Ever feel like you need a break? To be successful in life at any worthy endeavor, you will need a routine that you are consistent with and follow to the best of your ability. Now we all know to succeed in anything you need to work hard at it.
But when do you take a break?
How hard can you go and for how long? Eventually, we all get tired and need a break to make a breakthrough. Many successful business people like Elon Musk are now saying you need to get the right amount of rest. It is pointless to be half asleep all the time because you are tired from working 18-hour days.
But how can you tell if you need a break, or you are just unmotivated?
This is a question that millions of people battle with, and the answer is quite simple – you just look for the signs and follow one rule.
What is burnout?
Burnout is a situation where your mind and body are exhausted from your challenging work. It is easy to get carried away with your work when you are passionate about it. For some people, they truly feel alive when they are working relentlessly.
However, music is the space between the notes. If you neglect your mental and emotional well-being while in pursuit of excellence at what you do, the effects of continuous effort will take an adverse toll on your health and moods.
It is important also to look at productivity. Getting rest you might do the same amount of work as an 18-hour day when you are exhausted.
Signs of burnout are:
- A loss of interest in life
- Insomnia
- Symptoms such as chest pain, chronic fatigue, anxiety, prone to illnesses, etc.
- Inability to concentrate and lower productivity
- A feeling of loneliness and depression
- Low appetite
If you notice these signs becoming a daily occurrence, it is time to wake up and make some changes to your daily schedule.
Follow this Rule
Before assuming that what you have is burnout, it is important to understand that your mind is designed to look out for you. Your brains number 1 function is to take you away from pain and then towards pleasure.
Have you ever thought of working out or doing some productive work that involves effort only for your mind to conjure up a hundred reasons to procrastinate?
You are either telling yourself you can do it tomorrow, or you do other menial tasks just to avoid doing what you are supposed to do. Your mind can cook up some very convincing reasons.
The reason your mind does this is because it views the workout or other tasks as work that will cause you pain – so it is trying to save you from the pain and discomfort. However, to progress in life, you will need to step out of the comfort zone. For any change you will have some pain or at least discomfort.
Here lies the contradiction of life. You need to be comfortable with discomfort, and you’ll need to fight yourself to progress. It gets better with time, but it never truly goes away.
That said, how do you know if you are burnt out or your mind is just trying to protect you?
All you need to do is follow one rule – go ahead with the task today and see how you feel tomorrow.
For example, if your mind is telling you to skip the workout today, go ahead and do it anyway. Go through the motions even if you are uninspired. You just might become motivated once you start.
The next day, see if you are tired and want to skip it again. This time you should take a break. Your mind is signalling to you that some rest is in order.
So, take a day or two breaks and get back on track when you are rested. Do not let too many days slip by. Anywhere from 2 to 5 days of rest will suffice. Any longer and inertia will build up and it will be much harder to get the ball rolling.
Resting and quitting are two different things. Always keep that in mind.
Conclusion
There are times where you need to push for a few days. I what suggest is to then take some time to rest. You also need to have a balance between pushing hard and productivity. It is about getting things done.
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