Happy Chinese New Year everyone! Kung Hay Fat Choi!
Last week, I asked the question “Is Sleeping Productive?” because I was confused with my inability to sleep in, nap, and rest on the holiday Monday. I felt anxious to work, excited to be productive! But could not fulfill this feeling because it was a holiday. I took away the fact that outlining goals/expectations for rest is just as important as outlining goals/expectations for work.
As I gained clarity on my query, I took into consideration these two important insights:
A. Routinely, Mondays are workdays, therefore subconsciously, the necessity to be productive was a classically conditioned response (I felt like Pavlov’s salivating dog in realizing this…)
B. “Work” reflects my identity and purpose so not being productive makes me feel unlike myself (though ultimately, work/life separation is crucial…)
When we don’t feel productive, we don’t feel accomplished and fulfilled. It is simply a part of the human condition. For others, work is just a means to an end (I sometimes envy those people). My issue (or advantage!?!?) lies in the fact that my passion and career are blurred; whether we are in the same boat or not, you may know someone, live with someone, or love someone that identifies with this predicament. Here are a few quotes that have helped me control my work/life balance:
1. “You cannot be really first-rate at your work if your work is all you are”
2. “If you win the rat race, you’re still a rat.”
3. “No man ever said on his deathbed, I wish I had spent more time at the office.”
4. “We have entered a new age of fulfillment, in which the great dream is to trade up from money to meaning.”
I hope these quotes provide you a sense of insight as they have for me.
I admire people that are ultra productive, but aspire to be like those that can balance ultra productivity with a great lifestyle.
We put much attention on output, but not enough attention on input. Forward-thinking, we must emphasize:
- RESTORATION
- SELF CARE
- SELF MANAGEMENT
- REGENERATION
I look forward to continuing our adventure into the world of mobility, flexibility, and Myofascial release therapy to enhance our physicality, but more so our mentality and thereby our productivity!
Work hard, play hard, rest harder!