Taking Time Off isn’t the Answer
Taking time off isn’t the answer when you don’t know how to live. A four-day workweek is pointless for miserable people.
Do you live to work or work to live? The answer is YES.
Taking time off isn’t the answer if you’re frantic and distracted during time on. Living for the weekend is futility.
Unrelenting obligations seduce you into the false belief that life is meaningful.
Work is futility when your body shows up but your heart stays home.
Time off isn’t the answer:
Wherever you go, take yourself with you.
#1. Taking time to start slowly.
“Start the day slowly.” Ken Blanchard
Self-reflection is a lighthouse.
It doesn’t take long to start your day slowly, only 10 or 15 minutes.
Tell your task-list you’ll be right there. Engage in spiritual practice.
- Read.
- Pray.
- Meditate.
- Breathe
- Write in a journal.
- Set an intention for the day.
- ????
You already crashed if you leave home without yourself.
A short morning ritual is a point of stability in a turbulent world.
#2. Taking time for self-development.
Arrogant self-sufficiency destroys us and laughs when we crash.
The dumbest thing leaders say is, “I’m too busy to take time for self-development.”
Sharpen your ax or you will work yourself into oblivion.
#3. Taking time to practice gratitude.
- Schedule gratitude walkabouts. (or zoom calls.)
- Write down one point of gratitude before you go to bed. It’s OK if you want to write more.
- Jot down three positive qualities of the people on your team.
#4. Taking time to lower your expectations.
There is a measure of futility in everyone’s life. Every pursuit or aspiration is a reminder that you aren’t there yet, and you never will be. Accept it.
What does living well look like in a turbulent world?
Question: why would you bring your heart to work?
Most organisations have spent decades systematically minimising and removing the human element from the workplace. Everything is about the product, the organisation, and the individual is minimalised and anonymised quite deliberately. Who bring their heart to a zoom meeting that you can be fired over?
Unless you are somebody who can drive their work agenda, the general description of self-development is “unproductive overhead”, “time wasting” or “something you do on your time, not mine”. You can learn to swim when you’re sinking, and if you drown, you can be replaced.
Well Mitch, you’ve described the challenge that we face. I guess, I didn’t offer a viable alternative. In any case, we all choose what life is about. We all answer the question, do you work to live or live to work. If you don’t bring your heart to work, you work to live.
The viable alternative is what came out in your interview and posting with Dr. Zinsser – the only battle we ever truly have to fight is the one between our own ears. I have had times in my own life when “it’s no use, we are all just plug-and-play components in the big machine” has ruled there. People encouraging me and practicing some of the things Dan mentions here have helped me put up walls around those thoughts (even though they do peek over from time to time!). Moving from an “us vs. them” approach to “I AM WORTH IT” makes all the difference.
Be encouraged, Mitch. You are worth it.
Thanks for jumping into this threat, Frank. We all get sucked into a life that is only about doing the next thing. Sometimes, when the frustration gets high enough, we realize the folly of our path. I’m afraid that other times we become the walking dead.
Spot-on post, Dan. You cover a lot of ground here.
These days it’s easy to get depressed reading LinkedIn, with all the posts about work-life balance and the us-vs-the-employer talk. I truly feel sorry for folks that don’t love what they do and aren’t excited to do it each day. That feeling of being part of an organization rather than working for an organization is a key to happiness.
Regarding the daily mindfulness – I encourage our folks to intentionally find a daily point of gratitude and a daily point (three, actually) of pride. A whole lot of healthy, productive behaviors start with love for others and yourself.
Thanks John. I love this phrase, “being part of an organization rather than working for an organization is a key to happiness.”
Your daily mindfulness practice is a great way to begin meetings.
One of my morning rituals is reading this blog. It helps me get start with a growth mindset. 🙂
Thaks SB. A good word is energy!
Last fall I read or heard on a podcast something like “if you do not do time on well, time off will never heal you”. It has impacted me greatly – I am still working to figure what healthy time on is for me, I do know I want it and will train myself to obtain it. Great post Dan – I appreciate you and the influence you have on my leadership.
Good seeing you hear today my friend. You shared that quote with me a while back and it’s stuck with me as well. I appreciate you and you influence me. 🙂
No matter where you are in your career, you have to take time for self development because of the constant changes to all of our professions and our lives. You will never reach the “know it all” plateau. Keep climbing and learning!
Thanks for the encouragement, Sam. It’s tragic when leaders/managers focus exclusively on getting things done. I understand why that happens, the people over them focus exclusively on the numbers.