The world has shifted, and society has taught people to think that not being productive is equal to being lazy. When you have some slow hours, you may feel afraid and anxious about your productivity. You may fear that people will think of you as a lazy or procrastinating individual.
However, you need to acknowledge the importance of taking a break. If you don’t decompress, you are likely to experience burnout. Taking a break from work also allows you to do what you can’t normally do during work hours, such as spending time with your kids and undergoing that implant procedure you’ve been putting off for quite some time.
If you want to take that much-needed break from your work life, here are some of the things you need to keep in mind:
Don’t be carried away by the pressure.
When you scroll through your social media feeds, you may see people being proud of their busyness. They may even consider their hustle as a badge of honor. There’s nothing wrong with it, but you have to consider the most people have been taught to glorify being busy. This should not be the case. Don’t give in to the pressure of society. Work on tasks based on your pace and company requirements (though you may want to exceed your personal expectations at times). This may also mean taking a break when necessary.
Acknowledge your productivity.
There may be times when you consider that your efforts are not enough. But in reality, you are already exceeding others’ expectations. Some people are prone to overworking because they are not putting a cap on their work. They measure their productivity in the wrong way. To know when you should stop, you must have metrics to gauge if you are productive enough.
Mute your work messaging apps.
You are living in a generation where everyone is online. You feel compelled to do the same, as this is what people at work are doing. However, you need to draw a clear line between your work and me-time. Respect yourself on weekends or holidays by muting your messaging apps. Be transparent with your boss and officemates that you do not want to be disturbed during your time-off. Also, make it a personal rule not to check your work emails while out of town or merely staying at home to relax.
Focus on what you love.
When you are an overworking professional, downtimes and break times may feel foreign. You may have this “separation anxiety” from your work, and you don’t know what to do. In this regard, you need to find a hobby or a pursuit that will excite and thrill you.
You deserve it!
You should always remind yourself that your productivity does not define you. So, you may want to take a break regularly, or else you will feel burned out sooner than you think. Do not let society make you feel guilty about your break or holiday. After all, you have already worked hard-and you deserve that time-off!
