Take a Vacation
My wife and I recently got back from a 2 week vacation. The 1st week was spent in Florida, the 2nd week was split between Salt Lake City for a couple of days, then the rest in San Diego.
It was a great time; a needed time. Sometimes your mind and body can get so heated up with the focus and stress of work that you need time to cool down, to unwind, and to distance yourself from the daily pace.
During this down time, your mind is relaxed and you’ll find that ideas for the future come to you, or ways that you can improve your current situation will become obvious. You wonder why you didn’t see them before. It’s because you were so keyed up with what was immediately in front of you that you lose perspective and objectivity.
When you find yourself getting ground down in your work, take a break, get away for a while. Get a fresh perspective.
Thomas Edison used to have a cot in his work room. Whenever he would get bogged down with a problem, he’d plop down and take a nap. Many times during this rest, fresh ideas would come. New insights and alternatives arise.
Recently I was trying to work through a particularly complex business transaction with an imminent deadline. Millions of dollars were at stake. Try as I might, I just couldn’t seem to structure a way to make it work for all parties involved. If I didn’t find a way, there would be all sorts of law suits going back and forth. Not a pretty picture.
Finally, in frustration, I decided to take a walk. I left the office and let my mind wander. I walked and walked. I must have gone about 2 miles before a simple solution sprang to mind. It was so simple I literally pinched myself.
I went back to the office and within 30 minutes had the deal structured and sent off to both parties, who bought off on the arrangement. After that it was just a matter of letting the attorneys finalize the documents.
Like a battery, our minds and bodies can wear down with too much use. Take the time to recharge. Take a vacation or at least a break. The fresh insight you gain will be well worth the cost in time and money.
