When you have the opportunity to work and play, in the same life is tantamount to having your cake and eating it too. And guess what? You need to do that.

When you sit before your computer day in and day out, and the work is flowing, it’s sometimes quite easy to forget the importance of fitting in other activities. One really important activity is relaxing. The conscious choice to dismiss obligations for a time is exhilarating. Then when you actually spend the allotted time relaxing, you give your mind, spirit and body time to be restored.

It takes a measure of audacity to assert yourself and secure free time to relax. Balancing obligations of work, family, friends and other communities with rest and relaxation has several benefits:

• Improves your presence in social settings
• Revitalizes your ability to and attitude toward work
• Facilitates your ability to be receptive to new ideas
• Cultivates the audacity to pursue riskier endeavors

Balance is Important in All Walks of Life: 3 Examples

1. On The Late Show with David Letterman, actress Kate Winslet was being interviewed. She and David Letterman were chatting about the holidays and family gathering. The conversation quickly contorted into their agreed-upon commiseration over their eventual desire to “kill them all.” They were referring to experiencing family overload. At the same time, each acknowledged how much they looked forward to the season and the time together.




2. Timothy Ferris, entrepreneur, athlete, and author of The 4-Hour Workweek, is an advocate of freedom from the daily grind of 9 to 5 work. He doesn’t believe in the traditional deferred-life plan. Many of us including Timothy Ferris know that this happiness can’t be found in the 9 to 5, five day workweek.




3. Kirk Byron Jones is a family man, preacher, teacher and an author of several books including, Addicted to Hurry: Spiritual Strategies for Slowing Down, and most recently Holy Play: The Joyful Adventure of Unleashing Your Divine Purpose. Kirk says, “No sitting, no soaring.” He warns us that we can be crushed by respecting only the work obligations that we have, and ignoring our need to relax.

The people in the above examples are very successful. They have learned that your best success is achieved through hard work and healthy playing. You can be more creative about getting work done when you have proper relaxation time. Time away from the work of getting things done can actually give you the answers that you need.

There have been many times when I’ve given up on an idea of how to work things out only to find that the answer was right before me. What happens is that I try to force the solution by laboring to concentrate on the answer until I become overly focused, which has a way of fostering tunnel vision and not letting in alternative ideas.

Having a Balance of Work and Relaxation Improves Enjoyment

Creative solutions thrive in relaxed, open environments. Lately I’m spending time with family and friends and pleasurable obligations. I went home to New Orleans, Louisiana for a visit over the New Year holiday. I worked on my blogs and website in the hotel when I wasn’t visiting or relaxing in the room.

My aunt needed a ride to the hospital and someone to stay with her. I was able to do both; and I played games, wrote and read to pass the time.

This weekend, I have company visiting me. We’re doing different things as they occur to us, and I have a couple hours here and there that I’m scheduled to put in some work.

It’s a lot more interesting for me as I learn to actually take time for different relaxing things. I don’t think about work and what will come next. Relaxation is time I allow myself to be in the moment and enjoy my family, friends and activities. As a result, I present a renewed self when I return to work.

Enjoyment is important, because really, isn’t that they ultimate reason that we make any effort? Not only do we get to have playtime, adults thrive when play time is allowed for. Treat it as a requirement to have some fun regularly and see what a difference it can make in your work life.

Plan it. Look forward to it. Execute your plan to play. Let me know how relaxation improves your endeavors.