July 12, 2008
How Many of You Took the Day Off?
Last week I posted this question on Linked in, "How many of you took the day off on July 4th, if you live in the US?" Did you relax and rejuvenate yourself to bring new creativity to your work? Below is a wonderful answer I received from a new friend Pablo Rodriguez who is the Phoenix Executive VP of Education at National Society of Hispanic MBA's, a wonderful organization that I spoke at this spring. Below is his comment and my response.
Hi Arlene,
I absolutely believe in taking time away to recharge your batteries. A burnt out employee who is not happy is not truly a productive employee. Their creative juices aren't providing new ideas and their passion won't be behind their work. Trying to squeeze as much blood from a stone just creates more turnover and not a healthy environment. I think companies that encourage work life balance to avoid burnout is the way of the future.
Pablo
In my estimation, Pablo could not have said it better. Without rest and recharging of physical and mental batteries, individuals cannot bring creativity to their work environments. Production goes down and relationships suffer. The wise company is the one that considers better life balance for their companies.
Please comment and tell us your thoughts.
Arlene
Arlene Rosenberg is a coach for leading achievers helping them transition from corporate executives to entrepreneurs and/or climbing the corporate ladder.
Filed under Business Coaching, Life Balance, Motivational Speaking by Arlene
Comments on How Many of You Took the Day Off? »
Arlene - I took the day off. I started by calling a couple of folks I know in the military to just tell them thank you. Then I relaxed and enjoyed the phones not ringing and the low email Part of "relaxing' was puttering around the house doing the things I had let slide. That's my way of unwinding sometimes, too! It was good to get them done. Then later in the afternoon I went and played for a couple of hours. It was a good day.
Beth Terry
Hi Arlene,
My philosophy is that you should take time for yourself when you need it, not wait for a "day off" Relax, unwind and refresh when ever you want to. People should not get stuck in the 9-5 mentality. Make a point to schedule in some "you" time. Conversly, I love to work on days off. I get lots done because I don't "have to work" Maybe that's weird, but that's how I like it.
Susan
All work and no play has made us very dull! We spent the morning of July 4th sitting on lawn chairs watching Americana pass by … we were in Flagstaff at their annual parade. If you've never been, I totally recommend it. Children everywhere, make-shift floats, Boy Scouts, Military Heros including Code talkers, firetrucks, firemen, horses and dogs, too much fun. And very relaxing. Totally rewarding.
I completely agree! Life is a delicate balance between rest and work. When I become lopsided, I make more mistakes, become less tolerant (and more intolerable), and enjoy everything less so I start seeking pseudo-relaxation - like that extra glass of wine or one more piece of chocolate. Ultimately only the rest, fun, and restoration of time off can return that sense of balance.
I rarely take entire days off. And like, Susan, who responded above, I do take time off when I know I need it. It becomes apparent pretty fast. But I can get a lot done on the weekends, and I love my work, so I've just learned to mix it up. If something comes up, I take time off to be there and get it done.
Jackie