This is my week of rest. It is the week I imagined, when I began a very hectic schedule nearly 6 months ago. Living at the speed of life rarely provides such a luxury, but I programmed this one in, just to make sure I did not miss it.
I call it my "in-between" week. I use this week to ponder and meditate. I focus on my values and aspirations. I take inventory to make sure that I am engaging in activities that will help me become my best. I make sure that my future commitments are aligned with what I truly want out of life. I make adjustments when necessary and I prepare myself for the new adventures that are about to begin.
Pregnant Pauses
I don’t just sit around all day doing nothing. My rest weeks are actually very full, but they are filled with a different kind of busyness. I spend the majority of my time actively planning and thinking. To me, these are very creative moments. My brain and intellect are anxiously engaged in discovering how I will raise the bar. I want to take things to the next level, and the higher I go, the harder that becomes.
That is why this week is so important to me. My body and my soul are fatigued. The energy that continuous improvement requires taxes every part of my being. The renewal that this week yields is amazing. It always fills me with the desire to jump back into the game of life, without holding anything back. When the week ends, I feel alive with a desire to become. It is such a great gift to give myself.
Making It Happen
I am sure that most of us can relate to the feelings generated by a hectic and frenetic schedule. The are times when we wonder how we will ever make it through. In the moments when we are pressing forward with maximum energy, we often tell ourselves that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We convince ourselves that in a few weeks we will make our way through this hectic time and then we will be able to rest for a while before the next big project starts. Unfortunately, many of us never pause to take the break we need. For some reason, we worry that if we stop, we will be left behind. So we keep pushing ourselves forward, despite a promise, that we will get some rest, and then we wonder why we feel burnt out or burnt up.
Rest is an essential part of our plan for increasing our levels of productivity. We are the ones responsible for making sure we get it. I am not talking about taking a week off so that we can sit on the couch and completely vegitate. I am simply suggesting that we need to program gaps in our schedules that allow us recovering time.
It is possible to plan a lighter schedule at work. We can be there – we can be present, and we can afford ourselves the time we need to plan and think about how we will move our responsibilities forward. It is ok to put the heavy burdens down for a week so that we can revive ourselves.
Are you making sure that you build enough recovery time into your busy schedule? What are some activities that you enjoy doing to prepare yourself to raise your own personal bar? How do you renew your energy?
Please take some time to think about these questions and the ones they invoke in your own mind. Then create a plan to ensure the rest that you need to stay fresh and productive.
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