This isn’t a new topic or idea, but it’s one that I see myself and my teams still struggling with today.
I am talking about us taking time off from work, projects, etc to rest our minds, bodies, and emotions, and to come back refreshed. Taking time away doesn’t need to mean a long vacation or even travel, it can simply be a pause to get up and walk away from the work you are doing. The important part here I think, its needs to be a scheduled, regular event that signals our mind and body that it’s time for a break to rest. This pause can be to have lunch, grab a warm or quick drink, or get out of the house or office and have a walk.
Personally, I struggled with both taking time off and taking pauses. Why? I sometimes believe I have too much work left in my day or week, if I take time off I won’t get it all done or I won’t meet the deadlines I have. Part of this thought pattern could be true, that I may not meet certain deadlines, but the other part about having too much work left in my day or week that’s the more interesting one. In other words, I have come to realize my daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly work is never really done, it’s a neverending source and cycle of work for which I could probably never really be done as I would like.
Sometimes I think we also tend to get really laser-focused on what’s next, we may forget to pause and reflect on just how far we have actually come both personally and professionally.
Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
-Ferris Bueller
Tech Leader Notes 