Samantha McDonald

What to do when, suddenly, it’s all quiet on the work front? Here’s a concept: give yourself some time off.

Nothing to do? Do nothing

Last week one of my lovely clients suddenly found herself with nothing to do! She is a sole trader with a business that is ticking over quite nicely, and she likes to keep busy because time means money! But, on this particular day, she found that she had done all her marketing, all her phone calls, all her filing, all her emails, and all the other admin duties that usually grab her time. And all of a sudden she didn’t know what to do! 

She was all dressed up with nowhere to go, so to speak.

With my usual frankness, I told her to take the day off! Go to a movie, check out the shops, take a walk on the beach, have a massage… And she was truly shocked!

“Is it really OK to take some time off?” she asked. And she asked this with the straightest of faces… Hell yes, was my response. How on earth do you expect to keep moving at such a fast pace if you don’t occasionally have some play time? Even if it is during business hours!

So, next time you find yourself without any deadlines looming, and without a diary scheduled out of control, take a deep breath and take the rest of the day off! Go on… Give it a go… Try it out… Playing hookey can be such fun, not to mention completely energising, and it sure beats sitting at your desk twiddling your thumbs.

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