Lots of people tell me how busy they are, and I get details, many details, without even asking. They’re seeing client after client, day after day, making phone calls, attending meetings, scurrying from place to place — almost as if they’re paid to constantly be in action.
The thing is, busyness and productivity are not always joined at the hip and when they’re not, desired outcomes suffer, because no one is at peak effectiveness when they are always hurrying and operating at full speed.
I’ve just recently come off of a 10-month writing stint on the third edition of my Psychopharmacology book. A couple of weeks ago, I was approached to write another book addressing a specific population group on the mental disorder spectrum. I kicked around a few titles in my head, jotted them down and then began working on an outline and a table of contents. It was then that I realized I had no gas left in my tank, and that frankly, I was running on mere fumes. I’m interested in this project, but for now, it’s going to have to wait.
We need to take times out during the day, and it’s good to schedule them. More importantly, we don’t need to feel guilty about not filling the time. Sports teams do it; I’ve never witnessed a football game where there wasn’t at least a 15 minute intermission after the first two quarters of play, and I’ve never heard a player say he felt guilty about taking a halftime break. We haven’t lost our way or become slothful by simply choosing to “chill” a bit. There’s nothing wrong with taking some time for personal introspection, daydreaming or even a bit of fantasy.
Free time is a gift to yourself, an opportunity to clear the clutter from your head and rejoice a bit — in whatever you choose. The blank spaces in your daily calendar are far healthier for you than the stuff you’ve frantically scribbled in the margins, screaming out for your attention.
