Alive HR

I came across this great TED videoin which designer Stefan Sagmeister explains some of the many benefits he’s reaped from closing his studio for a year after each seven years of business. It’s worth watching, even if you think the kind of work you do is very different.

One point that struck me is the intentional way in which he decided to take five years from retirement and intersperse them into his working career, rejuvenating himself, jumpstarting his creativity and fueling business success. Not to mention having some pretty amazing experiences such as temporarily living in Bali.

If you’re an entrepreneur, you may not feel you can close your business like he did. And if you’re an employee, you may not have the flexibility to quit your job and look for one that offers a sabbatical. And that’s okay; don’t think I am saying that everyone has to do it the Sagmeister way. My point is that we all need time away, breaks for rest and renewal, opportunities to do something completely different than the norm. If you don’t have a sabbatical, use your weekends (your sabbath–obviously the words have a common root). Or use minivacations, longer breaks, advocate for a four-day workweek, push for “20% time `a la Google.. And on a daily basis, build in your sabbath/sabbatical by listening to and using your body’s natural rhythms.: cycles of activity followed by rest.  Read The Power of Full Engagement for more help in that area, if needed.

While we can’t all take large blocks of time off, we can make the most of the time we do have, scheduling regular breaks for ourselves throughout the day, getting enough sleep and, as much as possible, leaving work behind during our weekends and vacations. Though it’s hard to stop working, counterintuitively most experts seem to say you’ll actually benefit and get more done by taking the breaks your body and soul need.