Companies are coming round to the idea that time off is good, have you ever heard the phrase “if you want something done, give it to a busy person”? But what they haven’t told you is that a busy person has a personal deadline to meet and is motivated and often rewarded by taking more time off. There is honestly so much fun you can have online click here to see for yourself.

So here are some ways to improve your productivity through downtime, let’s start with sleep.

 

1 – Get Some Sleep

Sleep is a luxury and the first thing you should consider during your downtime. A rested brain is a productive brain but if you can’t sleep, just try to relax. Consider meditation or mindfulness, and remember to breathe: only by sitting quietly and listening to our breath, you can give your brain a break.

 

2 – Remember to Breathe

Try to adopt steady breathing habits throughout your day, even when you’re not at work, and enjoy the feeling of calm that it promotes. Just breathing might sound simple, but stress relief breathing has a technique: and here are some tips.

Let the breath flow as deep down into your belly as comfortable without forcing it. Breathe through your nose then out of your mouth.

Try to breathe in gently without pausing or holding your breath, breathe out gently: count from 1 to 5 stop and do this again. Continue to do this for a count of 25, do this every day and think of it as a brain exercise.

 

3 – Talking of Exercise

To be productive, you need two types of exercise, mental and physical. Try whenever possible to get 20 minutes of aerobic exercise a day, even when you’re in your relaxed zone, know that it’s brilliant for stimulating productivity.

 

4 – Mental Exercise

Take up Sudoku, online sudoku keeps the brain active, and an active mind is a healthy one. It’s easy to join a club with free online games at every level, easy to expert and even a little tutorial. You can challenge yourself and others to complete your puzzle in a set time frame.

According to some online forums, puzzles, sudoku, and just ordinary reading and writing regularly can delay onset dementia and even Alzheimers. Sudoku has the benefit of being stimulating and productive at the same time; that’s not an easy thing to do.

 

5 – Know What Your Up Against

Not knowing is stressful and stress is counterproductive. When you don’t know the facts, you can worry unnecessarily. When you see the truth about any given situation, no matter how bad, at least you give yourself a base: a starting point to come back into your reality.

 

6 – Ask Others

If you’re lacking a spark or losing the ability to remain productive, get a new perspective. Take time to ask others in your industry for advice or join up to the latest online webinar but not until you’ve taken an hour for lunch.

 

7 – Eat Well

Eat something you’ve never eaten before and then learn to cook it. If you love sushi, some great online tutorials can teach you the art of sticky rice.

By eating well, you’re feeding both your body and soul. While downtime snacking is typical, it’s great if that can be a healthy homemade snack.

 

8 – Learn to Say No

Others will look to you for advice and help. It’s too easy to say ‘yes’ to everything. Saying ‘no’ doesn’t mean you’re unhelpful; it just means by saying ‘yes’ to less you’re not diluting your talent.

This suggestion may be controversial, and it certainly doesn’t sound helpful; but when you have got to the point in your career when you’re succeeding, you have to turn into the teacher. It’s better to inspire others rather than doing the work for them.

 

9- Reading is Great

I know it sounds simple, but sometimes it’s the simple things that give us the most pleasure. Now that all the classic titles are no longer under copyright, you can spend a couple of hours in the company of Shakespeare or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

 

10 – Do What you Love

It’s easy to stay productive when you’re doing what you love. While it may take some time to work out what that is, it’s worth using your downtime to experiment.

Whatever you do remember it’s your downtime and when you’re relaxed and enjoying yourself you will be productive. Afterall how many entrepreneurs have had excellent ideas in the bath?

Source: Image by Creazilla