I had started taking the ferry a couple days a week to save energy - both my energy and gas. I must admit, I really appreciated the mornings I did not drive to work. Not only could I steal a couple extra minutes of sleep, but I could catch up on my reading while I waited for my ride. And people watch. Sometimes we get caught up with work and the simple things get lost. I was talking with some colleagues a couple weeks ago and one guy remarked that he had no time to read anymore. His boss told him you have to make the time and in fact he carries a book with him wherever he goes, because ultimately, there are always pockets of time when you have nothing to do. That's when he reads. That's also what I do. So when I wait for my ride home, that's when I usually catch up with my reading. And at the salon. At the airport. At the car wash. At the mechanic's. I will either have something light like a novel, or I would read my communications/marketing magazines and journals. Sometimes I come across blog entries about social media or PR or marketing etc, that I really want to read and just don't have the time during the work day, so I save them and print them to read during one of these pockets. And that's how I keep up with the world,and keep my mind from turning into frazzled brain cells. And I can also keep up with what other people are doing work-wise, get insights and ideas for my own work and questions to investigate further. I really had come to appreciate those days, more than even I realised.
You simply cannot work every second of the day and I commented on a blog recently where the young lady, also in comms, was so overwhelmed with work that she started bawling. You have to make time to recharge. You just have to or you are of no use to anyone. Fridays are often tough days for me with regard to creativity and sanity because after 4 days of early mornings, traffic etc, I am knackered. But Fridays are also the mornings after Grey's Anatomy and I have a loyal GA following on Facebook, where I review each episode with much glee (big up to my GA peeps!). It is not just for their reading pleasure but also another way of using and in this case, creating a pocket of time that is mine. I have started back working out every afternoon (used to be mornings) as another stress buster. But one has to make the time.
So how and when do you create pockets of time to recharge your batteries during the work week?
