Learning the Lessons Along the Way

And then sometimes it just doesn't go according to plan at all.....

After a year (?) of solid work and recognizing I needed  break and time off, I scheduled a sabbatical. I had a plan. A great plan. It included time with one of my favorite people. Planning. Down Time. Some of my favorite things.

But a funny thing happened. The plan went to hell in a hand basket.

I was so tired. I couldn't think straight. I needed more than a little down time. And even though I had scheduled down time, I couldn't bring myself to do any work, And so there it was. I kept flipping the schedule around to accommodate my need to be disconnected. Shifting. Thinking I'd get to everything. Because that's what I do.

But not this time.

Don't get me wrong. I am an advocate of time off. Of down time. But...I'm also a fan of planning and chunking my time. So instead of reveling in down-time, I kept chastising myself... feeling guilty over the 'lost time'. And instead of feeling accomplished and well-rested, I wound up feeling drained and tired. 

And here's what I learned:
- Sometimes I just need to have complete down-time with no schedule at all
- It's good to be aware... I figured it out at the very end of my time off, BUT I FIGURED IT OUT
- Being 'productive' cannot be my only measure of success. How I'm feeling is more important
- I need to start bullet journaling. This doesn't really have to do with my time off, but it is something I learned. : )

I'm excited to try out this new found info.... to test out this permission slip I've granted myself and to begin again.

What are your favorite ways to decompress? What do you like to do when you take time off?