http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/30/the-busy-trap/A really great article, got me thinking. I am currently working 3 jobs (ASM, Tech Director for a High School, and my day job in Sales) and I find myself kind of lost when I don't have work (on the very rare occassion!). I have literally scheduled myself to the brink, and kept taking on work as long as there were enough hours in the day. I don't stress out about work anymore, but I tend to feel the need to make lists so I feel productive in my time off- what a weird kind of paradox I'm living.
I look back at my summer in France- the author talks about a friend who moved there and discovered a new lifestyle- and I have always thought of it as a 'turning point' for me. They really do value their lives and time outside of work or school, and I learned to take a chill pill and stop stressing about work. I think I am much more relaxed now in work situations and it is one of the big reasons I feel I do well in Stage Management- but have I just switched things around and now stress about my downtime?
I have the next two days off, and I'm going to try and not make a list or stick to things I must do (although a trip to visit family is planned). The biggest challenge I think will to tell myself that it is completly okay to waste a couple of hours on trashy tv, or a video game. It's not a waste of time- it is my life and downtime is okay. We'll see how it goes.
