Unplug
Discover more from How to Lead Everybody (with their permission)
If you are taking time off from work for the next week, you might feel a pressure to “squeeze in as much as possible” or do a lot of extra stuff to “make this an amazing Christmas for the kids” or “catch up on everything I haven’t had time to do around the house.”
Instead, consider channelling your inner house-cat for a while. Cats do what they want, when they want.
Take a nap. And then maybe take your kids and their cousins out to play in the snow or something while your siblings catch time for a nap. And tag-team parent so you all get relax-and-recharge time. If you have young kids, you know you could use the extra sleep.
You might choose to cut back on the caffeine and turn off the alarm. And then maybe binge-watch or binge-read a great series. You could even stay in your pajamas all day—there isn’t anyone policing this.
Recharge! Give yourself permission to do nothing for a few days. Don’t schedule lots of stuff. And while you are “doing nothing,” talk to the people you love. Play board games (not Monopoly, though—that’s how family fights start). Build something together. Bake something together. Have a cup of cocoa and get to know them again.
Put down the anxiety, the tension, the work issues, the pressure, etc. for a few days. If a thought of “Oh—I’ll need to get the specs for the X project to Kathy” or another “I should…” thought comes up, make a note on your calendar or notes app or a post-it that you stick on the top of your work laptop and then let it go until it’s time to work again. If you don’t write it down and put it in a place you’ll see it when you need it, you may find it continues to bounce around your mind and nibble away at your ability to relax.
Remember who you are and what is REALLY important to you. Yes, work is important, but nearly everyone has parts of their life that are MORE important. If you have the opportunity this coming week, spend time with THOSE parts.
Have a wonderful holiday break! I’ll be posting again in the new year.
(Photo by Victoria Tronina on Unsplash)