Planning for some productive rest and relaxation
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
I can feel it in the air. The holidays are coming. Down under, summer is here and the heat has arrived with a vengeance. With that comes the buzz that so often accompanies a new season. This one being rightfully known (here in Oz) as the silly season. I can feel everyone speeding up so that they can earn some slow down time. Most conversations are peppered with a “can you believe it’s this time of year again”, “there’s so much on at this time of year”, “I need to finish XYZ before I break for the year” and, of course, “are you doing anything exciting for the holidays?”
Stress levels inevitably run high. I personally love this time of year. I get an energy boost from being able to use the imaginary finish line as extra motivation to finish off some of the goals I had set for the year. I also like to use the time to recap and be grateful for what the year has brought me. To set some plans for the following year: what am I carrying over and what am I letting go of. I love the effect of feeling both pushed to work harder along with the lure of some time off to enjoy family, friends and the warm weather.
Most of all, I love looking ahead and thinking about how I might use some of that time where client emails, meetings and phone calls pause to do something just for me.
I’ve learned over the years not to set myself unrealistic expectations for this time. Instead to just pick a couple of things — not even set in stone — to aim for over the holiday break. Invariably one of these is usually to do some extra reading. I love reading — learning new things, exploring new ideas or different worlds — and I’ve found time to do more of it year round. It’s never enough, though, so quiet summer afternoons spent absorbing a book is deliciously self indulgent. I’ve been eyeing off some recently released books and I’m compiling my holiday reading list options. Here it is, so far.
My Perfect Holiday Reading List
Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
The Body — A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson
Please Gamble Irresponsibly by Titus O’Reily
488 Rules for Life by Kitty Flanigan
Maybe the Horse Will Talk by Elliot Perlman
Grand Union by Zadie Smith
A tantalising mix of fiction and non-fiction, humour and learning, international and Aussie writers.
For those of you who are reading this and wondering a) how many months will my holidays extend to and b) what was that thing I wrote earlier about unrealistic expectations, yes, I do know this is a reasonably long list.
All I have to say to that, is I like a good stretch target and I enjoy productive rest and relaxation. Plus, nothing signals the start of a new year like a pile of fresh new books by the side of the bed, or that flashy little “new” sign on the Kindle or Audible app.
The holidays are coming. How might you be more intentional with your holidays this year? I have found it is possible to make time for rest and relaxation and for personal growth.
What do you have planned for yours?
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