Saturday, December 15, 2012

Give yourself a break - a real one!

How do you plan to spend the upcoming holidays?

No matter how busy your Fall semester was nor how busy your Spring semester will be, one of the most important things you can do during this winter break is to take a real break.

It’s the end of the year. Heck, it may well be the end of the world after December 21, 2012. So, take a break.



If you haven’t taken a break in a while, and have forgotten how to do so, don’t worry: I can explain to you how to do it.

Taking a break - in four simple steps.

Step 1: Choose a date to start your break.


When will you begin your break? This Friday? December 24? Before then? Or, perhaps you’ve already started? Whenever it is, choose a date and plan to stop working on that date. At a very minimum, you should plan to take 4 days off. I hope you will at least take off the week between December 25 and January 2. If you are taking off more days, please let me know in the comments section, as I am always pleased to hear about people taking long vacations.


Step 2: Figure out what will and will not get done in the remainder of this semester (Use the 4 D's)

What tasks will and will not get done this semester? Which tasks will never get done? Which ones can be deferred or delegated? Anyone who has read David Allen's Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity will know that there are four options for any task: do, defer, delete, or delegate.

To be able to take a break over the winter holiday, you will have to look at your remaining tasks and decide if you will do them this Fall, defer them to a later date, decide they are not important and delete them, or delegate them. These decisions can be hard, but it is ideal to decide now what will and will not get done to avoid feeling guilty later.

All of your pending tasks for the remainder of 2012 should fall into these four categories:
  1. DO:  Prioritize all of the tasks and projects you actually can and will do before you take a break.
  2. DEFER: If the project is something you really would like to do, but can wait until the Spring, defer it.
  3. DELETE: If you take a good look at your to-do list, I am sure you can find at least one task - perhaps more - that you can delete. (If you are deleting more than two, let me know in the comments section!)
  4. DELEGATE: Delegation is often particularly hard for academics, but there are things that can be delegated, such as organizing your office, transcribing your interviews, cleaning your data, and formatting your endnotes.

Go easy on yourself and only choose “do” for those items that must be done by you and must be done by the end of the year. Those items might include: grading, ordering books for next semester, finishing an overdue review or paper. Everything that is non-essential can either be deleted or at least deferred to next year.

Step 3: Finish what’s left on your list by your chosen end date.

Once you have a manageable lists of tasks on your plate, it will be easier to focus on those and get those done. Once you finish them, you will be ready for your guilt-free break.

Step 4: Take a real break

A real break means no work. It means taking care of yourself, relaxing, and allowing yourself luxuries that you don't normally take. A real break feels good and is good for your health.

During your break, I encourage you to:

  • Avoid email: Email will just remind you of work, which is not the point of taking a break.
  • Exercise daily: You don't have to run six miles a day. You can walk around the block, go ice skating, or take a bike ride. Exercise makes you feel good and is good for you. Win-win!
  • Read a novel.
  • Watch a film or television show you enjoy.
  • Cook healthy meals for yourself.
  • Eat lots of fruits and veggies.
  • Talk to your friends and family – in person and over the phone.
  • Dance, sing, play the guitar, write poetry: get in touch with your creative side.


Once you’ve finished your break, you will be rejuvenated and ready to start work again. Make sure you take enough time off to be refreshed when you return.

And, make sure that when you take a break, you really take a break. Doing so can actually do wonders for your productivity and creativity. Scientists have found that four days in nature enhances creativity. Spending time in nature, completely unplugged can enhance your emotional and physical health. Try it!

25 comments:

  1. I'll try to take a guilt free break but with the PhD thesis to be completed until February, it's not easy... But I'm planning to take a break from 22 to 25 December. 4 days to recharge bateries and spend quality time with may wife and kids! :-)

    Cheers

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    1. Glad to hear you are planning to take a break. If you do have just four days, be sure to disconnect 100%!

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  2. Great post! I have a lot of false breaks, in which I am away from my office in the Netherlands, and visit my husband in Pittsburgh - but then I work a few hours a day by distance while my husband is out working.

    I'm taking a break from the 23rd to the 2nd or 3rd - including 3 nights in a cabin in the woods in the south of Belgium and 2 nights in a hotel in Liege; so it will feel like a real break.
    Even better: I have to pay for 3G on my phone outside of Holland, so I think I'll switch that off completely while in Belgium => no emails of funders or students or supervisors getting through to me!

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    1. The cabin in the woods sounds lovely. If you're lucky there won't even be cell service there!

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  3. I will work until the 22nd then take three days off before working on a lighter load (2 or 3 hours a day) from the 26th to the 28th. After that, I'll be in Italy for four days.

    Danne

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    1. Sounds like a plan. I hope you are able to completely unplug at some point!

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  4. I really liked your post. And I couldn't agree more, Tanya.
    This year I am taking a break between the 22nd and the 7th. to have plenty of time with my six-year-old daughter and my husband.
    Hope you enjoy your winter break!
    Andrea.

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    1. Sounds fantastic! Yes, I will be sure to enjoy my break as well.

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  5. Great post! I recommend putting an 'out of office' automatic reply on your email account - then there is no reason to check your emails as everyone is aware that you are taking a break and will be back on a particular date!

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    1. Fantastic suggestion. I always regret it when I forget to turn that on.

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  6. I'm breaking right now! Ok, not really. I'm taking a break the 22 to the 3rd. I'm placing a mega order for yarn, and will be making stuff on my break. Out of office email already on! :D

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    1. We are on the same schedule, Crystal - just about. My kids' last day of school is December 20, so I will be going on break on the 21st.

      So awesome you have the yarn hobby to keep you occupied.

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  7. Although the university where I work full time as a researcher closes from 21st Dec through to the new year I will be using the break for final revisions and proof-reading of my PhD, which I submit in early January. I'll not be looking at screens of any kind (except maybe a bit of telly) from Christmas Eve through to Boxing Day though! Hoping this is the last year I don't get a proper break! Seasons greetings to all.

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    1. I am glad to hear that you will be unplugging for as long as possible!

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  8. you can only take a break from something, but for us unemployed academics, there is no such a thing, between worrying about the applications sent off, the monograph that you absolutely have to have in order to get a job, and the articles that don't just write themselves..... happy holidays to you all!

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    1. That is a great point: How do you take a break from a job if you don't have one? Can you take a break from the job-search? Can you take a break from the worry?

      Taking a break from worrying about employment may be the hardest of all. Meditation may help with that.

      Taking a break from work should be the easiest. Much research shows that taking a break can lead to breakthroughs and more productivity. Some people call this the "pause principle." I know it sounds crazy, but consider taking some time off from writing and applying for jobs. You may find you discover a breakthrough in your articles or monographs.

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  9. If only..... My meditation technique involves baking, which is fine if you give the results to other people, easy at Christmas time! Taking a break from the worry is difficult, also because it comes from others; my future depending on somebody's opinion of my CV and list of publications and 'potential' (how do I hate this word!). I guess it is never really over, this over-dependency from the others' opinion of our worth as academics and researchers and writers.But thanks for the help, this blog is a nice refuge from work!

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  10. nice article
    thanks for sharing

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  11. Thank you for this post! It inspired me to prioritize what needs to be done by end of break and plan which days I will take totally off. I'm going to take Dec 20 - 26 off and then I'll check back in and do a couple hours of work each day as needed. I have been very productive yesterday and today trying to get ready for my break. It is a great motivator. :) Thanks!

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    1. Awesome! I am pleased to hear about the productivity, and even more pleased to hear about the break!!

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  12. I have been mentally struggling with this blog post because in the last year I have found myself shifting toward becoming a workaholic. I'm relatively new to my field and I wrestle with the fear that if I stop, even for a moment, that I'll fall behind, miss too much. Unfortunately that fear has driven me to work nonstop. After reading this post, however, I decided to take four days off. I gave everyone deadlines to submit work to me because I wouldn't be working those days. That was hard to do but I remind myself that if I don't take time to take care of myself, I'm no good to anyone. Thanks for the reminder to slow down! Happy holidays to you and your family! :-D

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    1. Congratulations on 1) deciding to take a break and 2) letting others know that you are, which will ensure that it happens!!

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  13. Thank you for this post, Tanya. I had a hectic year (my first year as an Assistant Professor and 5 courses per semester) and despite my long to-do list, I'm definitely taking four days off. And no more guilt! Thanks for the useful tips. Happy holidays!

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    1. That does sound hectic. Congrats on making it through your first semester and on deciding to take a break. Happy Holiday!

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  14. This is a great post.

    I am trying to learn how to break for my current circumstances. If I do not travel, breaks always get ruined in some way.

    Four days in nature enhance creativity, hmmm ... I wonder, can I swing Big Bend for Mardi Gras? I may have to try.

    Again: great, great post.

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