How to do downtime

A popular self-help mantra is how to get the most out of and insert your topic of choice here. That is mostly good advice. Who doesn’t want more joy, more fun, and more vacations? I think it backfires in the realm of getting more done. Before I started coaching, I would create these crazy schedules so that I could get more out of my day. That would work for a short time. After a week or two, I would become exhausted and procrastinate doing things on my list. I would fall behind and swear next time, I would be more organized with a newer system. Rinse and repeat. If this sounds familiar, here are a few tips I have learned that have helped me disrupt this vicious cycle.

Schedule downtime

I know. This is not groundbreaking information. You might say, “Suzana, I don’t have time for breaks. I have too much to do.” Here’s the thing about downtime. If you don’t schedule it, your body will schedule it for you. I wasn’t procrastinating after my two-week stint of a jam-packed schedule. I was exhausted. My mind’s way of forcing myself to rest was to procrastinate. When I started scheduling downtime into my schedule, the procrastination decreased. I am not saying that I don’t still procrastinate. I genuinely think it is human nature to want to put off things you don’t enjoy. It just happens less, and I can work through it when I am not entirely depleted.

Be intentional with your downtime

A common piece of advice I hear about giving feedback is to let the learner know you are giving them feedback. Otherwise, they might not recognize your words as feedback on their performance. I think we need to do the same thing with our minds when we take downtime. If you are used to being super busy, your brain might go a little crazy with downtime. It will start running through lists of things to do or it will notice laundry that needs to be folded or whatever unfinished task that needs to be done. This is when you can remind your brain that this is your break and you can get to that later. This is definitely a skill that takes practice, but I promise you this is work worth doing. 

Find a rhythm that works for you

Scheduling downtime will look different depending on your life and the time of year. Sometimes daily downtime is the right way to go. This is what I strive for. But other times, I have deadlines and I need to have a jam-packed day. I don’t schedule downtime on those days, but I plan for extra downtime the next day or that week. The point is it helps to be flexible with these things. Schedule downtime shouldn’t feel like another chore to get done. It should be a part of your routine, like brushing your teeth or getting your hair cut—something you want to do for yourself. 

When are you going to have downtime today?