Confession: My Birthday Month of Rest felt like it was on life support about mid-way through August. I led too many events for others and did not schedule enough time for myself. I struggled with Facebook Ads nonsense and wasn’t able to get as many email signups as I would have liked for the month. And, although this isn’t directly about the Birthday Month festivities, two potential clients said no to my proposals because they say I charge too much. (That’s a tough topic for another blog post.)
Those challenges and disappointments, however, breathed a little life into my resolve to revamp the way I schedule my work and structure my business. I figured out how to take more short, simple breaks that left me more refreshed than I imagined.
I worked using the Pomodoro Technique. This wasn’t entirely new, but the practice of doing virtual co-working with colleagues using the 25 minutes of work, 5 minutes of break rhythm suggested by the Pomodoro Technique yielded more productivity, a clearer mind and happier body.
I made more time to get moving. I went swimming with friends (which was SO lifegiving) and made more time for taking walks. My body is very grateful for this change.
I started shutting my computer off at the end of every day. Instead of lingering over work from the couch when I am watching TV or reading in the evening, I finished my work, planned my next day, and shut it down. I found that I felt much better rested the next day. And, you know what? I still managed to get done what I needed to get done.
I spent more time with friends. I spent a day in an amusement park. I shared meals with friends just to talk about … stuff. I went to the aforementioned swimming session. This was perhaps the best thing about the whole month.
These breaks have boosted my energy enough to make space for some creative thinking, too. I’m doing a better job with budgeting, planning a big website update, streamlining my community packages, and planning a new retreat on dealing with burnout.
It’s amazing how even a little downtime makes space for so much inspiration! I’m going to do my best to keep taking breaks, with the help of the Defy the Trend Community!
Do you need to breathe life into your work-life balance? Get the free sampler of my Defy the Trend Community package, including a free restorative yoga class, recorded meditation downloads and limited access to a vibrant, growing online community.
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