I took four months off to learn these three things that help me stay sane in my busy work life

A year ago, I took four months off. I’ve been back at work, in the same job, but things have changed. I have changed. Here are three things anyone with a busy job can learn from how I’ve changed my approach to work-life.

1. Turn off autopilot and start driving yourself. Before my break, I always kept myself busy. I believed that if I were busy, all would be good. I said yes to too many things or the wrong things. But during my break, I’ve learned to listen more to my needs and aims. I’m much more intentional in saying yes or no to things. I learned from the book Essentialism: “If it is not a HELL YES, it is a HELL NO.”
2. Do ‘nothing’ to solve difficult problems. Before my break, taking an hour-long break in the middle of the day to go on a long walk was unthinkable. Let alone lay in a hammock and stare at the garden. I never did that because it felt like I was ‘skipping class’ and felt guilty. However, I have learned that those moments are the best moments for deep thinking. I often return from such a moment with new insights, new perspectives, and energy to deal with gnarly challenges in a new way.
3. Protect time for ‘deep work.’ Have you ever found yourself stuck in days full of meetings, wondering when you’ll have the time to actually ‘do work’? Make things. Think about things. Learn new things. I certainly have. Since my sabbatical, I have blocked off the first 2.5 hours every morning. When colleagues see the “Ask before scheduling” block, they’ll take it as a friendly request to schedule a meeting around it.