I was burned out, tired, overwhelmed. I needed some time off I found a way to pay hooky and still accomplish a few things.
Know when you need a break
We get used to pushing through, doing the work, not quitting – until one day we really, really, really need to take a break. We need to pause and reflect. We need to change the rhythm of our days. We need to goof off. Don’t wait until you reach crisis mode. To keep yourself productive and happy and heathy, learn to play hooky on a regular basis.
Give yourself permission to take time off
First you have to make it OK to play hooky. I was resisting what I needed to do next. I was procrastinating. I had been learning new technical things for eight months. Then I switched from a PC to a Mac and everything I knew how to do needed more adjustment. It was great, actually, because I got to rethink my working style and the order of my projects. And the new platform streamlined my work. But one day when I really resisted learning a new program, I figured I needed a real break – a healing, restorative pause in the flow of my days.
Figure out what would bring you joy
Figuring out what to do when I played hooky turned out to be tremendously hard. I love what I do. I’m eager to learn those new programs But I truly needed some time off. I made a mind map with the word “pause” in the center and surrounded it with words like “fun, satisfaction, goof off, play.” I got nothing. Not one idea showed up. I’m into letting my life unfold so across the top I wrote ‘Unfold”. I could just declare a period of time to be “do what I want to” time and see what show sup.
Celebrate that you are indeed free to do what you choose
Playing hooky is as simple as declaring that you are going to let things unfold for the next few hours or days. Then you start listening to wha your body says you need. Take a nap, fall asleep in your chair go to bed early, read the book you’ve been putting off, watch the movie you missed, go for a walk, call up a friend. Or sit around and draw mind-maps to figure out your life. Just listen. Feel. Observe. Respond. Give yourself permission to pause, to take a deep breath, to tune into your needs and wants. You can take a mental vacation for any amount of time, at any time you wish. Give yourself permission to take a break.
Replenish means something is missing
The most helpful idea that showed up in my search to rebalance is that if you need to restore or replenish something, it means something is missing, your life is out of balance, there is some repair work to be done. Besides sitting around waiting for my goof off ideas to show up, I started looking for what is missing.
Float like a leaf
I allowed myself to be moved by the current of the day. There were things on my list like record a podcast, make a video and finish several courses. Because of my computer switch, all of those projects required me to learn a new program. That didn’t feel like down time. So I tuned in and didn’t do anything that I wan’t in the mood for. It turns out I was looking for a little more control, so I spent some time organizing the files I had moved over from m PC. In the process, I took time to make some core decisions on how I want to change how I do things. Those decisions made my next steps clearer and more attainable. It also gave me a feeling of being tucked in, safe, secure, standing on a firm foundation.
Shift some priorities
I’m the one who makes up my schedule. Now that I’ve added podcasts and videos, perhaps I need to shift to one blog post a week instead of two In this pause you are taking, go back to the core reason you are doing anything, and notice how circumstances have shifted. What do you need to change? What do you need to let go or designate? How have YOU changed and what do you need now?
Look at what is ahead and put it in perspective
Because I allow my life to unfold, there are no due dates on any projects. In former times, I would have made certain I launched during particular times of the year. Now I know that when it’s ready, it’s ready and the people who want the information will find it. Even though I have three courses and a new coaching model in mid, when I allow myself to work on each of them when the feeling is right, both the project and I will be better for that choice.
What did you accomplish when you played hooky?
I organized my files, I reorganized some priorities, I made some decisions about what to add or subtract to my shield. I tuned in to what was missing, listened to what I wanted, and designed some new choices to make that happen That’s a lot to achieve from a day or two of paying hooky.
To Sing a Deeper Song consider:
04–How to Redefine Yourself and the 30 year Plan (podcast, 20 minutes)
06– Unfolding And The Art Of Wu Wei (podcast, 20 minutes)
If I choose Simplicity, What Will That Look Like?
Decision as a Dream Carrier
