Bringing your summer holiday into your daily life

During a great holiday with family and friends this summer, I thought about some of the benefits that a holiday can provide us with (apart from just being nice). Things we can use in our professional life to both develop better and to enjoy the process more.

Figure out what your “things” are

When spending a week in my hometown in Denmark this summer, I was strongly reminded of how important nature is to me. Being outside either in the forest or by the seaside really makes me relaxed and inspired. It gives me motivation and energy to go on with whatever project I’m working on. Usually, it is during a run in the forest that ideas and solutions come up for me.

Now, even though I have always known that nature plays an important role in my life, it is easy to forget it during a busy schedule. Sometimes when I haven’t been out in nature for a while, I might even tell myself that I don’t need it. It is then only when I actually do get out there, that I realize how much I have missed it. I realize how important it is to me.

Holidays away from our daily routines and with less stress are excellent opportunities to reconnect with those things that really matter to us! It might not be nature to everybody, though.

Maybe it is sitting down for a cup of coffee in the city center… or visiting a nice museum…Or playing PlayStation…?

Whatever it is we find important, it is worth making a list of all those things and to write in a few words what they do to us. Such a list is a powerful tool to have when life gets busy and everything tightens up.

Look at your list and make it a priority – even just for 10 min.

When we have our list of things that matter to us, it is, of course, important to read it often and to create space for those things that matter to us.

Very often when we are in a stressed period, we tend to think that we don’t have time to do anything just for “pleasure”. This is very often not true though! We might not have 3 hours to go to the beach. However, we can very often free some time to have a 30-minute walk somewhere nice. Or find the time to read a book for 20 minutes. It demands, though, that we decide to do so…!

Talking from my own experience, it is easy to tell yourself that you don’t have the time to take a book and read for 30 minutes but instead, while being passive and indecisive, you end up spending 25 minutes scrolling on facebook. Now, I’m not here to tell anyone that scrolling on facebook is a bad thing. But if you do spend 25 minutes on facebook because that’s what makes you happy and inspired, then let it be your choice – not just a coincidence!

Use your holiday mode to relax and develop

Try to look at those small sessions – where you do something nice to yourself – as an investment! Also professionally.

Remember that it is during the breaks that the brain develops.

It is the opposite of wasting time. We actually need these small moments in order to learn and develop efficiently.

I remember some years back when I was studying, how I would always play my best during the annual skiing holiday in Norway. Even though I actually practiced less than usual. I would play an hour early in the morning before breakfast and another hour just before dinner in the evening. The hours in between I would spend in nature doing cross country skiing in the most beautiful scenario of the Norwegian mountains. Looking back at it now, it’s quite obvious to me, why I played better and more focused during the 2 hours I actually practiced.

Ever since that experience, I have tried to incorporate that feeling in my daily routines. Yes, I might have to play more than 2 hours.  And no it is not always possible to spend all day outside in such a scenario as the Norwegian mountains. But it is possible to plan small breaks where we allow the mind and body to relax and develop. It is also possible to make sure we are reminded often about what exactly makes us happy and relaxed. And it is possible to actively incorporate those moments in life. If not, we might want to reconsider some things about how we live our life… 😉 

Feel free to make a comment below and tell about what makes your day. We might all be inspired! 🙂