Why People Who Take More Breaks Achieve More

When I compare my very long working days vs. the short days spent on my business with plenty of breaks, I notice a strange phenomenon. The shorter working days with breaks in between produce much better outcomes. This is the phenomenon that is present not only in my life, but in everyone’s lives if you take your time to track the results.

In the past I used to work very hard and then I would get frustrated because my hard work would produce little positive results. I see many people in the same struggle loop as I used to be. Most people who are in a 9 to 5 grind seem to be trying their best but they still find it hard to make the ends meet.

This happens because by not having enough breaks you wear yourself out. You don’t have anything to charge you up so your work produces poor results. By not taking breaks you also miss out on spotting opportunities because by doing the same thing day in and day out you fail to expand your view. If your awareness remains the same, you cannot become aware of anything new.

There is even a scientific explanation as to why people who work all the time suffer from a lower quality of life. This is because the genes which keep being produced in the same way are gradually produced in a poorer condition. I’m not a scientist so probably it’s the wrong way of explaining that, but basically if you do the same thing all the time, the quality of your work must get poorer because the quality of you gets poorer. So it’s very important to introduce some change in your life and the perfect way to introduce change is to take breaks during which you engage in activities that are out of your comfort zone.

People who take more breaks look younger, suffer from less illnesses and have more energy than those who work all the time. Plus they achieve more and enjoy life more. Their focus is on thriving rather than survival. They are more positive and creative. Their quality of life is constantly improving and they don’t get stuck in life. Every break they have makes them view their life in a slightly different way, so they constantly raise their awareness.

The quality of breaks matters

If you work five days a week and then you take two days off which you spend in front of your TV, you will not have much improvement in your life. It’s important what kind of breaks you take. The more unusual your breaks are, the better, because such breaks get you out of your comfort zone and expand your awareness.

If you don’t go abroad much, then a break abroad is perfect for you. If you have never tried water sports, then during your break you should. If you have never gone to mountains then you should choose mountain climbing. I hope you get my point – your breaks should let you experience something you’ve never experienced before. This will make you see the world in a new light and this new outlook will give you more choices whatever you decide to do.

The reason I like to travel so much is because every country I visit makes me see things in a new way. Every new experience expands my awareness. Then when I find myself in the same place or situation, I see it in a different way as before. I also notice the mistakes I used to make and the limiting beliefs I used to have. Without having new experiences, however, I would view the same situation in the same way as before and that will keep me stuck in life.

The one experience that really got me out of my comfort zone is when I decided to travel alone. I used to be afraid of that because of a wide-spread limiting belief that traveling alone is unsafe, especially for a female. When I started travelling alone I completely dismissed this belief. It all depends on what you hold in your mind and not how you travel. If you believe that you will be a theft victim or other bad things will happen to you when you travel alone, it’s likely to be the case. But if you have faith that everything will go well, it will.

I strongly encourage you to find some activity that you are not familiar with and try it on your next break. Trust me, it will be well worth your time because it will change the way you look at life. Try something that is out of your comfort zone and the more out of your comfort zone the activity is, the more your awareness will expand once you have experienced it. Be it eating some unusual food, scuba diving, riding, traveling to Africa, going to a club or bungee jumping, find something you are uncomfortable with and…

The length of breaks

I personally found that it’s best to take breaks when you feel like it. If you feel like not working, that’s the best time to take your break. But don’t confuse this feeling with laziness. If you are lazy, this is a harmful habit and you can break out of it by being productive for a month. After that you will know when you need a break and when you are just being lazy.

When I used to work 9-5 and used to take standard two-day breaks, they created more misery than happiness. Such length really doesn’t work for me. When I take breaks they are usually 4 to 30 days long, depending on how I feel. When I have a very productive period, I need a longer break to recharge myself. Even for people who love what they do (including me), there comes a time when you know you need a break.

When you get used to taking longer breaks, you will get the feeling of how many days you need to recharge yourself. It’s of course much easier to take breaks anytime when you work for yourself. For people who work 9-5 it would be hard to take more than 2 days off a week. If you are in such situation, use this lack of breaks as another motivator to break out of your 9-5 routine. Sometimes you need to work a few years to create the freedom for yourself. Until then there’s nothing much you can do to have more breaks.

The unseen benefits of taking breaks

When you take long and exciting breaks, you take your mind completely off the topics that bug you. If you have no money, for example, an exciting break makes you temporarily forget about this lack. When you take your mind off the topic that worries you, you allow that aspect of life to correct itself. This happens because your negative thinking creates your situation and if you stop it, the situation starts getting better. This can be compared with the flow of the river. If it’s without stones, it flows as fast as it should, but if you put the stones in, you slow down the flow of the river.

Taking long and interesting breaks will not only change the way you look at things, but will make you a more interesting person. You will be able to talk about more subjects, you will probably make more friends and your likes and dislikes will change. Some people say they dislike something without even experiencing what they dislike. For example, I used to dislike swimming but I didn’t even know how to properly swim. When I learnt to swim I completely changed my mind about this activity.

If you now prefer buying things to having experiences, this is about to change once you start taking long and interesting breaks. When you start taking breaks as such you will understand that experiences are what people really seek, not things. At the end of your life you will not think about the things that you owned. Instead you will remember all the extraordinary, warm, happy, exciting and surprising experiences that enriched your life and made you who you are.

Conclusion

If you notice that the quality of your work got poorer and you don’t feel any inspiration to work, it’s an indicator that you need to take a break. Don’t delay taking the time off because you will miss out on all the benefits that the break will give you.

Find the best length of your break by taking long breaks and noticing how many days you need to recharge yourself. You will notice that you will need different break lengths depending on how productive you were during the time you spend working.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that if you work without breaks, you will accomplish more. Breaks give you new energy and new outlook on things. Breaks cause you to make improvement in your life and progress in your work. So don’t delay the break you deserve – choose the break that is out of your comfort zone and notice what a difference it will make in your life.

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