Saturday, February 13, 2010

Doing the things you love is a way to keep your mind fresh for work

Earlier today I was chatting with my friend Damaria Senne about why, lately, I am striving to keep Sundays free to keep up and touch base with the people and things that I love. I am an avid reader, and I call myself a writer, and an artist. But it struck me that the reading I do is between 12:00 and 01:00, usually - and who can remember anything they've read at that time? The last art I did was to make a Christmas card, and writing ... well ... there's something slightly offbeat, and probably inaccurate, if you call yourself a writer, yet the last time you WROTE anything worthwhile was in 2005.

I have a busy life running my transcription business and being a wife and mother - there's no doubt about it. But of late, I've come to realise something. It's very important to find a time to keep doing the things you love. And for me, for now, I've decided that time shall be Sundays - so, on Sundays, for the foreseeable future, I shall be retiring from the world, as I have been for the past two weeks.

And here is where I come to the part that makes this relevant to transcriptionists - and, I believe, others who work in a stressful industry. Taking that day off, to yourself, to unwind, and spend with your family and with doing the things you love, makes your mind clearer, sharper and more focussed on MONDAY - and through the rest of the week. Now, Sunday might not be the best time for you - but I do urge you, yes, your business is important, but find that time for you, too. You'll value it, and thank me for this advice, later.

4 comments:

Damaria Senne said...

That is so true. I also find that when I do things for myself, like spending time in my garden/ reading books by my favourite author/ just hanging out with friends, I come back to work more inspired and energetic. And if I spend too much time on work, somehow I get worn down and it takes me much longer to complete an assignment I'd do in a flash if I was inspired.

Sandra van Statten said...

I honestly don't know when last I have read a book, not to mention do something creative.

Since setting up my company, I have also been busy with studying towards my certifications, setting up my various social media profiles, constantly tweaking this and that - there is very little time left over for ME. On top of this I am still employed full-time during the day.

I used to be a very creative person, always busy with various projects, my garden, reading, digital scrapbooking and so on. It is starting to catch up with me and I think I might just take your advice and make Sundays MY day.

This will definitely soothe my soul, which in turn will allow me to be more focussed during the rest of the week.

Anonymous said...

Typo. You meant to write "focused." Just wanted to point that out since you've got an entry on proofreading on this page. I wouldn't want some meanie to pop in and leave mean comments.

Gaynor Paynter said...

From the site http://www.proz.com/kudoz/English/other/608344-focused_vs_focussed.html
'Focussed' is one of the British English spellings for the past participle. 'Focused' is the preferred US spelling. My Concise Oxford lists 'focused' first and 'focussed' second, which means that 'focused' is used more often. The decision usually based on the style guide you're following.

I am South African and we use British English here. Therefore, I used the word correctly.