Summer Relaxing

Kicking back on my balcony and doing a little blogging while watching the birds

It’s Friday and your thoughts might be drifting to the beach or the backyard hammock and why not?  Good weather is meant to be enjoyed! Yes, you need to get your work done, but relaxing is essential too.

I’m combining the two today, writing blog posts and editing video while sitting on my balcony next to my mini-herb garden. My chair rocks a little so I’ve got some swaying going on, my feet are up, the to-do items are getting ticked off.  It feels pretty good and I’m feeling rather creative, accomplishing lots of good things.

If you’re cubicle-bound, you don’t have this luxury. Sorry about that. There are other ways to relax though. Negotiate with your boss to leave a little early (I have a friend who works at a local college and gets Fridays off all summer; thought that was pretty cool!). At the least, you can take a walking break during the day, perhaps at lunch.  Is there a spot near you on the water that you can enjoy with a few co-workers?  That would be lovely too.

While cubicle life has its drawbacks, working independently has some as well.  At least when you leave the desk for the day, you’re pretty much done. No more work to do, your private time is yours.  As a business owner or independent worker, you’re likely to be cooking dinner and then heading back to the laptop. Perhaps working all weekend to meet a deadline or starting at 6:00 am to get a few things out of the way before you hustle your kids out the door.

To the independent folks (and I’m talking to myself here as much as anyone), please do yourself a favor and give yourself at least one full day off each week. Recharging the batteries is crucial for productivity, creativity, and sanity!  It’s too easy to pick up the laptop and start mindlessly tapping at the keys without actually accomplishing anything.

Use summer as your excuse to put the computer to sleep and go enjoy the day!  You’ll feel so much better for it.  Here’s a post I wrote on Effective Downtime:  Why True Rest is a Necessity.

Cheers,

Lisa

About Lisa Johnson

Lisa Johnson here. I've been a personal trainer since 1997, a Pilates instructor since 1998 and the owner of Modern Pilates since 1999. I'm hoping to give you some good ideas to get or stay in shape with a healthy dose of humor and reality. Thanks for joining me.

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4 Responses to Summer Relaxing

  1. doug freeman July 13, 2012 at 9:21 pm #

    Don’t sweat the small stuff with some weekly perspiration inspiration. I like this summery feel good post.

  2. Harry July 16, 2012 at 3:48 am #

    Hi Lisa,
    Thanks for this summer cherry post! I super like your work area. It’s super cozy and relaxing! :)

  3. Oceanside Pediatric Dentist July 19, 2012 at 8:14 pm #

    That’s definitely on my to do list this summer. Aside from getting much needed sleep, finishing more than one book for one month is on top of my summer goals. And I noticed you mentioned that you have a mini herb garden, I’m thinking of getting a bunch myself. Are they easy to maintain?

  4. Lisa Johnson July 19, 2012 at 11:32 pm #

    A lot of herbs are only a step or two away from weeds (basil is one) they’re pretty hearty and hard to kill. :-) Oregano is easy too.

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