It's OK To Stop

Are you looking forward to a ‘shutdown’?

Ready for the break and wishing it would get here sooner?

Looking at your pile of work and wondering how the hang you will get it all done in time?

This is an odd time of year. Christmas carol music wafting from every shop, people rushing around, shutdown notices being sent to clients, Christmas gifts being delivered, planning holidays, all add to a mixture of fun, excitement, relief, frustration, pressure and expectation.

Looking from the outside it is questionable whether people are slowing down or speeding up into this ‘shutdown’ period.

What plans do you have?

Looking back I have to plead guilty to filling the weeks of ‘shutdown’ so full it feels like you go back to work for a break. Over the years I have tried a myriad of different ways to enjoy this well deserved break - even including working through it on the premise that it would mean I could start the next year “on top of things.” 

The learnings I have taken from these various experiences can be summed up in a simple statement: “It’s OK to stop!”

Actually it is not just ok, it is necessary. 

The secret lies in understanding what to stop. Some people are active relaxers and like to do things that make use of different parts of their brain. Some like to stop and turn off from the world, waking late and enjoying ‘chill’ days with a book under a shady tree on the beach for the summer break. Some enjoy sightseeing. You will know what helps you to truly unwind.

Therein lies the “stopping” secret. Stop things that wind you up and get you into ‘drive’ mode, get you thinking, churning and strategising how to do business better/differently. To borrow an old computer phrase - allow your brain time to “defrag” - time to take all the fragments of woulda, coulda, shoulda’s and file them. Ensure you are refilling the reservoir that you will draw down on through the coming year.

For me, the stopping looks like removing all news apps from my phone, removing the LinkedIn app from my phone, cleaning my desk and piles of paper and then closing the office door until we open. The operational side of work stops.

The dreaming, wondering, imagining continues. Without operational pressure, it flourishes. We DIY to our heart's’ content; garden, travel, read, learn, make memories and have fun. We know we have done it right when we get towards the end and have ‘itchy feet’ to get back to work. 

May you find your way to stop and refuel over this period. We are looking forward to it and will catch up with you in 202!

Here’s to an amazing time of R’n’R (resting and relaxing!)