Am I becoming a workaholic?

Those of you who know me will know I like to keep busy. Just over a week ago I had surgery on my shoulder, and since then have been confined to the house – not only because I can’t drive for a few weeks, but also because of the snow.

I had a long list of things to do once I felt well enough – write out my Christmas cards, buy all my gifts online, write a few blogs, articles and e-books – but nowhere in that list was there any ‘down time’. Does that sound familiar to any of you?

Anyway, day one after I came home from hospital went a bit like this:

Check e-mails; check voicemails; put on TV; two minutes later turn off TV; pick up magazine; put down magazine, and on it went all day. Because I was full of painkillers my concentration was appalling.

What did this teach me? That sometimes I need to do nothing. I started to rediscover some wonderful ways to relax – watching the robins on the patio, tip-toeing through the snow to the bird food; reading Christmas cards; drinking a cup of hot chocolate while it was still hot! (If you work in FM, you’ll know just how many drinks go cold while we sort out an issue!)

I realised that we have to give ourselves permission to stop doing stuff – after all, we’re called Human Beings, not Human Doings!

I’m not a great believer in New Year’s resolutions – I prefer to have several small, short-term goals to stretch myself out of my comfort zone – but I looked back at the personal goals I set last January…and guess what? Yep, I promised myself I would take more time to ‘smell the roses’.

So, will you help me? When we meet up at an event, or when I’m coaching you and your team, will you ask me what I’ve done recently that’s been relaxing, me-time?

I hope you are staying safe in the bad weather – if you still have snow, why not take some time for yourself – go and throw a few snowballs or build a snowman?

To find out more about us, contact Liz Kentish, The FM Coach on Tel: 01778 561326 / 07717 870777 or email: coach@lizkentishcoaching.co.uk

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