“Some slaves are scoured to their work by whips,
others by their restlessness and ambition.”
-Archimedes (Greek Philosopher)

I belong to an email listserv that a number of other productivity consultants belong to. Recently someone posted a suggestion that each of us slow down our hectic schedules by choosing something we are going to stop doing for a while. After this suggestion was posted, a number of consultants responded. Below is one of those responses, which I share with permission from the author.

I have had fun reading the activities that you are all going to do and what you are STOPPING for a while, too.  So often when we own our own businesses, we forget how important relaxation is.  Our clients are the same.  I’m going to share my story as an example and warning for what can happen if you don’t relax enough.

Ever since high school I have been a workaholic.  (I was an honor student while participating in every activity the school offered and holding a part-time job.)  I never went to bed before midnight and woke up early.  Since my grades were good and my attitude was what my parents wanted, they never questioned my no-slow-down.  College was the same thing – full load and full time job.  Then off to Corporate America I went with a job that kept me traveling and working about 80-90 hours a week.  If there were a picture of “unbalanced” in the dictionary – my smiling face would have been there – sure thing.

While I had slowed down significantly when I left my corporate job, it was not enough.  The candle was still burning or smoldering on both ends.  In theory, I understood that relaxation was important, but I was never motivated enough to do it.  I just did not know how to sit still well.

Flash to today.  Many of you know that I have had my share of medical challenges recently.  I was finally able to find a medical professional that would look at the whole me and not just say “oh you are getting older.”  In addition to the brain tumor, I learned that my adrenal system has stopped functioning.  You have heard people (maybe you) that have said they were running on adrenaline. Well, my adrenal system went into overdrive and would not stop running.  As a result, it got tired and ultimately it could no longer do its job.

If you are not familiar with the adrenal system, it is the gland in your body that helps you manage everyday stress.  It also produces a few baseline chemicals that are needed by the rest of your body to produce the various hormones you need.  Since my adrenal system stopped working, those baseline chemicals were not created and other systems started going downhill, too.  (Think dominos hitting and falling…one thing impacts another.)

The solution?  QUIT EVERYTHING. Yup.  That is right. I was told that it would take anywhere from three months to three years to heal and re-start my adrenal system.  So, for the past 2.5 months I have been dropping out of everything, including board and volunteer positions. I was even told no watching TV and no exercising – it was too stressful on my adrenals. It has been the most difficult thing I have had to do.  I’m on various supplements to give my body what it cannot make on its own.

My advice to you… Take the vacations!  Close the laptop!  Laugh with your family and friends!  Recognize what you love to do and do more of it.  Recognize what you don’t want to do and do less of it.

Your body will thank you.  Two weeks is easy compared to months of forced relaxation!

And…if that is not enough motivation, know that if you don’t get good sleep and relaxation, your body will not release weight properly, either.  In the past 2.5 months (now that my body is getting healthier) I have dropped 31 pounds!  That was after being told I should stop exercising! 

In this fast-paced world we live in today, I imagine a number of people can relate to my colleague’s story above. If you can relate, below are a few suggestions that may help:

1. Give yourself permission to do less. Just because you could do more, does not mean that you should do more. As Stephen Covey once said, “What does it matter how much we do if what we’re doing isn’t what matters most?” Decide that it’s okay to go to bed before all your work is done, or to take a break and do something fun, relaxing or rejuvenating for yourself.

2. Build balance into your daily life. I do this by playing the Happy Healthy Wealthy game. Sunday through Thursday nights I plan for my next workday by choosing an activity that will support my happiness, one that will support my health, and one that will support my wealth. Then I commit to doing these three things, even if I do NOTHING else. Choosing one activity from each category will help build balance into your life.

Too often we are so busy building our wealth that we neglect the happy and healthy parts. But if we are not happy and healthy, who cares how much wealth we’ve accumulated? If you’d like more information about how to play the Happy Healthy Wealthy game, contact me at kathy@orgcoach.net.

3. Take a REAL vacation! If your work is so dependent on you that you cannot focus on anything else or completely leave it behind for a week or two, you’ve set up a very unhealthy scenario for both you and any others who depend on you to always be there. What would happen if you were in a serious accident and you were unconscious, or if you died? The world would have to continue without you. Find a way for others to cover for you when you are on vacation. Nobody can be available 24/7. Rest and rejuvenation is required!

Set up your vacation message auto-responder on your email to alert people that you will not be checking email until you return from vacation. Change your voice message to let people know that you will call them back after you return, or leave another contact name and number they can call if something needs to be handled while you are on vacation. (The Latin translation of the word vacation means “freedom from occupation.”)

If finances are tight and you cannot physically get away for a vacation, find ways to completely unplug and do some fun things in your area. Plan things with others so you are already committed to doing something besides work. WARNING: If you take a week off with no plans, you’ll probably default back to what you know best – work!

If you have a hobby that you love, build it into your regular schedule throughout the year. Treat yourself to some long weekends away with people you care about. Plan activities with friends and family you enjoy spending time with.  Take time to read a good pleasure book, go for a walk in the park, or enjoy a movie. I’ve found that when I schedule “free time” but don’t have a clear plan about how I want to spend that time, it is far too easy to default to doing work.

As Mother Teresa once said, “You can’t keep the lamp burning unless you keep putting oil in it.” You won’t be any good to others if you don’t first take good care of yourself.

4. Get paid to play! There’s nothing wrong with working hard when you are not on vacation, especially if you love what you do. If you love your work, you can get paid to play! And if you find ways to leverage your time, you can get paid while you are sleeping and vacationing, too. I’ve been doing this for about four years now, and I feel so fortunate that I get paid to play, sleep, and vacation. (I have asked my webmaster to send this out to you while I am flying to New York City for a vacation with my family over the Fourth of July. I will be out of the office and not checking email until I return to the office on July 6th.)

If you are feeling stuck and you can’t see any possible way to implement any of these ideas, email me via www.orgcoach.net/contact.html and my assistant will schedule a few minutes by phone for us to brainstorm some options for you to consider. I’m committed to helping you gain independence from being a slave to your work.

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