ENJOY Your Time Off

Avoiding Burnout: ENJOY your time off.

If you live in the United States, tomorrow is Memorial Day, a 3 day weekend which is traditionally the start of summer. So in a perfect world you’re not reading this newsletter as it goes out on a Sunday at 6am.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Jim Loehr’s book, The Power of Full Engagement, where he coined the term “The corporate athlete”. He talks about how the professional athletes we all admire for their hard work and dedication still have off seasons, with all the major sports having at least a 4 month break. His point was as business owners and leaders, we don’t get the luxury of an off season. We have to be on for the whole year.

In my experience it’s the rest and recovery portion we tend to neglect. Taking your business on like it’s a never ending slog (marathon) just leaves you dull and not fully being yourself. Picture the vitality of a sprinter like Usain Bolt and contrast it with the gaunt frame of most marathoners. Sprinters work really hard for 100 meters – then they rest and recover. So they can come back and do it again!

I work my butt off for my clients. I’m all in, with long days that are exhilarating and rewarding. But I enjoy my time away from my business just as much. Having discretionary time for me is just as important as money. It means carving out the time to do the activities I love and hanging out with the people I love.

I’m writing this week’s newsletter on a Friday because I’m going to enjoy the hell out of this holiday weekend. Friday night dinner with the family. My regular Saturday morning workout group led by the ass kicking Christine Law, followed by a giant nap on the back deck. Then dinner at Masa’s our local favorite sushi spot, before watching the Golden State Warriors pound the Houston Rockets in Game 6! Sunday, a nice morning run through the woods with Grace the dog, then off to a bat mitzvah celebration for the daughter of one of my clients.

I won’t even bore you with Monday but you can bet it will be shot through with lots of watching sports, reading and reflecting and hanging with my family.

Tomorrow’s Challenge
Reset. Recover. Rebalance. Step away from the keyboard and enjoy the life your business has already afforded you. Then when you come back on Tuesday your clients and coworkers will get someone who is relaxed, refreshed and fully engaged.