Six business-y reasons to stop working and start taking some ME time

Do you feel guilty about taking ME time?! Oh goodness, I do did. It’s hard to feel good about taking time off when you’ve got a massive todo list and not enough time, isn’t it? But here’s some good news! ME time is not a luxury, it actually makes your business better. MUCH better. Much, much better! Want to know more?! Here’s why…..

Six good reasons to take more ME time

Sometimes our commitment to getting stuff done and working ridiculous hours actually sabotages our business. Here are six ways that taking a break and having some ME time actually makes our businesses better! Hurrah!

1 It makes us more creative

We are more creative when we take breaks, real breaks, from work! Why? Well there are two reasons. The first is that our brains get exhausted by thinking hard for long periods of time, and when that happens we stop making the connections between unusual ideas which are the source of creativity.

The second is that we are more creative when we have higher levels of dopamine floating around our bodies. Dopamine is a chemical released naturally in the body when we are relaxed and happy. The more dopamine we have, the more creative we are.

So when we take ME time we actually return to work more creative!

2 It helps us make better decisions

Every day we make lots of decisions, some big and some small, but all these decisions tire our brain! When our brain is tired it doesn’t work very well and it kinda runs out of decision making energy. If you keep on working and making decisions when your brain is exhausted you’ll likely make poor decisions.

So stop work, have some ME time and let your decision making brain recuperate!

3 It gets you unstuck!

Here’s a funny thing. The harder you try to find a solution to a problem the trickier it seems to be to find it. Yes?!

The trick is to let your subconscious find the answer to the problem. Our subconscious brains are very good at spotting patterns and using these to solve problems, but we have to kinda let our subconscious get on with it! When we’re thinking hard about a problem we’re not letting our subconscious have a go. We’re actually getting in the way of solving the problem!

In fact the best thing to do when you are stuck is to stop thinking about the problem. So step away from your work, take some ME time, relax and let your subconscious whirr away in the background and find a solution!

 

4 It gives you perspective

When we’re totally absorbed in the daily-do it’s hard to get perspective on our businesses. So the little things (an abrupt customer, a snarky comment on Facebook, a phone call not returned) start to feel like a drama.

When this happens we need to get a bit of distance between ourselves and our businesses. We need to step out of the detail, get a bit of clarity and remind ourselves of the bigger picture. Taking a bit of ME time is the perfect solution!

5 It gets you motivated again

I think most of us get the occasional bout of slumpy-can’t-be-botheredness. Ugh, ugh, ugh. But funnily enough the best way to get back on top again is not to power on through but to take a break. Yup. Take a break. Few of us do this but it’s actually the quickest way to rediscover our motivation.

So the next time you’re feeling sluggish, take some me time and watch your energy bounce back!

6 Focus

Did you know we are more productive after a break?! Indeed! Our brains are not designed to focus hard on one thing for a long time so we don’t do it very well. Focussing takes willpower, and willpower depletes resulting in us making mistakes, becoming inefficient and generally feeling fed up! The only way to recharge willpower and get focussing again is to take a break. A good excuse for ME time, yes?!

We. Need. Breaks!

So, to run a good business we need breaks! And the most productive breaks aren’t folding the washing or making dinner, they are having a bit of ME time. Doing whatever relaxes and recharges YOU!

Final Word

The novelist Charles Dickens had a daily routine which saw him write from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m and then go for a very long walk. His walk was the time his conscious brain turned off and his subconscious started it’s processing. It was his ME time.  “If I couldn’t walk fast and far, I should just explode and perish,” he wrote.

See! See! ME time IS important!

MORE!

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