After a year of hard work, burnout happens to the best of us. You may be familiar with the chronic work-related stress that leads to reduced performance and productivity. Does this ring a bell?
The body is designed to respond to short bursts of stress. When stress is prolonged and the stress response is triggered repeatedly with regularity, it takes a toll on your physical and mental health. This makes you less able to respond to situations with strength and creativity and more likely to work on anxiety-ridden autopilot.
So how do we get our mojo back and show up as our best selves for 2023? Thankfully, the holiday break is an excellent opportunity to reset and return stronger than ever for the new year, as long as we take full advantage of the time off.
Here are three tips for recharging for another year of great marketing performance.
1. Have a digital detox
How often do you feel the urge to check your phone? Do you feel it right now?
A survey by global tech care company Asurion found that on average, Americans check their phones 96 times a day; that’s once every 10 minutes. If you are feeling brave, you can check the number of hours per day you use your phone and the number of pick-ups. For iPhone users, you can do this by selecting “screen time” in your phone settings.
The reality is that the overuse of phones is keeping us from fully resting. Our brains are constantly on overdrive. We are overloaded with notifications, likes, comments, reels, TikToks, and more.
That is why it will help to set limits on your holiday screen time; it’ll really slow down during your time off. This digital detox includes email, Slack, and social media. iPhone users can even set screen time limits in the settings app. Staying off your phone allows you to be fully present in the moment so that your brain can finally catch a break from constant stimulation.
2. Make plans to do nothing
When we finally do get time off, it's tempting to fill our schedule with outings, errands, and checking off to-dos. However, trying to maximize your time by using every minute to be productive doesn’t give your body or brain the rest it needs to recharge. With a jam packed schedule, time flies by so quickly that you’ll find you’re back to work again before you know it feeling like you got no break at all.
One way to resist falling into this trap is to actually schedule time to do nothing. As crazy as it sounds, it ensures that you are actually going to get the uninterrupted rest that you need to feel rejuvenated. This strategy also removes guilt you may feel from not being productive because you’re sticking to your scheduled plan - the time is designated to do nothing.
3. Prioritize your body
This may seem obvious to some, but time off provides a great opportunity to care for your body. Most marketing professionals spend the majority of the day tied to a desk and scrunching over a computer. This is taxing on the body. It causes back, neck, and shoulder pains; negatively impacts circulation; and reduces energy levels - the list goes on.
Use time off work to take care of your body so that you aren’t dealing with chronic pain and feeling sluggish. Here are a few ideas to help you get started:
Practice yoga to help get your blood flowing and correct posture that’s gone bad hovering over a screen.
Get 8+ hours of sleep at night by going to bed early (not scrolling through your phone) and keeping your morning schedule activity-free.
Cook and enjoy a nutritious homemade meal to break the cycle of grabbing takeout, scarfing down snacks in between meetings, or skipping meals altogether during the work week.
This holiday season, take time to slow down so that you can come back to work ready to conquer the new year. If you are ready to see tremendous growth in your marketing efforts in 2023, we are standing by to help. Drop us a line.