We’re a few weeks into Lockdown now, like many of us I’ve been keen to keep myself busy.
Staying connected with the #ArtzFamily and community, continuing training on my apprenticeship and taking part in some personal development of my own. It has actually been very easy to stay busy! Not only that but it has been easy to stay productive (I think there’s a difference between busy and productive… they’re not synonymous… but that’s for another Chapter).
So then, you may be asking what’s the problem? Well the problem has been one I’ve actually really struggled to overcome, and one I’m still wrestling with – burnout! I love what I do, but sometimes I forget that doing too much of anything can be unhealthy, and counter productive. In fact, science backs that up; researchers have found that ‘work overload’ can decrease productivity by 68%. Honestly… that statistic terrified me! It shows that working too much could actually mean producing less work… rendering that extra time and effort pointless.
Now I know what you might be thinking ‘why’s this guy got an issue with working less… is there something wrong with him?!’ I should emphasise just how much I genuinely love what I do as an apprentice. When I’m investing my spare time into the Artz Centre, it isn’t because my boss has told me to, or because it means my paycheque increases, it is because I enjoy it.
The other day though, I received some sage advice from somebody I look up to a lot, I’m sure they won’t mind me sharing it with you. After one of our ‘Artz Quiz Nights’ I got a very honest message, and part of it read
‘tonight Joe, you looked absolutely worn out’.
I didn’t take offence, I wasn’t hurt – definitely not, because they were right! I took a look at myself and saw someone who looked as if they’d just dragged a train across the country with their bare hands. Plus taking a minute to assess and reflect on my mood, it was so apparent that I was feeling completely drained.
That advice has done me some real good recently, because to rectify it I’ve been sure to find time for myself in and amongst all the craziness going on. I’ve had to put in a conscious effort to unwind sometimes. I don’t mean ‘its taken effort to move a sun lounger into a prime location and make myself a drink’ instead, I’m talking about how I feel like I’ve trained my brain to think productively. To constantly asses ‘what can I be working on right now’. To as often as possible look for the optimum way of working. So getting myself to trigger the ‘off switch’ so to speak, that is what has taken effort.
My tip for doing that, for anyone wondering, is that I’ve sort of tricked, but not tricked, my mindset. When I find myself in scenarios where I’m trying to switch off, but my brain is telling me to stay busy and work on something, I remember that by changing gears and taking time to recharge, I’m actually working on myself!
So that’s something I’ve been doing often at the moment. I’ve blocked time in my day to just read for pleasure, I’ve played with my younger brothers (how awesome is kinetic sand by the way… WOW) I’ve been rewatching one of my favourite TV shows again.
One of my favourite things I’ve done though, was when I chose to pause work for the night, and instead spend my evening (which turned into the early morning) in an absolutely great conversation over ZOOM with old and new friends. There was an eerie sense of actually being together, talking late into the night even though we were miles away from each other. I know that had I not seized that opportunity, and chose to work instead… I’d have 100% regretted it.
To sum up. I’m learning that its not a bad thing for me to not always be working. If I am worn out, and overworked, that is doing nobody any favours. So sometimes it is essential to make time to work on and invest in myself, if I do that, my work on everything else will be benefit tenfold.
P.s. incase nobody coined on… I absolutely stole the title of this chapter from ‘Hamilton’ but I’m fairly certain they stole it from Kit Kat… so I’m just paying it forward 🙂