relaxation | Bigg Success

BIGG success is life on your own terms. One of the five elements of BIGG success is play.

Leisure. Rest and relaxation. Recreation. Down time.

We often make a mistake when we think of play: When we envision play, we picture others.

Do you do so too?

It’s a trap. You’ll be much happier if you reserve a portion of your play time just for you.

Time to converse

You need some time to yourself. Just like any other relationship, you have to invest in your relationship with yourself.

You need to listen to yourself. You need to learn from yourself. You need to talk to yourself.

Not out loud. Unless you’re alone!

Time to refresh

You need time to refresh. Physically, of course. But you probably do okay with that one.

You need to make time to refresh your spirit. To feed your soul. And one way to do that is to spend some time alone.

Quietly. With just your thoughts.

Time to dream

To refect. And to dream. To envision BIGG success.

To live out in your mind what you will live out in real life. Because every victory is first won in the recesses of your mind.

And so, you need to make time for yourself. So you can tend to yourself. So you can refuel. So you can keep the flame burning.

Now, we know that this is a scary proposition to some people. But give it try.

It may seem strange at first. You may be uncomfortable. But most growth is uncomfortable.

In time, you will grow to appreciate this time. To treasure it, even.

Go someplace that inspires you. Get out in nature, if that’s your thing. We like to be near water.

It’s okay to be around other people. Just try to find a place where they’re not likely to be people you know.

Make time for you. Time to converse, to refresh, to dream. It leads to BIGG success!

Do you make time for yourself?

Image in this post from stock.xchng

playground We recently saw an interesting study on how work affects high school students [pdf]. While the study is about high school students, we think us older “kids” can learn a thing or two from it as well.

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Hear George & Mary-Lynn discuss today's post on The Bigg Success Show! To listen while you read, click the purple player: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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How does work affect homework?

The researchers examined how each hour of paid work affected the way high school students spent the rest of their time. They found that each hour of work reduced homework time by about five minutes, on average.

Sleep less

They cut back more than twice that amount – ten minutes total – on sleep. Maybe young people really are looking at us as role models!

Screen pass

The single biggest activity that they reduced was screen time – the average student spent 24 minutes less for every hour worked. The researchers defined screen time as:

watching television and movies

using the computer for leisure (except games)

surfing the internet

participating in chat room discussions

Setting priorities

Previous studies have shown that working only has a small negative effect on an average student’s performance. The researchers in this study conclude that they may have explained part of the reason. It may be that students who work cut back mostly on non-productive activities.

Why do busy people get more done?

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george There’s that old saying, “If you want something done, get a busy person to do it.” I’ve found that on days when I have to get a lot done, I do. On days when there isn’t much on the agenda, I seem to step into a more leisurely pace and often don’t accomplish as much as I want. I do better when I keep a certain amount of stress on myself.

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marylynn I’m with you, George. When I have a lot on the to-do list, I’m more focused and less willing to allow for diversions.

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george People who had juggled work and school were often my best employees. Their grades may have suffered a little, but the skills they learned about managing their time improved their performance in their full-time gig.

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marylynn When I think back to my high school days, I had a part-time job. I was a straight “A” student and was involved in several extracurricular activities – band, theater, and the speech team. I don’t know how I did it all! I certainly always had something to do. I was practicing for a competition or a show, doing homework or working. As a result, I can’t tell you much about the hit TV shows in the late 80s.

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george But you know all about the music of that era! You’re a prime example of the students in this research study, Mary-Lynn. You pretty much eliminated unproductive play time. Your play time had a purpose.

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Don’t get too down on down time

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marylynn But I could have benefited from some play time just for fun. I could have used the time to relax and get in touch with myself.

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george I completely understand what you’re saying. I think down time is so important. I often find that’s when I work out a solution to a problem that I’ve had trouble resolving. I may be looking at the screen, but I’m lost in my own thoughts. And it’s a good thing! I’m away from the pressure of the situation and my brain just flows.

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In our down time, we may be more creative than we are in a more structured environment. So it’s good not to underestimate its value.

Work time is good because it helps us stay more focused.

Productive play is good because it helps us expand our capacity.

But be careful that you don’t get so busy that you don’t allow any time for purely play.