The Gutsy Podcast | personal development, entrepreneurship, mindset, alignment, intuition and energy

Powerback 22: Taking Day Breaks

June 13, 2019 Laura Wallace | Worx Graphic Design
The Gutsy Podcast | personal development, entrepreneurship, mindset, alignment, intuition and energy
Powerback 22: Taking Day Breaks
Show Notes Transcript

It's so easy to get knee deep in a project, whether it's home or work, especially when the juices are flowing and you just really kind of get in the zone, something that you often have to work really hard to get into without distractions. But, there's also a difference with getting knee deep into something while you're in the zone versus staying down in the trenches indefinitely. When you are constantly hitting the pavement—you don't come up for air, you're just constantly pushing yourself, you're not taking breaks, or not taking care of yourself—you might feel like you're super productive, but if you look back, you've just accomplished a lot of little things versus actually moving the needle.

We often equate busyness with success or busyness with productivity. When in reality, you can actually spend a lot less time doing something that's insanely productive, something that adds to or gets you closer to the goals that you've set, simply by giving yourself time to actually do the things.

For instance, I most certainly have gotten stuck in the black hole of answering emails. A little red dot pop pops up or the ting comes on and I'm like a Labrador retriever and I'm like, "Ooh, what's this?" And before you know it, you're answering a bunch of emails and three hours have gone by and you've literally done nothing other than answering what everyone else needs.

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Music:

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Laura Wallace:

It's Powerback time on The Gutsy Podcast. Each week we bring you five minutes of condensed inspiration to reclaim the courage and momentum you've given away. You've got big things, so let's get your power back. Yeah, it's so easy to get knee deep in a project, whether it's home or work, especially when the juices are flowing and you just really kind of get in the zone, something that you often have to work really hard to get into without distractions. But, there's also a difference with getting knee deep into something while you're in the zone versus staying down in the trenches indefinitely. When you are constantly hitting the pavement—you don't come up for air, you're just constantly pushing yourself, you're not taking breaks, or not taking care of yourself—you might feel like you're super productive, but if you look back, you've just accomplished a lot of little things versus actually moving the needle.

:

We often equate busyness with success or busyness with productivity. When in reality, you can actually spend a lot less time doing something that's insanely productive, something that adds to or gets you closer to the goals that you've set, simply by giving yourself time to actually do the things.

Laura Wallace:

For instance, I most certainly have gotten stuck in the black hole of answering emails. A little red dot pop pops up or the ting comes on and I'm like a Labrador retriever and I'm like,"Ooh, what's this?" And before you know it, you're answering a bunch of emails and three hours have gone by and you've literally done nothing other than answering what everyone else needs.

:

Sometimes all you have to do is avoid some of those distractions. And I know that that can be easier said than done, but if there's something big on your list that you have to get done by closing your email or flipping your phone over for an hour, you can actually feel insanely productive because you've got something done that had had meat to it, right? I had had purpose, it had meaning and not just this mindless whack-a-mole syndrome of hurry up and get everything done and then go home and feel like I've done nothing. Sometimes all it takes is perspective to realize what you're doing or more importantly what you're not doing. So this week, I want you to take your power back by taking daybreaks. These don't have to be long, lengthy, go on a walk in the park for an hour and a half type of deals. No, I'm talking about like literally just getting your ass up out of your computer chair and getting away from technology. You know, we go from one piece of technology to another. So we're like,"Okay, I'm going to go take a break. I'll get up from my computer," and guess what's in our back pocket—the freaking phone. So then you go outside and you sit under the sun and then you're scrolling through Facebook. When is the last time you walked outside and literally just sat and looked at the trees and looked at the color of the sky and the way that the clouds moved? When's the last time you just sat and literally did nothing? And, guys, this could be for five or 10 minutes. Those five or 10 minutes can be such a blessing because it allows your mind to just go a little bit free for awhile and allows you to breathe in the air. It allows you to just separate yourself from everything and everyone just for a little bit of time so that when you go back to the office or back to whatever you were doing, not only do you feel refreshed but you have a new perspective on whatever it was you were doing. You might come back and look at your desk and think,"Oh my gosh, what is this insane mess that I have?" And then all of a sudden you find yourself, it takes 30 seconds to clean that up. Whereas before, when you were just down in the trenches for the last three days, you look at that mess and you think,"Oh my gosh, it's one more thing. It's going to take me forever to do that." I can't tell you how many times I've had what felt like a daunting task to achieve and I've taken a break or separated myself and I've come back to it and it's literally taken me less than 30 minutes to finish it. Sometimes less than 20 minutes. Sometimes that stuff takes me five minutes, but in my brain I have made it out to be a mountain. Daybreaks allow your brain to get back in sync with reality. This also means not eating in front of your desk. It's been glamorized. If you just work harder and I'm working 40 50 60 70 80 hours a week, then I'm way more productive than you are. I call bullshit. You know what you are, you're more tired than the rest of us. Working straight through your eight, nine, or 10 hour shift without taking a break does not get a trophy at the end. 38% of employees don't feel encouraged to take a lunch break because they're worried that their bosses—their managers or their coworkers—are going to look down on them. And as entrepreneurs, we feel like if we're not busting ass all the time, then we're not getting anywhere. But here's the other side of that puzzle: When people do take breaks, 90% of them say that they feel more refreshed and excited and ready to go back to work and are way more productive in the afternoon than if they hadn't taken a break at all. Taking breaks is not a lazy thing to do. It's not going to hinder your success. It is not going to stop your momentum. And it most certainly is not going to make you look like you're unproductive. And if someone's thinking that, then guess what? That's way more on them than it is on you. What it IS going to do is it's going to expand your creativity. It will increase your productivity, it will increase your overall mental wellbeing, and it gives you an opportunity to create some healthy habits and set an example for those around you that it's okay to take a break themselves. Join me next week on The Gutsy Podcast as we talk about how invaluable your health is to being a healthy leader, a healthy entrepreneur, and a healthy human. It's really hard to do great things when your ass is falling apart. Until then, follow The Gutsy Podcast on Facebook and Instagram and follow me personally on Instagram@ThatLauraAura. See you next time!

Music:

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