The Importance of Catching Your Breath

Sep 11, 2012 business

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Do it. Catch your breath. Sit in one spot. Don’t reach for your phone. Look at the sky. Clear your mind.

Was it hard? You bet it was!

A couple weeks ago, I took a weekend where I didn’t do anything on the computer. I traveled, visited family, did one of my hobbies actually(!wow!) and just relaxed. Sunday night, about 30 minutes before I went to bed, I finally felt actually relaxed. Monday morning I was ready to go again. But since I hadn’t caught my breath, it took me that long to settle down.

It’s OK to catch your breath.

I felt guilty a lot of the time. I have all these side projects, I have work, I have projects at home, I have writing to do. I just never felt done. But I took a little time off and it was a good thing. I felt re-energized.

There’s added benefit, too. Let’s take a breather with our work projects. Here’s why:

Reflection on the positive. Sometimes it can be hard to reflect on all that you have accomplished when you are always going forward with work. Its very useful to do this reflection, however. It helps you be energized, feel successful, and re-empowers you to build even greater things.

Bug fixes! Who doesn’t like to fix a bunch of bugs. When you take a breather, you can focus on this too. Just take a bit of time from pushing forward, and shore up your sand castle. Remember what they say about a foundation made of sand…

It’s ok. Just, catch your breath.