This post is part of our Weekly Tips series.
No doubt I’m preaching to the choir when I say that being in a service-oriented role is both rewarding and tiring. Even simple listening practices, the subject of the last two weekly tips, take energy and effort to do well.
Sometimes the best thing you can do for your clients—not to mention you—is give yourself some time off.
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I suppose this is a self-serving public service announcement because I happen to be on holiday at the moment. I’m taking several weeks while the summer is in full bloom here in D.C. to rest up and recharge.
Consider that you too deserve a break today, just like the 80’s McDonald’s commercials promised (“Just look at you go … you’re movin’ … sometimes you can’t slow down …”).
What might you do with a little downtime? What benefits would there be for you and the people in your life?
Make It Real
This week, schedule some R&R—a few minutes in the day, or something more ambitious. If you’ll be out of the office, append a heads-up to your email signature in the days/weeks prior, as one client of mine did recently (“UPCOMING PTO: Tuesday, Sep 1 – Thursday, Sep 10, 2015”) … then use a trust-building out of office message while you’re away.
Learn More
Read something fictional. Or any kind of guilty pleasure.
Andrea Howe
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