Hiatus: Removing Yourself
I've removed myself from the computer for a while, only using it to research odd curiosities here and there (like looking up the histories of certain television shows) and to continue managing my finances and searching for real estate investments. I've even taken a break from my hobby of recording music with my computer (much to the chagrin of my bass guitar-playing buddy...sorry Bryan!). But it is a much needed hiatus. I was focusing too much of my time on one area of my life, and not enough on others. The term "burn-out" comes to mind.Priority number one?How do you manage your time to include the things you want to get done? Prioritizing is necessary. All too often most people who have lots of ideas run into the trouble of trying to do everything at once. Most of the time, this leads to getting very little done in the end, or least having the feeling of being pressured to get things done.In the nursing field, organization is key to proper patient care and being able to leave for home in a timely manner. There are several things to do for each patient, and when there are 6, 7, or 8 patients to care for, at times not even a 12-hour shift can be enough time to do what must be done. An unorganized person quickly learns how to be a better organizer after becoming a nurse.However, I won't recommend that you become a nurse in order to be a better manager of your time. In fact, personal development blogger Steve Pavlina has a great article on an approach he takes to time management and prioritization. It's adapted from a military tool, and Steve does a great job in showing how it can be used and applied in managing your own priorities. Known as the CARVER matrix, the tool enables you to quantify (i.e., place a numerical value) pressing issues and helps you to decide what items on your list of priorities should be handled first.But I'll discuss something that is first order, even before you get to prioritizing.Mundane MondaysDespite loving "something", people can still get "tired" of it. Not that you ever want that "something" to disappear, but humans have the ability to become desensitized to the mundane. Think of a job, a hobby, or even a relationship you might have been involved in. With jobs, it's easy to develop "robot-like" actions, especially if your work requires the same routine day in and day out. Hobbies can become frustrating when you feel like there isn't much more you can apply to make it feel like new. Even relationships go through peaks and troughs, with troughs being something like having the same discussions over the same dinners week after week, for example.Breaking awayA strategy for sprucing up a routine and breaking away from the mundane starts with taking a break; a hiatus of some sort. It doesn't have to be long, but it can be. It's been weeks since I picked up my guitar, and I'm starting to miss it. But the point is that in order to get away from the "same-old-same-old," you must first stop the routine.In the case of your job, I mean taking a vacation (if you want to keep your job...otherwise, you'd just quit and find another). Last summer, I went on a much needed vacation...a cruise through the western Caribbean. It came at a point when I was ready to throw in the towel at work. But when I got back, not only was I ready to be a nurse again, but I had re-energized my physical, spiritual, and mental battery packs to the point where I decided to start a company, start a blog, and start taking more action toward personal freedom. Creatively, I was on a rampage. I was so refreshed from my break from work that I was seeing more opportunities and outlets to express my creativity and apply to my skills than ever before.For relationships, when I say take a break, I don't mean the kind of break that Ross and Rachel took on the television show "Friends." I mean putting a stop to what is certainly contributing to feeling burned-out in your relationship. Instead of knowing what to expect next evening at dinner, do something different and meaningful. Light candles and sit at the table instead of in front of the TV. Turn the TV off. Sit on the couch and listen with intention to your partner's issues for the day. Call up some friends and have an impromptu dinner party. Take a hiatus from the routine in your relationship. It's guaranteed to breathe new life into your relationship.Benefits of the hiatusTaking a hiatus can be life changing. You may never do things the same way again. The break that occurs offers you the time and opportunity to replenish the energy that was drained by the mundane. It also gives you the opportunity to look at things in your life differently, and to take action in trying out new methods of coping, management, and gaining new experiences. It refreshes your mental schema in order to move ahead in life.Even the self-imposed hiatus I put upon myself in terms of blogging every day has allowed me to recapture the spirit and intention of my efforts on this venture. I no longer feel pressured to come up with something to write everyday. I'd rather just let the moment take over and write when I feel prepared and not pressured to do it just to do it. The freed up time has allowed me to focus on other projects and areas in my life that need nurturing in order to grow. The hiatus is working for me because I can feel my motivation for personal growth and freedom increasing (again), and can see it manifesting in areas that I am taking action in.With renewed energy, you will be in a better position to take advantage of using prioritizing methods like the CARVER method mentioned above. This is because with renewed energy comes renewed clarity. What you really want in life becomes clearer when your physical , spiritual, and mental states are at peak performing capabilities. This is what taking a break can do for you. Don't let burn-out prevent you from doing what you want to get done, whether its in your career, in your relationships, or with your hobbies.-RY
What an interesting post! I remember when I was a stockbroker on Wall Street during the late eighties/early ninities, that was all I did in those days. Literally 100 percent of my time and energy was focused on this job.
It got to the point where I HAD TO TAKE A VACATION and so I did. I would go to Flordia for a week or a long weekend. It was during one of those "breaks" I had a spiritual revelation and discovered that my destiny was not to be a stockroker, buying and selling stocks all day long, but to become a motivational speaker and writer!
So your article about taking a break was well done. It reminded me the value of breaking away and coming back refereshed.
Hey, I'll bet you'd have some interesting things to say about how you've dealt with adversity. Would you be interested in participating in a tagging experiment over at Adversity University? Check it out and feel free to share your wisdom on how you've dealt with adversity since no one, NO ONE is immune from it.
http://adversityuniversity.blogspot.com/2007/06/secrets-of-dealing-with-adversity.html
Thanks!
Stephen Hopson
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Thanks for stopping by, Stephen. I was starting to wonder whether or not i was the only one that felt this way. I hope the change in your life direction has been a fulfilling one.
I'll stop by your site, and try to think of something relevant for your experiment. Thanks for the invite!
-RY
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so nice story!
i have enjoyed my visit
something about the time manmagement are very important.
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Glad you enjoyed my post. Hope it helps you get what you want in life. It's helping me.
-RY
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Oh definitely - your topic was most definitely timely, absolutely! I hope you will participate in my tagging experiment over at Adversity University because I am really curious to see how you and the bloggers you tag deal with adversity. We are all touched by it. Hope to hear from you soon! The instructions for tagging is at the above link (click my name above, I think)
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i am agree with you .^_^
keep writing somthing everyday for the same
opinion!
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