How was your weekend? Did you get everything done that you had planned?
I knew my weekend would be busy so I decided to take a day off on Thursday instead!
I went to the gym, played golf and then went out with a couple of mates for something to eat and a few beers in the evening. I don’t get the chance to do that often but only because I use my ‘points’ up on other stuff.
I mean, a bike ride at the weekend, football twice a week, some CrossFit and, possibly, a motorbike ride in the New Forest, all take points off the board, maybe into my overdraft!
There is only so much I can do, just for me, before I have to build up credit again and take others into consideration. It’s a fine art and I get it wrong at times and, even as I get older, and supposedly wiser, there are times I tip the balance the wrong way.
I can always rely on someone letting me know though. It could be a look, a comment or even just a gesture but I get the message, loud and clear!
We lead such busy lives I can sometimes find myself doing everything for everyone else and forget that I need space and some down time. Taking time to regenerate and recover is so important if we want to keep at optimal levels. I work with many companies that forget to make sure their employees take some time out. There is a cost associated with that…
Long hours, meeting after meeting, email hell, deadlines and, ever growing, targets to hit. It’s a tough life to get the balance right in life but I think we need to try. Often if we are up against it and don’t take the time to breathe, little things start to happen. A little sniffle becomes a full on illness, bags appear under the eyes, we get snappy and agitated at small things, we frown a lot and laugh a little.
If this sounds familiar then maybe you need a day off too. Why not spoil yourself and do something you really enjoy doing?
Like they say on the safety brief on flights “Please fit your own mask before helping others” It’s so true, how good am I to my family if I have no energy or am struggling to breathe?
Maybe I need another day off – time to book my spa day I think!