Introverts often find themselves running on a hamster wheel of family, work and personal obligations.
Sometimes masterfully balancing all the responsibilities, and at other times falling short to prioritize and meet requirements, they are forced to come face to face with those conundrums where the more you think about a situation, the harder it becomes to progress forward.
I believe the coined term for it is Analysis Paralysis.
Last week while perusing through LinkedIn, I saw a post about Global Rest Week, and I was immediately intrigued.
Companies like HubSpot, LinkedIn and others, took a week-long corporate break which some refer to as a Global Week of Rest during the week of the July 4th holiday.
The goal of this rest week is to allow time for employees to rest and reset in hopes of boosting creativity and productivity.
I was curious to know if employees really benefit from this mid-summer break, and if this could be the Work Detox that introverts need to regain momentum when feeling overwhelmed.
This past week, I connected with a friend who works for a company that also observes a week of rest, and here are her thoughts,
"This paid week in addition to my paid vacation time is heaven. All of the employees love it. I personally feel refreshed like it is a reset. In addition to the week, we have Summer Fridays from the week after Memorial Day to the week before Labor Day where we close at 3 but paid the full shift. We also have 9 paid days during the holiday season. We get most holidays paid off including Black Friday, MLK & Juneteenth! It definitely boosts morale. Truly the best company to work for and the fact that it is minority owned is an even bigger plus".
It sounds to me like the company my friend works for, and some others have learned how to accomplish more in less time, which makes space for employee downtime.
I can imagine it takes a lot of planning on the part of the company and the client to successfully pull off these corporate closures.
Individually, I imagine each employee has adopted an agile mindset that allows them to stay on task and track their progression, so they will be able to enjoy this time off without feeling burdened.
But what if that is not the case?
As an introvert, what if the thought of closing your laptop for a full week causes you to feel stressed instead of joyous. What if the thought of being away from your projects and clients caused anxiety instead of the intended rest and rejuvenation that your company is hoping for?
One of two things can happen, either you will plan your work differently and adjust your work schedule leading up to this global week of rest, so that you are able to fully enjoy it
OR
you will fret having the time off and come back to a lot of unfinished work that immediately catapults you back into the stress and overwhelm of unread email messages, missed deadlines, extended budgets and everything else.
It's a choice that will be made, intentionally or unintentionally but in either circumstance, you are the common denominator with the ability to choose.
So, what can an introvert do to recenter their thoughts and create a plan that helps them to work purposely when time is of the essence?
1. Be Creative - Be creative about accomplishing your goals. Think outside of the box and create small milestones that will help you track your progress leading up to your scheduled time off.
2. Pause and Pivot - If you find yourself becoming overwhelmed, anxious or irritated, take a moment and revisit your goal statement. Determine if the work that you are focused on is moving you closer to your goal or further away. If it is moving you further from your goal, it's okay to pivot.
3. Get Physical - Movement diminishes the power found in stress. Take 30 minutes to immerse yourself in some time of physical activity. Not only will you work up a sweat and burn calories, but you will also break up those stressful feelings.
Learn more about HubSpot's Global Rest Week by clicking here.
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