I get asked a lot about time off and how I manage to take so much of it to play.

Many years ago one of my mentors taught me that the human body is like a multi-billion dollar racehorse. If you owned that horse, how much time off would you give it in between races?

The answer seems simple enough, but somehow we get caught up in the stress of day-to-day life and we forget to rest. And I mean really rest!

I know that putting in 18-hour days is not uncommon for me because I love what I do. I am sure that you also just go, go, go...all the time between work, parenting, friends, exercise, problems, etc.

One of the best practices that I took on many years ago is what I call my six weeks on, one week off routines. Here's how it goes...I play full out for six weeks, then full off for one week.

This gives me the chance to really unwind and do zip, nada, nothing. I get a chance to totally rejuvenate, and what I've found is that I am so ready to get back to creation once I am truly rested, that I am ten times more productive.

I used to feel that if "I just push a little longer, I'll get more done", but the truth is that the quality of my work was not up to my highest standard.

As a matter of fact, I've been working seven days a week now for weeks, preparing for my TV and radio tour and I'm feeling very overwhelmed with the loads of stuff that need to get done.

So guess what I'm going to do right now? I'm going to go to the gym and NOT think about all that I have to do and I'm going to give myself a mental break even though I have piles of "stuff" that have to get done.

I'm going to get out of the "I'm supposed to do this now" thinking and give myself a mental break.

What is your release mechanism and plan for rejuvenating your body and soul? We all need to take care of ourselves. And creating a regular system is the best way to refresh ourselves.

Part of my system is, I've also gotten into the habit of having a two-hour massage once a week, and it allows me to have someone "do" for me instead of me always being the one who "does".

Choose an activity or ritual and create a plan that allows you to really get the physical and mental rest you need. You'll find that you'll reduce stress and be much more productive than ever before! And while you're at it, remember to create a great day!

~ By John Assaraf, aka The Street Kid
New York Times & Wall Street Journal
Best-Selling Author, Trainer & Entrepreneur  
http://www.TheStreetKid.com

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