Making the Most of time for Rest, Reflection and Re-Direction

One of the great things about having a little time away from the business of the ordinary routine is that you have time to rest and with that can come some important reflection which often then leads to some redirection, which can be a really  thing at any time of year but especially at the beginning of a new year.

Rest

According to the Cambridge Dictionary the definition of the word ‘rest’ is to

‘…stop doing a particular activity or to stop being active for a period of time in order to relax and get back your strength.’

Hopefully everyone will have had some time to rest and relax over the festive period but we also have a proverb that says

‘a change is as good as a rest’ so even if you have been busy, maybe entertaining, spending time with family, cooking, playing games, visiting friends or any one of a number of other things, the chances are if you’ve been doing different things to usual then it can still provide a really helpful opportunity for reflection.

There is something very powerful about stepping away from work to help you see what has been working well and what hasn’t, perhaps considering which aspects of your role or business you enjoy and which you aren’t such a fan of!

Often clients tell me that it’s when they have being doing things like preparing vegetables or going for a walk that they suddenly have a good idea, or think about a different way of doing things. It’s not too surprising as often we can ‘hear’ our subconscious – which is always work hard to achieve our intentions – when we are not engaged in concentrated thinking! You can read more about using thepower of your subconscious here

So if you have found you have had these moments then don’t waste them, make a note of ideas and incorporate them into your planning or work as you go forward.

Reflection

In addition to the thoughts and ideas that just happen to spring up into your mind there is something about time away from work that lends itself to specific and intentional reflection. This is especially the case at the beginning of the New Year when many people think about their goals and aims for the coming year and consider their achievements of the previous year.

It can certainly be a very useful activity, so if you haven’t done it yet it is worth allowing a bit of time to do this now. Give yourself some time alone, a pen and paper can be useful too, and simply think about your life – it can be helpful to break it down into different spheres, work or business, family, relationships, health. Think about the good things, things that are working well, aspects you are happy with in each of the areas, but then focus on the parts that do not bring you the happiness you wish for or where you haven’t made progress. This will then lead quite naturally to thinking about what you want. It’s useful to ask yourself some questions they can be a really powerful tool – try thiso ne to start with

‘if you were to be really happy and fulfilled in this area what would be different?’

This can then help to pinpoint areas that need to change or develop. From this you should be able to write a few specific goals that are achievable.

Re-Direction

This is the next obvious step – having identified some outcomes you want to achieve in the coming year and written a few goals then that provides a new direction or a least a re-direction. This can be a lot more helpful than simply deciding upon a few resolutions, not that there is anything wrong with that but as we all know it is often hard to maintain motivation. When you have a clear sense of why you are doing something, what you want the edn point to be it can be easier to maintain motivation – though there are few extra ides here

So if you haven’t done it yet then it might be worth fitting in some time to do this – it could be a great way to get yourself started on a great 2018.

But it is also important to make sure that you don’t beat yourself up over this or anything else so if you do want to set a New Year’s resolution make it that you will be Kind to yourself.