The weather is warming. The plants are budding. The birds are singing. The seasonal allergies are flaring. Yes indeed, all signs point to…
This is important. Maybe more than ever. Last Spring Break was swallowed by uncertainty, denying us the opportunity to take some time to unload and unwind, so I repeat, this one is important. However, I am not going to write a diatribe about the value of stepping away from responsibilities to allow for personal time, relaxation, and rejuvenation because we all know this already. Instead, I am going to strongly emphasize that you take your own advice!
You know you have told a colleague to consider their work-life balance during the tenth hour of your work day.
You know you have, at least on occasion, marveled to another colleague, “When do you sleep?!” as you polish off your second cup of coffee and remember your solid 4.5 hours of sleep from the night before.
You know there have been times where you briefly second-guess ordering another bestseller from Amazon during your lunch break because the stack of books on your nightstand continuously reminds you of the time you don’t make have for pleasure reading.
And speaking of Amazon, you know there are times you suddenly remember how badly you need a new pen holder for your desk or a new pot holder for the kitchen, so you click away from email, type a couple key terms in the search bar, swirl in the rabbit hole of suggested and related items for longer than you intended, add a couple impulses to your cart, and satisfy that buried urge to have real time away from work with a burst of retail therapy.
Clearly it is time to really listen to yourself. Take a break…a Spring Break. Next week. At least a couple days. You deserve it and can make it happen.
If it helps, make a deal with yourself right now (like, read this part aloud and internalize it):
“Okay, self. Listen up. I am going to approach Spring Break differently this year because I want, need, and deserve to take a real break. So, I am going to put a few hours in on Monday and Tuesday to work through some email, catch up on my to-do list, and prep for the week after break. Then, I can have the rest of the week to focus on my life outside of work. Yeah, that is doable. Totally doable. Yeah! That’ll feel good. That’ll be nice. Yeah!”
See how pumped up you are now?! If you are not quite there yet, then read it again, and this time, more emphatically!
PS: Don’t forget to give your students a break too; they want, need, and deserve it as well.