Time for some time out
How did it get to be August already? Time flies when you’re having fun!
Some of my business peers have been very industrious this summer, remodeling or redecorating their business facilities, and/or revamping their action plans for the remaining months of the calendar year. Along with “working on their businesses,” most of these folks make time to relax and rejuvenate. Several do their planning while commuting between home and office, as well as “up north.” This goes on regularly throughout the summer season. Long hours and heavy workloads will return soon enough, but for now it’s time for relaxation and rejuvenation. Studies show that when people are enjoying themselves during the process of whatever they are working on, they are much more creative, productive, and able to get their “mojo” back much quicker.
At a recent business-type luncheon, a couple of busy professionals at my table were discussing ways to simplify, find more time in their workdays, and get better control of their personal and professional lives so they could enjoy what remains of the season, and take the “enjoyment factor” into the future.
A business professor and time management “guru” friend of mine reminds her students that certain resources can be saved, and even stockpiled, but time isn’t one of those. We can only “manage” how well we actually “spend” our time.
Research shows among American workers who get paid time off, most aren’t taking the time coming to them. In his book, The Success Principles, Jack Canfield tells us, “One of the most pervasive myths in American culture today is that we are entitled to a great life — that somehow, somewhere, someone (certainly not us) is responsible for filling our lives with continual happiness, exciting career options, nurturing family time, and blissful personal relationships simply because we exist.” He goes on to tell us that, “the real truth is that there is only one person responsible for the quality of life you live. That person is you.”
The impact that taking time off has on one’s health — mental and physical — is profound. Taking time off boosts productivity. Ernst & Young reports that performance improves by 8% for every 10 hours of vacation time taken.
Since it’s proven that rest and relaxation are important to a person’s well-being, one shouldn’t let time fly by without having some fun. Lesson learned — it’s time for some time out.
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