Making the Most of Time Off

For some, Labor Day can’t come quick enough to enjoy time with family and friends, or work on something that adds value to their life. And for others, it’s just another long weekend that could postpone goals professionally. I don’t think either mindset is wrong. However, I think there may be an in-between that both driven and family-focused professionals can adopt to get the most out of time off. Breaks in our typical work routine are not only good for our personal lives, but they can also improve things at work. The longer gaps between meetings allow peers to be more creative and productive for the next time you connect.

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Before I get into the nuts and bolts of making the most out of your time off, I want to give you some background on my experience, just to see if you can relate.

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Early in my career (say 2016 timeframe), I felt the need to be “always on”- connected to emails, texts, calls, and any communication that might come from someone I am working with, or plan to work with soon. This was great for the client experience; however, it took away the energy I needed to grow my business, maintain my health, and enjoy any time off with my wife and friends. I used to overvalue my weekends during this time because I would unplug completely; which meant no email, no planning for next week, no writing a newsletter, and not working out or doing things that related to my health and fitness. It was like I needed to escape from the work-life because it was draining me so much. A mindset shift happened for me when I had my first son in 2018. I need to integrate the things that fueled me personally into my work week, which has allowed me to avoid the exhausting always-on or always-off mentality.

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I share this to say; to make the most of our time off, we cannot push ourselves to our MAX during our time on. Sure, there are “go hard in the paint” days, but those need to be balanced with days that allow you to exercise, eat well, get good sleep, and connect with your most meaningful relationships. When we do that during our work weeks, I believe we can provide more effectively. This week, try implementing the suggestions below:

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Quiet Your Mind- Our brains are extremely powerful and use a lot of energy (calories we eat to fuel our brain activity). Letting the brain unplug is essential. This is much easier said than done, and I don’t think meditation works for everyone. Things like getting into nature, submerging yourself in water, and focusing on your five senses while doing activities are all great ways to quiet the mind.

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Plan Your Progress- We all have goals in life, and those who achieve them write them down, make time for them and put the proper communication and boundaries in place to make sure you can make the time.

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Reflect & Dream- Longer breaks away from our day-to-day work allow reflection and goal-setting space. Take this time to reflect on how far you’ve come this year and set your sights high to finish the year strong.?

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone- Last week, I took a quick trip down to Tucson and decided to explore with my 4yr old son and 16 yr old brother. We went to Sabino Canyon, which I hadn’t been to in over a decade, and it was pretty far outside my comfort zone to lead the guys through a trail that I hadn’t done before. But guess what? The unknown made it fun, exciting, and challenging.?

I hope you find a few things to do this upcoming weekend that you consider an adventure, and please reply and let me know what you plan to do!

Your partner in health,?

Drew Saenz

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are two ways I can help you reduce your workload and help your people improve their health!

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No Cost Employee Health & Fitness Survey- Find out what your employees want to engage in based on the available benefits and resources.?Email me at [email protected] with No Cost Survey in the subject line, and we will get your survey all set.

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Schedule a Fitness & a Wellness Workshop- This is a simple way to engage your team that is low cost, high value, and other than a few emails back and forth, there is no extra work for you and your team to execute.?If you’re interested,?email me at [email protected] with Workshop in the subject line, and I will send you a library of content to review, as well as pricing.