The Most Productive People Take Time Off
Monday, September 21, 2009 at 6:00AM | 2 Comments I didn't blog for a week. This isn't something new. Usually when it happens, it's because I'm lazy. This time, it was strategic.
Of course, I didn't know Matt Chevy was going to call me a Gen Y Rock Star. That meant a lot of people came here looking for good ideas - the kind that rock stars would come up with. Instead, they got a week-old post about community.
My self-imposed blogging dry spell also coincided with two weeks without running. That's right: the guy who's supposed to be running 12 half-marathons in 12 months decided to spend two weeks off of his feet.
Each rest was self imposed and well worth it. During my most recent half-marathon, my legs wanted to quit at mile 5. They were drained. Running three half-marathons in six weeks will do that to your legs. And, not blogging for a week allowed me to get a lot of work done in view of a busy October. I'll make more money from speaking and presenting in a single month than I ever have. But, it means I'll be slammed. Working ahead in other areas, however, meant this blog fell silent. That's a trade-off I'll always make (I don't get paid to blog, but I do get paid to speak).
What I've learned during each respite (blogging and running) is that productivity never equals activity. Many people spin wheels only to feel drained while actually accomplishing less. The most productive people I know use time wisely, focusing on the most important tasks in order to not just do more things, but do more of the right things.
Time off is good. Knowing why you're taking time off is better. What would you be better at if you abstained from it for a week?
Oh, I also cut my hair. So, if I'm supposed to meet with you this week, and you're not sure what I look like, here you go:
Reader Comments (2)
It's funny to stumble across this post just after returning from a self-imposed technology-free weekend that coincided with a retreat. I remembered that I was much more productive when I used to take a couple of hours a week to meditate than I've been recently; it lead me to suffer an extreme case of burn out.
We've operate in a society that tries to convince us that if we're not doing something "productive" every waking minute that there's something wrong with us. Maybe every once in a while we need to make sure that we take a moment to enjoy some singing in the rain.
Andre: Well said. I try my hardest to go sans laptop most weekends. And, I make sure to read "offline" things regularly, like books and magazines. A recharge of the batteries is always worthwhile.