There I was, sitting on a metal stool, dutifully waiting for my Genius to come back and tell me what the problem was with my computer.
When he arrived, he gave me a synopsis of the diagnostic report, then said something that made me do a mental facepalm – “You know, it’s good to shut down your Apple products every so often. It helps degunk them.”
Okay, so maybe he didn’t use the term ‘degunk’, that was my paraphrase, but he explained that by shutting them down, it gives the internal workings a chance to reset in order to keep up their high rate of performance.
What? I thought iPhones, iPads and MacBooks could just stay on forever.
Then it hit me, if even the most popular tech devices get overworked and need a refresh in order to perform better, why wouldn’t we?
Go-Go-Go Isn’t Sustainable
The drive to move forward is sometimes seen as admirable, but at a point, you reach burnout stage. This actually happened to me… twice.
The first time was about three years ago. I was going through both personal and professional issues and doing my best to keep my head down and push through it. But it didn’t work and before I knew it, I was going down in flames.
It ultimately led to an extended absence from my job at the time. I came back after 6 weeks of no morning alarm, no stressful daily agenda and doing activities that rejuvenated me, totally refreshed and with a new, uplifting attitude.
Then, and this is a bit more raw to admit, just the other month. I completely lost the drive to want to work on my business. Working in it was going along just fine and I continued to provide top-notch service to my clients, but the desire to do anything to grow it was gone. My energy stores were completely tapped out.
In Fact, Go-Go-Go Can Be Harmful
With my burnout just around the corner and not wanting to ruin the business I had built, I stepped back for 6 weeks again to reset. And now that I’m back, scheduled rest time is coming with me. But I’m not the only one that plans like this.
Did you know that athletes, people like bodybuilders, runners and marathoners, make it a point to schedule in rest days, as well as training days if they want to achieve their goals?
They know that the rest period gives their body time to recover since the training aspect is actually breaking down their bodies and tearing up their muscle tissue. It’s during the rest and recovery days that the body heals itself, and allows you to come back stronger than before.
When rest isn’t taken, that’s when injuries occur.
Or as I’ve experienced it, when rest isn’t taken, that’s when businesses start to implode.
Be Intentional in Your Rest Phase
Binge watching Gilmore Girls sounds amazing, like the perfect Sunday. But is it avoidance or deep rest?
I ask myself this question a lot.
I check-in to make sure my rest phase is full of intentionality, instead of another way to just go through the motions.
Aim for rest activities that will truly destress and reenergize you, like going for a walk in nature, practicing yoga and listening to music.
Always doing and pushing can feel great and ultra-productive, but at a certain point, you start to do more harm than good.
Give yourself permission to mindfully shutdown and switch off your work brain… maybe starting today.
How do you regularly degunk to stay fresh for your business? Tell me below – I can’t wait to hear from you.
Photo by Medhat Dawoud on Unsplash