Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That

Last week, Tiffany wrote a post here that you may have read, called The Power of Taking a Break. This particular post couldn’t have come at a better time for lots of you who responded in the comments, but also, it couldn’t have come at a better time for me. So today, I’m kind of piggy-backing on Tiffany’s post and sharing my thoughts on the subject…

Lately, there’s been a theme amongst the blog buds in my little circle and nearly everyone is saying the same thing. Me included. And that is this…”Man, I need a break!” or “I’m so busy I can hardly handle it.” or “What was I thinking when I agreed to add more to-dos to my already never-ending to-do list.”

We commit ourselves to too many outside projects and then go crazy trying to get them done before the deadline. Sound familiar?

The projects always get done, even if it means a few tears and a couple of sleepless (or almost sleepless) nights. But is it really worth it, if you end of pulling your hair out to get everything done?

And with all of us so quick to pile on the projects and interviews and online events and offline events and…well, you get the point…why doesn’t it also come naturally to pile on breaks throughout the day, build in more downtime, and plan (and actually take) a vacation every once in a while?

Ain’t nobody got time for that. Duh.

But really, what I should be saying is that nobody is MAKING time for that.

Of course, I understand why this happens because I do it too. When you’re running your own business, and you’re your own boss, and you’re the one responsible for making any (and all) of the cash coming in, it’s tough to say no when an opportunity pops up. You want to say yes to the things that will make you more money, help you achieve more ‘success’, get you more ‘exposure’, and maybe even a free ticket to XYZ.

But where does all that leave you, ultimately? Most likely, walking down the street to insanely busy town/ my house is a mess town / when will I regain my sanity town.

I don’t know about you, but I am done going down those roads. And I’m definitely done saying that I’ll take a break next month, when things slow down, only to realize that I’ve been saying that since January.

So tomorrow I’m taking a little trip to California with Jeff. Away from the computer. To squeeze in a little rafting, a day trip to Yosemite, and a quick visit with family before headed back home this weekend. FYI- I’ve already scheduled my posts for the rest of the week. So posting will continue as normal while I’m away.

I won’t be waiting for things to slow down on their own, I’m just going to force them to.

And I think that is the point I’m really trying to make here. We’re all busy. We all take on a whole heck of lot of stuff, that fills our schedules to the point of craziness. BUT we can change that pretty easily. And decide to stop, TAKE A BREAK, and let things go…for a few minutes, a few hours, or even a few days. AND even if your current to-do list is longer than Santa’s on Christmas Eve.

Just schedule it into your calendar, if it helps, and treat it as you would a client project. Downtime is just as important to your business as anything else. And trust me, those emails (and whatever else is on your to do list) will still be there when you get back.

Who knows, maybe you’ll even be excited to answer them once you’ve had a little time away.

So what do you say? Will you make time for a break in your busy schedule this month?

P.S. I found the image above, by Sara Eshak, thanks to this post from Gabriel of The Artful Desperado – great read on finding success in your 30s if you have a couple of minutes.