Perfect Self-Management in 52 Weeks:
Don’t Super-Size your Day!
Why do we still feel rushed, even though we have more leisure time than
workers 100 years ago? We spend less time in food preparation, household
chores, laundry and shopping for goods and services than we did in the past.
Watching television eats up almost half the average American’s free
time, Robinson and Godbey report. Free time is the time we feel we can choose
to spend as we wish.
Don’t try to cram more into each free hour. Stop multi-tasking (watching
TV/computer and smart phone at the same time). Allow yourself real down time.
Everybody loves vacation. What about the concept of taking
mini-vacations each and every day? You can even „go on vacation“ without even
leaving your desk.
The Two-Minute Break
I got a kick out of this website. I wish it was a video – the movement
of the water would be trance-inducing!
Stop the world, I want to get off!
Yes, I know. We can’t always whip out a hammock and chill for an hour.
You can de-stress in a few minutes if you’d just take the time. Your brain will
work better afterwards so you „make up for lost time“ by going into calm mode occasionally
during the day.
Use calm.com and you can even stay at your workplace. Plug in your
earphones so you don’t disturb your neighbors, though. This site even has an
iPhone app! I loved “Love is Surrender" by Kip Mazuy. The video of moving clouds
is relaxing and the music calming.
Well, I can’t really recommend this as a two-minute break because you
COULD get addicted to it! The site invites you to create interactive generative
art and probably activates the right side of the brain, the seat of your
creativity. I can imagine doing this just before falling asleep! At NIGHT, I
mean!!!
Rain for Me is cool but it made me want to run to the toilet…
Yet, if rain is your thing for cooling down, this is a great site for
relaxing. If you are feeling tied up in knots, you might let it run while you
are working on other things.
Oh, oh. Trance inducing! You might not use this before driving or giving
a speech. OMG – turn that OFF! I am fall-ing…
is a nice sight. I wonder if it would be even better if the reassuring
affirmation you can read would be spoken by a lovely low voice. Ummm.
aww, this is nice.
If you are a travel fan, use this video for a two minute break: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xzoiv0_take-a-two-minute-break-to-de-stress-and-relax_lifestyle
Exercise and stress: Get moving to manage stress
Exercise in almost any form
can act as a stress reliever. Being active can boost your feel-good endorphins
and distract you from daily worries.
A walk to and from the toilet,
a quick trot up the steps, a jog around the building take less than ten minutes
yet offer important stress relief. Exercise even improves your mood! A gentle
walk before bed can improve your sleep, which is often disrupted by stress and
anxiety.
Active Meditation
Meditation is an umbrella term for the many ways to a relaxed state of
being. There are many active types of meditation and relaxation that have
meditation components. All share the same goal of achieving inner peace.
Yoga
Yoga has so many health and stress-reducing benefits. Check out this
video. Now, how long would it take to do these exercises during a break at
work? http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/yoga/MM00650
Tai chi
Meditation in motion is a lovely description of tai chi. This is a form
of gentle Chinese martial arts. In tai chi (TIE-chee), you perform a self-paced
series of postures or movements in a slow, graceful manner while practicing
deep breathing. My brother swears
that Tai Chi has gotten him through many stressful times. I’ve often seen him
out in the yard in the morning, going through his forms. It seems to be a great
training for the body as well as soothing for the mind.
Some people prefer qigong.
This practice generally combines meditation, relaxation, physical
movement and breathing exercises to restore and maintain balance. Qi gong
(CHEE-gung) is part of traditional Chinese medicine.
Mindfulness is the act of
being intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling at every moment —
without interpretation or judgment.
Spending too much time
planning, problem-solving, daydreaming, or thinking negative or random thoughts
can be draining. You lose awareness of what is going on in yourself. Warning
signs may not be noticed early enough.
Day 1: Set a timer for one hour. When it rings, get up, stretch, open a
window and B-R-E-A-T-H. Set the timer again. This time when it rings, take a
toilet break. March there at a good pace, do your thing, march back and take a
large drink of pure water.
Use the timer to take a break every hour. You won’t lose time, you’ll
gain concentration and energy.
Day 2: Today, try alternating quiet two-minute breaks using one of the
websites mentioned above (http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/
) with active breaks. Listening to your favorite song can be a good energy
booster. You can listen to soft music or songs that will make you feel relaxed
or listen to motivating, lively music. Close your eyes and be completely
immersed in listening to the song.Take a break every hour or hour and a half.
Bosses should know how important short breaks are for productivity.
Day 3: Turn off your phone, voice mail, answering machine, e-mail notifier,
social media or whatever every 1 ½ hours. Exercise gently in front of an open
window, if you can. Leave your office for a short while. Studies have shown
that we recuperate in ten minutes so don’t take 30 minute breaks. More short
breaks are most effective.
If it's not possible to take a walk, you can just get up from your chair and stretch your body. Move your legs and hands a little, rotate your neck in circles, or try to bend and touch your toes.
Day 4: After hours of continuous work without taking a break, our eyes
feel dry and sleepy.A few minutes away from the screen will relax your eyes.
You might even use moisterizing eye drops.
If you don't meditate, you can still close your eyes for few minutes and
just relax on your desk or take a small nap if you must. Especially after
lunch. Hold your keys in one hand, let yourself doze off until the hand relaxes
and you drop the keys. That wakes you up and you have enjoyed a PowerNap, which
can get you through the next few hours.
Day 5: Sometimes, the best ideas come to the mind when you don't think
about your work. This is because the problem is always there in our
subconscious mind. Just the right circumstances triggers the solution.
Sometimes, it's necessary to change the routine in order to have fresh ideas.
Of course, you are taking regular breaks by this time, yes? Is there a
way you can take a short walk around the building, once in the morning and once
in the afternoon? The fresh air is so good for your brain and your body plus
the movement gets rid of kinks.
Go Do It!
Now that you are ready for the weekend, review this last week. Have you
noticed a positive difference in your energy level and mood? Take the feeling
of inner peace into the weekend. Now you know that a good break makes you more
productive and is good for your mental and physical well-being.
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