A Time for Rest
I was starting to lay out schedules and meetings for the rest of 2016 last night and couldn’t believe the summer has zipped by already. J and I were chatting over a glass of wine and reruns of Malcolm in the Middle and realized it had been two whole years since we took a real rest from this crazy pace of classes, kids, and work. It got me thinking about schedules, calendars, and intentionally blocking out time for rest.
Fear and Lack of Rest
I find that when you move frequently, it can often be accompanied by a lot of fear. The fear of losing clients and having to rebuild, fear of finding your place in a new area, and just the general fear of the unknown can cause us to feel like we have to work ten times hard than everyone else. The reality of this is that it often leads to burn out. We need rest to be creative. The lack of rest may feel like getting ahead but it really is just holding you back. Fear can be healthy in some cases but when it comes to a business that fear has to be held in check by being surrounded with periods of rest.
Finding Rest
So how do you find rest in the midst of constant cycles of moving? Preplan your rest times. Sit down with your calendar and plan ahead for moments of rest amidst the building. When you do this, you will find that you come back from those periods of rest, refreshed and more creative and focused than you were when you were running at ninety miles an hour every single day of the week.
- Build in a small time each day for rest, even if its a coffee break or trip to the gym
- Build in one day a week where you don’t touch email, internet, or the computer in any way
- Schedule a vacation once or twice a year
Finding Our Rest
After that chat the other evening, J and I made a decision to take a trip to DC this fall to enjoy some museums and monuments with the kids. A few days without work for either of us. We also made a point to plan out time for breaks throughout the rest of the year. Whether it is simply sitting at Barnes and Noble with a coffee or playing at the beach, our minds need that break. We are also cutting down on our blog schedule until September just to enjoy those last few days of summer. We will be back with our Moving without Fear series then. How will you find rest amidst the cycle of relocation?
