Because we are still on lockdown, my "rest" list is significantly reduced. Here are some things you can do while stuck at home:
- play virtual games with friends & family (wealth of free resources online. I usually organize these activities, jump into a call, and play)
- meditate (I try to do this once a day)
- schedule shut down hours. Last year I worked while having lunch, I work on my startup after my day job, and I work on weekends. I got burnt out and shut down for a few months. Now, strictly gadgets off by 10:30 - 11:00 PM. It's still a struggle, but getting there
I used to game a lot. My friends and I now dedicate at least 1-2hrs a weekend (when we can) to play a game with each other.
It's a great destresser to have fun with friends and let your mind not be overtaken by everything else going on.
@gabe__perez I used to do that before. I played HoN with my friends, its a MOBA, and everytime in while we are waiting in queue to get a game (which can take sometimes 10-20 min), I am getting very nice inspirations and motivation to finish the tasks I was delaying for a while.
Not sure why, but that was almost the only game I played for last 10 years. And It put me in the battle mode.
@stefan_smiljkovic I feel you! I actually did spare work during load times as well. Glad to hear you were able to bond with friends. Hopefully the MOBA wasn't too rage quitty
@gabe__perez I do the same thing, 30min to an hour playing "mini motorways" is a great destresser and it's a game that is simple while still being challenging so it's the right amount of thinking after working hard on the startup.
Any activity that can distract me from work - puzzles, walking, play tennis, etc.
Also, making sure I'm taking enough short breaks throughout the day :)
Physical activity (be it going to the gym or just going for a walk), healthy eating, and meditation. These three things are the foundation for my entire day.
Meditation, exercise, walks of nature - all great and I recommend doing them.
What personally helps me the most is journaling, having a true honest dialogue with yourself can help ease a lot of stress.
Honestly, It’s is a struggle. Short bursts of exercise in the middle of the day are my go to. I come back to the desk with more focus and feel less stressed.
Micro holidays, proper food and sleep. I make sure to have a proper 7-8 hr sleep every night and wake up late if I worked longer/harder the night before. Some kind of work is more demanding. Followed by a good breakfast.
Then if I felt like my energy levels are dropping during the day, I take a break, watch something on TV. Basically change the complete context of what I usually do.
Then monthly/ quarterly reset and review. I've just started with this, to be improved.
At work: Checking in with teammates every day to make sure we're all working within our capacity and feeling good about what we do. We've also scheduled 1:1 check-ins for non-work related conversations with CXOs/ team leads, to make sure we have safe spaces to vent and ask for help.
On a personal front: prioritising work so I don't commit to more than 35 hours a week; making time for personal projects, scheduling therapy sessions (prevention is always better than cure!), and checking in with myself regularly to spot burnout symptoms before they worsen.
Shameless plug — We've also built a free burnout test to help others check in with themselves regularly: https://getpause.com/free-burnou...
Go at my own pace, try to make sure I take one full day away from computer. Having a dog who like to play and go for walks helps to re,mid ,e to break often.
Daily Tai Chi. Provides physical, mental and spiritual support.
I record everything, mostly in Evernote. Having tons of contextual notes on my thinking and origin of ideas removes the stress of trying to remember things - tip from the Getting Things Done philosophy.
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