika, we went to Scotland in May. It was fantastic!
I like to use vacations as “before and after” opportunities. Beforehand, I try to get everything done and caught up so I can enjoy it, and then plan for other things to get done afterward. It creates a good mental break in my year that can’t happen even with a “staycation.”
Re: [The Simplest Thing That Works] Rebecca Schlei submitted a comment to Back in the Saddle
Exactly I was just talking to an executive today, a guy I was coaching, about thinking ahead in this way.
You can also use this approach to move moveable things out of a high-task period. For instance, if youre going to have a couple of weeks or a month when you know that a bunch of (immovable) deadlines are going to hit what can you complete early and what can you delay, in order to keep you from being overwhelmed during that period?
E