Summer’s here. You are taking a break, aren’t you?
No matter where you are in the world, summer is the season of holidays. Holidays conjure up different things to different people but for everyone it is the break with routine that’s important. It’s this change that we can capitalise on to move our projects forwards. So what does the word ‘holiday’ mean to you? Lazy days on the beach? Long walks in the country? Exploring a country that’s new to you? Lots of arguments with your family? A group of bored kids to amuse? OK, holidays aren’t always the idyllic escape that we might crave for but they do present us with the ideal opportunity to get out of the rut and shift our mindset. A holiday doesn’t need to mean jetting off to foreign parts. It might be sitting in the garden or chilling out with the cat or sketching in the local park. Whatever it is for you, then organise that break NOW!
Do you ever feel like you’re a hamster on a wheel, running faster and faster but just going round and round in circles? We all do sometimes. We get stale. We get demotivated. We get disappointed. We get exhausted! We’re only human. That’s why we need a break with the routine. To give us the chance to recharge our batteries and we so need that when we’re in business. Normally we’re so busy taking action to achieve our goals that we’re always ‘doing’. We also need the time for ‘being’.
Why is the break from routine so crucial? Well, it gets us off that hamster wheel for one thing. It also gives us the time to take stock of where we are in our work and our lives, to congratulate ourselves on the things we’ve accomplished so far, to celebrate them. We’re in a different mental state when we’re ‘on holiday’ and this gives us distance from the everyday. We need this distance so we can reflect on our lives just like an observer would. This distance gives us a different perspective and the chance to see solutions we can’t see when we’re in the middle of the maelstrom of activity. It allows us to ‘see the wood for the trees’!
The smartphone with all its apps (and advantages) means that you’re always ‘on’. Most people have lost sight of any boundaries they ever had between work and leisure. They are operating mindlessly. If you’re just going about doing your stuff, you’re not going to be able to see how you can do it differently.
So whatever you are doing be mindful about it. Try to stay in the moment more and appreciate what it offers. This is a great way to relieve yourself of the stress and worry of what’s going to happen tomorrow/next week/next month!
So summer is the ideal time for this. If you can relax this summer, then you’ll really see the benefit of this. Your body and your mind will thank you. If your summer isn’t as relaxing as all that, then the break with routine will still give you the chance to access the creative part of you. You’ll trigger new ideas and thoughts from which your work will profit. If you continue without a break then you’ll be heading for burn-out and we don’t want that!
Here are a couple of ideas whether you are home or away this summer:
For those taking leave
1. Make sure you get some ‘me’ time. If you’re planning a holiday away or at home, then you may well be the project manager for Project Holiday with friends and family members. Being organized is a way to avoid stress and still feel in control but you need to make sure that you also plan in time for yourself to do what you want to do, quite possibly away from the hurly burly of the group. What would you ideally like to do? What’s happened to all your interests and hobbies over the years? Could now be the time to plan in some creative time for yourself? (This could then become a habit for you over the rest of the year too).
2. Forget about the office. Well, you won’t forget completely but resist the temptation to check your emails or track ongoing projects. A complete break both mentally and physically from your work can be extraordinarily refreshing to the mind and spirit! So set up an automatic ‘I’m out of the office until X’ message on your email and trust that those to whom you have delegated will be doing their best whilst you’re not there.
For those staying in the office
OK, so maybe the school holiday period isn’t your favourite time to have off. Perhaps you’ve got your leave coming up later in the year.
This doesn’t mean you can’t take a break from the normal routine and change some of your habits, even if temporarily.
It’s often the case in the ‘downtime’ holiday period that there’s MORE time to catch up, get back in control and do all those things you can’t do when your department is flat out on projects, fulfilling orders and training staff.
1. Be proactive and make new contacts. You won’t be the only person sitting at her desk during July and August. Why not use the time to connect with other people who may be of long-term benefit to you. Is there someone you’ve been meaning to call all year? Do you have some interesting new connections on LinkedIn you could reach out to? How about the lunch with X you’ve both been putting off? Use this time well to do some low key networking.
2. Block out diary time to work on the longer term development activities that you haven’t had time for the rest of the year. Set up an automatic ‘out of the office’ message from time to time so that people aren’t expecting instant replies to emails. Time for planning now will relieve the stress later on when everyone is back at their desks and things really kick off in the autumn.
Until next time,
Julia
P.S. If this topic is something you’d like to explore further with your team contact us to find out more about our half day stress management workshop which can be delivered onsite or online virtually.
