When Doing More Means Doing Less: The Power of Taking a Break

We all have to remember to stop and smell the roses.

I’ll be the first to admit I’m terrible at stopping.  I tell myself just 5 more minutes, and that turns into 2 more hours.  I’m literally living proof of this right now as I am writing this blog.  I told myself 2 hours ago, “just one more paragraph and I will be done”.  Yet here I am, still writing, after completely changing topics because I could not see the benefit of the topic I was working on.  Over-thinking much?  Most definitely!  It is an endless cycle that leads to not knowing how to stop and smell the roses.  I will always push through exhaustion, and convince myself that one more task will make me feel “caught up”, but it never does.

There’s this lie we tell ourselves as women in business, and women in general, that momentum means movement, and rest means weakness. That we have to be ON all the time or we’ll lose ground.  Lately, I’ve realized that the harder I push, the harder I work, the less productive I actually am.  When I’m tired, and at that borderline of falling asleep at my computer, I’m slower to think, shorter to respond, and way more likely to make small mistakes that cost me hours later to fix.  I’m not showing ambition, I’m just burned out!

Why We Struggle to Stop

For those of us who work from home, or have a 9 to 5 and build our own businesses at night; knowing when to stop feels impossible. The line between home and office….wait…let me take that back, because there isn’t a line, it doesn’t exist!!  Especially when your home workspace is in your bedroom, like mine.  It makes it impossible for your brain to clock out.  When you shut your laptop, your mind is still drafting emails, creating to-do lists, and planning the next launch or blog in the background.  The work doesn’t end, it just changes to a different device.

Unfortunately, for women, there is another layer: guilt.  We feel guilty for resting when there is something left to do.  We feel like we have to do more to stay ahead, to prove we belong, to keep the business afloat, and to justify our dreams.  The raw truth is, overworking doesn’t prove dedication, it proves we forgot that we are human.

The Science of Stepping Away

You have probably heard it before, take a break, you’ll feel better.  But there is more to it than that.  Stepping away from work actually resets the parts of your brain responsible for focus and creativity.  It gives your thoughts room to breathe.  You know, it sounds logical, but does it actually work? I didn’t think so before.  I would always tell myself, keep going, keep pushing, you’re almost done.  My sister told me tonight that taking breaks to increase productivity is a real thing, it allows your brain to reset.  So me being the prove the point person that I am….I had to try.  I turned my desktop off, made a cup of hot tea and sat on my patio enjoying the beautiful fall rain.  Then I came inside and started dinner.  After a couple of hours I sat back down at the computer.  I wasn’t completely focused, but then again I never am, but I did feel better and had a better thought process.  I started thinking, does rest improve focus?  Is this a real thing?  Is there science behind the statement…..so I had to google it, I had to prove the why behind the how; because again, that’s the brain of an over-thinker, we have to know the ins and outs, the how and why, LOL.  What I found out is that when I allowed my brain to finally stop clenching around the problem, to relax and just breathe, clarity began to slip in.

When you walk away from your desk, literally and mentally, you’re not being lazy.  You’re refueling your mind’s ability to do better work later, which leads to me, now, in this moment, typing this blog for you.

What Taking a Break Actually Looks Like

Your break doesn’t need to be fancy, and it doesn’t have to be long, you just need to take one.

Here are some ideas I like:

• Walking around the block with music blasting
• Sitting on the porch, or patio, with a cup of hot tea, without checking the phone
• Going to grab a coffee or soda and actually sitting to drink it
• Doing a quick workout or stretch to shake the stress out of your body

Whatever it looks like, the point is to interrupt the cycle.  Get out of your head, away from the glowing screen, and remind yourself that life is still happening outside of your inbox.

For the Work From Home Warriors

I am a firm believer in the fact that having an office at home is both a blessing and a trap.  Yes, you save time and you have flexibility, but you are also one room (and in my case, steps) away from the temptation to just check one more thing.  I have caught myself at midnight, staring at the blue light of my desktop, telling myself, “I’ll just finish one last blog”,  and that one blog turns into an hour of tweaking things that could have waited.  If your work lives in the same space as your rest, you have to actively draw boundaries or burnout will build a permanent address.

Here are a few things that are helping me:

• Create a shut down routine: shutting down the desktop, dimming the lights, and literally saying out loud, work is done! It signals my brain that it is time to power down.
• Separating my space: this one has been the hardest for me, but I am designating where work happens and where it doesn’t.
• Using time limits instead of task lists: I am giving myself a cut-off time instead of a completion goal.  I tell myself, “ok,  tonight we stop at 9pm, NO exceptions!”  Except tonight, you all really needed to hear this message :-)!

Be Honest, We All Need to Know When to Say, SHUT IT DOWN!

As women entrepreneurs, we have been conditioned to equate rest with falling behind, but deep down we know the truth, no one performs at their best from an empty tank.  You can’t lead, create, or build if you are depleted!

Taking a break, or shutting down is not quitting, it is a necessary maintenance.  You know that moment when your brain starts buffering, like a slow video waiting to load? That is your sign.  If you’re re-reading the same sentence three times, typing the same email draft over and over, or staring blankly at your screen as you’re nodding off, it’s time.

When productivity starts dropping but effort keeps rising, step away.  Give yourself permission to stop before your body forces you to.  Burnout does not arrive with a warning label, it sneaks in quietly, and is often disguised as dedication.

Now It’s Your Turn

Tell me, do you struggle with shutting it all off?

How do you recognize when your body or mind is done for the day?

Drop your thoughts below and share your story, it just might be exactly what another woman needs to hear tonight.

And if you’ve been running on empty, here’s your reminder:

Walk away, go outside, take the break you so dearly need!  You will come back sharper, calmer, and far more capable than when you left.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”.  Matthew 11:28, NIV

Final Thought

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is absolutely nothing!  The reset is the work.  You do not have to earn the rest, you just have to know when to take it.

Raw. Rooted. Rising = Unstoppable Legacy

If you liked this post tonight and would like to read more topics on how mental health and wellness can affect your life and your business, drop me a comment with a topic suggestion.