I'm just coming off a nice, relaxing weekend hanging around with family and friends, but now I'm ready to start maximizing output once again. How have you spent your down time and what are you doing to unplug?
I've been working on this article the past few hours in my head, just going over all the things I've done since I more-or-less closed my laptop on Saturday morning.
I find that a little downtime is absolutely, 100% necessary to be able to get back to a high level of productivity and output. Have you considered how you spend your downtime to be able to maximize your uptime?
Productivity is like being a professional athlete. The problem with professional athletes isn't that they need motivation to get training; they need motivation to know when to quit and recover. Work is just the same, and highly motivated individuals need to learn that they also require a downtime to stay on the top of their game.
How often do you think about your "recharge mode"? Do you like to get into the mood everyday, or do you binge your time on a weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly basis?
I know for some, they need a period of R&R everyday. On the opposite spectrum, I know people who take a month-long holiday only after they've been busting at the seams productive for half the year. I think both extreme examples are perfectly fine and perfectly capable, as long as the "recharge" doesn't become procrastination.
Have you consciously considered your own schedule, what works best and what needs improvement when it comes to high productivity? If you find yourself burned out, have you considered switching off for a while? If you're finding it hard to get going, maybe it's time to re-ignite that spark and determination to become the eagle again.
How do you recharge? Let me know!