Last week I was chatting about business with a friend and fellow entrepreneur. The conversation came around to productivity and getting things done. At some point I told her, “Some days I don’t work at all.”
“Really?!” she said. “Wow. That’s good to know. I wouldn’t have guessed that about you.”
I was shocked that she was shocked. Doesn’t everyone not work now and then (besides weekends)? I mean, I can’t go full throttle all day, every day, 5 days a week. When I worked at my corporate job, I pretended I worked full throttle, but I didn’t. I went to yoga over lunch. I spent time during the day chatting with friends. I would sneak outside to go for a walk. I left really early on Fridays. Working full-on for 40+ hours a week would have killed me.
40 hours a week isn’t reasonable
When I work, I work. I’m on. And I can’t be on 40+ hours each week. It’s not possible. No one can. At least, not without making huge sacrifices to health, mental and emotional well-being, and creativity.
When I honor my body’s need for a break by not working, productivity skyrockets when I return to working. I get more done overall when I work fewer hours. To be clear, when I say “honor my body’s need for a break,” I don’t mean waiting until it is screaming for a nap or a massage; I mean listening for the inner whispers that say “don’t work right now.” And when I say “work fewer hours,” I’m not convinced I can get this down to zero and still make a living. But I think you get the gist of this equation.
I could explain how much I don’t work by sharing my schedule. But the thing is, I don’t have a schedule. I don’t “take Fridays off” (well sometimes I do, but not always). Each morning I check in and see how I feel before deciding what to work on. Some days I write, some days I create, and other days I goof off with our puppy all morning. I let my body guide me into my work day. This doesn’t mean that if I have a client appointment but don’t feel like coaching, I ignore the phone when it rings. I honor my commitments, I don’t over-schedule myself in the first place, and I listen to my body when it tells me what it can and can not handle.
How to Not Work
1. Become aware of how you feel, moment-to-moment.
In order to integrate not working into your work life, first focus on becoming aware of how you feel at several points throughout the day. Are you feeling tired, energized, or bored, or are you feeling something else? Make it a habit to check in with yourself regularly.
2. Honor those feelings.
As you become increasingly aware of how you’re feeling, you can adjust what you’re doing and how you’re dong it. If you’re tired, you can take a break instead of mindlessly perusing Facebook. If you notice that you’re full of creative ideas first thing in the morning, use that time for your creative pursuits instead of answering emails.
3. Listen to your inner voice and follow its instructions.
Most importantly, listen to your inner voice when it tells you to take a break. It’s easy to ignore that voice when it’s been stifled by overworking. It’s easier to comply with the voice when you’ve taken time to be check in regularly to hear what it has to say. The more often you check in, listen, and heed its requests, the less likely you are to be forced to rest due to sheer exhaustion or illness.
Not Working is a Damn Good Idea
The conversation with my friend continued and we both confessed to not working quite often. It was humorous that the topic seemed a bit taboo, even among friends. But once I divulged my not working strategy, we both admitted how important not working was to getting things done. I told my friend how some days I don’t have it in me to be on, so I don’t work. She felt relieved to know she wasn’t the only one who couldn’t work nonstop for 40 hours a week.
You have permission to not work when you don’t have anything to give. Honor your body, your brain, and your creativity. Work when you feel inspired. Take a break when you’re empty. You’ll get just as much done, maybe even more, if you work less.
How are you going to incorporate not working into your work life? Do you already? Please share!
I’ve always worked in short bursts. I find I work better that way.
That’s a great idea. Now that you mention it, that works for me sometimes, too. If I’m totally engrossed in a creative project, a long stretch of work can sometimes feel great.
It’s so funny—my husband and I talk about this often and had a long talk about this exact topic this past weekend. For some reason it has become a badge in our society to “work” as much as possible—people brag/complain about being at the office for 12 hours a day. But I totally agree that most people are only actually working a fraction of that time. I also totally agree that you can get just as much (if not more) done if you work fewer, but more dedicated hours, and allow plenty of time to play and rest when you need it. I’ve been trying to teach myself to structure my work about actually doing things I want to do, instead of putting a specific amount of time per day as the goal. I still struggle with this, but on the days when I’m able to let go and go for a walk because the sunshine is calling me, or go sit in bed and draw, I feel so happy that I did!
Isn’t it funny, the “badge of honor”?! I remember people at my corporate job talking about working all weekend or at night, etc. I never thought that was anything to brag about!
I think you’re right on the money, Nicole: “actually doing things I want to do, instead of putting a specific amount of time per day as the goal.” Time is so arbitrary! It’s the results that matter, not how much time we actually put into getting them (especially if there’s a lot of filler, wasted time in there!).
This is perfect and speaks to me and reinforces me today. Thanks, Jenny. : )
You’re welcome. I’m glad it gave you just what you needed!
This came at the perfect time this morning. I am pregnant, 31, working full-time as a teacher- which means I’m “on, On, on” like an actress all day. (Not that I’m acting to the children, I love working with them! It’s just too draining!)
I also have a part-time job outside of teaching.
I am pregnant now, and have been trying to start my own wellness business for years- so, the draining feeling has become quite depressing 🙁
Just last night, I went to sleep and sent out the message to … the universe (: … that I (please, please, please) want to find my calling successfully so that I can begin working from home asap- especially once my little one comes!
Before teaching, I was a writer, and I’m currently writing a book. Sticking with my passion in some way is indeed additional work-time, but at least it keeps my heart on fire here and there.
As a teacher, we usually feel we’ll be attacked if ever anyone hears us say that we’re exhausted. But, as much as I appreciate what I offer to the students and to society- it was never my soul/spirit/self’s truest calling.
Thank for sending this out at the perfect time! It reminded me that I’m not crazy to be so drained, depressed and exhausted!
You are far from crazy for being tired–you’ve got a lot going on in your life.
Take care of yourself and your little one. Your calling will come. You’ve taken the first step by setting the intention.
A great resource for finding your calling is my lovely friend Bev Barnes. bevbarnes.com You may want to check her out!
Hi Jenny,
thank you for another inspiring reading, (I get your newsletters). I can litterally feel my complex slow down whilst reading, aaaah, yes, we do need reminders and I find your way of writing totally inspiring. Thanks for sharing so much of yourself!
Thanks for your kind words, Lise! I’m so glad they’re helpful to you. Thanks for being here and saying so!
This is always a struggle for me! I used to be a workaholic, and I must maintain constant awareness on how I am functioning . . . I know when I am business planning, I need to be careful not to over plan billable hours and be realistic how many people I can REALLY see per day or week so I don’t get burned out. No one needs that!
Good point, Mindy! It’s easy to think that with 40 hours in a week, we can coach 40 people for an hour each. That’s crazy! Our brains can’t do that much, and we need to put a fair number of hours into running our business.
LOVE this jenny! you always seem to send the right info at just the right time.. I have been working countless hours the past few months to launch my new site and dvd, and it is exhausting– and you are right, half the time i don’t feel productive..
i am going to take your advice ….. just as soon as i finish everything i need to do! lol
Your DVD release is a big one, Danielle, so I can see why you’re working so hard. And it’s no fun to push past exhaustion–but I know you know this already!
You make me laugh. I say this, too: I’ll rest once I get everything done. Yeah, like everything will ever get done…
Good luck with the release! I’m excited for you!
Hi Jenny
Great post – nicely put.
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Thanks, Sarah!