Climb Out Of The All-work-and-no-play Trap

By Author: Jesse Whitehead
Total Articles: 130
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You've probably heard the old proverb "all work and no play make Jack a dull boy." What exactly does this saying mean? Well, the answer to this question is as obvious as it sounds. It simply means that if you never take time off from work, you'll become a bored and boring person.

While this line was made famous in the 1980 movie "The Shining," the underlying sentiment has been around for thousands of years, dating from the Egyptian sage Ptahhotep in 2400 BC. Human nature has not really changed in thousands of years and what was true back then remains true today.
These days it seems many of us are spending more time on the job working harder than ever. However, working obsessively without taking a little time off for other things is actually counterproductive and may be detrimental to one's health.

Just as a battery gets depleted with continued usage and needs to be recharged, your energy levels get depleted and need to be recharged as well.

Whether you're a workaholic, or you're trying to meet the high expectations of today's workplace, it's easy to fall into the trap of "all work and no play." ...
... As expressed in the proverb all work makes a person bored as well as boring. Without even realizing it you become dull, boring and uninteresting. You will not be interesting to yourself or others.

So climb out of that trap. Get out of the rut. Don't just" live to work" but learn how to "work to live."

It's more than just getting a few hours of sleep at night. It's taking time to refresh yourself mentally, physically and spiritually. It's learning how to balance your work life with your personal life.

First, set aside one or two days during the work week that you will get a home at a decent hour and not work late. If you work overtime on weekends, don't go in for the weekend and reserve Saturday and Sunday for yourself.

Now find something to do that you been putting off. Maybe you have a project around the house you want to complete. Or perhaps you want to go with your friends and enjoy an evening out. What about that novel lying on your coffee table that you just haven't found the time to read? Take a few hours and dig into the book and enjoy it. Work around the yard, trim the shrubs, plants some flowers, mow the lawn.

Whatever you do just take some time and relax. Give yourself some breathing room. Leave your job behind and allow yourself to recharge those low batteries. Although it may be hard for you to do, taking some time off to play and have fun, or just to do nothing but "vege out" is good for your health and your mental state. You will be happier, feel better emotionally and physically, and become a more lively and interesting person.
Jesse Whitehead lives in the Central Valley of California where he enjoys writing articles on a variety of different subjects. His latest interest is in Orbita Watch Winders. Come visit his latest website at AutomaticWatchWinders.org which provides more information about automatic watch winders.