Or is it?
As Christmas draws ever so much closer, I know I am not alone when I say that I often feel I am crawling to the finish line that marks the close of the office for the festive season.
It’s been a tough year, after two of the toughest years in modern times.
And as I’ve blogged and spoken about a few times now, burnout has become a real and significant risk for so many employees.
In an earlier blog in this A – Z of workplace culture series, ‘O is for Overwhelmed’, we examined some of the reasons why, including these:
- Managers are taking on additional responsibilities over and above their normal substantive roles. The pandemic has obviously been the main cause of this, as managers had to step up and support their teams like they never have had to before, as well as dealing with all the ramifications of ‘pivoting’ and coping with rapid change.
- Too few employees = more work for those who remain. People are leaving their roles for better opportunities (hello there Great Resignation / Realignment), and subsequently not being replaced either due to the fact good talent is in short supply OR organisations are taking the opportunity to cut costs by not replacing staff. I heard just today of an employee in a global organisation who is currently doing the work that used to be done by FOUR different people.
Therefore it is absolutely vital that we all find a way to include time for resting, recharging and generally replenishing.
Or as I like to call it – by catching up on our ZZZs.
And yes, I am aware that the expression ‘ZZZs’ normally equates to sleep. Call me creative, but I think by this stage in the A -Z series, we can stretch the concept of rest/recharge/replenish and reframe it as ‘catching much needed ZZZs’. #creativeali
What actually is this thing called ‘rest’?
I often imagine us humans as being a little like cars. When the petrol or gas tank is empty, then the car doesn’t run. So we need to stop and refill. (Rest / recharge/ replenish etc).
The power of rest should never be underestimated – taking time off to truly rest and recharge can help to drastically reduce stress and decrease the likelihood of burnout. (Forbes)
The good people at Stanford in this article, describe ‘rest’ and ‘relaxation’ as:
- A state of being free from tension and anxiety
- Recreation, especially after a period of work
- The loss of tension in a part of the body, especially when it ceases to contract
- Giving your mind and body a break to restore your energy, support your cognitive function and regulate your mood.
How can you ‘stop and refill’ – and make sure you get those ZZZs.
Well naturally, that depends on what works best for you.
But there are some fundamental goals that we should all aim for when it comes to rest, recharging and catching all the ZZZs we can.
Disconnect
No, I mean REALLY disconnect. This means putting the out of office on the email, and making it very clear where your boundaries are.
Will you be available for absolute emergencies? If yes, then say so – but make sure the ‘absolute emergency’ part is crystal clear.
I usually try to add a bit of humour to this part to soften the message. Something along the lines of how unreliable the phone reception is at ‘my’ beach.
Alternatively, nominate someone to be the emergency contact within your team – and include their details on your Out of Office. Then, shut off all the push notifications that tell you when you receive emails; and ask someone who is with you during your rest time to hold you accountable by checking if you are actually disconnected.
Be clear with your colleagues about what, if any, circumstances you are available to be contacted in. Preferably, this will be very, very, very limited circumstances.
Listen to your body.
What is it telling you? Is it saying it wants to go on an intense 5 day hike? If yes – go for it.
But if it is telling you that it wants to lie by the pool and have a sun nap (is it just me, or are those the BEST naps / sleep times ever?) then go for it.
Don’t plan too many activities for your ZZZs time; and give yourself permission to change your mind.
You thought you wanted to spend today surfing, but actually, you’ve realised you would much prefer to go to a vineyard and have a long lunch accompanied by some fine wines. Go to the vineyard and drink those wines my friend. You are allowed to!
Do what works best for you.
For mine, the best ‘ZZZs’ time happens over a two-ish week block between Christmas and the second week in January.
After the excitement and hyperactivity that follows the big man coming down the chimney, I usually retreat somewhere to enjoy quality beach time.
Preferably at what I like to call My Favourite Place In The World (MFPITW). Exhibit A below.
If that isn’t doable, then option B is camping in our camper trailer next to, you guessed it, a beach.
For the first week or so I simply chill.
I read trashy novels, I play card games with the fam, I do a spot of sunbaking and hopefully swimming / SUPing / surfing. Jokes. I’m a hopeless surfer, but I do like to ride the shiz out of my boogie board. In waves that aren’t too big of course. #scaredycat
One of my clients likes to spend his holidays working on DYI projects around the house. He loves the challenge of working out how to fix something, then ‘strutting into Bunnings’ (his words) to get the necessary tools, before heading back home to put those tools to use.
Whatever works for you – then that’s what you need to do. It is also important to give your brain some downtime, whether that is via listening to music, podcasts, or mindless streaming.
No judgments here – and don’t allow anyone else to judge you either. I mean Bridgerton was THE most popular show streamed during the festive season in 2020 – I think that tells us a lot, don’t you?!?
The other component of best practice ZZZs time….
Rest time is vital for recharging our batteries.
Equally as important is dedicating time to reflection / reset.
Personally, sometime around the middle of the second week of my Xmas/NY break, I like to start planning for the year ahead.
This in part involves long bush walks with The Husband discussing our shared goals and hopes for the coming year, as well as a fair bit of personal reflection.
(Photo taken during a brief reprieve on one of those bush walks; cliff top track between Spring and Shelly Beaches, Orford, Tasmania).
According to the Harvard Business Review,
People who spend 15 mins per day reflecting on the day and what they have learned from it, perform 23% better after 10 days reflection than those who don’t reflect.
Yeah, reflection is sounding like a pretty darn good idea about now, isn’t it!
Part of my reflection process includes using the SSCC method. It looks a little like this:
- What do I need to STOP doing?
- What do I need to START doing?
- What do I need to CONTINUE doing?
- What do I need to CHANGE?
In other words, I reflect on the previous year, and think about what worked well, and what didn’t.
What lit me up when it came to my work versus what felt like an endless uphill slog through mud (hello there Excel spreadsheets).
What do I need to Stop, Start, Change or Continue doing in order for me to do more of the first and significantly less of the second?
As part of this reflection, on the last day before you return to work, take stock of how you’re feeling.
Think about what you did during your time off to rest, relax, and recharge- in other words, how you made sure you incorporated those ZZZs – and then work out what made you feel the best.
Next step? Plan how you can incorporate those things into your regular routine to help combat stress / feeling overwhelmed / burnout.
Pro tip: high performance workplace cultures do not happen when employees are burned out.
On the flip side, when all the members of your team catch enough ZZZs and adequately rest and recharge, then you can sit back and watch the magic happen.
Keen to help your team learn how to catch those necessary ZZZs? Book a time to chat here and learn how Workology Co can help your team combat stress and burnout, in order to build a resilient and high performing team.