Schedule Downtime
For many of us, myself included, we have the mentality that we must fill up our time doing something - anything - to feel accomplished or productive.
The reality is, this isn’t sustainable because there will always be more to do and we will never get it all done!
Many people I know are generally working more hours; producing more products & providing more services; engaging in more activities; and taking in more information than what most of us can handle.
We see the toll that being stretched too thin can have through our high rates of burnout and in our ailments related to stress, but we still push ourselves to the limit and beyond!
I think this is a good case to intentionally schedule downtime in our lives. While each person has their own definition of what downtime means and how it should be used, I would like to point out some of the benefits downtime can provide.
Many of the benefits of downtime are discussed in more detail in the book Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price, Ph.D. These are some of my key takeaways:
Downtime gives our brain a rest so it can recharge. Like a computer, we will get overloaded and conk out if we just keep going without shutting down once in a while. Once our brain starts to shut down, we start to lose focus in just about every aspect of our lives.
Doing nothing and taking time to relax actually encourages us to tap into our creative side. When we let our mind wander, we find that we may take on new perspectives, reflect on things and come up with ideas we might not have come up with before! Psychologists actually call this our “incubation period” when we are unconsciously stirring up ideas that resurface when we need them.
Even taking five minutes to walk away from a problem can help us get out of the situation and then allow us to go back and solve the problem with more clarity. The truth is that if we push ourselves to keep working beyond the point of exhaustion, the less productive we are. That threshold is different for each of us and we can’t ignore when our bodies are telling us to take a break or we reach a point of diminishing returns.
We really need to have some time to clear our heads so that we maintain a healthy balance in all aspects of our life. This includes our professional lives and in our work. This means our personal lives with friends and family members; the time we spend as activists or in volunteering; along with the hours we spend using electronic devices or taking in information. Clearing our heads allows us to gain more insight about what makes us happy and healthy. It gives us the chance to understand what our needs and values are so that we can spend time doing what really matters to us!
While this can be a much deeper conversation, I would like to restate that the reality is we could always spend time working more, looking at more news, cleaning the house more, checking more email - there is always more to do and more to accomplish.
Some questions we have to ask ourselves before we keep going may include:
Are we consciously taking breaks to rest, reassess, and reset?
Are we really allowing ourselves to spend the time and energy on what matters most to us?
Are we taking the time to enjoy the present moment and incorporating downtime into our lives so that we can be better versions of ourselves?
You get to decide what downtime means to you on an individual level. If having more downtime is a priority to you, be sure to fit it into your schedule!
How do you fit downtime into your schedule? Email me at dani@danichoicoaching.com. I would love to hear from you!
I empower mission-driven individuals to organize their time so they can thrive. We prioritize what needs to get done and what is most important. That may mean looking at when it is appropriate to schedule downtime! Click here to learn more about my services.
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