Holidays are a fantastic way to take a well-earned break from the world of work - offering rest, relaxation and escapism in its purest form. What you may not know, however, is that a vacation can do much more for your professional life than distract from it. This Zen Habits piece on inner motivation techniques demonstrates the inextricable link between mental clarity and motivation. By holding on to your holiday perspective, you can find the ideal mindset for performing at your best - and here’s how.
Work can come to feel like a monotonous cycle without regular relaxation intervals. Scheduling non-negotiable downtime into your work day guarantees the freedom to remove yourself from your workload and unwind in peace. Your motivation can run dry very quickly without a release from projects and deadlines - but by enforcing downtime during your working day, you can give yourself the chance to mentally refuel. These moments of undisturbed relaxation offer an ideal mindset for creativity - with the alpha brainwaves responsible for inspired ideas increased by alternating between work and rest.
Just like a holiday, work isn’t sustainable or healthy if you’re doing it without taking some time out to power down. During any vacation, sightseeing and activities are balanced with rest and relaxation - making the most of the ‘break’ element while absorbing your surroundings. Whether it’s unravelling a work problem over lunch or going for a wander to throw some ideas around your head, these essential timeouts help to keep your mind clear and can even trigger some particularly creative thinking.
Image Courtesy of Dave Naithani
Motivation isn’t a self-propagating phenomenon, and must instead be nurtured before you’ll see results. One effective way to manufacture some motivation is by picking the ideal working setting - a location with the right balance of atmosphere and isolation, allowing you to focus without the often suffocating stillness of a corporate office. In a recent article, Chit Chat Biz took a look at the ways working from a coffee shop can boost productivity. This and many other posts on the topic look at how the psychology of café culture can maximise your motivation - through a combination of self-discipline and coffee shop ambience. By bringing your holiday back with you, you can escape the post-vacation depression many have suffered in the past - and even use your R&R in the name of peak performance. If you’re looking for the secret to office motivation, you’ve found it. At Eden Springs, we’ve written the book on productivity - helping employers and employees across the UK to find the formula for professional performance. And if you’re an employer on the hunt for an office productivity boost, our eco-friendly office coffee machines ought to do it.
