Knowing Your Limits
I started this week exhausted. Last weekend I had four of my closest friends in town and of course I wanted to spend quality time with each of them. This was in addition to other plans I had with other friends who actually live here. But the reality is that quality time means a party, brunch, an afternoon in the park, dinner, a show, a yoga class, another party, and many drinks throughout. It was a fantastic weekend, but it doesn’t mean it didn’t wear me out.
So, how do we fit it all in?! How do we have fun with friends, do the things we want to do, and still maintain our energy to be productive? Well, if we have a busy week ahead of us and we really want to stay on top of things then we have to be realistic about what we can do. That said, the first harsh reality is that drinking is not imperative. (Wait, what?!) Yes, you heard me, drinking is not imperative. Sometimes that means being super selective about when, where, and how much, or sometimes that means not imbibing at all.
Secondly it’s about knowing that regardless of who you are, you need to rest in order to function at an optimal level. It can feel unproductive to take a break when you have a million things to do, but so much evidence shows that regular breaks, a full night’s sleep, days off and vacations actually make you more productive overall. I’ve never seen anyone running on all cylinders in every area of their life without prioritizing downtime.
The truth is, we get to have it all! But, it requires setting boundaries. Sometimes that means saying, “No” to having that drink, saying, “No” to your friends or family, or even saying, “No” to your boss. And sometimes that means sitting down at the end of each day and planning out the next one to insure that you’re getting everything done while setting aside time for rest. Because being truly productive depends on being truly rested.
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