You might be reading this title and thinking, why is she telling me this, of course it’s ok to take a break, especially a productive one! If that’s you, you’re already mastering the skill that I’m still learning. And honestly…. I need to know how you do it, so let me know that below!
But if you’re like me, it can be hard to slow down sometimes. It can be hard to admit that you need to take a step back, whatever the reason may be. It can feel like a sign of weakness, or like you’re letting people down. Maybe it even feels like you don’t deserve a break. If that’s you, I’m hoping this post will help!
So first I have an announcement. Life’s Sweet Lessons will be taking a short break. I’ll still be active over on my instagram and facebook, but there won’t be any new posts, during my break. I’m really excited about this because it’s going to be a productive break. If that sounds like an oxymoron to you keep reading! Basically I plan to work on developing more content for you, but most importantly, I plan to relax and spend time with my family.
But as with anything, I want to know the best way to take a break. I mean, I don’t just want to waste my time. So how do you get the most out of your break? What is a productive break? Well after a little research, this is what I’ve come up with.
Put a time limit on your break
This goes for anything, if you’re taking a study break, how long are you going to give yourself? 10 minutes, 30? If you need a break from work how many days are you going to give yourself?
This is really important for two reasons. One, if you know the time limit you have, you can have a realistic expectation and secondly, you’ll be able to plan accordingly. I mean if you’re planning to take 1 day off of work, you’re not going to have time to take a leisurely trip to Europe. See what I mean? You might be able to get a spa day in though. Or take time to read a great book.
I have a return date in my mind, and like I mentioned above, I’ll keep you posted on my instagram and Facebook accounts.
Understand why you need a break
Are you burnt out? Or maybe you just need a chance to catch up? Maybe you want to spend more time with people you love? Maybe you need to unplug? Could be, you’re just trying to protect your mental health.
It’s important that you know why you need a break and what you’re taking a break from. If you need a break from work because you’re burnt out, you shouldn’t be allowed to bring work with you on your break. If you need to unplug, turn off your phone during the break. Don’t waste all of your break time doing the very thing that you need a break from.
Doesn’t make much sense does it?
Understand what you are trying to accomplish during your break
This is very closely tied into my last point. Obviously I don’t mean that you need to make a to-do list for your break. Only people like me would do that…..haha.
But seriously, what are you hoping to get out of this? If you need to relax then put make sure that’s what you focus on during your break. If you are looking to catch up then focus on that. But don’t come out of your break without having done the thing you needed to do.
I hope that makes sense.
Be Present
Enjoy every moment. I don’t know about you, but normally when I go on vacation the first half is great, but then the second half I start thinking about how little time I have left. Just 3 days left. Just 2.
That’s wasted time! Don’t focus on what needs to happen after the break is over. Don’t focus on the things that you think you should be doing instead of taking this break. Just take the break! Be Present. Sop up every second. Maximize your time.
So that’s what I’ve found. That’s how you make the most out of your break. I’ve never been good with breaks, so I’m really hoping that this time I’ll take my own advice guys!
I’ll be back soon.
Make life sweet and learn all you can.
