Grind, Grind, Grind

We’ve all heard about how important it is to grind, grind, grind, no days off, and all of that. If you want to live your fullest life, there is some truth to that. But should there be a balance between hard work, and rest and relaxation? Or should your whole life be one big push to the finish line…wherever and whenever that is?

Burn Out

Burn out is a real danger, and if you don’t take the time to rest, reset and re-calibrate it will definitely happen to you. I have been there, and it is a progress killer. In the end I was running full steam ahead on my side projects and side hustles for months at a time, but I was making no progress, I was becoming temperamental and easily frustrated. At some point I couldn’t get anything done and eventually everything simply ground to a halt. Funny thing, after I decided to take an indefinite siesta from my side hustles, my mood improved. My mental clarity returned, along with my motivation, and many mental blocks that I’d been beating my head against for several weeks deteriorated. I decided that I would get back on the proverbial horse, but I would not sacrifice my mental health in the process.

That decision seems to have made all the difference. I don’t work at a break neck pace and I still take enough time off to remember that I have things to enjoy, yet I am making far more progress. The “work hard now, relax later” mentality can be taken to a very detrimental extreme. I the end, you will not be able to relax at all, you will have just worked your life away.

Now that I’ve talked about how important it is to not overload yourself, I want to also make it clear that this isn’t an excuse to not push forward just because you don’t want to or because it makes you feel stressed. Stress is something to overcome, not necessarily shy away from. It is actually good for people to subject themselves to some stressors in life.

Time Off

What you want to do instead, is schedule your time off. I make sure that I have one day a week that I don’t work on my business life. Sometimes I’m a bit lax about it though, depending on how I feel. I might knock out a simple item because I want to, not because I feel like I have to. Just knowing that I have a day off coming every week helps lower my stress levels. It gives me the ability to focus on the task at hand instead of wondering when this work cycle will end.

Create a Life Vision

Another vital change that I made that makes me more productive and much less stressed, is that I created a life vision for myself. Part of my problem before, was that I was making goals but I didn’t have an overall plan. I ended up wasting a lot of time and energy throwing ideas at my life hoping something would stick, instead of knowing exactly where I want to end up, and referencing that vision for what plans and ideas would be the most effective, and which are just going to delay me or take me off course.

“All work and no play…”

It is hard, relentless and uncomfortable work going from where you are to where you want to be. Thoughtful planning and foresight combined with hard work and dedication is going to take you much farther than just hard work will. But if you want maximum efficiency, add in a rest day so that you life doesn’t become a chore. After all, “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. You might get there with just hard work…but why would you want to? Take these steps to help you work better and not wear out.

• Make a life vision and use it to guide what you work on
• Ensure that you have time for R&R scheduled for yourself
• Don’t make excuses for yourself, even though you are giving yourself the rest you need to not burn out.

Here is a good article about burnout. It covers more symptoms and strategies for those who are interested.

Keep on crushing your goals, don’t give up, and make sure you are taking care of yourselves along the way!