Do You Need A Break?
Do you need a break?
Today we want to talk about how you can take an intentional break & how to actually make it happen! Thankfully taking a break isn’t as impossible as it may sound.
Whatever stage you’re at, whatever you’re currently working on — we want you to know that it IS possible to take a break! There is a way to schedule in time for a break! You might find that it’s not neglecting your work, projects, goals or responsibilities, but is actually exactly what you need to work more effectively later.
The important thing when taking a break is:
Figuring out what you need
Learning how you can offer that to yourself and
Making sure you use your break intentionally
This is really a theme for everything we teach at The Progress Project. We’re constantly working towards a balance of growth and grace.
For the last while we’ve been really heavy on growth and less on grace for ourselves so we’d love to share how we’re going to take an intentional break this month in December and how you can do the same.
Here are 3 questions to ask yourself to take an effective & intentional break.
What do I need from my break?
What will my break look like?
How can I make this break happen?
What do I need from my break?
It’s important to ask yourself, “What do I need a break FROM?”
Is it something physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, family life or a combination of a few? We’ve found it helpful to write out each category and then fill in how we could take a break from that. Ex. Taking a break mentally: a break from projects and tasks and planning and problem solving.
We know a lot of our listeners are similar to us and have creative work, projects, or businesses that they love devoting time to. If that’s you, you may need a break from that work OR you may need to use that work AS the break!
Maybe you need a break from your schedule/calendar. How could you keep the calendar open for this month, especially while kids are out of school?
Maybe you need a break from housework and cleaning. You might not think that’s possible but I bet there’s a way. ;)
Maybe you need a break from everyone and need an Introvert Retreat.
2. What will my break look like?
This question helps you picture what your break could look like. How can you offer yourself what you need?
This is a great time to pull out your journal or a scrap piece of paper & jot down ideas of what your break could actually look like.
Ex. This is what Kristin’s break is looking like this month:
No new work projects. Only working in maintenance mode that doesn’t require a ton of thinking. How can I feel productive and useful and progress outside of work?
Keep getting up early but changing my early mornings from work time to self care time (yoga, scriptures, walks, reading, etc.)
While kids are at preschool… work a little but mostly do whatever I want
A consistent meditation and yoga practice
3. How can I make this break happen?
So once you know what you need a break from & what you want your break to look like, now it’s time to prepare for your break. How can you actually make your break happen?
*In addition to taking a self-imposed break, this would also work for maternity leave, vacation time, etc.
Give yourself permission to stop for a bit & plan out the actions steps you need to take to make it happen.
Ex. Here’s how Kristin is making her break happen:
Take the rest of December off from putting out the podcast
Mental prep and planning so that my projects wrap up by the time my break starts
What does each project need to finish up or get to a stopping point?
Working ahead a bit (if it doesn’t add stress)
Batching podcast episodes
We hope this helps you know that it is possible to take a break, you just need to give yourself the permission. We hope you feel well rested & rejuvenated after your break and can’t wait to see what great things you accomplish next year!
We’re excited to take a break from the podcast for the rest of December, but don’t worry we’ll be back first thing in 2021 with a bunch of great new episodes and some fun changes and updates!
In the meantime here are some of our favorite past podcast episodes you should check out if you’ve missed them.
Want to listen in on our conversation?
Click below or on apple podcasts & choose episode 145 to listen to the full podcast episode.
You can also search The Progress Project on any podcast app including Spotify!
Podcast Ep. 145 Do You Need A Break?
One theme we always return to at The Progress Project is balancing growth and grace. If you’ve been in a season of a lot of growth, maybe it’s time for a break?
Listen to learn:
How to make a break actually happen
3 questions to ask yourself to prepare for an effective break
What you actually need from a break (and how to make sure you get it)
Links Mentioned
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No drama. No extra fluff. Just goodness for your creative self!
If you liked this topic, you’ll really love these blog posts & podcast episodes!
Ep. 136 How To Take An Introvert Retreat
