What do you do to relax?

Have you ever heard of the expression...

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Many people, they're in such a rush in their everyday lives they forget how important the element of play is.

Play is letting your hair hang loose once in a while, kicking back, relaxing, having a good time.

It's important in business to sometimes just let yourself, be.

If you keep on pushing yourself sooner or later you will burn out from stress. Like it not it happens all too often.

There we are putting in all the hours under the sun in a constant chasing after the wind, doing a bit of this, doing a bit of that, doing something else - busy, busy, busy.

And then one day it hits us...

We ask ourselves the question... what am I doing all of this for if by the fruits of my labor I seem to make no time for myself?

It's vitally important to recharge your batteries every now and then.

It's vitally important you know when to take a break and give yourself a little reward.

For the ladies this might be a relaxing session at the beauty parlor, a massage or a beauty treatment, perhaps getting your hair done, whatever it is this 'me' time is a perfect opportunity to leave all of your stresses of the week far behind.

For the guys here you might enjoy a spot of fishing, a good stomp in the mountains or working on your prized car.

The activity you choose is unimportant, anything just to get you away from work for a bit to allow your mind, spirit and body time to recuperate and recharge themselves ready for the next spell.

You'll find by taking regular exercise or simply taking time out that you'll be a lot more productive with the time available to you if you learn to really listen to what your body is telling you.

Taking time out, rewarding yourself with a little play reinvigorates the mind and helps you to solve problems when you do get back to work in much more creative ways.

By gum, life can actually be exciting if you simply allow it to happen.

So put a little spring in your step, take out some magical moments for yourself, reward yourself regularly and who knows at the end of the day you may just end up making a lot more money.

Last night for example, I decided to take some time out for myself. Having bought a good bottle of wine earlier in the day, I opened it at about 9pm.

And here I am in the middle of the New Forest National Park in southern England, the forest stretching away in all directions.

By the light of a near perfect full moon, I drank my bottle of wine, cranked some music on and made my way into the middle distance into a small meadow and danced my socks off. All the while marveling at the absolutely stunningly beautiful surroundings I found myself in.

Now today, I feel fantastic, fully refreshed having let my hair down for a few hours and now raring to get cracking on with some more work.

What about you?

What importance do you place on play?

Rewarding yourself?

How do you take time out for yourself and why do you do it?

How do you feel after you've taken time out for yourself?

Finally, when you come back to work after taking time out, do you find you end up being a lot more productive?

If you have any, please post up your own relaxation tips below...

Warmest regards,


Mark Andrews