Coach Notes - The Importance of Idle Time

You're just about to leave for a dentist appointment, when you receive a phone call saying the dentist has been called out on emergency and will have to reschedule your appointment.

Congratulations! You are the winner of one unexpected free hour!

What will you do with your winnings?

Answer your email? Return to the project you were working on before you had to leave? Return phone calls? Run errands?

Ever consider doing nothing?

If you're like many of us today, the thought of doing absolutely nothing for an entire hour seems as wasteful as throwing a week's worth of groceries out with the garbage. Indeed, free time with nothing to do can generate near panic among some of us who are overloaded and time-starved. Or it can make us feel guilty, as if we aren't working hard enough or devoted enough to our task to spend every available hour on it.

"We seem to have a complex about busyness in our culture," says Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul. "Most of us do have time in our days that we could devote to simple relaxation, but we convince ourselves that we don't."

And yet, the harder we push, the more we need to replenish ourselves. As Stephan Rechtschaffen, author of Timeshifting, says, "Each of us needs some time that is strictly and entirely our own, and we should experience it daily."

The importance of this downtime cannot be overstated. We see more clearly, we listen more keenly, we work more creatively, we interact more gracefully.

On some level, we know this already. But claiming time to ourselves—time that is often labeled "unproductive"—and sticking to it can be difficult. We need to establish formal boundaries around our idle time to ensure that others—and we, ourselves—honor this time. Some ways to do this are:

Make a date with yourself. Put it in your calendar. Treat it as you would a business appointment.

Stand firm. Learn how to say "no" to co-workers, children, a spouse or a friend. In just a short while, you can say "yes," but now is your time.

< continued on Page 2 click here >

You're just about to leave for a dentist appointment, when you receive a phone call saying the dentist has been called out on emergency and will have to reschedule your appointment. Congratulations! You are the winner of one unexpected free hour! What will you do with your winnings? Answer your email? Return to the project you were working on before you had to leave? Return phone calls? Run errands? Ever consider doing nothing? If you're like many of us today, the thought of doing absolutely nothing for an entire hour seems as wasteful as throwing a week's worth of groceries out with the garbage. Indeed, free time with nothing to do can generate near panic among some of us who are overloaded and time-starved. Or it can make us feel guilty, as if we aren't working hard enough or devoted enough to our task to spend every available hour on it. "We seem to have a complex about busyness in our culture," says Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul. "Most of us do have time in our days that we could devote to simple relaxation, but we convince ourselves that we don't." And yet, the harder we push, the more we need to replenish ourselves. As Stephan Rechtschaffen, author of Timeshifting, says, "Each of us needs some time that is strictly and entirely our own, and we should experience it daily." The importance of this downtime cannot be overstated. We see more clearly, we listen more keenly, we work more creatively, we interact more gracefully. On some level, we know this already. But claiming time to ourselves—time that is often labeled "unproductive"—and sticking to it can be difficult. We need to establish formal boundaries around our idle time to ensure that others—and we, ourselves—honor this time. Some ways to do this are: Make a date with yourself. Put it in your calendar. Treat it as you would a business appointment. Stand firm. Learn how to say "no" to co-workers, children, a spouse or a friend. In just a short while, you can say "yes," but now is your time. < continued on Page 2 click here >	Lori Link *Executive Coach* Lori is committed to helping her clients achieve both personal and professional mastery. Over twenty years of Human Resources experience and seven years of coaching have provided her a unique and diverse perspective. Her corporate background includes General Electric, UCCEL Corporation, PHH, and FirstUSA. Lori assists CEOs, executives, entrepreneurs, sales people and professionals from diverse industries to clarify their vision, eliminate personal roadblocks, implement action plans, and achieve success. She partners with her clients to achieve both personal and professional goals to ensure synergistic solutions and a balanced life. Professional Certified Coach * Member of International Coach Federation, Coach University and CoachVille * Certified Behavioral, Attributes and Values Analyst * Master Instructor with The Institute for Advanced Assessment Studies For More Information Call 972-491-5465 or Email: coach@resource-link.com


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March 2004