I took this photo at Kalk Bay harbour. Always a very exciting place to go to unwind. I haven’t had much downtime before this, and today I made a point of stopping. Forcing some downtime.
This was critical reminder for me on downtime, performance and longevity.
I realise my mind, body and emotions can only take so much before I crash. Not taking or forcing downtime, intentionally, guarantees forced downtime at some point.
It is not that I don’t know this and keep forgetting. It is that I disregard the need and importance of downtime.
Don’t get me wrong there are times when a little extra work and time need to go into projects. Never taking time to rest, reflect and recoup, as a lifestyle is harmful.
As much as we’d like to believe that the earth will stop spinning if we stopped this or that, we must acknowledge we’re not invincible.
We’re mortal. Mortal in that our bodies will, at some point give up all their life. On another level we’re mortal in that we can only do so much in a given period.
Our well-being impacts our performance. Our performance and or over-doing it also impacts our well-being.
Downtime should never be an option. You must never have an “if” approach to it. Your attitude toward times of rest and reflection should be “when”.
If rest is not something intentional but optional, you’ll soon find yourself forced to do it. Circumstance can force you and at an extreme, you’re not likely to see yourself recoup to the same levels of effectiveness and performance.
Guarding downtime is a matter of guarding your longevity and productivity. It is a matter of valuing and protecting your relationships that matter.
When you suffer, so do all and everything connected to you.
Make sure downtime is never an option. Plan for it and follow through the same way you do for your important work because it is that important. Learn to stop. On Downtime Performance And Longevity…