Get some R & R!
Want to be more productive? It’s simple, but seems so daunting! If you feel like you’re running on a hampster wheel but you never seem to get enough done, you need to rethink what really conjures up creative thinking.
Want to know the three secrets of the most productive people? Okay, you’re right, they have more than three. But according to a recent Inc. Magazine article, there are three in particular that stand out:
- Take breaks
- Collaborate well
- Have a life outside of work
Now, whether you are trying to be more productive, or thinking about trying to be productive, I have a hunch you’d like to know the most efficient way to master all three of these tips. Eh? Well, it just so happens a good trip away will do the trick!
Take breaks
The most obvious reason travel is so valuable is because it breaks you away from the stressors of your life. Your endless emails and lists at work, the homefront chores like the leak on your roof or the bills to pay. When you stay in your everday without shaking things up a bit, it’s easy to get in a pattern of endless to-dos, so it wouldn’t help to simply sneak away from these tasks. In fact, it’d likely help the list.
Don’t ever think that you can get more done at work and at home if you never stop working on either of these. More time dedication does not equal more productivity. Unless you get paid just to sit there. Breaks will replenish your mind, and stepping back will also allow you time to come up with solutions and more creative thoughts than if you simply plowed ahead without stopping.
Photo by Ankur P
Collaborate well
When you travel, you’re exposed to new people, if you’re traveling with others, you have to adjust to relating to them in a more consistent way, and you’re collaborating all the time! You need to if you want to eat out, buy anything, or learn about the place in which you’re visiting. This is simply great practice for those collaborating skills and meeting a mix of people you may not normally come across. And if you’ve got them, you already know.
Productive people generally have side networks and get more done by bouncing ideas off others – contacts, clients, colleaguges, etc. Sometimes the best ideas could come from a random conversation while at a tiki bar while on vacation. Ask your server for input, or the staff at your hotel. Think of what might come from this idea of branching out in your collaborations.
Plus, if you’re working too much with no balance of play, it’s not uncommon to bet a little grumpy and hard to deal with. (Just trust me on this one.)
Have a life outside of work
Oh, like a life where you take vacations? Yes, exactly.
According to Inc.com, the most “highly productive people have rich private lives. Interests outside of work hone different skills and let you think in different ways.”
Fancy that. The more things you try out, the better off the rest of your work. It’s what Wall Street would call diversifying… or something of that nature. What I like about incorporating travel into the mix is that any hobby is even more unique when you’re away. You get the new sights and sounds of a place while you get to try a new or regular hobby. So if you’re into scuba diving, mix up the dive locations from the Outer Banks to Belize. Or if you’re into martial arts, think of the incredible experience you can get by trying capoeira in Brazil or Thai boxing in Thailand. Photography? Seek a new muse every day.
