Working hard is often the advice people give to making your dreams come true. Working SMART and putting in some effort is definitely important, but so is TAKING A BREAK.
Why is Taking a Break So Important?
Have you ever crammed so many things into your day that you were so tired by the time dinner time rolled around, but still had so much on your list to do that you kept plugging away at it until bedtime? What happened? Did you notice that everything you tried to do after dinner time was slower, foggier, and more irritating? You were experiencing what happens if you don't take a break!
If you don't take a break to regenerate yourself, you are actually losing time. Your decisions start to be less impactful because they become less focused on the real goal, and they become just about getting something done. At some point you will stop and question yourself, "I feel like I have been working so hard, but what did I even accomplish?". This happens because your brain went into overdrive task mode and was overly focused on just ticking off to-do's but not focusing only on the most important priorities to get to your current goal. How do you make sure you to stay focused on the priorities so all your work and time is SMART work and not just hard exhausting work? You take a break!
Tip:
If you are starting to feel anxiety or a dreadful feeling or just simply exhausted, listen to what your body is trying to tell you! It's saying it's time for a break! And if you feel like you can't let it go... just get up and walk away. Take a deep breath, and then you can pick one of the fun things below to do or make up your own!
Some Great Break Ideas:
Take 10 min to look out the window and focus on your breathing
Soak up some sun and go for a short walk
Connect with friends, colleagues, and strangers with a call or quick bite
Craft something to exercise your hands and creativity
Sing or hum a song and take a drink break