brainholidays

G’day gorgeous ones!

Got this Ask Leonie question + I thought it was such an important one to share:

“Hi Leonie!

Love your work + your honest take on life + biz.

I REALLY love what I do and get SO excited by the possibilities + ideas that I find it really hard to switch off.

Can you give some advice on how to switch your brain off during downtime?”

I think we all can suffer from this.

The thrill of the new idea. The glory of being brilliant on weekends.

Getting downloads of the next ten thousand dollar idea.

We think we NEED to be switched on constantly, otherwise our business will fail.

And yet, and yet:

If you want to be BRILLIANT in business, you need regular brain holidays!

The switch off + power down needs to happen. The brain + soul need space + time to dream.

Your business needs space from you in order to grow.

You need some goddamn perspective, and it’s not going to come when you are constantly fixated and IN your business, fiddling + fluffing around.

So, hon: switching off your brain is really, really important to do.

Lemme give you some reasons why it’s important. When we rationalise stuff to our brain, it’s way easier to get its support in making switching-off happen.

REASONS WHY IT’S SO DAMN IMPORTANT TO TURN OFF THE IDEA MAKER!

1. It’s not sustainable to be a 24/7 idea maker.

Babycakes, as much fun as it is, you can’t do it forever. It’s thrilling, yes. But sustainable, no.

And you want to be doing this for a hundred thousand years. And for that to happen, you need to actually, you know, sleep + remember to brush your teeth + get your needs met.

2. You are a whole being, not just a brain

Your body needs energy + time too.

Your heart needs energy + time too.

Your creative + spiritual + emotional selves all need energy + time too.

3. When you tend to all of yourself, you can create from all of yourself

Give yourself some brain space, and the new, big ideas will come.

You’ll get startling bouts of clarity. You’ll have great washes of perspective.

You’ll find out what you need to know for your business… by not thinking about it at all.

It’s why our greatest ideas come on the loo or in the shower or as we drift off to sleep at night – daydreaming and the idle wandering of a mind gives it the space to make great cognitive shifts.

4. Burnout sucks giant panda balls

We all know it. Push yourself without rest + you’ve got yourself a one way ticket to Burnoutsville.

It’s a suckful place to be – for you, your family + your biz. So let’s do what needs to be done so you don’t end up there!

So now we know WHY ya need ’em – let’s talk about how to make ’em happen!

HOW TO MAKE SWITCH OFF HAPPEN + BE GLORIOUSLY HAPPY

Set boundaries

You need to describe + scribe down parameters of when you will work + when you will not.

Write them down for both macro + micro: year/week/day:

  • How many weeks’ vacation will I take over the next year?
  • What days off will I take each week?
  • When will I switch off during each day?

What’s right for you may not be right for me + vice versa.

Here’s how my year/week/day nourishing mixup looks:

  • 4 weeks vacation a year (I used to take 3 months – but don’t really want or need to because my daily + weekly time offs are much more balanced now!)
  • I take Saturday + Sunday off
  • I don’t work at night after 6pm (and I work just in the afternoons usually – the rest of my time is family time)

Get a life/hobbies/other things in your world that light you up aside from your biz

I say this with love, sweetie. I say it because I tell it to myself too.

“Leonie, get some gosh darn hobbies already!”

Find some things that make your brain go on holiday.

Send your executive high-powered always-cogitating business brain on holidays.

Welcome in Leisure Suit Larry brain instead, whose main job is to sit on a li-lo in the pool, sipping frappes + loving life.

Some things that might make your brain go plop plop snooze (in the very best way):

  • knitting
  • romance novels
  • trashy mags
  • craft
  • sewing
  • gardening
  • walking
  • woodwork
  • needle felting
  • finding new music
  • finding the most comfortable place on your lounge
  • cooking
  • talking to friends on the phone (you know! those people you know in real life! who have voices!)
  • even OMG! seeing them FACE TO FACE! and doing stuff! like restaurants + concerts + picnics + going to the river + hiking + gossiping!
  • drumming
  • woo woo women’s gatherings

ALL IN ALL: GET A FREAKIN’ HOBBY.

All those things you’ve always wanted to try! All the things you like moodling about with! Now is the time to actually dive deep into them!

If you’re stuck on ideas, this book might be a good reference point.

Most of all

Love the shiz outta your life.

When you are radiant, nourished, excited by loads of different non-biz thangs…

you bring a light + a joy + a brilliance to your work

that peeps who are workaholicked + burnt out simply cannot.

To be brilliant… turn your brain off. Regularly + deeply.

All my love,