How can you take proper time off?

Are you tired? I’m tired!

Almost every single client I’ve spoken to in the last 2 weeks has said the same thing… it’s all a bit ‘heads on desks’!

If that’s you, you’ll no doubt be planning to take some time out to rest and recover.

But if you’re like most of the high achievers I work with, that’s sometimes easier said than done. Most of my clients are, at times, pretty bad at taking real time out.

Hardly surprising really. When the buck stops with you it can feel difficult to contemplate taking proper time out.

When you’re running a fast growth business it can feel like you’re cresting a wave – unsure when it might break. So you want to make the most of the opportunities when they’re there.

What’s more, working hard is a way of feeling in control of uncertainty.

It’s the high achiever’s favourite way to self-sabotage, there’s always more we can do, so why not try.

Moreover, when working all hours feels like something that’s led to your success so far then you’ve created a positive feedback loop that can be difficult to break out of.  

But there’s two things that most people need to be reminded of from time to time:

-       In your business there will always, always be something to do

-       Human beings work better when they’re switched off every now and again

All that hard work can often prevent you from seeing the bigger picture.

It can actually prevent you from being your most creative self. Working consciously all. the. time. means your subconscious doesn’t get to have a go very often – and that’s the bit that comes up with the good ideas.

Very few of the people I work with have good boundaries.

But when the time to stop comes, you need to be able to switch off

So how do you rest and recover?

Accept the reality

In all likelihood you’re not going to be able to stop thinking about your business while you take time off. Accepting that is a way of making sure you don’t fall at the first hurdle. Trying to stay out of things completely can create a bow wave of feelings that plunge you straight back into things.

Try keeping a notebook somewhere that you can write any thoughts down as they occur to you.

Do something else

It’s easy to think that time off needs to be about physically stopping but the reality is that if you’re someone who’s used to operating non stop a complete stop can sometimes be counter productive. It can make you restless and probably quite frustrated.

Think about what you can apply yourself to and throw yourself head long into it.

That said, if lying in a darkened room is what you need to do and you can do it with ease then by all means, lean into it!!

Set realistic boundaries

Depending on the pace of your business, you’re probably going to want to keep an eye on at least some elements of performance or comms. Decide when and what you’re going to check in on and stick to it.

Set boundaries that feel natural and achievable. Communicate them to the people that need to know.

Decide what you’re going to reflect on

Your subconscious is the most helpful, wise and productive part of your brain and you can literally set it homework! While you’re taking some meaningful time out, decide what you’d like to reflect on deliberately and then leave your subconscious to it!

The answers will come.

Be clear on how you need to show up

Being intentional about how you need to be over the Christmas period can be a great way to step out of work. So many of my clients end up feeling a bit rudderless without the frameworks of the working week to hold them up! Decide on what ‘version’ of you you need to be and then focus on how to show up that way.

 Getting it right is often about setting yourself the task of doing something ‘on purpose’. If you think of time off work as something to do with intention it can be a completely different experience.