We live in a society that historically applauds overwork: being busy is a badge of honour. We fear “laziness”. The irony is, switching off is actually really good for your work; in fact, research has shown the importance of psychologically detaching from work on a daily basis. However, resting doesn’t necessarily mean sleeping, or lying down, doing “nothing”. It means prioritizing doing things for you. A satisfying, healthy, and productive life includes a mix of work, play, and love, that integrates a range of life activities which express a person’s unique wishes, interests and values. Below are 7 reasons why time off is essential for your wellbeing and why boredom is good for you.
Reclaim Your Time Off
Working All Hours Doesn’t Equal Productivity - The more you work, the less effective and productive you become over both the short and long term, a 1980 report from the Business Roundtable suggests. Just look at Luxembourg, who recently implemented a 30-hour week and make more money than those of us working longer weeks. We could all learn from that!
Helps Build Better Boundaries - When we say yes to everyone else’s requests, we don’t have time for what is important to us. If you find yourself being over-whelmed and too busy, chances are you need to say “no” more. Go inwards and ask yourself what you really want before agreeing to do something you don’t want to do. Boundaries are an essential part of your toolkit when it comes to reclaiming your time off.
Improved Focus - In order to get absorbed and engaged in what you’re doing, you need to rest. “Not all hours are created equal,” states one of my favourite books, Winning Without Losing. You don’t have to sacrifice fun, friends and happiness to be successful; instead, it suggests controversially squeezing your day’s work into one focus hour: deep work, with no distractions, just like an in-tensive non-stop workout, you’ll achieve far more for it.
Greater Fulfilment - Sabine Sonnentag’s 2012 studies on Psychological Detachment, demonstrate that employees who experience more detachment during off- hours are more satisfied with their lives and experience fewer symptoms of psychological strain, without being less engaged at work. When you are out of office, make sure you really are out of office.
Better Mental Health - The pressure we put on ourselves to strive for success can have a tremendously powerful impact on our mental health. Our nervous systems are not built to handle being constantly in fight-or-flight mode, and while the rush of “achievement” or busyness can appear appealing at first, it’s often peace and calmness that we really crave and that nourishes us. Take plenty of time off, your mental health will thank you for it.
A Richer Life - Reframe what time off means in the context of your life. In the words of Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, in his book Rest, “A life that takes rest seriously is not only a more creative life. When we take the right to rest, when we make rest fulfilling, and when we practice rest through our days and years, we also make our lives richer and more fulfilling.”
Boredom is Good for You - Reconnecting with boredom can be incredibly beneficial, not just for our mental health – for switching our brains out of “doing” and into “being” and for soothing our nervous systems – but also for our creativity. Studies clearly back this up, suggesting that activities like walking can improve both productivity and creativity, encouraging people to focus on what truly matters without any form of distractions.
Make time to just be this week, and look at how you’ll be reaping the benefits in the long run.
Fab Giovanetti is an award-winning entrepreneur, writer and marketing consultant. Reclaim Your Time Off is her second book, published on May 11th by Watkins Media. Fab is the founder of Creative Impact Group, a collective of hundreds of creatives making a positive impact on others and the planet. Through her community and her work at Alt Marketing School, she has touched over 100,000 people from all over the world.
https://fabgiovanetti.com