Motivation & Time Out

While sitting on a bench by the river on a recent summer day, I was watching the sailboats glide by, enjoying my lunch and doing some work on my iPad. It felt good being outside in the fresh air and hot sun. I was starting to lose focus when all of the sudden, a message popped-up on the screen that I’d never seen before. It said, “Your iPad needs to cool down before you can use it.”

I burst out laughing! My iPad was telling me that it needed a “time out.” By default, it was giving me a time out too, because I couldn’t continue my work. The timing of getting the message was interesting because I wasn’t feeling focused.

Since my iPad had never spoken to me in this way before, I figured that as funny as the message was, I better take her seriously. She was telling me that it was time to take a break, “cool down,” and then begin again. Far be it from me to ignore such sage advice. I headed to The Blue Pig for an espresso toffee ice cream cone. By the time I had finished my snack and returned home, my iPad and me were ready to get some work done.

She had her method of cooling down and I had mine. That break left me refreshed and motivated to move forward with more energy and purpose than before.

The next time you aren’t quite feeling focused to move ahead, feel free to think about my iPad’s advice. Take a mini break, refresh, refocus and begin again.

When do you know it’s time for a break? What motivates you to take your next step?