Like many people, especially small business owners, I’m a bit hard on myself. I expect success to happen right now and if it doesn’t, it’s because I’m a lazy sod who will never get anywhere.
This attitude almost always sends me into a wallow, which I get out of by finding people to kick my butt, which then sends me into a super productive mode.
Unfortunately, this high level of productivity doesn’t last. I spend a week getting things done. I tick off my daily tasks with glee and surprise myself by completing tasks that weren’t even on my to do list.
By the second week, however, I start to lose some of that productivity. The extras drop off and by the end of the week I’m dropping off at the computer, napping with my forehead pressing down on the space bar.
While it’s tempting to start back into the lazy-sod/wallow/hyper cycle, I know it’s not healthy, especially since I’m not a fully healthy person. I tire easily and I go through periods for no apparent reason where my body aches and I feel like staring at walls almost takes too much energy. I’ve been like this my whole life. And as much as I’d like to blame food (yes, wheat and sugar do aggravate it), even when I’m eating “clean” these low energy/pain periods happen (just diminished in intensity and duration).
I recently realized that between prepping and teaching my English classes, and doing blog and business stuff I work about 55 hours a week.
No wonder I’m tired! Even fully functional people would be tired working that much.
So, I’ve decided to give myself a break. As long as the business moves forward somehow (beyond the basics of blog writing and networking) if I want to nap, watch TV or stare at the walls, then I’m bloody well going to nap, watch or stare.
Other breaks I’ve given myself:
How about you? What sanity/health saving limits do you put on your own dream pursuits?
P.S. Yes, yes, I’ve said nothing about my fiction writing. I’ll deal with that procrastination next Friday.
18 Responses to “Gimme a Break!”
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I go to bed somewhere between 10pm and 11pm each evening. My day starts at 5am - every day, 7 days a week.
I work until about 4pm every day, minus one hour to get my family to where they need to be.
That’s 10 hours.
Then I work approximately 3 to 5 more hours before bed.
That brings me to 13 to 15 hours a day. That’s an average of 91 hours a week.
On a short week when I take some time for myself or get out of the house, I’ll work an average of 75 hours.
75 freaking hours a week.
Buddy? Take your break. Please don’t become someone like me.
James Chartrand - Men with Pens´s last blog post..What Grocery Stores Teach You About Free Content
Okay, James. You need to get out. Get a babysitter and go down to the local pub. Now.
Hey, at least I’m not snoozing on my laptop, dude.
James Chartrand - Men with Pens´s last blog post..What Grocery Stores Teach You About Free Content
That’s a great picture
and I’m laughing at James’ last comment.
I know the feeling, working a full time job (err, when I’m not out here commenting *blush*) and then slogging away at stuff after the kids go to bed.
I think (for me) exercise helps and I tend to leave it to the end of the day. Doesn’t work for everyone, but it seems to help me for some reason.
Running is good, but the kettle bell weight training I do is best. It is so completely different from “mind work” that it clears my head, every time. Something about swinging a cannonball around tends to get my attention!
Music also helps. When it gets really muddy, a glass of wine and some tunes with my eyes closed does the trick. In fact, I’m looking forward to that tonight…
Brett Legree´s last blog post..week 2 - check up.
Wow….
Hearing about these hours you guys are putting in makes me feel lucky I have my miserable little office job.
My workday runs from 8:30 till 4:45. That part I dont’ necessarly like…that’s what I HAVE to do.
But I go to bed around 12:30 so that give me seven hours to do what I want. Weekends off, 4 weeks vacation a year. If I’m sick and dont’ work, I still get paid. I earn more than enough money to cover my needs.
I DO work on other projects (like my books and cartoons), but that’s “Fun” work. I do it because I want to, not because I need it to pay the bills.
My job does make me feel burnt out at the end of the day, though.
And I can read, read, read all kinds of advice on how to feel better and motivate myself.
But when push comes to shove, the cure for the blahs comes down to two basics:
Fresh Air, and Excercise.
Friar´s last blog post..Another Ungrateful List
Hey Friar,
You forgot Thursday night beers with Brett
Brett Legree´s last blog post..week 2 - check up.
@Brett
Yes, that also counts as “Work” (towards our project).
Friar´s last blog post..Another Ungrateful List
@Brett & @Friar
Since Kelly’s away Thanksgiving-ing, how delightful you’ve chosen to take over my blog. I’m honoured!
(and yes, I’m purposefully ignoring James’ rather obvious point about me sleeping on my computer)
@Alex
Yeah, but you probably still get more sleep than James!
Friar´s last blog post..Another Ungrateful List
@Friar,
As long as it is “fun” work, that’s okay in my book!
@Alex,
Always glad to be of service! It’s fun hanging out at your blog, always a good conversation.
Brett Legree´s last blog post..week 2 - check up.
I’m afraid I’m guilty of overwork too - classic Type A personality.
My rules are:
- No work between arriving home from day job and putting my daughter to bed
- Flights are for reading fiction, not doing work
- If going to yoga feels like a chore, don’t go.
Stella´s last blog post..Piggyback rider
I love that last break about breaking any the rules when you like! It’s important to be kind to yourself.
I know you’re not looking for advice about this, but as someone who also has a lot of food related health issues, I was wondering if you’d tried the FAILSAFE/Friendly Food diet (might have a different name outside Australia)? Don’t want to go on about it since I know it can be irritating when well-meaning people think they can solve your problems, but it made a big difference to me (when I was following it…). It was developed by doctors and is based around eliminating problem food chemicals (natural and artificial) from your diet and life. If you’re curious, have a look at http://www.fedup.com.au or http://www.cs.nsw.gov.au/rpa/allergy/
Frisky Librarian (formerly known as Glee Girl)´s last blog post..On my way home from work…
I almost never think of it as “work”. When it does start feeling like work, I quit. I take a day off, a week off, whatever it takes for it to be enjoyable and fulfilling again.
What’s the point of living if you aren’t enjoying it?
Anthony Lawrence´s last blog post..Updates to Psst book by Anthony Lawrence
@Stella
Good rules! I especially like the no work while your daughter is awake rule. That’s why I don’t work in the evening nor on weekends - that’s Raul-time.
@Frisky
Yes, I need to break rules - I’m a rule-breaking kind of guy, even if they are my own. Thanks for the link. I will definitely check it out. I like to live eating less chemically but that’s one of my regular “I’ll get around to it” things - I’m on and off with it.
@Anthony
What a great way to think about it. And it’s true. Whenever I’ve been away for a while, I’m eager to get back into work, which I guess is why I like Mondays so much and Fridays drag for me…
But what about when you’ve got an idea, and you’re really excited, and you want to see where it’s going to go so bad that you just can’t stop thinking about it, and you wish you could just get to the end to see what it’s like, and you know you’re going to knacker yourself out, and you know that it’s about the journey and not the destination, but you just can’t shift that nagging feeling, and you really really really want to know how it’s all going to turn out, so you just push that little bit harder, and you just ignore that you’re getting tired and worn down, and you just keep going until your brain is fogged up and you can’t even work out how to feed yourself, and you don’t really know what’s going on, and you certainly aren’t enjoying yourself, and you feel kinda cr@ppy, and your body is screaming stop, but there’s some kind of weird ‘unstoppable’ force urging you on?
Or, more succinctly, how do you deal with the guilt that you should be working on something when you know that you need to rest first?
(And why is it I always work through stuff in comments on other people’s blogs rather than writing in my own?)
James | Dancing Geek´s last blog post..Fingers crossed
Hi Alex - giving yourself a break is a good idea. I used to work stupid hours. And you reach a point where you’re just not as productive.
No wonder you’re tired - your running as well as doing all that work.
A big cause of why individuals don’t want to set aside free time is that they feel that they will be getting behind if they do so. Someone that is in a state of movement would continually think about an item they could have been doing during their scheduled free time. It can often take a large negative result to show up before one starts to set up periods of free time in order to maintain a stable mindset.
Armen Shirvanian´s last blog post..Ways To Respond To Events Presented To You
@James
When I’m like this, I use the energy to break it down into bits so that I can work on them later without forgetting what it was I wanted to say.
As for working things out on other blogs - I do a lot of that myself. It’s like group therapy without having to actually sit in a group.
@Cath
Yes, when I try to work in the evening, I don’t actually get anything done, I just putter and feel like I’m wasting time. It’s the same when I try to work when a nap is calling. Much better if I stop and nap for 10 or 15 minutes then come back refreshed.
@Armen
Welcome to the blog! I agree with you completely - we get so preoccupied with falling behind that we put off relaxing, which in reality just puts us behind because as I said to Cath if we work too much we get nothing done. Great point about balance!